Animation Anecdotes #337
“For the titles of The Pink Panther Strikes Again, we decided to send up old movies. Among the films and personalities spoofed were King Kong, Buster Keaton and Dracula .
The “Chiquita Banana” Theatrical Commercials
Produced by John Sutherland Productions from 1947 through 1949, these Banana spots are among the most charming theatrical animated commercials made in the 40s.
“Mr. Winkle Returns” (1954)
Check out this find: A rare industrial film for General Mills, made in 1954, directed by Gene Hazelton with animation by Irv Spence and Ken Muse.
Ruby-Spears’ “Fangface” on Records
Peter Pan Records’ final vinyl venture into Saturday Morning cartoons was, ironically, based on the first series by Ruby-Spears Productions.
Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award 1974
“The Butterfly Ball” is one of twenty-five animated shorts submitted to the Academy that didn’t make the cut for a nomination in 1974.
Sing Me A Cartoon #17: Turning the Paige
Victor was interested in covering songs from the latest “Silly Symphonies”, so they turned to an musician familiar with these selections. That bandleader was Raymond Paige.
The Old Mill Celebrates 80th Anniversary
This is one of my favorite Silly Symphony shorts because it had no dialogue and relied solely on the visuals and music to tell the story.
Animation Anecdotes #336
Manny Perez was responsible for the animation of Fritz and the three girl cats in the bath tub. That short scene had over two thousand drawings.
Random Thoughts on Odd Cartoons
Random thoughts on odd cartoons, Monkey Doodle again, and time for some Walter Lantz produced commercials!
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]
