Happy Saturday morning my friends it is once again time for some classic cartoons.
Today's selection starts off with the first and (in my opinion) best of the Goofy Gophers cartoons simply titled, The Goofy Gophers (1947). These characters (like Tweety) can get written off simply as cute, but people who think of them simply as cute characters are missing the joke. What makes these characters so appeal is that their overly polite dialogue is followed by pure acts of slapstick violence against their enemies. It also is often claimed that these two characters were rip offs of Disney's Chip and Dale, however while I can see how their designs are similar, they are very different personality wise. This film was at first going to be directed by Bob Clampett, who began working on it. However he left Warner Brothers before finishing, so Art Davis took over the direction. Both directors personal styles can be felt here. This cartoon also marks the only time the gophers are colored grey instead of brown. A review in The Film Daily called this "A definite laugh getter with plenty of appeal." A review in Showman's Trade Review stated "Two gophers with exaggerated mannerisms in politeness may become standard characters in future Warner Brothers cartoons, if the actions of the duo in this short may be taken as criterion."
Next comes one of my favorite of The New Three Stooges cartoons, Curly in Wonderland. I love that every character except for Curly Joe looks and sounds just like Moe and Larry.
Next is a delightful early black and white Silly Symphony, Midnight in a Toy Shop (1930). The main character of this cartoon is a small curious spider. This character was actually a reoccurring Symphonies character. He does not have much personality or action wise, but instead is simply a observer of all that is happening around him. Midnight in a Toy Shop marks this character's film debut. The character never received a name. This is before the Disney films were full of original songs and instead what is heard in the score is mostly classical music. Two of the pieces featured here are Leo Delbies' Pizzicato Polka and Adabert Keler-Bela's Lustspiel-Ouverture. Both of these pieces were not featured in foreign releases of the cartoon.
Now it is time for a Garfield Quickie.
Today's cartoon selection continues with an episode of Filmation's TV Flash (the superhero, not the animation style) cartoons.
To end today's cartoon selection Let's Sing Along With Popeye (1934).
-Michael J. Ruhland