Pulling Your Heart Strings: Famous Studios “Suddenly it’s Spring” (1944)
This particular short is one of the most ambitious of the Famous Studios cartoons in layout and overall design.
Rory Raccoon in “Numbskull & Crossbones”
For some reason the Rory Raccoon episodes were not included very often in the syndicated Linus the Lionhearted programs.
The Disney “Alice” That Never Was… Except on Records
While Walt Disney dropped the idea of an animated Alice in Wonderland with a live-action Ginger Rogers, their stars did cross through an unusual Decca record album.
A “Rhapsody Of Steel” on Labor Day
What better day to showcase Rhapsody Of Steel, the animated Technicolor masterpiece sponsored by U.S. Steel and produced by John Sutherland Productions.
Bumbling The “Boogie”
Another piece used in Melody Time that the Disney people did not “own” was Bumble Boogie. In fact, most people already knew of it as the Rimsky-Korsakov composition “Flight of the Bumblebee”.
The Animated Worlds of “The Wizard of Oz”
In my new Cartoon Research mini-book I focus on the land of Oz in cartoons. The starting point is the 1933 Technicolor cartoon short by Ted Eshbaugh.
Animation Anecdotes #378
Somethin’s Cookin’ is the official name of the animation short film that opens the movie 1988 ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’. But very few viewers will notice all the ACME products therein.
Back To School!
The forthcoming Rainbow Parade set is full of challenges. Over the weekend I spent a lot of time cleaning up ‘Parrotville Post Office’ from the only known 35mm print.
Robert McKimson’s “Daffy Duck Slept Here” (1948)
Thanks for casting your votes, readers! Hillbilly Hare (1950) ran a very close second, but Daffy Duck Slept Here (1948) is declared the winner this week. And here it is!
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]
