Hi, Mouseketeers! It’s Disney Song Day on Animation Spin!
The touching voice of Darlene Gillespie, the sincerity of Jimmie Dodd and the charm of the Mouseketeers with musical direction by Camarata combine for genuine Disney magic.
The Forgotten “Duck Man”
What Fred Moore was to Mickey Mouse, what Norm Ferguson was to Pluto, what Art Babbitt was to Goofy – Fred Spencer was to Donald Duck.
Rocket Robin Hood
Rocket Robin Hood was TV series animated in Toronto, Canada, in an animation studio owned by Al Guest. Ralph Bakshi and Shamus Culhane worked on it. It is considered one of the worst cartoons ever.
Cinderella and Jiminy Cricket “Nash Spots”
Produced at Disney by Hurrell and Bounds (as independent producers utilizing Disney’s production staff), the Cinderella and Jimmy Cricket commercials are two of my favorites.
Hearts and Flowers – Part 3
Here’s more orchids for remembrance, as we journey down the primrose path of the late 1940’s and early 50’s for more glimpses of Technicolor petals and exotic bouquets.
Looney Tunes 1936-37: We’ve Got Ourselves a Star… Let’s Get Another
Carl W. Stalling comes aboard to do the musical scores, replacing the Brown – Spencer team, finding new ways to use the Warner songs creatively in the cartoons.
Walt Disney Classified: The Layout Manual, Part 3—The 11 Field Crane
The 11 FIELD CRANE is a fascinating Ub Iwerks designed camera stand that permitted “the use of other kinds of material than could not be used on the multiplane crane”.
A Tale of Two Ghostbusters
In later years, Filmation’s Lou Scheimer regretted they had not asked for the animation rights as part of a legal settlement with Columbia Pictures for the use of the name for the live action comedies.
Mutt and Jeff in “Playing with Fire” (1926)
Here’s an interesting cartoon to chat about. It’s an enjoyable little romp – and it stars Mutt and Jeff.
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and Blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
