Saturday Morning “Car”-toon: The 55th Anniversary of “Wacky Races”
Originally conceived as a game show, where contestants would bet on the racer, it eventually became a popular Saturday morning show.
Willie Wildcat in “Problem Child” (1938)
Lantz may have the best record of almost completely forgettable characters in the late 30s.
Unpredictable as Weather (Part 22)
Mother Nature’s targets this week: Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Goofy, and Mighty Mouse.
Let’s Talk Terrytoons: Why We Don’t See Them Anymore
My 30 years of trying to revive a mighty mouse, a pair of talking magpies and a very neurotic elephant.
Cereal Killers, Part III: Fifty Years Ago, on Saturday Morning 1971
Fifty years ago, the three major networks were fully invested in Saturday morning cartoons – you could call it a “golden age”.
Cereal Killers, Part II: Forty Years Ago, on Saturday Morning 1981
In part two of a three-part article, here is a trip back in time forty years ago to the cartoons that debuted that season.
“Dough Nuts” (1933) restored with Original Titles!
We’ve featured this cartoon before—it’s nice to finally see it as close as possible now to its original version.
Unpredictable as Weather (Part 21)
Pull up any handy umbrella, and don’t follow that old song’s advice about turning it upside-down – it just doesn’t work.
Famous Studios: A 50s Grab Bag
As original music began to become scarcer and scarcer, today’s sampling is simply a grab bag of bouncing balls!
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]
