We all know A.A.P (Associated Artists Productions). For a company that really only existed for two years, it left behind quite a legacy. The company’s name has long been associated with the pre-1948 Warner Bros. cartoons and the Fleischer/Famous Popeye cartoons – which it purchased in 1956 and 1957 respectively. The company was more than simply a cartoon distributor, it bought the entire Warner Bros. pre-1948 library of features and shorts – but it was the cartoon package that earned the company a huge return on its investment. The cartoons drove the company to expand into the 8mm home movie market (below) and even children’s records.
In 1958, A.A.P. sold its library to United Artists – and UA changed the comapny name to U.A.A. (United Artists Associated). Despite the name change, UA left the AAP titles on its syndication prints of cartoons for decades to come. However, that wasn’t the only animation U.A.A. handled. They made a deal to distribute Bob Clampett’s Beany & Cecil cartoons (frame grab below) internationally. I cannot confirm, but I believe UA distributed a few Beany & Cecil shorts theatrically in Canada and elsewhere.
With Looney Tunes and Popeye leading UAA efforts in TV syndication, the company came up with a clever idea. They were now sitting on hundreds of Warner Bros. live action short subjects from the 1930s. So they decided to try convincing local TV stations to pick up a “third” group of films aimed at the kiddies – by packaging the Warner Bros. live shorts in a cartoon wrapping. The result: The Big Mac Show. Here is the brochure that went out to the TV stations:
Has anyone ever seen The Big Mac Show? Did it ever play in any market? I don’t recall it being telecast in New York. I’d love to find some of the wrap-around footage. The best I can do is show you this 16mm “sales reel” (embed below) which I fished this out of the trash when I worked for United Artists years ago… It proves that they made some animated test footage. Big Mac looks absolutely awful, but I give UAA points for creating a clever way to package those old two-reel comedies and vaudeville films.
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 [
I don’t remember the live-action WB shorts being on any of the New York stations, including Ch. 13 before it went non-commercial. That may be because the AAP cartoon package was split between WNEW, with the pre-48 Warners shorts, and WPIX, which had the Popeyes. Ch. 11 also had the live-action Warners pre-48 movies, but when it came to shorts, WPIX favored the Hal Roach Laurel & Hardy and Little Rascals shorts and the Columbia Three Stooges package to mix with their live-action hosts, while Ch. 5’s live shows with Allen Swift, Sonny Fox and Sandy Becker (and later, with McCann and Soupy Sales) had more in-studo bits, which left no room for 16-18 minute two-reelers. What shorts WNEW did show were the RKO Edgar Kennedys and Leon Errols in the wee hours of the morning, after “Movie Greats” was over.
AAP’s history kind of followed in the footsteps of UM&M, which sold out to NTA right after getting the non-Popeye/non-Superman Paramount pre-1950 shorts (though I assume AAP owner Eliot Hyman got a way bigger payout from UA, since he eventually parlayed that into owning Warner Bros. eight years later).
I watched all the classic cartoons when I was six years old at the time during childhood in the Philippines since 1966 my favorites like Popeye Casper Gumby Beany & Cecil Sinbad Jr. Three Stooges Dick Tracy Roger Ramjet & et al as seen in the Uncle Bob Show on RBS/GMA Channel 7 hosted by Robert L. Stewart American businessman TV host journalist/commentarist & philanthropist owner of GMA Network who created the radio network DZBB AM in 1950 & Channel 7 in 1961 67 years ago in the Philippines. Thanks for the information.
The Big Mac Show did run in Hartford, Connecticut on WHCT, Channel 18. It ran on weekday afternoons around 1960-1961. The cartoon packages of Popeye and Warners toons were already on WNHC, so they were left with the shorts package.
I never heard of this prior to today. I don’t recall the package running in Boston, MA or Providence, R.I. although it could have.
This is a fascinating look at studio usage of older film as well as packages for local television. Thank you.
WLUK-TV-11 Green Bay ran it 6pm Saturdays. Found a listing for April 16, 1960.
I don’t remember it running in Indianapolis. I have a collection of early Howdy Doody shows where they’re still showing the ‘Old Time Movies’. They just seem to drag. I can’t see children finding old silent films to be entertaining when they had the 3 Stooges and the Little Rascals in sound.
Just to clarify, the Warner Brothers shorts package is primarily sound era shorts with dialogue. There are a few in there of 1930’s and 1940’s reissues of Mack Sennett shorts with soundtracks added. Looks like the sales film did rely very much on that footage.
In the 60’s we had some AAP Looney Tunes in 8mm, and one live-action short titled “Curses,” which seemed to be a two-reel western parody edited down. Can’t recall seeing any Warner shorts on TV until TCM. The only shorts that seemed to get air time were Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Little Rascals, Charlie Chaplin and the occasional serial. Animated cartoons were the only kind of theatrical short to really take root in television.
I’d be very curious to see how this show worked. A large percent of shorts simply wouldn’t make sense to 50s kids, or would bore them, or would rouse nervous 50s censors. Heck, there’s even one where affable Edgar Bergen is having an affair with his boss’s wife and Charlie McCarthy is using that to land a job.
“Penrod”?
From BROADCASTING magazine, February 1, 1960:
United Artists Assoc.
Inc., N.Y., reports sales of its Big Mac
cartoon show to the following stations:
WHDH-TV Boston: WAST (TV)
Albany, N.Y.; WBEN-TV Buffalo.
N.Y.: KMJ-TV Fresno. Calif.; WJACHere
TV Johnstown. Pa.; WWLP-TV Springfield,
Mass.; WHCT (TV) Hartford,
Conn.; KOSA-TV Odessa, Tex.; KRCGTV
Jefferson City, Mo.; KTVR (TV)
Denver: KCSJ-TV Pueblo, Colo., and
WLUK-TV Marinette, WEAU-TV Eau
Claire and WMTV(TV) Madison, all
Wis. Purchase of hour-long Big Mac
show carries a guarantee that the National
Biscuit Co. will sponsor one-half
hour weekly for 26 weeks. (2/1/60)
Good stuff, thanks for posting. Not at all surprised to see it ran here in Fresno, but am surprised which station ran it.
From BROADCASTING, August 1, 1960:
“The Big Mac Show” (UAA)
Sold to Smith Bros.; Lestoil; Pepsi Cola, and Dr. Pepper for various markets. Stations which bought show are WAST (TV) Albany; WHDH-TV Boston; WBEN-TV Buffalo; WEAU-TV Eau Claire, Wis.; KXGO-TV Fargo, N.D.; KMJ-TV Fresno; WLUK-TV Green Bay, Wis.; KONA (TV) Honolulu; KRCG (TV) Jefferson City, Mo.; WJAC-TV Johnstown, Pa.; KLFY-TV Lafayette, La.; KSHO-TV Las Vegas; WMTV (TV) Madison, Wis.; WVEC-TV Norfolk, Va.; KOSA-TV Odessa, Tex.; KCSJ-TV Pueblo, Colo.; KTNT-TV Seattle-Tacoma; WWLP (TV) Springfield, Mass.; KXJB-TV Valley City, N.D.; WITV (TV) Washington, N.C.; and WTRF-TV Wheeling, W. Va.
Thanks for all this broadcast information, Jon!
In addition to Boston and Hartford, a Google News Archive search confirms that the series also aired in Sydney, Australia as late as 1963.
Another great post, Jerry.
Interesting how the U.A.A. logo is in the exact same typeface as the A.A.P. logo, complete with the dual contrasting coloring (which the A.A.P. logo has, for example, in the A.A.P. title cards used on the black and white Popeye cartoons).
Popeye the Sailor was part of international superheroes in popular culture in TV films comics animation & media throughout the world.
Jerry, there used to be a station in Detroit that was broadcast on cable all over Michigan, WKBD channel 50 that showed a mix of AAP pre ’48s and Warner post ’48s on its own Bugs Bunny program in the ’80s. There were even some showing of the very early Harman-Ising shorts with the very rare black and white AAP intro. I wish I could find that. Was this mixture a common practice on TV?
The black and white AAP intro has the same music and is actually the color one on the W.B. cartoons, just printed in black and white. I have at least one of the Harman-Isings on film with this logo at the beginning. I’m sure it was on many prints, but TV stations can always bypass this.
I remember it playing
In australia weekday afternoons. I even remember the song
It went something like…….Big Mac drives a magic train with his cooler(?) friends that entertain
Fun and laughter are in store with his dog his mouse and his dinosaur
His dog Sgt Balantyne, his mouse Abercrombie and his dinosaur Beatrice
I remember the song too.
I have searched the internet for info on Big Mac but have not found anything until now.
My sisters lived in Melbourne and I loved the show.
The song goes,” with a crew of friends that entertain”. I loved that cartoon I remember all the words to the song as well
I wonder if one of the TV stations could start showing it again!
Rosie again from Melbourne I think his mouse was called Theodore.
Rosie,
My sister and I watched this show in the early 60s on Melbourne (Australian) TV.
The mouse was Abercrombie.
What I’m after is the B section (verse 2?) of the intro, from when Beatrice the dinosaur torches up the place. The A section is fine but the B section has escaped my memory.
Any ideas?
Brien.
Central Victoria, Australia
This aired in the Albany-Schenectad-Troy market on WAST channel 13, Saturday mornings at 10:30, from 1960-1963.
This was definitely before my time, Al. I know remember anything about the Mac show Big Mac show or Howdy Doody which ended in 1960
I, too, ask……. Penrod? Was this some WB competition to “Our Gang”?
I don’t recall any reference to it in Leonard Maltin’s excellent book on “Our
Gang” in the chapter where he talks about other similar series
I remember watching “Big Mac” and the song with the repeated line “…..Big Mac is coming, Big Mac is coming….” and ending with “Big Mac is here!” I have always thought the song was sung by Leon Bibb, who just passed away in Vancouver.
early sunday morning, near hartford, ct. (broad brook), probably 1961. loved the music.
Adelaide south australia. Big mac showed for a while early evening tv early ’60’s?. Catchy jingle “big mac is coming” still has bits stuck in my head. Remember little else except jingle and train going across screen. Adult memory thought it was pre-warning for Mcdonalds invasion.
Just found your page on Big Mac. We had it here in Australia in either late 50s early 60s. I loved the song but couldn’t remember his ‘Friends” names. Got em now thanks. We sing the song to our grang kids!
Don’t know about the Big Mac Show, but AAP/UAA did have those WB short comedies for sale in 16mm to rental operators. Modern Sound Pictures in Omaha had a bunch of them; with Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Edgar Bergen, Shemp Howard and others, along with the Mack Sennett re-packagings and some of the historical dramas and two-reel Westerns. The Christmas drama “A Star In The Night” was probably the single most widely distributed WB short, lots of rental companies had that one.
We want to know if we want a search for the original titles of Popeye’s “The Island Fling,” “Pop-Pie A La Mode” (of which a Film Office print with French titles exists) and “Toreadorable” (of which a Film Office print with German titles and dub exists), etc. So we want to hear the full end theme used in every Popeye colour classic.
Popeye the Sailor he is my idol & a true American hero & legend. Thanks!
These cartoons aired in Puerto Rico in the 70s and the 80s .Dubbed in México as ‘Fantasias Animadas De Ayer Y De Hoy'(Animated Fantasies From Yesterday and Today ) in the 60s.Jorge Arvizu was the voice of Bugs Bunny , Popeye,Daffy and some characters.What a memories!
Thank you, Jerry.You’re part of animation history. 😊
I remember the classic 1960’s animated fantasy anthology series featuring the magical genie as the narrator & storyteller inspired from Arabian Nights Aesop’s Fables & Mother Goose combined in one story aired in the Philippines on RBS/GMA Channel 7 in Tales of the Genie is my favorite cartoon show & a true classic TV. Thanks for the information.
I watched it on WEAU in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Loved the old movies best. Each pet had a genre, and I waited long to see his dinosaurs (We all loved dinosaurs, after all.), only to be disappointed when its thing was classical music.
I remember very well The Big Mac Show it was on WBEN TV channel 4 Buffalo NY, area I enjoyed it very much, don’t remember any cartoons though I watched the old Warner Brothers shorts Joe Palooka, Edger Bergen and Charlie McCarthy etc. It was fun watching wholesome Television back then.
Never heard about the Big Mac Show before, though I was intrigued to read it while searching about the AAP cartoon packages. Of course I knew about the big two (The 1931-48 LT/MM, which were intermixed with the post-48s and Sunsets, and theatrical Popeye) when they were on Cartoon Network and Boomerang a decade or two back, but never heard about a third package that showcases two-reelers. However, I could be sure that some of those films from that package might have shown up on TCM at some point from time to time.
Why don’t they air these cartoons today?!? Better than Dora the explorer and miraculous ladybug.
All the A.A.P. Cartoons ARE still airing – on Cartoon Network, MeTV and HBO-Max. They may not have the AAP logo on them, but the cartoons are easily accessible- even on DVD and Blu-Ray physical media (not to mention findable on You Tube, Vinmeo or Dailymotion).
If you’re still reading the comments on these old posts Jerry, the sales reel video isn’t working anymore, and I haven’t seen anyone else reupload it anywhere. Could you reupload it?