I like the Famous Studios cartoons and think they're underrated. I definitely like the cartoons of the 40s better than anything Terry did and they are on average better than the last few years of Fleischer output (1940-42 roughly). All of the Blackie the Lamb cartoons are hilarious and feature wonderful animation by Taras, Tendlar, and Gent, and I hope to highlight them in the near future.
The goal of this blog is to help people identify the many wonderful (and then not so wonderful) animators from the Golden Age of cartoons. Check back every day for more fun!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Dem Lambs is Jitterbuggin'!
Here's a segment from one of my all-time favorite cartoons, "Much Ado About Mutton". This scene looks like it's animated by Marty Taras mainly by the way the characters move and look. This was right before the cartoons at Famous became more 'refined' with cleaner animation but more stock poses and gestures.
I like the Famous Studios cartoons and think they're underrated. I definitely like the cartoons of the 40s better than anything Terry did and they are on average better than the last few years of Fleischer output (1940-42 roughly). All of the Blackie the Lamb cartoons are hilarious and feature wonderful animation by Taras, Tendlar, and Gent, and I hope to highlight them in the near future.
I like the Famous Studios cartoons and think they're underrated. I definitely like the cartoons of the 40s better than anything Terry did and they are on average better than the last few years of Fleischer output (1940-42 roughly). All of the Blackie the Lamb cartoons are hilarious and feature wonderful animation by Taras, Tendlar, and Gent, and I hope to highlight them in the near future.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Crazy Possum Dancing - Mike Lah
There's three animators that have a really stylized way of moving their characters in the classic cartoons... Art Davis under Frank Tashlin's direction, Carlo Vinci at Terry's, and Mike Lah at MGM. This kind of animation was essentially a predecessor to television's limited animation, but it still has all the benefits that make full animation great.
Mike Lah has a long history with the MGM studio. He was first in George Gordon's short-lived unit at the studio in the early 40s. He then went to Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera's unit as a brief replacement for Irv Spence. He and Preston Blair were assigned to direct three Barney Bear cartoons before being knocked back down to an animator again for Tex Avery.
This scene, though, is not from an Avery short, but one of Dick Lundy's best Barney Bear shorts, "The Impossible Possum". This is the kind of animation I like best, when it's timed perfectly to the music, but you can watch it with the sound off and the it is still perfect. Few animators even in the Golden Age were capable of making their animation special and in a class of its own, and Lah was certainly one of them.
Mike Lah has a long history with the MGM studio. He was first in George Gordon's short-lived unit at the studio in the early 40s. He then went to Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera's unit as a brief replacement for Irv Spence. He and Preston Blair were assigned to direct three Barney Bear cartoons before being knocked back down to an animator again for Tex Avery.
This scene, though, is not from an Avery short, but one of Dick Lundy's best Barney Bear shorts, "The Impossible Possum". This is the kind of animation I like best, when it's timed perfectly to the music, but you can watch it with the sound off and the it is still perfect. Few animators even in the Golden Age were capable of making their animation special and in a class of its own, and Lah was certainly one of them.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The Sheik Boogie Woogie
Walter Lantz's Swing Symphony series was possibly the most 'politically incorrect' one to ever exist in Hollywood animation. Every entry contains either racial stereotypes, sexy gals, booze drinking... And alwaysgreat music and animation.
Shamus Culhane's "Abou Ben Boogie" is no exception. I believe a piece of this film actually had the Miss X's gyrations cropped out before release... It looks lifted from "Greatest Man in Siam" as the movements are almost exactly the same.
Much of the Miss X and Ben Boogie dancing I believe is animated by Pat Matthews. There is also a lot of Grim Natwick (I'm certain the guy who looks like Farmer Alfalfa is his) and Emery Hawkins in this clip.
As you can tell, my copy of this cartoon is in pretty sorry shape, and I would grateful if someone could help me find a better one. (Preferably one with no audio dropout in the first half!)
Shamus Culhane's "Abou Ben Boogie" is no exception. I believe a piece of this film actually had the Miss X's gyrations cropped out before release... It looks lifted from "Greatest Man in Siam" as the movements are almost exactly the same.
Much of the Miss X and Ben Boogie dancing I believe is animated by Pat Matthews. There is also a lot of Grim Natwick (I'm certain the guy who looks like Farmer Alfalfa is his) and Emery Hawkins in this clip.
As you can tell, my copy of this cartoon is in pretty sorry shape, and I would grateful if someone could help me find a better one. (Preferably one with no audio dropout in the first half!)
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Grant Simmons Dogs
[All identifications made by Mike Kazaleh]
Today's post may be known as one of the most obscure posts in animation blog history!
Mike Kazaleh has been gracious enough to help me identify a few animators' styles in the Screen Gems cartoons of the 1940s. One of the best is Grant Simmons, who did some incredibly funny and slick animation throughout his whole career (up to his untimely demise in 1971). He was at Screen Gems for much of its 1940s run.
The first short up is a rare classic, "Flora". In this great film noir parody, the character designs are full of Simmons' influence, particuly with 'Ronny'. Simmons animated the scenes where:
- He eats the chocolates
- Drinks the martini by the mantle
- Looks in the window and sees 'Flora', rings bell, tips hat, butler hits him with mallet
- Sits on bridge, jumps, and hangs from bridge
The second film was released under the Walter Lantz banner by Universal, "Broadway Bow Wow's". This, and "Dig That Dog", were made independently by the Grantray studio, Simmons and Ray Patterson's post-MGM studio. Lantz gave them the go-ahead to write and direct several theatrical cartoons for him. There was no need for them to hire their own music director or background people since Lantz people needed the work. Lantz went so far as to have have a complete budget worked out for every facet of these two cartoons, but was shrewd enough to be sure he obtained ownership of them outright. (copied and pasted from The Walter Lantz-O-Pedia, which I co-run)
After watching this film, you'll see how jarringly similar these two shorts are, mainly in the design of the dog, and the framing device.
Ray Patterson definitely animated the opening and closing sequences on the bridge. Simmons animated the short sequence from "My ears began to ring.." to "She had me going in circles...", the shot of John crying at the racetrack, then running off screen, the shot of him swallowing his pride where he walks away rubbing his ass, and the shot of him yelling in the theatre and getting grabbed by the usher. Patterson may have animated the rest of the cartoon.
Today's post may be known as one of the most obscure posts in animation blog history!
Mike Kazaleh has been gracious enough to help me identify a few animators' styles in the Screen Gems cartoons of the 1940s. One of the best is Grant Simmons, who did some incredibly funny and slick animation throughout his whole career (up to his untimely demise in 1971). He was at Screen Gems for much of its 1940s run.
The first short up is a rare classic, "Flora". In this great film noir parody, the character designs are full of Simmons' influence, particuly with 'Ronny'. Simmons animated the scenes where:
- He eats the chocolates
- Drinks the martini by the mantle
- Looks in the window and sees 'Flora', rings bell, tips hat, butler hits him with mallet
- Sits on bridge, jumps, and hangs from bridge
The second film was released under the Walter Lantz banner by Universal, "Broadway Bow Wow's". This, and "Dig That Dog", were made independently by the Grantray studio, Simmons and Ray Patterson's post-MGM studio. Lantz gave them the go-ahead to write and direct several theatrical cartoons for him. There was no need for them to hire their own music director or background people since Lantz people needed the work. Lantz went so far as to have have a complete budget worked out for every facet of these two cartoons, but was shrewd enough to be sure he obtained ownership of them outright. (copied and pasted from The Walter Lantz-O-Pedia, which I co-run)
After watching this film, you'll see how jarringly similar these two shorts are, mainly in the design of the dog, and the framing device.
Ray Patterson definitely animated the opening and closing sequences on the bridge. Simmons animated the short sequence from "My ears began to ring.." to "She had me going in circles...", the shot of John crying at the racetrack, then running off screen, the shot of him swallowing his pride where he walks away rubbing his ass, and the shot of him yelling in the theatre and getting grabbed by the usher. Patterson may have animated the rest of the cartoon.
Friday, August 4, 2006
Shameless Plug
This comic gets Gemstone's Resident Curmudgeon's SEAL OF APPROVAL!!!Waddle over to your comic shop or Amazon and buy it! ...
For Pete's sake!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
"Hey blackie..."
Here's a scene from "Droopy's Good Deed" that's just plain funny! Grant Simmons animated it, I believe.
Don't listen to what a certain nut on the internet tells you about the original having Spike carry a big, fat black lady out of the burning cabin. It doesn't exist. He's crazy.
Don't listen to what a certain nut on the internet tells you about the original having Spike carry a big, fat black lady out of the burning cabin. It doesn't exist. He's crazy.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Daffy Duck Hunt
Mark Mayerson provided me with the draft for this great McKimson short as well.
Manny Gould once again steals the show with his dramatic bit of Daffy telling his story of arctic trauma...
"Suddenly... a glacier cracks! There's a roar! TONS of ice! NO ESCAPE!!!
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!
How's things been with you?"
- Opening to Daffy as Lew Lehr : Phil De Lara
- "Here comes one now" : John Carey
- Daffy's powerdive : De Lara
- "I geyuh-got him!" : Carey
- Daffy's banner : Chuck McKimson
- Daffy putting on skirt : Carey
- Daffy's can-can : Pete Burness
- What the hell?! : Carey
- "G'bye now!" : Burness
- "Go get 'im" : Carey
- Dawg running : Burness
- Close-up of Dawg : McKimson
- Dog crying, Daffy asks what's wrong : De Lara
- Close-up of Daffy to Porky leaving : McKimson
- Exterior shot of Porky and Dawg entering house to Dawg about to open freezer : Carey
- Close-up of devil dog : Manny Gould
- Dawg covering ears : McKimson
- Angel dog appears to "Ah shaddap!" : Gould
- Dawg taking Daffy off to Daffy shaking Dawg's hand : De Lara
- Close-up of dawg to "You're never leavin'!" : McKimson
- Daffy trying to escape to making noise : Burness
- "What goin' on down there?" : McKimson
- Daffy jumps in to Dawg's mouth : Gould
- Daffy gets put back in freezer : Carey
- "It was mush mush mush!" to jumping in mouth again : Gould
- Porky walking in to putting Daffy back : Carey
- Dawg pulling out axe : McKimson
- Dawg chasing Daffy with axe : De Lara
- Daffy shuts door to "Benedict Arnold!" : Burness
- Running downstairs : Carey
- Daffy jumping out as Santa to getting slammed to floor : Gould (except for close-up of calendar: McKimson)
- Iris out : McKimson
Manny Gould once again steals the show with his dramatic bit of Daffy telling his story of arctic trauma...
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!
How's things been with you?"
- Opening to Daffy as Lew Lehr : Phil De Lara
- "Here comes one now" : John Carey
- Daffy's powerdive : De Lara
- "I geyuh-got him!" : Carey
- Daffy's banner : Chuck McKimson
- Daffy putting on skirt : Carey
- Daffy's can-can : Pete Burness
- What the hell?! : Carey
- "G'bye now!" : Burness
- "Go get 'im" : Carey
- Dawg running : Burness
- Close-up of Dawg : McKimson
- Dog crying, Daffy asks what's wrong : De Lara
- Close-up of Daffy to Porky leaving : McKimson
- Exterior shot of Porky and Dawg entering house to Dawg about to open freezer : Carey
- Close-up of devil dog : Manny Gould
- Dawg covering ears : McKimson
- Angel dog appears to "Ah shaddap!" : Gould
- Dawg taking Daffy off to Daffy shaking Dawg's hand : De Lara
- Close-up of dawg to "You're never leavin'!" : McKimson
- Daffy trying to escape to making noise : Burness
- "What goin' on down there?" : McKimson
- Daffy jumps in to Dawg's mouth : Gould
- Daffy gets put back in freezer : Carey
- "It was mush mush mush!" to jumping in mouth again : Gould
- Porky walking in to putting Daffy back : Carey
- Dawg pulling out axe : McKimson
- Dawg chasing Daffy with axe : De Lara
- Daffy shuts door to "Benedict Arnold!" : Burness
- Running downstairs : Carey
- Daffy jumping out as Santa to getting slammed to floor : Gould (except for close-up of calendar: McKimson)
- Iris out : McKimson
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