Preston Blair Television Interview

This is great. The great Preston Blair is being interviewed in New York by Ed Hulse.

Speedy Gonzales Strange Origin Story

OK, so I love watching Cartoon Network Promos.There's something interesting about Huckleberry Hound and Fred Flintstone getting no service at a store, Tom chasing Speedy Gonzales, and a cartoon sidekick nightclub. Here though is a very weird origin story of Speedy Gonzales. It aired in Cartoon Network Latin America. This aired after Speedy was taken off the Cartoon Network in the US. This only aired in the Latin America broadcast feed. The second video is a promo featuring the secret love affair of Race Bannon (Jonny Quest) and Betty Rubble.

Commercial Corner--Energizer Battery

Still Going, long lasting Energizer Batteries keep going and going...This month we'll be discussing Energizer Battery commercials featuring either Boris and Natasha or Wile E. Coyote.













To see the original storyboards for the Wile E. Coyote Commercials click here

Top 10 in My Opinion--Little Red Riding Hood Cartoons

Today, I’ll be sharing what I believe are the ten greatest cartoons based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.

But first…

Honorable Mentions:

1.      Little Red Rodent Hood (WB Freleng 1952)

2.      Little Red Walking Hood (WB Avery 1937)

3.      Hoodwinked Bear (Yogi Bear 1959)

4.      Little Red Riding Hoodlum (Lantz 1957)

5.      Red’s Riding Hoods (Fractured Fairy Tales)

10. Little Red Riding Hood (1922; Laugh O’Grams)

The is one of the first Walt Disney cartoons and is often considered his first attempt at animated storytelling. The film included a prototype of what would become Julius the Cat.

9. Dizzy Red Riding Hood (Fleischer 1931)

This pre-code Betty Boop cartoon takes the 8th spot on the list. In this cartoon, Betty Boop gets her on spin on Little Red Riding Hood. She also sings the song “Where Did You Get Those Eyes”

8. The Big Bad Wolf (Disney 1934)

This film is the sequel to the Three Little Pigs short. The Three Little Pigs still appear in the story. It is both a parody of The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood.

7. Little Red Riding Huck (Huckleberry Hound 1959)

While a could have chosen other HB cartoons to take the list (such as Yogi Bear’s Hoodwinked Bear or many Loopy De Loop Cartoons), this one remains my favorite. I couldn’t find a video link, however.

Click Here for Yowp's writings about it

6.  Riding Hoods Anonymous (Jay Ward Fractured Fairy Tales)

This is on my favorite Fractured Fairy Tales. Here’s one example where the wolf wins!

5. Little Red Riding Hoodwinked (WB Freleng 1955)

While I could have chosen Little Red Rodent Hood, I think that this Sylvester and Tweety cartoon is far superior. Granny is a little more like Ralph Kramden and less like the Granny we had seen in previous Warner Bros Cartoons.

4. Book Revue (WB Clampett 1946)

OK, this is not technically a parody of Little Red Riding Hood. However, Daffy saves Red Riding Hood in the end, and the wolf goes to hell (literally).

3. Little Red Rabbit Hood (WB Freleng 1944)

This is (in my opinion), the best Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. It was one of two cartoons directed by Friz Freleng included in the book 50 Greatest Cartoons. It was the only Bugs Bunny cartoon he directed included.

Note: I couldn't find a video that wasn't time compressed (nobody wants that!). So I just posted a clip.

1-2. Red Hot Riding Hood (MGM Avery 1943) and Little Rural Riding Hood (MGM Avery 1949)

I don’t know which is better. More people remember Red Hot Riding Hood, but many others also think Little Rural Riding Hood is far superior. Which one do you guys think is better? These were the clear winners though.

Screwing the Name Up: HB edition

A while ago I wrote about the spelling Walt Dinsey. Today, I'll be talking about Hanna and Barbera. We all know that William Hanna and Joseph Barbera defined animation history but some believe their names are Joseph Hanna and William Barbera. The difference between these examples and the ones in the Walt Dinsey article is that these examples are from official books or from sources specializing on the subject of animation.


I'm not a Scooby-Doo fan. I don't like Scooby or anything after Scooby that HB made. But all that aside, the first example I'm going to share in an inexcusable mistake. When the live action Scooby-Doo Movie was made, a storybook based on the movie was written. In the trivia section of the official book based on the movie question 4 is wrong!

Take a look:



The next example is from the book Animation and the American imagination, they make the same horrible mistake. Telling me not to buy the book!

Commercial Corner August--Mel Blanc (In Person)

Mel Blanc had been in several commercials as an actor. All of which he mentions that he is the voice of  the Looney Tunes characters. In the American Express card ad, Blanc states that his card is the only way his face can get recognized. The next commercial is just an ad suggesting people to get Leonard Maltin's book Of Mice and Magic. The final commercial is actually the final thing he did. During the production of this car commercial, Blanc died in the hospital. There is another ad I've never seen and am unable to find.

Missing in Action: Signet Bank ad with Elmer Fudd

Popeye Cans the Spinach (Commercial Corner)

Due to the Tom and Jerry hiatus, the monthly commercials are returning. This month we'll look at Popeye canning the spinach and advertising with other alternatives.

Campbell's Soup---

Popeye decides that soup is better than spinach. Also Popeye is voiced by Scott Innes in this commercial. I don't know who voices Olive Oyl.

Instant Quaker Oatmeal-- So now he's given up spinach for oatmeal. He is voiced by Jack Mercer in this commercial. Also, since when has Popeye had a parrot?



Start-- Popeye confesses here and chooses start over spinach. What happened to his voice!


Minute Maid--Popeye and Bluto are really creepy here. What the hell is this!

Animation Websites in the Archive #1

The newest series!

These are some of the best websites on animation that are either unsung or just have been wiped out from the internet. Some of these sites are no longer on the internet. That is why I’ve provided a link to their archived site. I've also included the evolution to each site. Some of the evolution links may have images and material inaccessible to look at. Also, T&J comics are on hiatus. I can't seem to find the others. They will return, though. 

1. Chuck Jones—Chuck Jones’ official website has changed many times since its beginning. This site is not just the official Chuck Jones Website. It is the official website for the Chuck Jones Gallery and Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. It includes an online shop to shop for Chuck Jones related stuff. It also provides a timeline and fact sheets of Chucks life and career. I liked the 2015 look the best. The home page had character profiles, facts, and videos.

Click Here to see the website

Some of the site's past looks

1996
1998
2004
2005
2012
2015 (this is the best one)

2. Bob Clampett--
Bob Clampett's official website did last long. It only lasted about 2 years. It includes great articles, stories and a timeline.

Bob Clampett Website

3. Cartoon Network
OK, I know, but hear me out. The Cartoon Network Website used to have something called DOC (Department of Cartoons). It included a rare tour of Hanna-Barbera (which doesn't work on the archived site), backgrounds, model sheets, and tons of other stuff while you're at it check out the Boomerang timeline!
Click here for the archived site

The 25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere (21-25)

Here are the last 5---

21.       Why don’t cartoon characters have five fingers?

It is very rare to see a cartoon character with five fingers. At one time, it was because animating three fingers was cheaper. Today, it’s just tradition.

22.       Was Walt Disney an Anti-Semite?

No. He also didn’t hate blacks, women, or poor people. Every one of these myths are false. The most asked question by us all! The show that really made people believe that Walt Disney was an Anti-Semite was Family Guy (which is now owned by Disney!).

23.       Why do so many cartoon characters have the middle initial J?

I don’t know. Most of the time, the J doesn’t stand for anything. Homer and Bart are named after Jay Ward. It does seem that a lot of characters do. Homer J. Simpson, Phineas J. Whoopee, Philip J. Fry, Elmer J. Fudd, etc.

24.       Was Mel Blanc Allergic to Carrots?

No. I have no idea where people got that idea. Mel hated carrots. Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones both deny that in interviews. Mel would chew a carrot and spit it into a wastebasket.

25.       What is the name of the owl that sings I Love to Singa? What was the name of the cartoon?

The name of the cartoon was I Love to Singa. The name of the owl is Owl Jolson. He is a parody of Al Jolson.

25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere (16-20)

16.       Didn’t The Flintstones originally have a son?

In the show, no. In press ads and a Little Golden Book, The Flintstones had a son named Fred Jr. It was decided that The Flintstones would have a girl because Hanna-Barbera could make money off of toy dolls.
Yowp made a comment that I'd like to repeat:
Yowp says:
A son on the Flintstones (the idea of a Stone Age boy was taken from a Ruff and Reddy adventure) was on the drawing board when the show was in development but abandoned, presumably at the story stage, in 1960. He is still featured in some publicity drawings.

17.       Where did Barney Rubble Work?

This is a mystery to all Flintstone fans. Barney’s occupation is unknown throughout the original series. Early in the show, he worked at the Granite Building. In later spin-offs, he worked with Fred at the quarry. 

18.       Who is the real creator for Bugs Bunny?

The Chuck Jones Gallery in Costa Mesa suggested this one. There had been cartoons featuring a prototype in the past.  However, it is not Bugs Hardaway. Tex Avery is who created Bugs Bunny. Wild Hare is the first cartoon that features Bugs Bunny.

 

19.       What is the name of the red hairy monster in the Looney Tunes Cartoons?

His name is Gossamer. He appeared in two Bugs Bunny shorts. The first was Hair Raising Hare and the season is Water, Water, Every Hare. Gossamer didn’t have a name until Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 1/2th Century which was released in the early 80s.

Yowp also points out:
In "Water, Water, Every Hare," the monster's name was Rudolph. Chuck Jones invented a bunch of names years later for characters that were supposedly nameless.

20.       Is The Flintstones a rip-off of The Honeymooners? 

No. The Flintstones is certainly based on The Honeymooners, but it is not a rip-off. A rip-off would imply that it is basically the same thing. It’s not. Many Hanna-Barbera shows originated as a spoof of something else. Yogi Bear is Art Carney while his name is based on Yogi Berra. The Jetsons is based on Blondie. The Flintstones is very similar to the Honeymooners and certainly was based on it. In my opinion, It is not a rip-off but it certainly has quite a few similarities.

The 25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere (11-15)

11.       I’m asked this one a lot. Jerry Beck gave me the answer: Why There Were Never Any Bugs Bunny Cartoons Made During the late 60's but Road Runner and Daffy And Speedy Cartoons were made, Not To Mention Cool Cat And Merlin The Magic Mouse. Why Were There No Bugs Bunny Cartoons?

Jerry Says: "Several reasons. The main reason was they had so many Bugs Bunny cartoons that Warner Bros. content to reissue older Bugs Bunny cartoons during the 1960s instead of making any new ones. Warner's justified making new theatrical Non-Bugs cartoons by reasoning that they could use more Speedy and Daffy cartoons for selling to Saturday morning (or syndicating) either a Daffy Duck or a Speedy Gonzales Show..."

12.       Is there Still a Use for Hand Drawn Animation?

Yes, there still is a use for hand-drawn animation. Disney still has hand-drawn animators such as Eric Goldberg. Bill Plympton draws completely hand-drawn animated films. Duncan Animation Studio is a studio that does only hand-drawn animation. They animated Mary Poppins Returns.

13.       Is Goofy a Dog?

Greg Ehrbar Suggested this one. Yes. Goofy is a dog. There is no particular reason why Goofy can talk and Pluto can’t.

14.       Was Walt Disney Frozen?

Greg Ehrbar suggested this one too. No. Disney isn’t frozen. But they did make a movie called Frozen. I think the film would be better if the characters found a frozen Walt Disney. The snowman would be very surprised.

15.       Did Mel Blanc Voice All of the Looney Tunes Characters?

Greg Ehrbar suggested this one. No. Mel voiced 94.5% of the characters. Paul Julian is the voice of the Road Runner. Arthur Q. Bryan voiced Elmer Fudd. June Foray and Bea Benaderet voice Granny and Witch Hazel. Other actresses include Berneice Hansell, Sara Berner, and Julie Bennett. Other actors include Dave Barry, Stan Freberg, Kent Rogers, Billy Bletcher, and Daws Butler.

The 25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere Part 2 (6-10

These are all quoted from Jerry Beck and Mark Evanier's FAQ pages on their websites (Cartoon Research and News from Me). These are all of the quoted selections. The rest following this post are not quoted (but are suggested). 

6.  Why was Popeye’s Enemy called Bluto in Some Cartoons and Brutus in Others?

I’m going to quote Mark Evanier’s blog on this one:

“Popeye was created in a newspaper strip for King Features Syndicate called Thimble Theatre, written and drawn by Elzie Segar.  The sailor eventually took over the strip and it was renamed in his honor.

When the folks at the Max Fleischer studio licensed the right to make cartoons of the sailor, they decided to use Bluto, a villain in a then-recent (1932) newspaper strip sequence, as Popeye's nemesis.  Segar had only intended Bluto to be a one-shot antagonist but the bearded brute wound up appearing in most of the cartoons produced by Fleischer and later by Paramount Studios.  Because he was such a part of the cartoons, he became an intrinsic part of the Popeye comic books and the newspaper strip, as done by those who took over after Segar's death.

When Paramount stopped making the cartoons, the animation rights reverted to King Features.  In the early sixties, King Features decided to produce their own low-budget Popeye cartoons for television.  The way the old contract had been structured, they had the rights to anything that had appeared initially in the newspaper strip but not to any characters created by the Fleischer or Paramount operations.

Because Bluto had not appeared much in the Segar strips, someone at King Features made the mistake of thinking Bluto had first appeared in the cartoons and therefore could not be used in their new films.  As a replacement, they designed a new, similar villain and called him Brutus.  Jackson Beck, who had been the main voice of Bluto for Fleischer/Paramount, was engaged to provide the same voice for Brutus.

So that's why Brutus was in the TV cartoons in lieu of Bluto.  In the newspaper strip and comic books, Bud Sagendorf — Segar's assistant and main successor — kept drawing the same villain he'd previously called Bluto but started calling him Brutus.

Since then, they've largely reverted to the Bluto name…but every so often, he's called Brutus.  As for the character's look: There was one model for Brutus but Bluto went through several redesigns.  Nowadays on merchandise, any of these versions is likely to turn up and there are times when it appears the artist is trying to split the difference and do an amalgam.  So it's no wonder you're confused.”

7.       Since Mel Blanc passed away, doesn't his son do the voice of Bugs Bunny and his other characters?  And if not, why not? (Directly quoted from Mark Evanier’s News from Me Webpage)

Again Mark says it better:

Mel was amazing.  To "replace" him, it's required a whole squadron of voice actors including Greg Burson, Jeff Bergman, Billy West, Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen, Maurice LaMarche, Mindy Segal, Neil Ross, Frank Welker, Frank Gorshin, Bill Farmer and at least ten others.  Some of these gents are the frequent voices of certain characters — Porky Pig is usually done by Bergen, Daffy by Alaskey, etc. — but no one seems to have an absolute exclusive on any role.  This is partly because various folks at Warner Brothers disagree on which actor does the best Bugs, who sounds most like Foghorn, and so on.  It is also because, by always having a large talent pool from which to pick, it prevents any one voice actor from demanding massive sums of cash…as Mel often did in his last decade or two.

In interviews he gave late in life, Mel sometimes said that his son Noel would take over his roles someday…and Noel reportedly did some small parts even while Mel was still with us.  Noel Blanc has also done a few roles here and there in the years since, usually as Tweety or Porky.  However, he is quite successful in other lines of work and apparently uninterested in spending his days locked in a recording studio.  So, by mutual agreement, others usually do Bugs and Friends.

8.       What is the Difference Between a Looney Tunes and a Merrie Melodies Cartoon (Quoted Directly from Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research)?

After the 1944 releases: nothing. Before that, there was a difference.

First Looney Tunes were established to be the showcase of Warner Bros. latest “star” character – at various times “Bosko” (1930-1933), “Buddy” (1933-1935), “Beans” (1936) and finally “Porky Pig” or “Daffy Duck” (1936-1943). One-shot no-star Looney Tunes were made, but they are rare. The Merrie Melodies were established to feature one-shot characters and miscellaneous stories and settings, particularly themed around a Warner Bros. owned song. In 1934 the studio began producing Merrie Melodies in color while the Looney Tunes remained in black & white. By 1940, stars Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Sniffles and Daffy Duck were regularly appearing in Merrie Melodies. In 1944 the Looney Tunes switched to color and the distinctions between the two series officially ended.

9.       What are the Names of the Two Polite Gophers? (Quoted from Cartoon Research)

They were usually billed as “The Goofy Gophers”. Later, on The Bugs Bunny Show (ABC, 1960) they were named “Mac & Tosh”.

10.       What Is the Name of Mighty Mouse’s Girlfriend? (Quoted from Cartoon Research)

The girlfriend in the operetta Terrytoons, Filmation TV cartoons or the Bakshi series was Pearl Pureheart. In the comic books her name was Mitzi.

The 25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere (1-5)

25 Most asked Questions to Animation Aficionados Everywhere.

We all know the answers to these questions, but we’re constantly being asked them! Here are the 25 most asked questions to animation fans and historians everywhere. Several historians suggested questions or have an FAQ section on their site. I've also stated who each question was suggested by. Often (not for this post though), I'll be quoting what Mark Evanier or Jerry Beck have said in their own FAQ's as they are much smarter, wiser, and better resources to answer questions. 

Credits for helping me with this list:

Mark Arnold

Tom Sito

Jerry Beck

Mark Evanier

Greg Ehrbar

1.      Is Tweety a Boy or a Girl?

Tweety isn’t a girl. Tweety is a male canary. I guess Warner Bros doesn’t know that because of the girl icon he became with the children’s clothing and such. It got to the point that the WB Store Online had a Looney Tunes and a Tweety section!

2.     Was Walt Disney a Nazi?

I don’t know why I’m always asked this. Walt wasn’t a Nazi. I never met Walt, but I know he wasn’t a Nazi. This is all thanks to the internet. People on the internet see Der Fuehrer’s Face and immediately think that Walt Disney was a Nazi. He wasn’t. When I answer no to people asking me if Walt was a Nazi, they ask: “What about that Donald Duck Cartoon?”. They clearly haven’t seen the cartoon or at least the ending.

3.       Were Chip & Dale the first Gay Couple in Animation?

OK, this one came from Tom Sito and all I can say is that the answer is no. They were not a gay couple. Neither were the Goofy Gophers. Tom Sito said Nathan Lane thought Timon and Pumbaa were.

 

4.       Is Speedy Gonzales a racist stereotype?

No. The character was named after Hispanic animator Frank Gonzales. Animators like Rudy Zamora and Phil Roman worked on those cartoons.

5.       Who was the Dog in Quick Draw McGraw Cartoons that loved Dog Biscuits?

Jerry Beck and Mark Arnold both state that they're asked this a lot. Snuffles is the answer of course. Snuffles, as we know, would ask for a dog biscuit and then float in the air.

What Rocky Memories is.

This is a clarification. Rocky Memories is not a biography of June Foray. I'm intentionally trying to avoid anything that is already in her autobiography. This will be a self published book that features archival interviews, interviews I conducted with people who knew her, and rare documents such as her correspondence letters to Walter Lantz, her personal schedule, and transcripts from her Walk of Fame star.

It's not Spelled Dinsey!!

OK everyone makes mistakes. But this one drives me crazy! Mad Magazine does parodies of Disney calling him Walt Dinsey. The misspelling of Walt Disney's name as Disney goes way back. The first instance I could find by doing research was in the 1924 Exhibiter's Trade Review. This goes back to 1924.

Take a look:

The next instance was the Kentucky Kernel in 1932



And Finally here is a Walt Dinsey's Hansel and Gretel Published by Mad Magazine.

Tom and Jerry Comics Feb 27-March 4 1950

Well Tom and Jerry are back this week. This week: We learn Tom's nephews name and Jerry has a human sized car!

 Tom's nephew has a name. Cyril

Jerry has a car. How can he even drive that thing!

Tom and Jerry Comics Feb 20-25 1950