Seriously? No – it’s not April Fools Day. No – I didn’t lose a bet.
I was talking to a colleague about story repetition in certain cartoon series (Pepe LePew, Mighty Mouse, Popeye, etc) – and I rebutted some of that by reminding him that the classic Hollywood theatrical cartoons were produced for viewing under completely different circumstances than what we grew up with; completely different circumstances than we have today.
Before the late forties, cartoons were seldom reissued (unless they were phenomenally popular – like Three Little Pigs). There were no repeat showings on afternoon television; there was no television. No VHS, no DVDs, no cartoon cable channels, no blu-ray collections, no streaming. You saw a cartoon once – and never again.
They were ephemeral – like a comic strip in a daily newspaper. Read it once and throw the paper away. If you saw a cartoon featuring Tweety once in 1942, you might not see one again for years. If a character (let’s say Pepe) got a strong response from movie audiences – word would filter back to the studio and instead of re-releasing that cartoon, they’d simply make another one – another Pepe. Repeating the same situational set up was accepted because no one had seen it previously – or if they had it was years ago. Repeating the same set up was also accepted because people wanted to enjoy it again.
That brings us back to Casper (and Audrey, Buzzy, Baby Huey, et al.) – Famous Studios (and Terrytoons) understood this well. If something worked once – they had no compunction about repeating the concept again the following year – year after year after year. Once a “character and scenario” was established – that was that. That’s who that character was. That’s what a “Tom & Jerry” cartoon was, a “Road Runner”, a “Magoo”. It’s a testament to the great talents (particularly the writers and director) that the redundant series from MGM, Warners and UPA were so entertaining, so cleverly diverse – and so funny, you hardly noticed the formula.
Not so at Paramount. “If you’ve seen one Casper, you’ve seen ’em all,” said my colleague. “Not really,” I replied. “Oh yeah? What are the Top Five Casper cartoons? Are there a “Top Five” Casper cartoons? They’re all the same!”
Challenge accepted.
So I quickly concocted a list of favorite Casper cartoons – and I found that I had at least ten that were worthy of semi-serious consideration. Here are my choices (in release order):
THE FRIENDLY GHOST (1945)
The first Casper – a Noveltoon – is a very nice little story. Though not unique, it is well told – with great tongue-in-cheek narration by Frank Gallop, beautiful “scenics” by Shane Miller, with an honest attempt at some Avery-esque double takes – and on top of all that: a suicide gag. The “kid voice” of Casper – done by an actual kid actor (identity still unconfirmed) – lends to the urban myth of Casper being a dead child. The intention was that a “ghost” – like a “troll”, a “fairy”, or a “goblin” – was a fantasy figure with no connection to humankind. Here we get nebulous child “ghost” who, by earning our sympathy, gives The Friendly Ghost some real dramatic weight. The Friendly Ghost was certainly a stand out for the studio at the time (dare I say, it was a ‘risk’) produced at a time when wise-guy knock-offs of Bugs Bunny were the popular thing du jour.
TO BOO OR NOT TO BOO (1951)
This is one of the sweetest scenarios of the entire Casper output. In this short Casper can be himself – completely “out” as a ghost – due to a costume party on Halloween night. Not only does he make friends and play games – but finds love for a happy ending. Heart-warming stuff. Even the “It’s a ghost” double-takes seem funny for a change. I can’t help thinking this one was slightly inspired by Tex Avery’s Little Tinker (1949) – which, of course, is a much better film. Still, this is a strong one in the Casper series.
GHOST OF THE TOWN (1952)
There are two or three things that make this one stand out from the pack. First off, it might be the only one that has an animated chorus of folks singing the “Casper the Friendly Ghost” theme song. Nice plug for Famous Music’s sheet music sales. Ghost Of The Town also features a cameo by real-life Broadway columnist-turned-TV host Ed Sullivan – and (unless Keith Scott says otherwise) I’m certain that’s him doing his own voice. The film’s title is even a pun on Ed’s CBS-TV show, Toast Of The Town. Sullivan was based in New York – and this would’ve gotten him a few mentions in the gossip columns (or at least, in his own)… Someone needs to check the columns he wrote for the New York Daily News. And finally, this short demonstrates a theory I’ve had that the Casper scenarios were variations on themes “Superman” might have done. Prior to Casper, the only other character Famous ever tackled who had the power of flight was Superman. Stories with Casper saving a baby from a burning building (as here), Boy Scouts from a wild animal (in Boo Scout), or a mad scientist with a death ray (see Down To Mirth, below), could be reworked for a friendly ghost in a satisfactory way. Ghost Of The Town worked out to be very satisfactory, in my humble opinion.
BOO MOON (1954)
Boo Moon is a VERY good Casper – if you see it in 3D as it was originally filmed. I have – several times – and the three dimensional effects are flawless. In fact I’d say the top three 3-D cartoons of all time would include the two Famous “Stereotoons” (this one and Popeye The Ace Of Space) and Disney’s Melody. They really stand apart from the pack. Famous really had the edge over the other competing animation studios who were cashing in on the 3D fad in 1953-54 – as they had previous experience doing “dimensional” films back in the 1930s (with the Fleischer Stereoptical Process). You can see they really put some extra effort in thinking through the 3D effects. Setting both cartoons in outer space immediately gave both films natural depth of field. In standard 2D “flat”, Boo Moon isn’t half bad either. It features King Bombo (from the Fleischer feature Gulliver’s Travels) as the Moon King… in fact, the whole cartoon feels bigger than a standard Casper short. In any event, it belongs on the list.
FRIGHT FROM WRONG (1956)
The Paramount cartoons released in the 1956-57 and 57-58 seasons reflected the UPA aesthetic that over took all animation then. The Famous Studio films look particularly handsome during this period (especially if you can view them from Technicolor prints). Fright From Wrong is pretty much the Casper cartoon folks point to as a particularly good one. It’s the one where the Ghostly Trio give Casper a dose of “Mean Pills” – which transform him into a little devil (this cartoon was indeed the inspiration for Harvey Comics later “Hot Stuff”). People love this one because Casper doesn’t act like Casper – he becomes a real little prick – and when you realize its actually him pulling all this crap (he didn’t really take the mean pills) it makes the tricks he pulls seem even funnier.
GHOST OF HONOR (1957)
I actually wrote about this one here ten years ago. What I said then still holds: “Love this one for many reasons. First off, it’s set at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for the “World Premiere” of a new Casper cartoon. Wishful thinking, perhaps… but even more fantastic is the depiction of the luxurious “Paramount Cartoon Studios” in Hollywood! There, in spacious settings not unlike the fabled UPA headquarters in Burbank, Casper observes the various steps involved in creating a cartoon. Keep in mind the actual Paramount cartoons were created in cramped office space in a skyscraper off sleazy Times Square in Manhattan. The art direction is particularly lovely in this film, the character designs of the studio staff are fun, and its a rare Paramount cartoon with crossover appearances by Baby Huey, Herman, Katnip, Spunky, Wolfie, Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare. Gotta admit it – this one always puts a smile on my face.”
BOO BOP (1957)
Here’s one no one ever talks about – and I like it a lot! For one thing it’s got an original plot: Casper helps the ghost of Franz Schubert complete his unfinished symphony. Really look at the designs in this one – the characters, the backgrounds. If UPA itself were to make a Casper – it would probably look like this. I’ve nicknamed it “Spook, Whistle, Plunk and Boo!” – A good little film, worthy of a spot on my top ten. Note: It has an abrupt ending on all the Harveytoon TV prints. I have a friend with an original Tech print and the last scene dissolves into the Paramount logo in an artful way.
HEIR RESTORER (1958)
Casper helping other ghosts seems to be a new formula the studio was exploring in the late 1950s. Like Boo Bop the art direction and clever locales do indeed pump some life into these later subjects. In this one Casper travels to England in search of an heir to Lord Montague’s fortune. Cute little story, well done.
GHOST WRITERS (1958)
Okay, so this one is kind of a cheater. It’s also a follow up on Ghost Of Honor as we return to the specious, fictional, west coast Paramount Cartoon Studio – where two harried writers are trying to come up with a story for a new Casper cartoon. Half this film is reused footage from previous shorts. I somewhat admire the “cheaters” when they are well done – compare this to the last Paramount theatrical, Casper’s Birthday Party, to see an example of this done poorly.
DOWN TO MIRTH (1959)
For the 1958-59 season, Paramount cut the budgets severely for the cartoons – and it shows. However, for this one season, the remaining staffers still had a little artistic pride left in their work (it all goes to Hell the next season, IMHO). And Casper was now the top draw among the shorts (Popeye was no longer around to be the headliner for the studio), so a little extra effort seems to have been poured into his shorts. This one borrows a cliche science fiction plot line – a mad scientist causing havoc with his anti-gravity ray gun – with Casper (ala Superman) saving the day. This is the last theatrical Casper with a full 7-minute plot line – the next two Casper shorts revolve around reuse stock footage. As such, Down To Mirth is more ambitious than it has any right to be – and I like it for that.
Beyond these, I can think of scenes in other Casper’s worth a mention: Casper being inside a comic strip in Ground Hog Play (1956); The emotional “death” of Ferdie Fox in There’s Good Boos Tonight (1948); The beautiful jungle scenics in Spooking About Africa (1957). There are things to see in these cartoons – I challenge you to give them a chance. And if you have your own top five – or ten – post them in the comments below.
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 [
You have pointed out all the reasons why I like the theatrical “Casper the friendly ghost“ cartoon series. Among other things, just watching Casper himself morph into different shapes is absolutely delightful. In one cartoon, I can’t remember quite which one, he pulls at himself as if he is shaping himself like clay into an almost identical image of the little creature he has befriended so he could play with him. You have also pointed out the genuine sweetness of some of the storylines when they are inspired. I might point out another cartoon whose name I forget at the moment, but it’s the one in which Casper wanders into an orphanage. The kids are of course, crying, and Casper goes by the children, one by one, neatly solving their problem. Of course there is cartoon license taken, like when he goes underneath some underground grids to find a little boys lost Paul. He comes up covered in sweat. Somehow, I don’t think you could see a ghost, even if he had traveled in the dark in dirt and soot! However, it makes us imagine just what might happen.
I won’t make a Top Ten list, but I respect your choices. I would only add an honourable mention: “Casper’s Spree Under the Sea” (1950), directed by the great Bill Tytla. Like “The Friendly Ghost”, it has a suicide gag: Casper tries to drown himself but finds that, as a ghost, he can breathe underwater. Casper also has a coquettish romantic interest in this one — and she’s a fish!
Are the cartoon writers in “Ghost of Honor” and “Ghost Writers” meant to be caricatures of actual people at the studio? It definitely looks like the same pair in both cartoons, though they’re drawn in different styles.
I’ve never seen “Boo Moon” in 3D, but when I first saw it on a VHS compilation tape in the ‘90s, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when the moon man sounded the alarm: “The Tree Men are attacking! The Tree Men are attacking!” I honestly did not see that plot twist coming. But as an ardent anti-monarchist, I find this cartoon very hard to enjoy. Casper pays obeisance to the king but gets thrown into jail anyway, and then when these decidedly unfriendly moon people come under attack, he sides with them? I don’t know if the term “Stockholm syndrome” had yet been coined when this cartoon was made, but Casper evidently had it in a big way. And what’s going to happen when the Tree Men fail to come home, and the Tree Women come looking for them and find them with their roots knotted up in the moon dust? Casper, you’re in big trouble now….
A better title for “Boo Bop” would have been “Boo-bert’s Un-fiendish Scream-phony”, but I like yours, too.
Enough with the “every studio that wasn’t Warner or Disney SUCKS!” schtick. Casper might have been “repetitive”, but at least he wasn’t shown so often that I was sick of him by the time I was 6, like Tom And Jerry or those stupid “Rabbit Season! Duck Season!” cartoons. At least Casper’s cartoonists weren’t perpetually up their own asses about how “great” their work was, unlike that hack Chuck Jones.
Wow. And I thought I had heretical opinions that probably didn’t sit well with some around here. I’ve always said how unfair it was for all the animation books to complain about the sameness of the Casper cartoons, always quoting animator Lee Mishkin’s “You never knew which cartoon you were working on because they were all the same,” while gushing about the brilliance of the almost indistinguishable Roadrunner cartoons. And again, at least Casper has a more noble theme, the outsider’s quest for acceptance, than Roadrunner, which is primarily about self-defeat. And the individual cartoons listed in this entry don’t seem repetitious, do they?
Did Chuck Jones piss in your soup or something?
Wait Alex, you’re saying that the Disney and Warner Bros cartoons were shown SO much (and presumably Tom and Jerry as well)…you grew sick of them? That’s really surprising.
Also I wouldn’t really call the Hunting Trilogy “stupid” though I will agree that Chuck Jones did become more pretentious later on (though I wouldn’t go so far to call him a “hack”.
“You saw a cartoon once- and never again”. Makes me glad I didn’t live in that time period.
Just being the first generation to have VCR’s made it too easy just watching these over and over any time of the day.
I’d like to say a few words in praise of Universal’s “The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper”, an animated series produced in the wake of the 1995 live-action feature. When I first saw it I was amazed by what a clever show it was, on a par with the Warners/Spielberg collaborations from earlier in the decade. All the 1990s pop cultural references give it a somewhat dated quality today, but they’re also the source of much of the show’s humour. Of all the incarnations of the Casper franchise, this is by far the funniest.
Writer Sherri Stoner worked in both shows – Casper New Adventures and Animaniacs.
Nice list. I would also recommend “Peek a Boo” where a mischievous kitten takes advantage of Casper being a ghost by pretending to be a friend while tormenting a dog (who is afraid of Casper). I also like the three shorts with Spooky, Casper’s “tuff” cousin.
I do agree with the Harvey Comics staff that the cartoons could get pretty repetitive and am grateful that they took the Casper comics to a different direction (as Jerry mentioned, they were like Superman comics in a younger kids’ format). Paramount later did some nice adaptions of the early three part/fifteen pages adventures by Harvey (who by this point, now were the owners of the characters created by Paramount) for television with the artist Warren Kremer involved with the adaptions.
With all the best regards, seeing THE Jerry Beck be as open to a positive discussion about Casper the Friendly Ghost is worth the price of admission.
As for the shorts themselves, I like that they go through a relatively coherent history lesson in the Casper filmography, and the Paramount cartoon studio by proxy, starting with his first appearance and ending with him as the headliner for Famous. I personally enjoy the variety in storylines, such as it is for the poster ghost of “50s stock cartoon plots”.
Sidenote, but I would honestly prefer “Spook, Whistle, Plunk, and Boo” over its official name “Boo Bop”. To me, your nickname for that short has more potential for putting buts in seats, not only for being a longer title, but also roping in theater goers that watched Disney’s attempt at the UPA style.
It’s a shame Mr. Beck feels he has to apologize for daring to suggest that there may be some merit in the Casper cartoons after all. As I may have mentioned once or twice, it’s always seemed unfair that the animation books complain of their sameness (the cartoons listed here–and I agree with Paul Groh that “Casper’s Spree Under the Sea” belongs with them–certainly don’t seem repetitious, do they?) while extolling the brilliance of the indistinguishable Roadrunner cartoons. And again, at least Casper has a more noble theme, the outsider’s quest for acceptance, than Roadrunner (primarily about self-defeat).
You can find a decent 3D “Boo Moon” on YouTube. Search for “Boo Moon (1954) Red/Cyan Anaglyph” and have your 3D glasses on.
Unfortunately, that online analglyph version is SO fake. It’s taken solely from the traditional TV print, with credits cropped on from a different standard-aspect Casper cartoon. The first giveaway is the lack of reference to “A Stereotoon” in the titles, and the fact that, as can be seen in Jerry’s embedded version, an image of Casper moves into center from a position right of center. In the original, there were TWO Caspers. merging into one in the center by moving into place from both sides of the screen. Then compare the angles between versions. In the fake print from the TV source, Casper is on the far left when he appears before the guy with the telescope talking of the wonders of the moon. In the version posted by Jerry, he is so shifted to the right, he partially eclipses the telescope man when he appears – something there is no sign of in the fake 3D version. The angles on the man in the moon through the telescope lens are also jarringly different between versions. This film screened for real years back in a festival of classic 3D cartoons at the Egyptian Theater, and it was one of the top two titles from the golden age for getting the effects so perfect as to be jaw-dropping. There was not only in your face action, but amazing depth into the screen. The shots of Casper tying the tree men’s roots together below ground has a wonderful cavernous effect below the surface, making the whole thing look so realistic.
The challenge I pose to anyone with the technology is, as we now have a Stereotoon print from one eye’s vantage point, and the TV print from the opposite eye view, why not properly marry the two into a REAL analglyph print? The film is in public domain, so it would seem that anything goes as to rights to work with it. You probably couldn’t fake the titles successfully due to lack of the footage for the second eye on the TV copy, but you could do everything else. Who among us is up to it, and will give the internet viewers back a rare and notable piece of animation history?
As a grade schooler I cringed a bit at cartoons that demanded you pity the star. They felt like they were meant for really little kids, or worse, for girls. Likewise the musical Terrytoons where the little loser has to defeat a rival for the girl.
Early on Casper would be rejected by other ghosts, with variations on the opening of “Ghost of the Town”. At some point, perhaps starting in the comic books, they boiled down to the Ghostly Trio, who functioned as Casper’s family. They threw him out occasionally, but mostly they tried to “reform” him as in “Fright From Wrong”.
Baby Huey played a variation on Casper’s theme: Rejected by his fellow ducklings, poor sniveling Huey would eagerly go off to play with the wolf, oblivious to the fact the wolf was trying to kill him until the last moment. Then the other ducklings welcomed him as a hero. Huey wasn’t cute, but they’d play his friendless scenes almost exactly like Casper’s.
I remember Harvey Comics having a little of that for-littler-kids vibe, even in the army-based Sad Sack titles, but less cloying than the Harveytoons. Casper had much less trouble making and keeping friends; he was often as not a problem solver. Baby Huey and his father (the latter featured only once in the cartoons, to my knowledge) were a benign version of Warner’s Papa Bear and Junior. More flustered than furious, Huey’s pop was perpetually trying to keep his son from, say, enlisting in the marines or wrecking a live television drama. Katnip and Herman were less sadistic in print, although the same could be said for other cat-and-mouse/bird teams adapted for funnybooks.
I grew up seeing ONLY The New Casper Cartoon Show version of Casper. I never got to view the early Paramount ones till I found some on a bootleg VHS in the 1990s. I realized pretty quickly the older ones were a lot more fun! Now I have every Casper ever made on DVD. My favorite is Ghost of Honor since it steps outside the normal Casper plots and squeezes in those great cameos of Herman, Katnip, Baby Huey, Tommy Tortoise and the rest. By the way, I never got to any of THOSE stars either (or Audrey or Buzzy) till I bought a DVD set with most of their films on it. Glad I was finally able to catch up!
You can imagine my confusion upon seeing this in the Cartoon Research feed! Glad to know you’re not betting, Jerry!
I haven’t seen a Casper cartoon since before I was ten, so I can’t agree or disagree here.
I’m really glad you took the time to take a “serious” look at the Famous Casper cartoons, Jerry.
Though popular in their day, it seems people haven’t been kind to poor Casper in the intervening years. Not that I particularly want to be labeled a “Casp-ite”, but I truly believe there is value, whether it be entertainment or historic, in at least 97% of all golden age cartoons. Any would be animation historian should do their best to explore beyond the typical comfort zone of Disney, Warner Bros, and MGM.
One last thought- this should be a running series Jerry!
“Top 5-10 cartoons of X formula driven series”
I’m positive many young animation enthusiasts could use help finding the best shorts of filmographies such as Roadrunner, Foghorn Leghorn, Mr. Magoo, Pink Panther, Pluto, etc.
I only have one problem with the concept that in the Famous/Harvey world the ghosts aren’t really dead people… If they aren’t, then why is everyone who sees them scared hairless (or toothless or armless or…) What are they frightened of?
“No – I didn’t lose a bet.”
That’s what a guy who DID lose a bet WOULD say!
Anyway, my problem with a lot of Casper shorts isn’t really that they’re repetitive but rather how juvenile oriented they could be. To me, a lot of them struck me as pretty tame compared to the other studio’ output and not nearly as crazy. Still, that’s not to say that I considered the shorts a total loss (there ARE some real gems as you pointed out).
Thinking this over, Famous Studios has already fascinated me in the story department. Probably since they didn’t really think that people 50 years later would be analyzing and discussing these shorts, they thus reused concepts and did remakes FAR more than any other studio. And they put the MOST reusable concepts as the stars of the studio (imagine if Pepe Le Pew and the Roadrunner were considered the main stars of the Warner cartoons instead of Bugs and Daffy!) Viewing some of their output today (even though calling them repetitive is kind of unfair) is a good showcase of how important story should be for animation and also a good showcase how different viewing experiences can change perception of some cartoons.
Anyway, I agree that repetition isn’t really the best criticism for Casper (after all they weren’t meant to be shown back-to-back, any more than most film serials being viewed in one big chunk), but there’s really nothing against using the repetition criticism against the TV Casper’s cartoons (which were made in a medium that utilizes repeat viewings).
Very nice post, Jerry. It comes just as I am slowly and meticulously compiling a filmography of Famous-Paramount voice credits where known, for the eventual expanded edition of CARTOON VOICES … so all writing and opinions on the studio and its output is great for me to absorb. Yes, GHOST OF THE TOWN has, I strongly believe, the real Ed Sullivan doing a cameo as himself, no doubt recorded sometime in the 1950-51 period, after his TV show had been on air and established for a couple of years (when the show was still being called TOAST OF THE TOWN). The great comedian-impersonator Will Jordan didn’t do his eventually famous impression of Sullivan until March of ’53 on Ed’s show, and it wasn’t until June ’54, after he began making it funny (vocally and visually) via endless nightclub performances, where he kept developing the Sullivan bit, that he really became known as THE Ed Sullivan mimic. When Paramount used him in COOL CAT BLUES, he did an exaggerated cartoony version of his own imitation as “Ed Solvent,” and that wasn’t until 1960.
While themes could be repetitive in these old theatrical cartoons, some studio’s variations on a theme were more varied than others.
Thank you for the intriguing list of Caspers.
With MeTV Toons I’ve discovered I actually like the made-for-TV Casper Cartoon shorts. The animation may have been limited but the stories have the charming whimsy of his comic book adventures.
“The ‘kid voice’ of Casper – done by an actual kid actor (identity still unconfirmed)”
(suggestion: check “Cast” section of Internet Movie Database page for the “The Friendly Ghost” cartoon mentioned here)
Graham Webb says it’s Walter Tetley, but I’ll leave it to Keith Scott to say if it is him or not.
Great take on the Casper cartoons, Jerry. It’s true that cartoons were shown differently, but I also believe audiences were different. From what memories I have left, (we’re about the same age) Casper was very popular. He was featured in way more comic books than Bugs and Daffy. In the early 1960s, he may have been more popular on television as well. I watched and liked all the 1950’s and earlier Famous Studios cartoons. And I sure bought a lot of Casper, Spooky and Hot Stuff comic books.
Thanks for sitting through these things, Jerry, and providing capsule descriptions. Which means that anyone who despises the endless cuteness of the Casper cartoons doesn’t have to watch them, execpt by choice.
Which, as you point out, wasn’t an option in the Boomer and early Gen X days. Whatever was on the small low-res CRT screen, that was what you watched.
The only thing that interests me about the Casper cartoons is that they were made by many members of the remaining Fleischer crew, after Max and Dave had been shown the exit door by Paramount. So the animation still looks really good, even though the script material is so clearly aimed at the kindergarten set.
Also, the early Casper sort of resembles the early fat Elmer Fudd. I like fat Elmer a lot more than I like fat Casper! Or Casper, at all.
“Which, as you point out, wasn’t an option in the Boomer and early Gen X days. Whatever was on the small low-res CRT screen, that was what you watched.”
Not really. Ever heard of “Turn off the set”?