The NEW YORK TIMES has an interesting article (registration probably required) on autism and recent controversy over whether it’s an illness to be treated with therapies such as Autism Behavorial Analysis–or whether it’s simply a way of being. Why am I mentioning it here? Well, towards the bottom, the story says the following:

“Ms. Weintraub’s son, Nicholas, has benefited greatly from A.B.A., she said, and she is unapologetic about wanting to remove his remaining quirks, like his stilted manner of speaking and his wanting to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween when other 8-year-olds want to be Frodo from ‘The Lord of the Rings.’”

Since when is an eight year old wanting to dress as Mickey Mouse for Halloween something that demands medical treatment? Heck, it was once a sign of normality–and if I had a kid who was trying to decide whether to go out as Mickey or Frodo, I know which costume I’d recommend…

Here’s a highly recommended item I found at the comics shop this week: The Big BIG LITTLE BOOK Book by Arnold T. Blumberg. This is a highly enjoyable, thorough, full color illustrated “Photo-Journal Guide” and history of the Big Little Books (and assorted related items) published by Whitman, Western, Saalfield, Dell and others, mainly in the 1930s (though all the 1960s, 70s, and recent items like Star Wars and Xena BLBs are listed here).This book pictures every BLB ever published with it’s front, back and spine (see above), and is divided into sections (for example, “Cartoon Characters”, “Felix The Cat” and “Popeye”) for easy reference. There is an index and a history of the series - and plenty of classic movie, comic strip and animated character material to enjoy. Pure eye-candy! 270 pages in full color - for only $20 bucks ($13.97 on Amazon). Big Little Books are fun - this book is even funner!

If I were going to make a very personal list of the pleasures of the World Wide Web, it would include the fact that MichaelBarrier.com brings us Mike Barrier’s writing and research so frequently–which is huge improvement over sitting around and wondering when the next FUNNYWORLD might come out, as many of us did back in the 1970s.

Mike has just posted a transcript of his 1971 interview with Frank Tashlin. Among the illustrations are examples of Tashlin’s rather obscure, extremely strange newspaper feature VAN BORING; and there’s an MP3 clip from the interview. If you’ve got any common sense at all–and you do–you’ve already clicked over and are reading the interview right now.

I’m continuing to watch Voom’s THE CLASSICS animation block in HDTV on the Animania channel, and while I do, I’m mulling over matters such as these:

* Were UPA’s Dick Tracy shorts the worst cartoons ever adapted from a great comic strip? Or at least the most ill-conceived? What would possess one to put a talking bulldog into Chester Gould’s world? Why all the stereotypes? Even Filmation’s Tracys are better, for Pete’s sake…

* Everybody in Joe Oriolo’s Felix cartoons talks veeeerrry sloooooowly. As if they’re trying to kill time.

* Speaking of Joe Oriolo Felixes, they’re the sources of some of my earliest animation memories. But I’d forgotten, or never noticed, that Poindexter is a truly disturbing character. If anybody in 1960s animation would have gone of the deep end and committed unspeakable crimes, it would have been him.

* Not to harp on Joe Oriolo Felixes or anything, but is there even one recorded instance of anyone’s sides aching from excessive laughter, or anyone’s heart going pit-a-pat, while watching one of these cartoons?

* Despite the slow talking, Poindexter’s creepy qualities, and the misleading theme song, someone at Voom must like Joe Oriolo Felixes–so far, they’ve made up not just the Felix block but also around half of the Magoo block (which I was hoping would be all obscure Columbias).

* Stuff like UPA Dick Tracys and Joe Oriolo Felixes does little or nothing to show off HDTV–but the interstitials between them (animated by Primal Screen, I think) are stunning in their clarity. By far the crispest animation I’ve ever seen outside a theater.

* Voom is promoting the premiere of something called MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS this Sunday. It could be a new special, but I suspect it’s MR. MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL.

* The best thing about the CLASSICS block so far by far: Tonight it included a Columbia Fox and Crow I’d never seen before–the fine and funny UNSURE RUNTS (1946), in which the Crow sells car insurance to the Fox. It was worth sitting through UPA Dick Tracys and Joe Oriolo Felixes to see it–and that’s saying a lot.

THE MOON AND THE SON, a 30-minute autobiographical animated film by John Canemaker, will have its world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art (11 West 53rd Street, New York City) on Wednesday January 5, 2005 at 7:30pm. (Repeat screening on Saturday, January 8, 2005 at 2:30pm)Featuring the voices of actors Eli Wallach and John Turturro, THE MOON AND THE SON explores the difficult emotional terrain of father/son relationships as seen through Canemaker’s own turbulent relationship with his father. The film employs a variety of animation techniques — literally drawing understanding from its dark subject matter.Canemaker creates an imaginary conversation with his deceased father, using memory, fact, conjecture, trial transcripts, audio recordings, home movies, photos, snapshots, and original animation to tell the story of his father’s life and his own. For more information, visit: www.johncanemaker.com

I’m up in NorCal researching Fifties animation design for my forthcoming Chronicle book, but I’m running across interesting non-’50s cartooning as well, such as this photo of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from a 1936 sculpture designed by Lantz animator Manny Moreno. Click on it for a bigger version.

In the next several days I will point out a few gift suggestions for the cartoon freak in your family - or to buy yourself to counter those holiday depression blues… Thunderbean Animation has started releasing a series of DVDs of classic cartoons that are a must for your home animation library. I never thought I’d live to see the day someone would issue The Complete Adventures of CUBBY BEAR - and since no one else had the guts, Thunderbean has done it! This is a marvelous companion to the 99� Store Van Beuren Tom & Jerry dvds - Thunderbean has collected (from various private collector sources) all 20 Cubby Bear epics - including the three rare Harman-Ising productions (done in that period between leaving Leon Schlesinger and signing with MGM). Surreal gags, crazy animation and hot jazzy soundtracks!FELIX THE CAT And Other Rareties From The 1920s is great collection oddball silent animation well worth having. Despite Felix getting the top billing, there are only four of the Cat’s Otto Messmer classics here - the rest of the set contains early Laugh-O-Grams, Terry/VanBeuren, Lantz and Hurd curiosities. “Fresh Lobster”, a really weird live action/animation film, starring Billy Bletcher battling a giant crustation, is a true highlight. (This dvd is a little harder to find, and is being offered mainly through ebay)Finally, POPEYE Original Classics is an absolute must. It contains several 1930s Fleischer cartoons - all in excellent shape with “restored” original titles - and a wealth of bonus material. Interviews with Jack Mercer (by Michael Sporn!), Mae Questel, Jackson Beck, Shamus Culhane, and others, The 1939 Popular Science “Behind The Scenes at the Fleischer Studios” film, model sheets, a Soaky Bubble Bath commercial from the 60s, pencil tests, and much more. The VCI dvd (which I consulted on) has more cartoons - but the Thunderbean collection is excellent, and well worth it for the bonus materials alone.The packaging and menus are also wonderful. Steve Stanchfield and his Thunderbean crew have done a incredible job!

As a cartoon fan, I’m embarassed to admit this: I’ve had the ability–and even a good excuse–to watch Fox and Crow cartoons at work for months, and it took until tonight for me to use it.

We’ve been reviewing big HDTV sets for PC WORLD and DIGITAL WORLD, and our setup includes a satellite TV feed from Voom, the HD-centric service. One of the service’s many channels is Animania, an all-cartoon network–no relation to Dave Mruz’s gone-but-not-forgotten fanzine. Part of that channel’s lineup is a block called THE CLASSICS. I just got done watching about 45 minutes of it.

In this case, “classic” seems to consist of stuff that nobody else cares to run–including UPA Dick Tracy cartoons and Joe Oriolo Felix ones. In high-definition, they seem twice as long and twice as bad as in standard-def, though I confess I sat transfixed by their sheer awfulness and the fact that the HD broadcast let me see the dust on the cels. (It’s not just me: Two less animation-obsessed coworkers happened by me as I was watching, and stopped to to partake in low-rent 1960s animation for awhile themselves.)

What I was really interested in was Animania’s Mr. Magoo show (part of the CLASSICS block) since I’d heard it ran Magoo theatricals and Fox and Crows, possibly among other cartoons of interest. Which, tonight, it did–though the F&C was UPA’s ROBIN HOODWINKED rather than a Columbia. And the half-hour Magoo block consisted of just one Magoo and the F&C, filled out with two Oriolo Felixes, which segued into…a full half-hour show of Oriolo Felixes. (The Felix show is followed by a Pink Panther one, but I didn’t watch long enough to check if it was early theatrical Panthers or what.)

Sadly, THE CLASSICS are only shown in prime-time and late at night, which means I’ll need to stay at work until 8pm to have a hope of seeing the Fox and Crow or other obscure Columbias. (We don’t have a setup at the moment which would let us record and time-shift HD.)

But I often hang around work until lateish anyhow, and if I could reliably see a theatrical cartoon or two I wasn’t familiar with–and there are plenty of UPAs and Columbias I haven’t seen–it would be a nice way to wrap up the day.

Stay tuned for further notes.