As I write this, it’s the first week of school here at the College for Creative Studies, and I’m having a pretty good, but exhausting week. I haven’t had a chance to get to the Thunderbean office this week really at all, but they’re working on getting special discs finished and dubbed for the most part. More news on all those things soon; in the meantime, Here’s a cartoon from one of those special sets: The Case of the Gloomy Gondolier (1963)
The Sam Bassett cartoons are both bizarre and fascinating- and pretty hard to find prints of. The first one I saw of the series was called ‘The Case of the Kangaroo Kid’. I had found the print in a pile of ‘junk prints’ at the Columbus Cinevent some 25 years ago. Since then, I’ve learned very little about the series, but have managed to find more prints from it, mostly from one collector in Australia who claimed the cartoons were from there. After a little searching, I discovered that Cinemagic, the company that produced them, was actually formed in Europe, with American Phil Davis at the creative helm.
Tralfaz wrote a little about the series back in 2014, finding the origins of the series dated back to 1959. It looks like they were going to produce 52 of them; it seems like the initial 13 were the only ones finished.
Out of those 13, I’ve ended up with ten of the series in 16mm prints.
If you haven’t seen any of the Sam Bassett shorts, they’re bizarre first, but also pretty funny in their bizarreness. Sam Bassett is a Bogart-esque gumshoe, whose mute partner, Chapultepec, plays his guitar instead of talking- but Sam understands him. The film were recorded in Europe (probably France) with the animation produced in Zabreb. Our very own Jerry Beck has featured some of the series in his yearly ‘Worst Cartoons Ever’ show at the San Diego Comic Con, but I think Sam does deserve at least a tip of the hat for being good in a strange sort of way.
We’ve done some color correction for the special discs, and they’re looking a lot better than the DVD we did many years ago. They feel a lot like cheaper version of the King Features Popeye cartoons Zagreb made. Still, I have to admit I really enjoy them for their sheer strangeness.
This isn’t the final version that’s on the Blu-ray special set (we’ve done a little more to clean up since) I’d love to hear people’s opinions on this particular short!
Have a good week everyone, and don’t put a gun in your hat…
Steve Stanchfield is an animator, educator and film archivist. He runs Thunderbean Animation, an animation studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has compiled over a dozen archival animation DVD collections devoted to such subjects at Private Snafu, The Little King and the infamous Cubby Bear. Steve is also a professor at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Oh yes, those SAM BASSETT cartoons are some of the strangest I’ve ever encountered. I don’t know what that little character who just strums the guitar as if to speak to the title character, but I can imagine them as “limited” animated characters or stylized characters of some sort. I will strongly await the Blu-ray being created around this character along with other “special” discs that are being prepared. Cannot wait!
Well… all I can say is, “La cuccetta cuperta ‘ndare, pfui!” I had to watch this cartoon three times in a row before I could follow what passes for the story. At least it lacks anything as utterly senseless as the interlude with the singing rabbits in “The Kangeroo [sic] Kid”. Still, I commend you for rescuing this rare and remarkable series from oblivion, and I hope the three titles that remain missing will eventually turn up someday.
I have to admit, the backgrounds are gorgeous. Zagreb must have sent its background artist on a tax-deductible trip to Venice to soak up the local ambience. The city’s landmarks are all exquisitely rendered: the Piazza San Marco with its cathedral and bell tower, the Bridge of Sighs, the Lion of Venice, and of course the ubiquitous pigeons. By the way, the winged lion statue is the model for the Golden Lion trophy given as the top prize at the Venice International Film Festival. “The Case of the Gloomy Gondolier” didn’t win one.
It’s fitting that Tony the gondolier sings a famous aria from “Rigoletto”, as that opera was first performed in Venice, way back in 1851. The opera house in Venice has burned down three times, most recently in the 1990s, but each time was rebuilt to duplicate its original glory and grandeur. Hence its name, La Fenice, “the phoenix.”
By coincidence, the 1933 Terrytoon “In Venice” also features a swordfish (as well as a cameo by gum-chewing Mussolini fanboy Will Rogers), but this one helps the gondolier rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of a villainous octopus.
Good morning Steve; Speaking of the Blu-ray specials, it would be interesting to know where they are being sent. It is frustrating to wait for these titles: Harman-Ising rarities; Lantz Studio Treasures; Fleischer Follies; Mid Century Vol 3; Save the Cartoons (???) So far, nothing has arrived in my box.
Best regards; Martin
Check the status page (link below). I recently inquired about a special disc I ordered as well and they told me the exact same thing. The best advice I can give is to just be patient.
https://www.thunderbeanshop.com/thunderbean-status/
The designs and animation are far more interesting that anything in the actual script. Zagreb Film made some of the most striking cartoons of the 1960s, but as with the Gene Deitch Tom and Jerrys done in Prague, this does not represent their best work. Interestingly, Zagreb did their own detective series, Inspector Mask, that is much more inventive and entertaining that what we have here.
The music is very reminiscent of European cartoons in general, not just Hollywood stock music found in a lot of independent animation, even in the 60s Terrytoons….. Eastern Europe definitely had a flair for product not resembling US productions, even the “price conscious ” companies that filled up Saturday mornings and many an afternoon TV schedules…..
as others have said, may not be to your taste but deserves to be preserved, if just to show that HB, FILMATION,etc didn’t produce everything on 60s tv….
And as a youngster growing up on 60s Detroit/Windsor TV, I’m pretty sure we saw many things that have almost completely disappeared since….
I really liked the animation of this cartoon, even though it’s highly limited. I like the design of the characters and especially the backgrounds, too. And the colors are fabulous. (And I understood the plot easily — and guessed who the villain was when I first saw him.)
Sam Bassett is a rather odd watch
the YouTube channel Artificial Orange Studios gave the Sam Bassett shorts more exposure because people behind the channel actually love the shorts for all their absurdity (Hat Gun and all)
IDK what Jerry’s talkin about, I thought this was great!
I’ve posted before that I love Sam Bassett – in a bizarre sort of way. It was in a couple of Jerry Beck’s “Worst Cartoons Ever” that I was introduced to our hero – and he became sort of a guilty pleasure of mine. Great, goofy stuff!
“SAM BASSETT – Hound for Hire”
I hope those other three Samtoons turn up some day…
According to recent info – see the thunderbean thread at bluray.com – the official Zagreb Film site says 26 Sam Bassett cartoons were made in the 1960s:
So that makes 16 more than the 10 Steve currently has.
Here’s hoping they all turn up one day! – would make a great Volume Two!
Interestingly although most – 20 – are listed as being from 1960 to 1961, one for each year is listed for the following years: 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and the last one in 1967.
I’m guessing this may mean these last 6 were mainly held back for release until later, rather than made in the years mentioned – but who knows. It’d certainly be interesting to find out.
Tony’s character design looks an awful lot like Tex Avery’s Meathead around the muzzle. even appears to borrow a couple of his facial expressions from the Preston Blair book…
Zagreb films made alot of intnresting animation thru out the years such as professor balthazar, but how did you know that they worked on popeye one time? I thought it was Gene Deitch’s Czech studio that did it.