The Fox and Crow are brought to you this week in a title-free form, courtesy of an otherwise pretty good original 35mm Technicolor nitrate print!
But first, a little news from the Thunderbean corner:
We’ve been busy around here — but that’s not so unusual. Four more of the Thunderbean ‘special sets’ are nearly done, with three on the immediate path to being finished as well. A scanning trip is in order to get these all ready and scan some things for other new sets; we’re aiming to have this batch out in June. Keep checking The Thunderbean Shop for further updates.
On the ‘official’ sets, Technicolor Rainbow Parades are taking over my summer for a little bit here; I’m hoping we can get through the set soon but it’s taking some time to clean them up to the level we like. We’re using the resources we have to get this title and the Bunin title finished, along with getting the already finished Mid Century Modern 3 to replication as soon as we can. I’m really chomping at the bit to move everything forward faster than always possible, and am eternally an optimist despite anything getting in the way, so we’ll get them all done!
Now — today’s cartoon!
Be Patient, Patient (1944) is a well designed and decently animated little short. In this sort of bizarrely written film, the Fox is stuck at home in his mansion with a note from the doctor to limit his diet. Upon seeing an ad from “Black’s Market”, he decides to go on a dining adventure, delivered by armored truck. Of course, the crow, living in a telephone pole, has tapped the Fox’s phone, so once the food is delivered, he dresses as a doctor, pontificating nonsense while sampling the Fox’s large dining room spread. He manages to knock the Fox out cold with a loud drum solo, and as he’s loading up the entire contents of the table into a wheelbarrow, the Crow changes his plans, dressing like an angel to fool the Fox into thinking he’s died. In the process, the Fox falls into wet cement dressed as an angel. He pulls the Crow (also dressed as an angel) into the cement. They both jump out, and in the process of the Fox chasing the Crow, they both harden into statues. The film ends with them being displayed as a statue (are they dead?) with a description on the platform that reads “Vice Vs. Virtue”
I wish I could say this cartoon lived up to its absolutely bizarre story, but it doesn’t really reach levels of great comedy. At times, the animation is beautifully done, and the voice work is pretty great throughout. The direction, despite lots of possibilities just doesn’t have the timing or design to pull off the best gags in a funnier way. By the end you can smile at some of the funny situations and definitely recognize the well-drawn and animated parts that are especially entertaining, but it just never reaches potential.
Over the years, I’ve found I’m enjoying the Fox and Crow cartoons more. I think part of it is that I’m enjoying specific aspects of the production rather than the film as a whole being the overarching reason to watch. In this particular cartoon, I find the layout and animation to be the strong suits.
I always wondered what the staff at Columbia that worked on Fox and Crow’s thought of the Tom and Jerry or other really great cartoons coming out at the same time; perhaps because they had characters that were largely dialogue driven they didn’t visualize the comical possibilities of the visual humor as much. Perhaps the comic book versions of the characters drove some of this, perhaps just the studio’s tendency to over dialogue their films is to blame.
This print, sadly, doesn’t have the titles or end title, but it’s an otherwise pretty decent 35mm IB Technicolor nitrate print. I really love how beautiful these look big, so watch this as big as you are able, and make sure you have it set for HD.
Have a good week everyone!
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.
The funniest part was when the Fox gave his address as “666 Park Avenue”. There was a TV show by that name a few years back, something about Satanic forces on the Upper East Side, I gather. I never saw it; not really my cup of hellbroth. All things considered I’d rather watch a Fox and Crow cartoon.
Which one is supposed to be Virtue, and which is Vice? You could make a case for either way.
Yes, 666 ran a season on ABC. Vanessa Williams was in the cast.
I still have a few dozen “Totally Tooned In” episodes from years ago on my DVR just for the F&Cs. Oh, for a Blu-ray release!
I’m wondering if this is the first time we’ve seen the “character is tricked into thinking he’s dead” trope. I can think of a Herman & Katnip cartoon where the mice do this to Katnip, and a Hubie & Bertie cartoon where they do it to Claude that date from later than this.
I know Donald’s nephews pulled it on him, maybe around this time…
Yup, 1941’s Truant Officer Donald was where they first pulled that trick.
Huey, Dewey and Louie did it to Donald Duck in “Soup’s On.”
Yes…H&K was, I don’t recall, and the H&B/Claude was “HYPO-CHONDRICAT”:..
Eventually there was a South Park episode in which Cartman is convinced he’s dead.
Fox and Crow certainly deserve their own DVD set, as do the Columbia cartoons in general. For years one would only know they existed by occasional mentions in animation histories. Fox and Crow didn’t even turn up in “Roger Rabbit,” but then neither did Tom and Jerry; the most forgotten and the most famous cartoon duo of the time.
Now that you mention it, in hindsight, if WFRR’s writers already had a place in the script written in for Tom & Jerry before the producers were denied the rights to use the characters (due to ongoing litigation over ownership rights of the IP), they could have optioned to put Fox & Crow in their place. However, I do believe I did see one or both of them appear among the group cameos during the film’s closing number “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!”. (Then again, I could be wrong.)
Mike Maltese and/or Chuck Jones have no doubt watched this short at least once because in that short, one can immediately recognise the premise for The Hypo-Chondri-Cat — character gaslighting another about being sick then dead. From watching the two shorts together you can tell what separates a good cartoon and a masterpiece.
Seems the post-Tashlin Fox & Crow series were a sandbox of good initial premises but with barely a cohesive story, especially true under Dave Fleischer’s watch.
Mike Maltese and/or Chuck Jones have no doubt watched this short at least once because in that short, one can immediately recognise the premise for The Hypo-Chondri-Cat — character gaslighting another about being sick then dead. From watching the two shorts together you can tell what separates a good cartoon and a masterpiece.
Seems the post-Tashlin Fox & Crow series were a sandbox of good initial premises but with barely a cohesive story, especially true under Dave Fleischer’s watch.
As a kid my only experience of the FOX & CROW was found in the comic books. Finally able to see their films I like them all. Thanks for posting.
I always ADORED F&C. Thank YOO for the great vidd!!
“Poily Gates” has me laughing, not gonna lie!
But yes, the Fox and Crows are underrated, even if never reaching the greatness again of their debut 1941 short.
I immediately loved The Fox and The Crow when first seen on The Ruff and Reddy Show Saturday mornings om NBC a-way back when. I’m pleased to have a few in my 16mm collection. I once talked with Mark Kausler who said he had a 35 Lil Abner title in a IB. I have to wonder where Steve gets his stuff.. and I also wonder if Columbia didn’t just throw that lousey yellow window title on new releases just to save time. but I should know better. Finally, I think we can lay the issue of incomplete gags at Dave Fleischers feet more than anywhere else.
These are great, but I remember seeing very few of them on TV. Didn’t see Ruff and Reddy ever week. Might have been up against Captain Kangaroo? Now they look great, especially when compared to KFS or Terrytoons. (They had Gandy Goose and Sourpuss, but I don’t remember seeing them.)
I prefer the cartoon characters to speak as opposed to the Tom and Jerry style of pantomime. In fact, on occasion we will hear Tom speak, or in the case of Solid Serenade, HE SINGS. My favorite Woody Woodpecker cartoons are when Woody speaks, In Woody Dines Out, he is trying to decide what he wants to eat (at the taxidermists!!). He states, “Ah well, I feel like a little shrimp today.” The proprietor responds with, “Could be…we all have our off days.” Try to get that out of action only. In fact, in his fist short, Knock, Knock, His voice carries the whole short!! I will stop now.