The Original Tom & Jerry in “Pots and Pans” (1932)
“Pots and Pans” is a dandy little musical cartoon that is apologetically happy. While not spectacular in any way, it’s a positive and fun short.
Let Me Pick Your Brain! (Part 1)
Aside from the usual array of supernatural spooks so common to the season, a more Earthbound villain is also a frequent inhabitant of the Halloween scene: the evil scientist.
Spider-Man Meets Archie and Dark Shadows (sort of) on Records
The web-slinger swings through the grooves in this trio of Marvel-ous musical vinyl and CD recordings that weave over a 40-year web of Spider-Man recorded history!
A Letter from Myron Waldman
I’m going back to how my postings began–with letters from animators. Today, from 1997, I’m offering up the reply Myron Waldman sent to my question about Bimbo.
1986 Jonny Quest Episode Guide
My great love for the original Hanna-Barbera Jonny Quest series is no secret. However, there were thirteen episodes that most animation fans seem to forget.
Here At Last: The ‘Grotesqueries’ and ‘Noveltoons’ Blu-rays!
I thought I’d take this post to plug and finally talk a little bit about Grotesqueries and Noveltoons, two ‘new’ titles from Thunderbean on Blu-ray.
The INVISIBLE Article (Part 2)
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of invisible men? Maybe not the Shadow – but animation fans certainly do! More invisibility feats that need to be ‘not-seen’ to be believed.
Songs From The 1932 Merrie Melodies
By 1932, the Merrie Melodies shorts were carrying their weight. But in some cases, they weren’t necessarily plugging the songs that were to be featured.
Bob & Ray, Bert & Harry… and Grim Natwick
The Piels Beer commercials put us the UPA/NY studio on the map. Along with the clever voice acting of Bob & Ray, it was Grim Natwick’s animation that gave life and charm to those characters.
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]
