Forgotten Anime #38: “California Crisis: Gun Salvo” (1986)
California Crisis was immediately forgettable. It was produced by Studio Unicorn, a tiny anime studio that almost immediately went out of business.
The Sundown Drive-In: Exhibition and Jim Crow in the Twilight of the Cartoon Short
Movie theaters for African American audiences were of second-run status. This was mandatory–not an option.
Animation Anecdotes #283
From the square dancing magazine Sets in Order, director Chuck Jones wrote, “Cartoonists are strange men in many ways and they have a tendency to look at the world as through a cheap piece of window pane.”
Halloween Rarities Special Set – and “Old Manor House” (1948)
Since it’s the season, I’ve put together a ’Special’ (but really “unofficial”) Thunderbean set of Spooky Cartoons called “Halloween Rarities”. It’s a Blu-ray that includes Toby the Pup in Halloween.
Harman-Ising’s “The Old Pioneer” (1934)
Harman and Ising’s second cartoon for MGM is more gag-oriented than their later Happy Harmonies, where they emphasized charm and spectacle, seeking to emulate Disney’s Silly Symphonies.
Popeye Records with “Captain Allen Swift”
The long lost era of locally hosted children’s TV shows is preserved in vinyl on three records featuring the veteran stage, screen and voice actor—and even Mae Questel!
Needle Drop Cuban Rhythms For Boop and Flip
Cuban rhythms really didn’t filter their way down to North American popular music – the kind that most folks would buy – until 1930. It’s an entertaining, if roundabout, story.
Forgotten Anime #37: “Battle Angel” (1993)
Battle Angel was one of the higher-class “forgotten” OAVs. Based on a popular manga by Yukito Kishiro, James Cameron currently has the rights for a live-action remake.
Palsy-Walsy with Russia
With Moscow. Against Berlin. The wartime patriotism of learning to speak Russian at the Lantz Studio.
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 Cal Arts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [Click Here]
