The “Jasper” Puppetoons – Part 1
Jasper was part of a tradition in animation of casting African American boys as stars of series—from “Sammy Johnsin” in the Silent Era to L’il EIghtball from producer Walter Lantz.
Category Archives: Christopher P. Lehman
Disney, ABC… and Segregation
In the 1950s Walt Disney agreed to produce the Disneyland television series for ABC – and whenever Disney released a new film, he often arranged for an ABC-Paramount theatre to premiere it.
L’il Eightball in “A Haunting We Will Go” (1939)
“A Haunting We Will Go” is the third and final cartoon starring Lil’ Eightball. It is different from the other two cartoons on a surface level.
Lil’ Eightball in “Silly Superstition” (1939)
Walter Lantz’s second “Lil’ Eightball” episode offers a more defined protagonist over the first entry, but there is little improvement beyond that.
L’il Eightball: “The Stubborn Mule” (1939)
You demanded it. I’m back with my thoughts on another series of politically incorrect cartoons – this time the first of three cartoons starring L’il Eightball from producer Walter Lantz.
The Censored 11: “Coal Black and The Sebben Dwarfs” (1943)
This Bob Clampett “Merrie Melodies” cartoon from Warner Brothers is a one-film time capsule of the peak of American cartooning.
The Censored 11: “Goldilocks and the Jivin’ Bears” (1944)
The most recent of the Censored Eleven cartoons from Warner Brothers – and the only film among the eleven to have been produced by Eddie Selzer.
The Censored 11: “Angel Puss” (1944)
Angel Puss is distinct among the Eleven for reasons besides Chuck Jones’ direction of it. It has neither jazz celebrities nor any of the Warner Bros. Cartoons major stars.
The Censored 11: “Tin Pan Alley Cats” (1943)
The eighth installment of my Censored Eleven series of columns looks at the 1943 Technicolor “Merrie Melodies” episode Tin Pan Alley Cats from Warner Brothers.
The Censored 11: “All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)”
The seventh cartoon of the Censored Eleven is the third and final one from director Tex Avery, and it is also the only film of the series to star Bugs Bunny.
