Cartoon a Day: Hare Force

Hare Force
1944
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3

The title "Hare Force" has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of this cartoon. You'd think it had something to do with the military, but it's just an unrelated pun. The plot concerns Bugs Bunny battling with a dog named Sylvester over who gets locked outside on a cold winter night.


You kind of feel sorry for Sylvester as Bugs tricks him out of his spot by the fire. Maybe that's why he wasn't used as an ongoing nemesis for Bugs. However, Sylvester does get a few jabs in himself.

The best sequence comes toward the end of the film...the "oh no, out you go once and for all" sequence. The two characters go back and forth trying to push the other out the door. There are some great poses if you freeze frame when the two switch places.

Though this short takes a little while to find it's rhythm, it is pretty funny and ends strong.

Cartoon a Day: Arctic Antics

Arctic Antics
1930
Directed by Ub Iwerks
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - More Silly Symphonies

With the weather we had here in Denver today, "Arctic Antics" seemed like an appropriate choice of cartoon.

It's a Silly Symphony, so as is often the case there is no real plot to speak of. This one features a bunch of arctic creatures playing and dancing about. The animation is good, it is directed by Ub Iwerks after all, but it is a bit uneven.



I guess it was hard to think up a bunch of fun situations that take place in sub zero temperatures. The first half of the film is just kind of there, and unfortunately features one of the most annoying sound effects trax ever. Who knew that baby polar bears squeaked like doggie toys?!?



The second half of the film is a lot more fun, featuring a troop of military marching penguins. A bit of comic touch is added by a short penguin who can't quite keep up with the group that seems somewhat like an early version of the little mushroom that can't keep up with others in the Nutcracker Suite section of "Fantasia."

Christmas Playlist

I love Christmas music, especially strange Christmas music. So, if you have the courage to experience my musical taste, try out my Christmas playlist from Project Playlist. Among the songs are a Porky Pig version of "Blue Christmas," The Ramones with "Merry Christmas, I don't Want to Fight," and the Cheech and Chong classic "Santa Claus and His Old Lady."

Click here for the tunes.

Cartoon a Day: Northwest Hounded Police

Northwest Hounded Police
1946
Directed by Tex Avery
Available on: Tex Avery's Droopy - The Complete Theatrical Collection

Ah, Droopy, the perfect start for the week. "Northwest Hounded Police" is one of the earliest Droopy shorts. The premise is simple, the wolf has escaped from prison and is hiding out in the great white north of Canada. So the mounties are called in and they send out their finest...Droopy. For the rest of the short, no matter where the wolf runs, Droopy is there.



This short is all about the classic Tex Avery style reactions. Things actually start pretty calm as the wolf reacts to Droopy's constant presence. But thing build in intensity as the short continues.

I'm not quite sure what it is that keeps Tex Avery's cartoons so funny even after repeated viewings. I've seen this cartoon many times, but I was laughing out loud, and very loudly, again tonight. My wife told me to quiet down because I was keeping the kids up.

Perhaps it's just that Avery seems to be pulling out all the stops with each reaction of the wolf, yet the next one is even more extreme. You just can't help but burst out in laughter.

Cartoon a Day: Terror on the Midway

Terror on the Midway
1942
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: The Complete Superman Cartoons

I wish I could say that "Terror on the Midway" is as good as "The Bulleteers," but sadly that's not the case. Now this isn't a bad cartoon, it's just doesn't have the pacing do keep the viewer as involved.



In this short, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are on assignment at a circus. Lois is bored to tears with the big top when a small monkey inadvertently lets a monster gorilla loose. The panic results in lions and panthers being let loose, stampeding elephants and even a fire. Luckily, Superman swoops in to save the day.

One of the most interesting aspects of this short is that many scenes involve showing the action in shadow. In case you didn't know, I'm a puppeteer and shadow puppetry happens to be one of my favorite forms of puppetry. So portraying several sequences in shadow is really intriguing to me. Even if the rest of short isn't as exciting as some of the other Superman toons, there are still some interesting techniques at work.

Cartoon a Day: The Bulleteers

The Bulleteers

1942

Directed by Dave Fleischer

Available on: The Complete Superman Cartoons

Well, yesterday I missed doing a cartoon, so I'm doing two today...two Superman shorts.

"The Bulleteers" is another one of the gems in the short-lived Fleischer Superman series. Metropolis is being terrorized by three crooks in a "bullet car." This thing can drive, fly and blow up buildings without even being dented itself. So, it's up to Superman to stop them.

Right off the bat you notice the great stylized look to Metropolis in the opening sequence. Not to mention the fact that the first sequence where the bullet car plows into police headquarters is startling.

The editing has a quick pace, rapid cuts between various shots with extreme angles. The story is goofy, I mean it involves bullet men, but I didn't think about that while watching.


This short builds...the action mixed with the extreme designs and angles is a perfect mix. There's a lot of imagination behind this short.

What I've Learned from the Muppets: Put Down the Duckie

Cartoon a Day: Fish Fry

Fish Fry
1944
Directed by Shamus Culhane (as James Culhane)
Available on: Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection

We haven't done an Andy Panda short yet, so I completely randomly ended up on 1944's "Fish Fry," which it turns out was nominated for an Academy Award.

Andy catches the attention of a goldfish while gazing through the front window of a pet shop. He decides to plunk down 10 cents for the fish, but on the way home the fish ends up catching the eye of a hungry alley cat. Andy ends up being a supporting player as the cat and the fish duke it out.

Here's a great sequence of screen shots from when the cat first spots the fish...




I wish that kind of energy had continued, but that's pretty much the only sequence we get like that. The short is still fun, though.

I like a lot of the expressions used on the cat. The harshness of his design is a great contrast to the baby-faces of the fish and Andy Panda.

Cartoon a Day: Back Alley Oproar

Back Alley Oproar
1948
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

The title card for this short gives a great hint at one of the great aspects of this cartoon. While it's a funny short and has some great animation, it's the backgrounds that are really great. I love the colors and the areas of shadow on those houses, that style continues throughout the short.

This shot of Sylvester against the moon is another great example of the cool backgrounds. This is an unusual short in that it casts Sylvester in the role the a character like Daffy Duck would usually fill.

Sylvester is usually the one on the receiving end of the gags, but here he's the one keeping Elmer Fudd awake with his late night vocal talents. Even in the end, when Elmer has blown both of them up, Sylvester gets the last laugh. One of his rare victories.

Cartoon a Day: Katnip Kollege

Katnip Kollege
1938
Directed by Cal Dalton & Cal Howard
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

"Katnip Kollege" seems somewhat out of place in the grand scheme of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. More of a cutesy film than is typical of Warner Brothers. Even their cutesy-ish shorts such as "I Love to Singa" had that loony edge to them. That's not really present here.


The premise involves a school of "swingology" attended by a bunch of cats. The class sing swing throughout the day, except for one who ends up wearing the dunce cap. As the short progresses, the dunce finds his rhythm and joins the other cats in a moonlight swing session.


The animation is good, but at times it seems a bit flat and repetitious. It's enjoyable enough, but it just doesn't have the bite you expect from Warner Brothers.

Cartoon A Day: A Corny Concerto

A Corny Concerto
1943
Directed by Bob Clampett (as Robert Clampett)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

"A Corny Concerto" can be summed up like this: Bob Clampett does "Fantasia." That's worth the price of admission right there. Who better of Warner's directors to take a jab at Walt Disney's epic.

Elmer Fudd introduces two segments set to classical music. The first segment is a Bugs Bunny / Elmer Fudd story, only Elmer is played by Porky Pig. The segment moves at a dizzying pace. Whereas "Fantasia" could be considered graceful, this is manic and it makes for a great parody.

The backgrounds have a unique color scheme, as well, which pokes more fun at Disney's masterpiece. There's also a wide range of crazy reactions and poses, which Clampett is famous for.

The second segment almost defies description. It begins looking as if it could've come right out of "Fantasia," with it's graceful swans swimming about. But you know that won't last long. It think this series of shots from one reaction illustrate the turn this segment takes better than I could describe it.

Just look at the extremes on that last shot! It's amazing to look at single frames of quick movements on a Clampett cartoon.

Though this is a wild "Fantasia" parody, it's done with great affection for the original. I think both films rank as masterpieces.

Cartoon a Day: Hollywood Steps Out

Hollywood Steps Out
1941
Directed by Tex Avery
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

Many of the major cartoon studios made films that focused on caricatures of celebrities of the time. "Hollywood Steps Out" is one of those films. It features none of the Looney Tunes characters, just cartoon versions of famous folks.

Many of today's viewers will have trouble recognizing some of the people being poked fun at, I do. And, as is the case in many of these cartoons, some of the humor is lost to time. For example, Ann Sheridan's caricature only says the world "oomph' because she was known as the "oomph girl." I only know that because the commentary track told me show. Still, there are plenty of great moments that stand on their own even without familiarity with the celebrities of the early 40's.

The running gag with Clark Gable pursuing a girl is funny on it's own even without the payoff at the end where we learn that the girl is Groucho Marx in disguise.

It's also fun to spot the caricatures of Looney Tunes head honcho Leon Schlesinger (right) and producer Henry Bender (left). You can hear the Looney Tunes music as the camera passes by them.

The bubble dance sequence is also interesting to take note of as a sort of precursor to Tex Avery's later MGM cartoons that would feature curvaceous cartoon ladies and extreme reactions from members of the audience. It's definitely not to the extreme of a cartoon like "Red Hot Riding Hood," but it does point to things to come.

Even without a knowledge of the stars of old Hollywood, "Hollywood Steps Out" provides plenty of laughs and some skillful caricature based animation.