A Study In Animated Cartoons

Here's a weird item from my collection, bought when I was flush ... and possibly a little drunk: Division 11 of The Federal Schools mail order course on animation. While some of the Federal School books (particularly those on newspaper cartooning) contained actual examples of well known cartoonists' work,  this particular volume was illustrated entirely by mystery man Roy Olson.  I have no idea who he is or if these frames represent an actual film that played somewhere. Evidently the eager student was to pin this to the wall so it's frightening visage could inspire mutant cop and possibly (likely) dancing meat drawing perfection. 

The Grandeur That Is "Jazz Mad"!

All the bones in Farmer Alfalfa's fingers were broken (and three severed completely) in a terrible threshing machine incident in 1929. 

What do you get when you combine jazz music, slow motion dog racing and dancing animal carcasses?  Why, you get 'Jazz Mad': a Terrytoon released to an unsuspecting public August 9, 1931! There isn't much to say about Terrytoons of this vintage. It's a bit like witnessing a hit and run: aside from the general make of the car and a couple license plate numbers the whole event is traumatizing and rather difficult to describe. Now that's what I call "The Spice Of The Program"! 

Prepare for confusion.

High Hat Vs. Low Brow

It's not been easy to get around to updating this blog as I should but today I am posting a fascinating article not on cartoon animation but on the 'respectability' of jazz published in 'The Literary Digest in October, 1926. In fact a  similarly ridiculous debate has hounded animated cartoons for years. I have no idea why. Of course Paul Whiteman's main significance to animation history is that he is the subject of the Walter Lantz segment of 'King of Jazz'.  I find a few of his observations insightful and rather prophetic actually. Read on, McDuff ...

Paul Whiteman's switch from Victor to Columbia Records in 1928 was greeted with much fanfare in the music publications of the day.

(click pages to make big now)

Paul Whiteman appeared later as a balloon in the 1933 Krazy Kat cartoon 'Out of the Ether'. His shape and stature inspired many cartoonists and animators of those times.

Flip the Frog as Paul Whiteman in the 1931 cartoon: "The Soup Song" 

Scrappy in: 'Sunday Clothes'

Well, I'm back as promised with an even creepier, er, I mean less creepy Scrappy. Owing to the post below it seemed only natural that I should do some sort of post on a pretty great cartoon, Scrappy's third in fact, "Sunday Clothes" (1931). Columbia seemed kind of unsure of what to do with Scrappy. In fact just about the whole history of the Mintz and the  later Screen Gems Studios seems based on indescision. Is Scrappy a wholesome figure worthy of 'Boy's Life' magazine or sadistic cigar smoking despression era profiteer? 'Sunday Clothes' takes the former path as Scrappy is seen engaging in good clean fun (which evidently washed away a piece of his anatomy) of the 'Our Gang' variety - a series which I think came to bear strongly on the plots of many Scrappy cartoons. Let me tell you - even at 16mm size, which I have been fortunate enough to see, the scene of Scrappy swinging past the camera on the man hole cover is incredible!

Can skid marks be beautiful? Scrappy cartoons ask the tough questions.

I love the depressed denizens of Scrappy's world. Personally I think the Mintz crew animated chaw phlegm better than anyone in the business.

Why an italian is living in a man hole beneath a giant puddle of mud is a mystery to me. Christopher Columbo!

Wow.

For the 'How To Make a Cartoon' book the italian gains a hat. Whassamattahyou?

Mama Mia! There's two of them!

Prepare to be creeped!

The creepy last paragraph of 'How To Make a Cartoon by Scrappy' (invented by a New York copy writer - the films were made in Los Angeles) and the only illustration of the character to appear in that book. 

An unrelated but equally creepy drawing from the set of "models" which came with the course (copyrighted 1932). More (less creepy) Scrappy coming soon!

Aloha Oe

As a last foray into the wonderful world of Screen Songs (for the time being) I am posting a clip from what, for me, is the holy grail of Screen Songs: the joyous 'Aloha Oe' (Berny Wolfe, Dave Tendlar 1933). Sadly, at the time of their issue into 16mm (the only way Screen Songs can be seen at this moment in time) copyright precluded the use of the live action musical segments upon which the cartoons were built*. As a result this version of Aloha Oe (from a ropey VHS - but I'm glad to have anything) has had it's segments featuring The Royal Samoans (with Miri?) excised completely. Sad news because the film is like another round with the music and motifs of the earlier and much better known 'Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle' - another cartoon on which Wolfe animated and a true classic! It's hard to believe he only just passed away in 2006. FYI You may notice a strange glitch at the end which cuts back to the beginning of the clip (the bride and groom dancing) this is not part of the film as it exists in it's excised version but a Blogger glitch. Incidentally the song, in part, is a version of the Hawaiian standard 'On The Beach at Waikiki' which was originally published in 1910! Enjoy monkeys now!

The positions of these wild monkeys seems to indicate the same positions The Royal Samoans took in the live action intro 'Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle'. At the end of the clip, before the Blogger glitch, is where I believe either a match cut or perhaps a wipe occurred between the monkeys and The Royal Samoans performing. It seems to me there was another cut after the opening credits as well which likely introduced the Samoans. What do you think?

No, these are not stills from a rare green tinted 'Aloha Oe' - just tinkering by me for fun and to add a little color to this monochromatic blog.

You can see the Berny Wolfe touch reflected in 'Aloha Oe' in this amazing drawing from an unpublished book he co-authored with fellow Fleischer animator Tom Johnson.

Urban Blight: Row! Row! Row!

I'm not able to get around to much posting these days so, in the meantime, I thought I'd leave you with a cartoon which combines much of the classic Fleischer elements:  urban blight, lechery, alcoholism, real 'he-man' style chauvenism and, most importantly, funny animals! Attention Passengers: You are no longer in Disneyland!

Mickey and Minnie would probably roll up their windows in this neighborhood.