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Bob Clampett’s First Film
 April 7, 2008 12:20 am
It’s no masterpiece, but it is rare and significant. Below is the first four minutes from the Joe E. Brown comedy When’s Your Birthday? (released February 19th, 1937) and it marks the first directorial effort of Bob Clampett. Those familiar with Bob’s art and Chuck Jones drawing style from this period can pick out the scenes they did. There is little of Bob’s trademark zaniness (though there are a few semi-naked girls running around Zodiac heaven), but my guess is that this sequence was probably script-driven – as any dream sequence in a live action movie would’ve been back then. When’s Your Birthday?, which isn’t very good by anyones standard, was extremely hard to see in the last 25 years. The print that turned up last week on Turner Classic Movies wasn’t very good either – and the “Technicolor sequences” (which I assume included this opening cartoon bit) only exist in black and white. As this will not be included on any DVD any time soon, I’ve posted it on YouTube as a public service for all the Clampett completists who missed it. (Thanks to Thad K for taping it.) |
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Thanks Jerry and Thad for this!
I notice how, ven compared to Clampett’s earlies efforts (“Rover’s Rival”, “Porky’sHero Agency”), this work is a bit slow. Clampett’s shorts were indeed pretty fast and wild just right from the beginning.
Thanks for sharing this, Thad!
“Directed by Harry Beaumont” ???
What’s the story with that?
Actually, while doing some searching, Jerry, I found out that it WILL be available on DVD. No idea if they’ll be using the same copy.
http://www.oldies.com/product-view/5596D.html
Joe E. Brown spent years as a hopeless alcoholic before making his last comeback as the underplayed bisexual in the last scene of “Some Like it Hot.”
Well, it is reassuring to confirm that the talent of any artist must be perfected over the years through hard work an endless experimentation. Even geniuses like Clampett had humble beginnings such as this, so there’s hope for the rest of us mere mortals :-)
Thanks for this treat Thad !
Another Clampett rarity I’ve been dying to see for years is “It’s a Grand Old Nag”, the cartoon he produced for Republic after he left Warners.Any chance of it being included on a future LTGC set, Jerry?
The animating planets at the beginning are kind of ambitious and well executed for their time. That’s a fairly impressive effect to open a low budget comedy with…
Does anybody know who the voice over is? It sounds a bit to me like George Givot, who did V.O.’s for Disney later on.
Not very Good, that’s all I’m going to say. Even if it is a milestone (Clampett’s first jab at directorship)
Don’t know if it’d be worth even the bargain price the DVD will be going for.
There is no evidence that Joe E. Brown was a “hopeless alcoholic ” at any time in his life. There is a lot of evidence that he gave a great deal of time to the U.S.O. and youth baseball.
OH, and by the way….
“but my guess is that this sequence was probably script-driven”
Could this be even more proof of script-driven animation existing before 1960? Could be!.
Harry Beaumont was the director of the movie. I saw no mention in the credits related to the animated sequence. I couldn’t decide if it was a Warner Bros. type toon or perhaps a Fleischer toon. When I was watching the movie, which I stumbled upon by accident, I was hoping the Cartoon Brew dudes would see it.
Who’s the voice of the narrator?
Don’t hold alot of hope for a quality DVD from oldies.com/Alpha Video. They are the PD on DVD company that specializes in the bargain-table discount DVDs. Any 16mm source material is good enough for them. We will be lucky if they managed to get their hands on the copy that ran on Turner.
I missed this on Turner, but seeing veteran second-banana Edgar Kennedy’s name in the credits has me wanting to view this low-budget comedy. I’ll still pick up the Alpha DVD & open a beer to enjoy it. Low-budget comedies are always better with a beer.
“….round and round it goes….where it stops…nobody cares….”
Haha.
Not bad for a first effort….remember, “Gold Diggers of ‘49″ was Tex Avery, and it is pretty funny, but let’s face it, that cartoon has timing like peaches have beards. Everyone starts somewhere.
I just found this animated opening of the lady’s eve by leon schlesinger studio (rare)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pcu607Cw148