Cartoon a Day: The Yankee Doodle Mouse

The Yankee Doodle Mouse
1943
Directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
Available on: Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection

As the title cards says, this Tom and Jerry short won the Academy Award for 1943. As usual, Tom is chasing Jerry, but this short gives the antics a military setting.



Some parts of this short are very familiar, and others not so much. It could be that some sequences from this short were reused in other Tom and Jerry films, which did happen a few times. It's interesting to see some of these gags, which I've seen before, but to see them in light of the fact that this was made while our country was deep in World War II. Jerry flying around in a cardboard box dropping light bulb bombs on Tom suddenly takes on new meaning.

Like most Tom and Jerry cartoons, this short is, at times, cringe-worthy in it's level of violence. I mean, Jerry scrapes Tom's rear end with a cheese grader folks...twice! The humor of this short still holds up after 65 years. I'm sure it was a great spirit booster for folks worn down by the realities of a world at war when it first was screened.

Cartoon a Day: Minnie the Moocher

Minnie the Moocher
1932
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: YouTube

Well folks, I'm sorry for the big gap in my cartoon a day posts this past week. I was at the Children's Pastor's Conference in Nashville, which I figured might make time to post slim, but I sure didn't count on the awful internet service. This is the second year in a row that I've been able to stay at a friend's time share, it was nice but the internet service was so undependable. Even when I could get on I didn't think the signal was strong enough to upload anything. So far, I've gotten better internet service at most Super 8's than I got in these fancy time share joints.

Anyway, on with the cartoon. Since it's a Betty Boop short, here it is thanks to YouTube...



The opening live-action sequence of this film shows exactly why rotoscoping was an important part of this movie. There you get to see the actual Cab Calloway, it would be a challenge for any animator to match his moves. It makes perfect sense to rotoscope him as was done later in the film.

This film continues the creative, if not bizarre, nature of the Betty Boop films. The premise is a bit weird...Betty doesn't like the food she's getting at home so she runs away with Bimbo and ends up in a haunted cave where a walrus like creature sings "Minnie the Moocher." Seen it a thousand times before, right...yeah right.

The closing sequence where the ghosts chase Betty and Bimbo out of the cave was the highlight for me. There is some great animation and character design, and one can't help but think that Disney's artists may have looked at this sequence when planning 'A Night on Bald Mountain' from "Fantasia." I think the whole film would've been a bit stronger if there had been more interaction between Betty and the ghosts, but it's still a fun short.

Muppet Mug Shots

Here's a disturbing trend. Amongst the fresh 2009 mug shots collected over at The Smoking Gun are two apparent Muppet fans who ended up at the lock up. Both are sporting shirts featuring a picture of Kermit and the slogan "It's Easy Being Green." Of course we all know that it's actually NOT easy being green. Perhaps having the wrong idea is part of what landed them in this trouble in the first place.

Cartoon a Day: The Chain Gang

The Chain Gang
1930
Directed by Burt Gillett
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Black and White

"The Chain Gang" is a very early Mickey Mouse short. I remember watching it several years ago and not being that taken with this particular short. I think I have a better appreciation of this film now, but it still is not a "Wow" moment for everyone's favorite mouse.

The premise is a bit strange, Mickey is in prison. Think about that for a second...Mickey Mouse in prison!?! What on earth could he have done? He charges too much for a large Coke at his amusement parks, but prison?!? Anyhow, the first half of the film is musical antics around the prison yard. The second half is about the goofiest prison riot ever put on film.


There are certain moments of this cartoon where the animation seems more polished in some scenes than others. It's understandable considering how early in Mickey's history this film is. The animators were still working out their craft. You can see them experimenting a bit with perspective towards the end of the film. There are genuinely funny moments too, such as when Mickey breaks the chain attached to his leg yet he still picks up the ball it was attached to and carries it with him as he escapes.

Cartoon a Day: Betty Boop, M.D.

Betty Boop, M.D.
1932
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Available on: YouTube

Here's another Betty Boop cartoon available for viewing in full thanks to YouTube and the public domain. Enjoy.




This is a truly bizarre cartoon featuring Betty, Koko, and Bimbo as part of a medicine show. By the time this cartoon get rolling, their wonder product, Jippo, has got people's skeletons jumping out of their skin, babies turning into monsters and all sorts of other weird stuff. The cartoon is almost psychedelic.

It's pretty weird, but it is a great example of the originality that went on at the Fleischer studio. Whereas many cartoons from this era are repetitious in their animation, this is anything but. We don't see the same gag, not to mention the same animation, over and over. This cartoon quickly moves from bit to bit.

I've certainly seen some Betty Boop shorts over the years, but I guess I've never looked at them as closely as I am now. There is really a lot of innovation in them. I finding the Fleischer studio to be one of the under appreciated gems of early animation.

The Stories Behind the Muppets

The blog over at Mental Floss has a great little post about the stories behind the origins of 20 favorite Muppet characters. There are a few that I'm not sure aboout the accuracy of, but it's a fun post for all Muppet fans. Enjoy it here.

Cartoon a Day: Ration Bored

Ration Bored
1943
Directed by Emery Hawkins and Milt Schaeffer
Available on: Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection.

Well, we missed doing a cartoon yesterday. Out too late on New Year's eve. But today we have a Woody Woodpecker short, "Ration Bored."


This is a descent short, but it does have a few strikes against it. First off, it's premise comes from something that audiences today just can't relate to, rationing of gas. But this is one of those shorts where you can't help but wonder how Woody Woodpecker became so popular, because he just isn't that likable here. In this short he's they guy who sees himself as being above everybody else. The rules don't apply to him.

The "villains" in this short are just trying to do their job. Their the honest folk. Woody is really the bad guy here. So while this short has a few chuckles it's hard to get on the side of the so-called hero of the story.

Cartoon a Day: The Zoot Cat

The Zoot Cat
1944
Directed by William Hanna (as Bill Hanna) and Joseph Barbera
Available on: Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection

This is another memorable Tom and Jerry short. In this one Tom is trying to win the affection of a girl cat, but she thinks he's a square. After seeing her swoon over the mention of a zoot suit on the radio, Tom makes his own out of a hammock.


This is a unique Tom and Jerry short as it actually features a lot of dialogue. Both Tom and Jerry speak in this one and Toots, the girl cat, has a lot of dialogue.

Of course there are the necessary chase sequences, but the best moment of this short is the piano scene. Tom takes on a Charles Boyer type impression as he tells Toots how she "sets his soul on fire." Of course, Jerry is working on giving Tom the hot foot at the same time. The animation of Tom is also great in this sequence with his exaggerated facial expressions.

Cartoon a Day: Confidence

Confidence
1933
Directed by William Nolan
Available on: Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection

"Confidence" is an interesting cartoon to look at, especially in the difficult economic times we are facing now. This is a cartoon that wasn't made for laughs, but was made to boost spirits during the great depression.

In this short, things are seeming pretty good down on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's farm, that is until the depression comes, and in the form of a dark ghost-like figure, I might add. To find the cure, Oswald (looking more like Mickey Mouse than ever before) heads to Washington DC to have a chat with President Roosevelt.

In it's first few minutes "Confidence" feels like any other black and white toon from this era. You've got lots of happy animals with big eyes dancing around. But as things move on, this short becomes quite innovative. The scene where depression sweeps over the land combines animation with live action. The effect is uses a globe type object with houses and trees attached to it which turns as the animated hooded figure flies over. It's a pretty ingenius effect for this time period.

Oswald's sort of decent into madess is also not your typical type of imagery for an early cartoon such as this.

The use of charicature in FDR's rah-rah appearance toward the end is also pretty very well done. Plus it does an effective job of turning a pretty dark cartoon completely around for a cheery finish. This is very strong Oswald cartoon from the Walter Lantz era of the character.

Cartoon a Day: Pecos Pest

Pecos Pest
1955
Directed by William Hannah and Joseph Barbera
Available on: Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection

Last night I watched the cartoon that I was most thrilled to find was a part of the collection of Tom and Jerry shorts that I got for Christmas, "Pecos Pest." This is one of those cartoons that we would hope would be shown each day when Tom and Jerry aired on good old Channel 32 in Chicago. It's probably my favorite Tom and Jerry film, and, I think, one of the funniest.

In this film, Jerry is paid a visit by his Uncle Pecos, a singing cowboy on the way to make his big TV debut. While practicing the song he'll be doing on the show, Pecos breaks a guitar string and finds a replacement by plucking one of Tom's whiskers. The rest of the short consists on more guitar strings breaking and Pecos trying to chase down Tom for more replacements. So, for once, Tom is the one on the run.



You could say this is a one joke cartoon, but it's just so funny every time that guitar string breaks. And the final gag is an absolute classic. I love the sound effects of the guitar strings breaking and the plucking of the whiskers, they crack me up every time. The voice of Uncle Pecos (performed by Shug Fisher) is certainly worth noting as well. Most of the Tom and Jerry shorts have little, if any, dialogue. But in this one, the lone voice of Pecos is just so funny as he stutters his way through a version of "Frog Went A-Courtin."

If you ask me, MGM missed out on a new animation star by not giving Uncle Pecos his own series. Sadly this is his only appearance.

Cartood a Day: The Abominable Snow Rabbit

The Abominable Snow Rabbit
1961
Directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

In "The Abominable Snow Rabbit," Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are on their way to Palm Springs but end up in the Himalayas (having failed to head West at East St. Louis). There they run into an abominable snow man who wants nothing more than a pet rabbit. So Bugs and Daffy spend the rest of the short trying to convince the monster that the other is a rabbit.



This short was made in 1961, so it has a very different feel than earlier Warner Brothers short. Though it has a different look, the art is still great. The backgrounds are more extreme than ever, and there are some slight changes in the character design, especially for Daffy. What's hard to get used to is that the comedy is driven more by dialogue than by action. The late Looney Tunes films always seem a bit talky to me, and sometimes the comedy works and sometimes it doesn't.



The Abominable Snow Man character is fun and has a great design. The character is clearly based on the Lenny character from "Of Mice and Men." Most of the film's funnier moments are driven by the snowman. Though this is a funny short, it just doesn't quite have the manic edge of the earlier Looney Tunes.

Cartoon a Day: Dude Duck

Dude Duck
1951
Directed by Jack Hannah
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 4

The fourth volume of "The Chronological Donald" was also under my tree yesterday, so let's take a look at one of the shorts from that collection, "Dude Duck."

In this short we visit a dude ranch where the horses are bored, that is until a bus load of beautiful girls wanting to ride pulls up. Unfortunately for one horse, Donald Duck also happens to be with the group. The horse that gets assigned to Donald would much rather have one of the beautiful young ladies on his back, so he proceeds to do everything he can to keep Donald off his back.



The first shot of this film really tell you that you're in for some great animation. The shots of the western buttes are beautiful artwork. Completely different than what you might see in a Warner Brothers Road Runner short.


Donald, of course, is always a great character, but the horse really ends up being the star of this short. He has a wonderfully expressive face and a great range of body movement as well. The gags go back and forth, with Donald and the horse each getting the best of each other at times. It was kind of funny to see that this short features a very similar gag to one in yesterday's Tom and Jerry cartoon "Texas Tom." Both shorts feature one character lassoing the other, only to have that character switch places with an angry bull. One of the classic gags of animation, I guess.