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.

Cartoon a Day: Alice's Wild West Show

Alice's Wild West Show
1924
Directed by Walt Disney
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - Disney Rarities

The Alice comedies are the often talked about but rarely seen first big series of shorts created by Walt Disney. They are silent films that combine live action with animation. They are interesting to look at, not just from the standpoint of animation history, but of film history in general.



"Alice's Wild West Show" seems much like a silent Our Gang film as it begins, not just because it's live action, but the look and feel is much like that of Hal Roach's famous rascals. Alice and her pals are putting on a wild west show somewhere in a back alley and a rag tag group of neighborhood kids have gathered for the show. Things are going fine until the local bully and his gang show up and all of Alice's cast runs away in fear. She is forced to continue the show on her own, telling stories of her wild west adventures which are portrayed through animation.


The animation is not very smooth, but remember this is 1924. There are some hints of the greatness that was to come, but most of what makes the Alice shorts fun is the character of Alice herself as she interacts with the toons.


Though we've seen real people in cartoons many times since, the novelty of this effect is still interesting in a film that's 84 years old. Plus, you get to see an art form being born, that's just plain cool.

Cartoon a Day: Beep Beep

Beep Beep

1952

Directed by Chuck Jones (as Charles M. Jones)

Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

The first cartoon on "Cartoon a Day" was a Road Runner short, so it's about time we did another one. "Beep Beep" is one of the earliest Road Runner short and it is a perfect example of what makes these shorts so great.

Really, it doesn't seem quite right to call them "Road Runner shorts." They are much more about the coyote and I think it is that character that makes these films shine. This isn't a character that is defined by voice, and there's not a lot back story to know about him. All you need to know is that he wants to catch the Road Runner. The character comes out in the animation. I think the coyote may be the most expressive character Warner Brothers ever created.

Animators often created model sheets for different characters. They help guide how the character should look when portraying different emotions. I can't imagine what the model sheet must be like on the coyote. It would take several pages just to show the wide range of expressions for "smashed in the face with a boulder."

Every reaction of the coyote is different. And even when his plans blow up in his face, again, he returns to looks of confidence and smugness which could take up several more model sheets. These shorts are all about the timing and the reactions, and their flawless in "Beep Beep."

Cartoon a Day: Devil May Hare

Devil May Hare
1954
Directed by Robert McKimson
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1

The Tasmanian Devil is a favorite character for many. What many don't realize is that he only appeared in about five of the Looney Tunes theatrical shorts. "Devil May Hare" marks his first appearance.




"Taz," as he would later be called, is a great lesson in character development. While some characters need to be complex, some can be extremely simple. The Tasmanian Devil is a lot like Cookie Monster, he is driven by his hunger and that's about it. If it can fit in his mouth, it's eat now and ask questions later.



As you watch this short you can see Bugs Bunny's mind whirling as he comes up with ways to handle this wild new character. The animators were probably going through the same thing. The Devil is a character without limits, it's a shame the classic animators didn't have more opportunities to explore the character.



The art is worth noting as well. The Devil's whirlwind entrance is perhaps one of the best entrances for any of the Looney Tunes characters. The stylized look of the backgrounds are also fun to look at. They are very simple but with beautiful use of color. They also really fit the wild action of the Tasmanian Devil, not stealing any of his impact.

Cartoon a Day: Monkey Melodies

Monkey Melodies
1930
Directed by Burt Gillett
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - More Silly Symphonies


Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Today's cartoon has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but it's got the next best thing...monkeys.


"Monkey Melodies," like most Silly Symphonies, has no real plot, but a lot of interesting animation and visuals. While there are some great moments, this short does have one big problem. The backgrounds, while beautifully drawn, are too busy. In many sequences, the monkey characters seem to be lost in the business of the background art.



There is still a lot to enjoy here, though. One sequence involving dancing crocodiles is interesting to watch considering what would be done with the same sort of characters just ten years later in "Fantasia."



The Silly Symphonies were such a great animation lab, new things were being tried all the time. This one is still fun, despite a few miscalculations.