Classic Paramount Cartoons

My story on Cartoon Brew

2011-11-09T12:52:00.001-08:00

Apparently, Jerry likes ANYTHING odd in animation, so my post involving Little Audrey's first forerunner- Santa's Surprise, and some UK/India remake that is a mess- was worth posting on The Brony Birtplace- Cartoon Brew. It's an honor really for someone who wanted to find years of a discovery (A Paramount copy of OLD MACDONALD, Betty Boops with original titles, etc.)

To see the story and not screenshots

GO HERE:
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/santas-surprise-redux.html

And for something really different.....

2011-09-13T15:19:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of "The Fairly OddParents". I fantasize the edginess and sometimes the raunchiness if creator Butch Hartman decided to have a seperate extereme adult-oriented theatrical series as a companion to the "children's" television series counterpart of FOP. Also, the Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon competition was a real pain in the butt once I switched after I felt DragonBall Z was too violent and the cartoons on CN (even the old 90's ones and early 2000's) were stupid. The switch to Nickelodeon was very late for you 90's complainers. I thought Nickelodoen was too "cool" and "laid-back" when I was a child. Luckily, the Nicktoons channel got me caught up in some classic nick as well as Nick GaS. Keep in mind when I first watched a full episode of SpongeBob in school (on a Paramount videotape), I was getting into public domain cartoons, primarily the Paramount cartoon library.

Allthough the "edgy" series I imagined for FOP was not gang-oriented, but my imaginary series did have Timmy swearing.

This gang-film spoof (possibly has elements to Scarface as one user commented) is the ultimate fight for a competition. (and on nick's message boards at one point, people wanted a CN/Nick crossover).

Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

NEWSFLASH- Original Prints Of Betty Boop Cartoons

2011-09-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

The secret to Lionsgate restoring Betty Boop (other than the convincing part)? 9.5 mm home movie prints!

Here we find some transfers of some original-titled Betty Boop cartoons, pre-dating the UM&M negative cutting. If the original titles on the head of all the Bettys in the UCLA archive deteroiated, then for Jerry Beck this would be PURE GOLD. Nobody's seen the real original titles to these, including the most common on all PD Betty sets. Oh, execpt for those who saw it in the movies in the 1930's. They probably 99% didn't pay attention to the credits, so to keep it fresh in your minds

2011-06-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

A tribute to the most made fun of cartoon.

"Animaniacs" parodied Betty Boop

2011-06-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

...And did well.

My only three complaints were that there were too many dancing objects, too much talking, and no Paramount logo parody (or a UM&M or NTA logo parody due to negative cutting's inacessiblity to see the original openings).

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Feeling kind of an underapperciated Earth Day this year.

Old Macdonald......again.

2011-03-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

This a great restored version. But, it's missing the Paramount logo, extra time for the main title card and the sing-along.

Of course this is coming from Lobster Films in France.

I wish Paramount would put this on DVD or Blu-ray, period just so I can see the complete opening with the Paramount logo. No sub-licensing to Lionsgate, but a DVD or Blu-ray. It could be a general collector's item with a few bonus kiddie 'Famous toons. Jerry Beck, if you're listening, get this in the most marketable way you can get the screwy executives from Paramount, even if you have to compete with YouTube and public domain DVD's.

Semi-Off-Topic: The Ugly PD Cover Contest

2011-02-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

It's just one day until the Oscars, so I decided to post this contest that has an awards-show theme. GAC (not referring to the country channel, but Golden Age Cartoons, an animation fan and history website) has this annual contest to see if they can be a "legally-able" graphic designer for a public domain video company, or some studio release that had not passed on too well to Jerry Beck to even like the cover work. Depending on the user's mood, some just want to take advantage of the contest to just make an unoriginal joke so they can get their cover noticed (not me), or some have the same idea, but make a funnier version of it. Some are downright creepy, and some are laugh-out-loud. This pokes fun at: A) Unwary buyers B) The content shown in our favorite classic cartoons C) The imposiblity to have every classic cartoon ever made have the perfect official release that everyone can afford or have access to, never buying those knockoff tapes ever again (ya hear that DVNR inventors and Brad Grey!(and especially studios who did even the slightest whiff of badly on the sets- even with one minor error that got big complaints)

Of course, rather than get a job to PD video companies, they simply get videos and DVD's, both PD and official.

This contest is probably what I would call "postmodern" art whatever that means (correct me if I'm wrong), this is a good example:

All he could think about was "Golden Farmer Porky", so he decided to put in "a movie" with some "cartoons" and modified some swiped designs of popular-sample covers from contests' past.

I think the funniest covers that I could renember

Of course, Paramount Pictures (the studio that this blogs' cartoons are devoted to), gets a pat on the back for their backlog of cartoons' winning twice in a row as a theme.

Betty and Koko- The Leftover Original Prints......plus some depressing news

2011-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

First....the bad news.

I closed my YouTube account (from my Butterscotch and Soda post Youtube post, sorry it wasn't covered in this blog.) because someone offered me a gift (Paramount cartoon-related). I am no way comfortable accepting gifts even though I feel really both good and more extremely unwantingly (and perhaps undneedingly) guilty of this situation because it was too good of an offer to refuse. I made someone feel bad (and if he is obessed with things made him truamatized) because I did the right thing, and it just is really depressing. This is coming from a man who liked someone but she wasn't comfortable to talk to me which truamatized me and worsened my fantasies.

Now the good news....the site I left has some great B&W (and one orginally in color) prints of Inkwell Imps and Talkatoons/Betty Boop. A few have some recrations, but are mostly from the original negatives and are not as fake as the slightly faded 1947-1949 Technicolor mountain openings with the end title opening the cartoon on Archive.org Paramount color cartoons masking the NTA and a.a.p. logos that were on the TV prints (not sure what the deal with that "Old MacDonald" print with the fake mountain but original titles that turns up on YouTube on ocassion).

Anyways, these are left over from the UM&M negative cutting that irrates me. Why did all of the B&W cartoons have those UM&M titles than the color ones do?

Well, here they are.

And a bonus time-compressed print of a Screen Song by Fleischer

Who is more violent cartoon-wise?

2011-02-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

Herman and Katnip or Tom & Jerry?

Nickelodeon meets Famous Studios- a title sequence

2010-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

Only someone with a skill in Flash could animate this opening title sequence to look exactly like a Famous Studios cartoon from the 40's and 50's. I just couldn't imagine someone else obessing over the original Paramount titles of a Famous Studios cartoon to the degree that they wanted to make their own opening. It's been done to death in Looney Tunes, but to use an opening that would broaden the library of the Famous Studios cartoon is just something. I swore on this one UPN news program that they used some sort of Paramount Famous Studios-era mountain look for the backdrop framed on the back of the extreme shot of the anchors. Guess that memory and the Paramount Teleplex helped with the branding of a United Paramount Network. But that's about it- nobody's done a cartoony mountain in the spirit of whatever Famous Studios animator painted those logos. (Of course, Harvey's mascot is another reminder of Paramount openings). Without further ado.....

Happy Halloween 2010!

2010-10-31T05:46:00.000-07:00

What better way to celebrate Halloween, Paramount cartoons-style than Casper (and Casper making friends with kids playing pirates)?

And, I might have a suprise project that I might reveal tommorow or a few days later, depending if it works properly.

Off-Topic: The 42nd Michigan Student Film And Video Festival is tommorow, here are some thoughts

2010-04-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

I get giddy over low-budget student films sometimes when I see them in a festival.

While the "Best Of Show" winners have not been announced on the internet, here are some pre-thoughts on this year's "Detroit School Oscars".

This festival was a obession of mine before I rediscovered Paramount's cartoons again- or around that time.

In fact the production of my first entry was only a couple of years after the tape of "you-know-what" broke, less Popeye and I forgot all about those cartoons.

The state with the high unemployment rate has a tax incentive for Hollywood, Fleischer fan/friend Ray Pointer, some other Golden Age Cartoons forum members, and every year in the so-called Motor City- the winners are picked. The grand prize is given to multiple films known as the "Best of Show"- and those Best Of Show winners are shown up at the movie theater in Detroit's art museum.

Nobody knew the truth about what the prizes is, allthough I have fun watching the winners.

In fact since everybody gets a classified award who enters, techincally I'm not a winner. There's Honor, Merit, and these are more in retrospect either losers or nominations. The award system isn't as well-known as how those big award shows work, among them the Oscars and Emmys, because it's very confusing for a proud family (no pun intended about that Disney Channel cartoon done by one of my favorite Disney villian animaton directors).

Now, because of the Oscar win for the Detroit-area's "The Crunch Bird" and the recent death of the filmmaker (Ted Petok), I think he needs to be reconized with some sort of tribute, wheteher there be an age-apporiate clip of "The Crunch Bird" and some of his Sesame Street/Electric Company skits

Here are some fun past winners (one that I do remember)

And here's another that's fun for Disney fans:

Paramount cartoons- WHO OWNS THEM (the film rights)?????

2009-06-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

I've spoken with the people who seemingly own the cartoons:

-Paramount
-Lionsgate
-Viacom

and I've also spoken with the UCLA Film Archive.

Who owns them?

They all didn't know.

As I quote in an old e-mail to Jerry Beck:

"Oh, the rights are so confusing."

If the owner is just public domain, then we need to remaster the cartoons OURSELVES along with Harvey and Paramount(just license to use their logo). I'm speaking to you animation experts.

If the owner is a "somebody", then people have got to shape up. It seems as if nobody cares, and brings a sniff to my eye.

Paramount cartoons and Terrytoons on DVD???? Will it ever come true?

2009-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the hitaus.

If the executives at Viacom and Lionsgate don't think Betty Boop is hot, here is a situtation that is going to get hotter.

Aesop's "The Mouse Who Belled the Cat" and Ray Pointer's relation to writing a bunch of letters and such has finally...come true.

While we're waiting for 1980's revivals of The Alvin Show and Mighty Mouse to be out on DVD, people want the original Paramount cartoons and Terrytoons to be on DVD.

Yes, it's madness. Sheer madness.

No matter how much of the Viacom/Lionsgate executives don't give us the response we want- it still gives us more to ask for.

The Shout Factory and GAC Forums are having their forums devoted to getting these classics on DVD. The rights are seemingly confusing. Does Paramount own Betty Boop or does Lionsgate own Betty Boop?

Check 'em out:

http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=13282

http://www.shoutfactory.com/community/1864/thread.aspx#7236

The Emerald Isle

2009-03-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Semi-OT: An MGM short with the studio's orchestra playing a certian firefighting piece

2009-01-24T11:36:00.000-08:00

The tune that the MGM Orchestra is playing is the same tune played throughout GABBY's "Fire Cheese" and the Famous Studios Screen Song sequel, "The Big Flame-Up" (minus the sing-along number), plus cartoons from various other studios as well. But to PD video fans, it's those two Paramount cartoons that the tune is well-known.

This tune is "The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture", not an execrpt of "The Merry Widow", as Fleischer/Disney historian Ray Pointer said it was an execrpt of "The Merry Widow". But it's not.

And oh, if you want to see the two- this post was going to be devoted to the MGM live-action short posted above but however....

Non-orginial prints of easily found orginials.....

2008-10-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330277163840&indexURL=1&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

UM&M, NTA and AAP altered EVERYTHING, execpt several Betty Boop cartoons.

So don't be mislead when finding a bunch of orginials that UM&M didn't alter that cartoon!

Finding incentives to get Paramount/Viacom to release classic cartoon library...

2008-08-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

My blog's been kinda slow since good prints of Paramount cartoons stopped being posted on YouTube and traffic is gone, but I've still got it, Eddie! Boop-Boop-A-Doop, Boop!

Ok, so I made my own version of a Betty Boop quote from the Roger Rabbit movie, but still...

Anyways, I've been trying to help Viacom find incentives via letters.

I've heard there's a new direct-to-video Alvin and the Chimpmunks animated feature put out by

Paramount, and that would be a nice incentive to release "The Alvin Show", if the 2007 live-action feature didn't work out as another incentive.

A nice financial incentive would be to put out the color cartoons first. Sorry to upset Betty Boop fans, but I've heard that the UCLA masters with original titles are mostly the Technicolor, Cinecolor, and Polacolor cartoons. It would be cheaper to restore if most of the black-and-white UCLA material is altered by UM&M/NTA.

What could be good marketing techniques?

1. Partner with the Ad Council to use the restored clips for PSA's. Make 'em far fetched with pointless random clip selection, just....like....Disney!

2. Put a commercial for a DVD release on Nicktoons Network. Play 'em once or twice in a row during each break, and get an annoyance.

3. Make an official website devoted to these cartoons that isn't Harvey. First, get people to pay $1.99 a month to watch these cartoons on the website to make a profit. If you want to make it free, get ad support from the animation industry.

4. Re-release them in theaters! People will see the Harveytoon library with original Paramount titles. Plus it would encourage sing-alongs for the "Screen Song" cartoons. I remember going to a museum theater and in the end there was a sing-along to the jingle of the company the musuem was devoted to.

5. Put 'em on the new movie channel partnership with two certian "lion" studios , like Jerry Beck's open letter stated.

6. Slogan: "Your favorite vauge memories are back!"

Who's with me???

Off-Topic: "Oh, Mickey- Nabisco!"

2008-07-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

It's been hard to find good prints of Fleischer films lately, although I will probably post "Play Safe" when I'm up to it. Even though it's off topic, I am going to post something from Max Fleischer's rival when the namesake person of the company was still alive and when the vise versa rival's founders were still working for Paramount. This is one of my favorites, although it looks kinda in terrible shape. It is a Disney Mickey Mouse cartoon selling Nabsico cookies and crackers, long before a certain dairy products (of mostly cheese) company acquired them and much longer before that company bought rights to General Foods products. Mickey's Surprise Party, released as part of the World's Fair.

There's no production credits in the opening titles, no Mickey Mouse head card (if there was, it may have been cut off in this YouTube post), no MPAA number (since it was advertising) and no reference to Disney in the end title. For the actual cartoon, it was probably a VHS or older DVD copy, so the color isn't that great, it looks much similar to the quality in the edited "Spirit of Mickey" VHS version.

Alongside from that, it was a fun way to sell cookies after what it seems like Great Depression victims having enough of elves and dwarves and all of those robust plots incorporated in advertising cartoons.

I'm not sure who animated this but it is one of my favorite Nabisco commercials (even though it was cinema) alongside with the old Ritz Bitz claymation commercials, and the Chips Ahoy commercial with Benny Goodman's "Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)".

I like this because I normally associate Kraft/Nabisco with Nickelodeon characters such as Spongebob and Timmy Turner when it comes to merchandising and partnerships.

Disney Magic Selections and Keebler got Mickey away those Fig Newtons that he said he "liked" in the end, at least in my time!

And one more thing, it has a similar end title cue that the Paramount cartoons use for end title fanfares, and if I'm not mistaken, it sounds like the "Hunky and Spunky" end title piece.

Jerry Beck and I would be proud.....

2008-07-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

The reason some Popeyes had to be recreated for the DVD is because some of the material is lost due to altering by AAP. And that's why we both like seeing the orginial Popeye titles. While AAP didn't mess with the soundtrack during the B&W era and left all of the orginial themes, this is still an orginial title fan pleaser. This is the opening title Popeye theme used during the ship-door era of the titles.

Done on a keyboard, is a synth version of a Popeye fan playing this version of "The Sailor's Hornpipe/I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", with the standard anchor cap and early Popeye end title music.

Off-Topic: WALL-E Review

2008-06-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

I know, this is a Disney movie. But I did not want to post this to "Random Research", because posting this here on Classic Paramount Cartoons would probably get more animation buff attention.

I just saw WALL-E, and here is my review:

Sorry, Jerry Beck, even though I think you're a great Paramount cartoon fan, I would have liked "Kung Fu Panda" if I saw, but I'm with the nitpickers. And no offense, I'm not much into that type of setting for a movie.

I was used to the less surreal animated features where characters talked a lot, plus such formulaic plot (doesn't mean I hate Famous Studios) and unoriginal plots. I even liked movies that is purely "based on" something. Even though there's that controversy over it being based on a real robot, it is nearly original because it is surreal with a pinch of plot as the storyline progresses.

The score was not your typical Toy Story vibe, and there weren't very many freckeled characters. You could almost forget who made this because it was different than all of the previous Pixar features combined.

The film starts with an MGM-era Tex Avery-style Pixar short called "Presto". It was a cartoony short trying their best to recreate a typical Tex Avery cartoon. The bunny's speed resembled the character movement of bunny characters from the real Mcoy (execpt Bugs Bunny, of course).

Then we begin the actual feature with the opening logos and titles. Wall-E is trying to clean up a mess affecting Earth left behind due to an outer space trip promotion by a world-dominating Wal-Mart like chain named Buy-N-Large. At first, we see Eve being an evilesque robot until she befriends Wall-E. Wall-E gives an important gift- a plant. Wall-E finds this huge ship landing after a small lava disaster and Eve is kidnapped. Later, we see how lazy and bored the humans are in the new spaceship Buy-N-Large area. They've decided to go back to Earth, but the robots and computers push them not to go.

I'll just say this- Pixar decided to go a different direction for plot after what happened with how "Finding Nemo" began.

One of the running ingredients to the jokes/plot is a less popular to kids Fox musical named Hello Dolly. I like it because it makes it different film when you're picking a pop culture reference that people don't always know as more well-known classics.

If you're concerned about the future and don't think Meet The Robinsons is good enough of a future predictor (after all, life isn't perfect), see this movie.

Well, that's my review and I hope you enjoyed listening to my opinion.

See you,

ParamountCartoons.

The Return of the Matty's Funday Funnies video- The Intro and Closing

2008-06-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, you've seen the promos previously on my blog, which was removed from YouTube. But now, there's the recognizable part of the actual show- the intro.

This is a great treat for Famous Studios/Paramount cartoom/Harveytoon fans!

Sponsored by Mattell and aired on ABC from 1959-1962, I believe this was the second show to air cartoons in the Harveytoon package.

Some of the footage was used for the promos, including the weekday countdown verse of the theme.

Nice lively theme song, by the way. Something you would expect in a parade or an animated feature number, theatrical or direct-to-video.

Betty Boop with Grampy in House Cleaning Blues (Fleischer, 1937)- with original titles!!!!!

2008-06-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tom Stathes posted the original version of "House Cleaning Blues" on YouTube.

The theatrical titles look like as if you were watching a trailer for a classic movie. Seriously, did Max and Dave hire somebody who has experience on movie trailer titles? Alongside from that, I've noticed that on UM&M prints, the titles don't have any moving illusion value at all when you're seeing title cards that originally had references to Paramount. One live-action short example would be the UM&M opening to "A Rhapsody in Black and Blue" with Louie Armstrong.

But it was a thrill to see the opening titles as originally presented in the movie theater. It has the Paramount logo with the Stereoptical biplane byline- which can be seen in PD Popeye logo recreations (Little Swee'pea, Blow Me Down), plus a cartoon on the Popeye Volume 1- I forgot which cartoon it was, oh well.

For the actual cartoon- it's a little bit formulaic (you thought Famous was the only cartoon era to have the same story?) because you're having a duo Betty Boop cartoon (Betty Boop with Pudgy, Betty Boop with Grampy, Betty Boop with Buzzy Boop)- even though Pudgy seems to be the most repetitive. Even watching "Betty Boop and Grampy" and/or "Christmas Comes But Once A Year" (that was a Color Classic without Betty), you'd get an idea of what would happen.

The plot? We begin with Betty Boop waking up from a birthday party. Betty can't clean the house, and she's getting clumsy, so Grampy comes in and makes homemade cleaning devices.

This was directed by Dave Fleischer and featured Grim Natwick's creation of Betty Boop for Fleischer, and this Grampy cartoon was really directed by Dave Tendlar for his unit. "House Cleaning Blues" was released by Paramount Pictures in 1937, approved with MPAA # 01188.

NOTE: The ending is incomplete. Tom did notice without me telling him. To see the complete ending via a UM&M print, click here.

Thanks,

ParamountCartoons.

Now I ask you very confidentally: "Aint She Sweet?" (1933)

2008-03-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

If you've only seen the screenshot titles on Jerry Beck's Cartoon Research Paramount page, now's your chance.
This was a 1933 Fleischer Screen Song directed by my favorite sing-along director, Seymour Knetiel and credibly directed by Dave Fleischer. This print has all of the gags without any splices or edits, plus a live action performing sing-along of Lillian Roth's "Ain't She Sweet", a notable
1920's song. Thad K's idea that nobody gets the end gag. I get the gag: the title of the song is a metaphor to sweets and pastries. Suckers (the candy) is a "sweet".
Another Screen Song of the Fleischer era: "Popular Melodies", has a longer end gag.

Imagine if a Famous Studios Screen Song (or a forerunner such as "The Mild West" and "Old MacDonald"), would be THIS long of a short, or at least the timing and humor value.

Don't forget to obey this famous phrase: "Follow the Bouncing Ball!" so you can sing-along!

Off-Topic but important: The truth about my passion of Paramount cartoons and "Two Kitties" to explain it...

2008-03-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make.

When I was a kid, I didn't like the Paramount cartoons as much as you think, "Old MacDonald" was only interesting because I realized home video divisions of movie studios weren't the only ones to make Bouncing Ball sing-alongs, and without the recognizably discovery of the Paramount logo on the original titles, I would have thought the same thing Viacom does with their cartoon library. I was tired of listening to the "Short'nin' Bread" song from the cartoon of the same name. The tape broke and I watched a lot of Looney Tunes (or WB because many were also released as "Merrie Melodies"), on Cartoon Network. No DVNR. No color-saturation. Just a bunch of cartoon violence in the Golden Age.

There was a reason, and is a reason a wee bit similar to Lionsgate's unintrest in relasing the Paramount cartoons on video. They were too old and too obscure. The NTA logo was too creepy. I thought "Short'nin Bread" was advertising desserts or even cheese (which I thought the same when I first saw "Jasper and the Haunted House" with the racial slur billboard in the end I mistaken as a plug for a real brand of pie.).

This is the thing I felt when I returned a rental of "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters", a documentary on the world record of the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong.(not to be confused with the "King Kong" films), but more of a feeling that I felt when I saw the Jam Handy Rudolph short on a Republic tape. Only time will tell if I like it more.

I didn't recognize that Capser found a friend, or that Popeye beats up Bluto with a can of spinach in nearly every episode. I once didn't like Popeye because he ate spinach. Now I know that he means more than selling spinach, because Paramount only was advertising their movie studio in nearly all of their films.

I only found more appreciation of the Paramount cartoons when I got a PD tape from the library, years after my "Old MacDonald" tape broke.

I saw a PD tape print "A Tale of Two Kitties", with the "Merrily We Roll Along" theme silenced out, before seeing Paramount cartoons on PD tapes. That was my first WB cartoon.

In a nutshell, what I'm trying to say is that I sort of didn't like the Paramount cartoons at one point, but found it's fun to watch obscure stuff a lot. I will still post Paramount cartoons. I did not "cheat" on Paramount cartoons, I just didn't like 'em as much as I do now. But I also do like other studios' cartoons as well. I had a variety of cartoons when I was littler, but I like other cartoons today too.

Here's a restored print from Volume 5 of the Looney Tunes set of Clampett's A Tale of Two Kitties, which as I said before was my first WB cartoon, and is a parody of Abbot and Castello.

A Tale of Two Kitties Breakdown
Uploaded by thadk

Popeye The Sailor- The Hungry Goat!!!!

2008-01-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

This goat should have starred in a "Noveltoon"! He was very clever in outsmarting Popeye and tattling at Popeye! Directed by Dan Gordon and Joe Oriolo from Famous Studios through Paramount Pictures....

The Hungry Goat
Uploaded by thadk

Debut- Little Lulu in Eggs Don't Bounce

2008-01-14T15:19:00.000-08:00

The first episode of Little Lulu on the silver screen. And, it was an animated short.

Little Lulu was started as a single panel comic strip on the Saturday Evening Post by Margje Henderson Bull in 1935. In 1943, Famous Studios got the license to animate Little Lulu, and when Lulu got animated, Paramount, of course distrubuted the films.

In this UM&M retitling, we see the usual Little Lulu TV print opening titles, then it dissolves to a very odd refilmed main title card.Most end titles don't have a vocal, and the maid's character has a Fleischer-like backdrop. Because of this, even though the studio that was taken over by Paramount was now renamed Famous- it still hasn't fully evolved yet into the typical 1940's Famous Studios cartoon.
Now the Marge nickname is a mystery... It seems like UM&M coined that nickname because they were sloppy plus used different fonts.

As a witness of the orginal titles- It looks like there's a translucent "J"...

And now, the cartoon:

New and Improved design!

2008-01-08T15:24:00.000-08:00

OK, I was just sorta kidding.

The newest edition: I just did my blog title logo using MS Paint. It is from an actual Paramount logo take from the Popeye DVD. I do not own the logo, I just did this for fun and to catch eye appeal so people who already saw my blog will be like "what?".

Sadly, nobody's commenting.

Coming VERY soon to my blog! (it could be litterally today or tommorow even..)

Here's your "teaser" picture:

But it's not going to be the cartoon that you'll think it be....

Common Classics- Popeye with Little Swee'Pea.

2007-12-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

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

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

2007-12-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

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?

Off Topic- Got California Milk? the Orginal campaign

2007-08-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

I think Milk Mustache ads, and the America's Dairy Farmers titles on the orginal campaign are a disgrace against the original 90's campaign. Got Milk? rip-offs are also a disgrace. Worst Disgrace? "Got Breakfast?". That rip-off is now a campaign! However the original owner of the slogan would like to rather get a good laugh rather than sue.

But salute the milk processors of California, and even Jeff Manning, because we need the laugh and fear of a classic private label campaign- the Original "Got Milk" commercials from the CALIFORNIA MILK PROCESSOR BOARD, fully know as the CALIFORNIA MILK PROCESSOR FLUID ADVISORY BOARD. Don't be confused with California Milk Advisory Board, they only now do Real California Cheese and CMPB was based in the 90's.

I liked that because it matches my inner craziness. Trix Rabbit is always crazy, but his "Finally after all these years..." speech was the best. He finally got his cereal, until, uh-oh....

Here's another one that looks like it was 2000's because of the CG and dialogue, even though Toy Story came out in the 90's. It's a national print, but gotmilk.com won't show a whole library of their ads. An authorized complete DVD will not work because it would be pure advertising.

Also, compare the California version versus the national version in the Kitten commercial. Yes I have seen the original titles as a complete clip on an Animal Planet "Funniest Animal Commercials" special. The original version has scary nothing sound but watch the other version to hear the audio track.

National obscure version

Original California Milk version

The girl who played the daughter posted her commercial:

This carnival Hall of Mirrors one has a nice dance plus ouches, also has the original titles.

National obscure version

Here's a fictional trapped-with-Cheerios-without-milk experiment.
National obscure version, looks and sounds like a 70's commercial. CMPB was not based until 1993 so this is actually a 90's commercial.

Here's a banned one decpeting the "eternal punishment" for Christans, looks like heaven until the got milk logo comes up. Mr. Goodby had an original imagination. Obscure National Version.

Here's the one that started it all, who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duo?
(with peanut butter in mouth) Awon Buwrr

Too much? Hate milk because of hormones? Too annoyed? Lactose intolerant? Well if you animation historians can stand Popeye and also the Roadrunner cartoons, you've got to apperciate it as unique stories of people desperate for milk, unlike those who hate the board, or just hate milk.

The DVD that almost never was- Popeye DVD review from what I watched

2007-08-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

Spolier Warning: It contains parts revealing the quality of the DVD.

Well, thanks to angels who helped a KFS executive, after more than 1 year, this miracle happened.

I finally got my Popeye DVD. I didn't watch it all, but I watched enough to review how "restored" the cartoons were.

First off, Jerry Beck's and my obsession: Original Paramount Titles. Were they restored? To answer this question, the best available prints out of all the cartoons I watched, both full and partly, was LITTLE SWEE'PEA and POPEYE MEETS ALI BABA. Also, some of the cartoons' titles were "recreations", so you could see no grain like it had been DVNR'd. Jerry had told this earlier that "some of the material has been altered by AAP". So they inserted "fake" Paramount logos, the same process used in Cartoon Network's THE POPEYE SHOW, in many VCI relases, and in public domain prints of color Paramount cartoons (seen in many YouTube prints of Little Audrey in GOOFY GOOFY GANDER, and the Fleischer Color Classic THE COBWEB HOTEL). Some of the prints were very typical in quality, like I'M IN THE ARMY NOW, although the sound was good.

The Paramount opening to the Popeye pilot is not properly restored. This means the special transition from the Paramount logo to the main title card in Betty Boop cartoons are lost.

One print I happened to encounter, the Paramount sing-along advertising short used in movie theaters' Popeye clubs, LET'S SING WITH POPEYE, felt like it was either taken from a public domain DVD or was downloaded from the Internet. If it was downloaded from the Internet, this is the beginning of not using negatives in official releases to let them deteriorate. What a HORRIBLE thing to pioneer, Warner Home Video/Turner!

Now kids, if you start to pop in a Warner Home Video collector's disc, you'll find out why Warner Bros. says their DVD's are for the "Adult Collector". After the FBI warning in discs 1-3, there's a disclaimer saying (abridged and translated in my own words): These are cartoons with racial and ethnic stereotypes, the cartoons were released in a particular time of racism. These do not reflect Warner Home Video's view of socitey today. It would be wrong to edit the films as it telling that the predjuices never existed.

This is a review from a person who's never watched everything. I only know of two racist parts, one in Popeye's pilot, and another that I heard was very racist. I didn't see it yet, but it be very brain-rotting to do so, and I forgot where the very racist part was.

When I heard buzz about John K's commentary, I didn't want to listen to it, but I would listen to anybody but him, I just would like to listen to anyone who's name is spelled J-E-R-R-Y B-E-C-K or a recorded commentary of late animators spelled D-A-V-E T-E-N-D-L-A-R.

When I first watched it, it was like listening to the Disney Silly Symphony THE THREE LITTLE PIGS only better.

Here's a lesson to never forget, along with not using DVNR:

I liked the fact that Popeye was on DVD, but next time, and I mean if Viacom/Lionsgate is relasing "The Complete Noveltoons" set and Jerry Beck is involved, please, oh, please search all over the country for prints. One source for all materials does not mean you'll strike a perfect collection. Sure we're not perfect, but just learn from this mistake. It was a mistake made in the past and it's still being made now in the present. No more recreations. If you see an opening logo and it dissloves naturally like an old film should, you've found the orignal titles.

Audrey the Rainmaker, complete with spinning star!

2007-07-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is probably based on The Wizard Of Oz (The place Little Audrey goes to resembles Emerald City), and AUDREY THE RAINMAKER also is included in the lyrics of the Little Audrey theme, "Little Audrey Says", even before it was produced. People with keen ears can hear something in the theme about Little Adurey making the rain go away.

This print has the orignal titles, rather than the fake Harveytoon titles found on THE COMPLETE HARVEYTOONS set.

If I'm correct, I have seen another MGM spoof. It was based on a Tex Avery or Tom and Jerry cartoon if not several, used in the 1950 Paramount Screen Song GOBS OF FUN. It was shown on an end gag where the animals peeked into a live action scence of women dancing.

EDIT: Actually, this is based on a story in a Little Audrey comic book.

Merry Christmas in July- and I'm giving you all a hard-to-find gift...

2007-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I found a Paramount christmas cartoon with the orginal titles....

I would have never known that one of the stars crested in the logo got on top of Christmas tree. You can't find that on an UM&M/NTA print! That was a great logo sequence.

This is also Little Audrey's pilot episode.

Have a date with the International, you weak-minded fool!

2007-06-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is a very funny cartoon, thanks to some hilarious timing that Izzy Sparber did.

This Famous Popeye, PARLEZ VOUS WOO (1956) is just a good example of combining a fomulaic storyline with timing. Notice the MGM Tex Avery gag imatations.

And oh, by the way, don't feel sorry for Bluto, he did a creepy evil laugh.

Also it looks restored, enough to trick the brain.

Lucky 1947

2007-06-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here are three 1947 cartoons with their orignal titles.

I was trying to research what the names Buzzy and the cat was a parody of, but the website froze my browser. Look closely and the title cards SHAKE!

I think Paramount's Raggedy Ann cartoons are better than the Fox version, because I hear the Fox version uses sexual jokes. Don't mind that one racial stereotype in SUDDENLY IT'S SPRING, the Paramount Raggedy Ann cartoons are more kid-friendly.

Fleischer historian Ray Pointer thinks Seymour Kneitel is the second best Famous director, and he did great works on these three 1947 classics.

These prints are very common execpt THE ENCAHNTED SQUARE. Most $1 DVD's have the NTA print, though the titles are easy to guess.

It may have been the millionth time you've seen these cartoons, but here they are.

Duck Dodgers' French version might be brighter, however they are great and bright standard 16mm dupes.

JASPER AND THE HAUNTED HOUSE (sorry, bright print was removed).

2007-05-27T09:14:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, PCinoguy's Puppetoon Movie DVD copy was removed a long time ago by Pal's friend, Arnold Lebovit, who partly owns the intellectual property of the Puppetoons along with Viacom. If you're reading the archives, please note this backup red UM&M print is the only copy on I've seen that still exists on the Internet.

Here's some history: This was released in 1942 by Paramount Pictures. The JASPER series offended a lot of people, and this was banned from television. George calmed down the offensiveness with the cartoon "John Henry and the Inky-Poo".
In the 1950's, like many Paramount cartoons, was released and retitled for television by UM&M TV Corp.

Well, see this cartoon for yourself and post a comment.

Visit LikeTelevision

Double Favorites- Shortnin' Bread and Horton Hatches an Egg

2007-04-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

It was included on a UAV tape of OLD MACDONALD (1946). It is one of the last Famous cartoons to have realistic backgrounds. I loved this cartoon when I was little.

Another favorite is from another studio. It's a WB Merrie Melodies cartoon based on a Dr. Seuss tale I saw on a Random House video when I was little. Sure it doesn't fit the blog's name, but it's a cute cartoon with the combination of 2 distinctive things- Looney Tunes' non-violent gags and Thedore's ryming.

1942-Dr. Seuss - Horton Hatches the Egg
Uploaded by iToons

Orignal Titles to Old Macdonald Had A Farm

2007-04-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is the original titles I have been looking for online to "Old MacDonald Had A Farm". However they put a generic end Paramount logo spliced on the print. Also the user didn't post the entire cartoon. It stops right before the first shot of Old MacDonald himself.

Noveltoons - Old MacDonald had a Farm
Uploaded by iToons

Also the music is high pitched unlike my own copy which also has the original titles.

However the color is restored to Technicolor quality, no fade intended. If this was from another PD video other than the various UAV editions , then UAV is not the only one who has a great print.

Matty Mattel's Funday Funnies with Harveytoon Characters

2007-04-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

I discovered this ABC programming block sponsored by Mattel, featuring Famous Studios cartoon characters, hosted by the sponsor's advertising icon of the time (he now only exists in the 800-number square on the back of Mattel toys). Recongnize any familar scences? Here's a piece of triva, the last Casper promo before the toy commericals on the YouTube post featured features BOO MOON (1953). The block aired when the Paramount stars were Harvey stars.

Popeye DVD Cover Revealed!

2007-04-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Found in this print ad is the Popeye DVD cover, which now is revealed! It will be restored to the original Paramount titles. However, have you noticed recently the "adult collector" disclaimer, on recent cartoon sets from Warner Home Video? It was used on the Popeye DVD ad. A lot of people are frustrated because no mater how inappropriate it seems, some people are wanting their kids to have the freedom to watch these cartoons. Anyways, unless they release it on Blu-ray or HD-DVD, the only way you would have theater experience if you pop in the DVD on a Bose Lifestyle DVD player/home theater system. Jerry Beck is excited about the final product. He has worked with both PD and official DVD relases of Popeye.
This DVD will include:

-All B/W cartoons from his screen debut in 1933 to 1938, with the first two Color Features (the official name for a color special as seen on an original title of POPEYE MEETS SINBAD)

-Commentary

-History of Popeye and Fleischer Studios documentaries.

Here's a bonus: Like WB releases for MGM and RKO movies, it will have the Turner Entertainment Co. print logo on the cover.

I hope it will not be like that Tom and Jerry DVD where people had to order replacement discs.

Sorry, Charlie, but it will wait till July

Here's a Popeye cartoon that will help with the wait:

Here's a link to the preview:
http://www.totaleclips.com/player/Splash.aspx?custid=235&clipid=e31098&playerid=65&affiliateid=-1

Somewhere in Dreamland (1936)

2007-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

This was a cartoon taking place in the Great Depression, and showed a poor family getting food (at least in their dreams). This cartoon is cute. This Max Fleischer Color Classic (Max Fleischer for short) from 1936, has sorta creepy yet nice and surreal Stereo Optical process, common during cartoons relased between 1935 to 1936. This will make junk food consumers think about poor people and also the Great Depression. If you see pictures of other YouTube posts showing this cartoon, you'll notice that the color looks reddish, which will not be good if you were those 'toons. ( Full Credits: Directed by Dave Fleischer, Animated by Seymour Knetiel and Roland Crandall. Music and Lyrics by Charles Newman and Murray Mercher. Western Electric Noisless Recording, MPPDA approved Certificate Number 0587 and In Technicolor. A Paramount Picture.) Without further ado, here's Somewhere in Dreamland. (Look closely and you'll notice that I removed a fact that was not true, courtesy of Ray Pointer. According to him, he said that VCI is lying about 35mm restoration.

Welcome

2007-03-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Blog devoted to Fleischer and Famous Studios. The Fleischer cartoons are from the Paramount era only. No Jam Handy, Out of the Inkwell Productions, or Alfed Weiss' fake Paramount relases. To kick off, we invite Gabby (of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS fame), fighting fire along with a semi-classical piece used in fire scences. The color is much better, maybe it was a Paramount orginal that looks like an NTA print, but I could be wrong because the logo got cut out. I love that piece, though I don't beleive in favorite songs.