Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Common Classics- Popeye with Little Swee'Pea.

This is the first online copy of a Popeye cartoon taken directly from the new DVD that Jerry Beck did for the Warners, or at least have I seen. This huge Popeye fan/former YouTube memeber posted
his copy of the restored Little Swee'pea.



Fleischer was still at its prime to many historians and this was the first offical introduction of Little Swee'pea- not counting SOCK-A-BYE-BABY. According to the documentary, nobody knew if he was orignally an orphan baby or not. Seymour Knetiel directed the animation and Dave Fleischer was the supervising producer/credited director. Little Swee'pea has the 3-D Stereoptical process- the byline at the Paramount logo says the patent was pending.

Plot? Popeye orginally was going to take Olive Oyl, but then compromises to take Little Swee'pea to the zoo. Like other Swee'pea apperances during the Fleischer era, Popeye thinks he's in great cartoon danger when facing four animals. But unlike some other cartoons with the Popeye formula and the Swee'pea sub-formula, this one has a twist. You may already know this twist if you bought a public domain DVD or seen it on Cartoon Network- but watch it and find out.


Little Swee'Pea (1936)
Uploaded by Rec_Free_Media

Friday, December 7, 2007

Common Classic- Superman in "Terror on the Midway"- compare 3 prints!

Haven't done an on topic post in a while....

3 prints of Terror on the Midway- the most easily found cartoon in all of Max Fleischer/Famous Studios-era Superman history.

If you link to the second video there is a rumor in the summary that the 35mm negative has deteriorated.

Although I have watched Superman cartoons earlier- this is the one I remember the most. I borrowed this cartoon from a PD tape at the library and this where I rediscovered Paramount's Superman cartoons.


This reminds me of King Kong- a gorrila trying to get a woman. Also, when I first saw this- it looked like a prototype for one of the villians in an episode from Justice Leauge a few years back.

Directed by Dave Fleischer, Animation Directed by Orestes Calipini.

Authorized print from Warner Bros. by arrangment with comics department DC Comics and Paramount Pictures. Note there's probably no DVNR because of it's organic-type
naturally grainy print.



The guy who claims he has the "best copy"...
Colorful- but the Paramount logo, series title card (Paramount Presents A Max Fleischer Cartoon "Superman" in Technicolor), and the Superman background narrative is missing from this print.



Standard internet print with added sound effects:




What print do you prefer?