“Bugs Bunny, Greatest Banned Player Ever”, a ridiculously long and deadpan examination of Friz Freleng’s Baseball Bugs (1946), is a treat for any baseball fan like myself. The piece was recently selected for inclusion in the 2007 Best American Sportswriting annual. To follow along with the analysis, I’ve posted Freleng’s short below. (Thanks, Mark Newgarden)

This 1930 article from Popular Mechanics magazine (below) tries to explain the process of recording sound for animated cartoons in pseudo-scientific terms. There are all kinds of interesting and oddball facts bandied about, such as cartoons costing $20,000 per reel, and the artists themselves being able to draw the dialogue soundtrack (Huh??). The images are cool, and one seems to demonstrate an early method of matte photography. In a particularly dated reference the article’s author, in explaining that cartoons are popular all around the world, says, “They appeal alike to the Chinese Coolie and the Alaskan Indian”!

Click on thumbnail pages below for larger, readable images.
(Thanks, Leslie Cabarga)

(click for full-sized chart)

Designer Allister Roberts recently created a chart documenting the use of jazz in animated shorts between 1929 and 1945. He has generously allowed me to share his work with Brew readers. In addition to being informative, it’s a lovely piece of information graphics. Roberts tells me, “By all means this is not a complete list, as I purposely glazed over some lesser works, but barring time and money I would love the opportunity to completely flesh this out to cover entire eras.” Personally, I’d love to see him extend it out to cover the late-’40s and 1950s, when musicians like Oscar Peterson, Shorty Rogers and Ella Fitzgerald worked with animators like Norman McLaren, Bill Hurtz, Ernie Pintoff and John Hubley.

The above graphic will be reprinted in a forthcoming book by Robert Del Tredici, and a ten-foot printout of it is currently on display at the Mel Oppenheimer Centre in Montreal.

One of the highlights of the forthcoming Popeye Vol. 2 DVD is the remastered print of the 1939 two-reel special, Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp. The image above is from the very rare set of still photos released by Paramount for promotional purposes. A set of three are currently being auctioned off on ebay. These stills are actually black and white images of production cels and backgrounds, repositioned, “colorized” with inks using primary colors. Click on image at left to see the same set up, in full color, from the actual restored film.

Back in February I posted the rare opening title, previously lost, to this Technicolor Popeye cartoon. That image was snapped with my funky cel phone off a TV screen. Below are the actual frames (of the three cards that make up the titles) for your calligraphic pleasure. The DVD set goes on sale June 17th.

Unusual article in today’s L.A. Daily News about a cache of letters dating from 1918, sent by future animation director (Woody Woodpecker voice and Bugs Bunny namesake) Ben Hardaway (above right). The article points out something even more interesting — Ben’s son Bob (above left) is still alive and was a musician with Benny Goodman’s orchestra. Who knew?

(Thanks, Mark Kausler)

An article in today’s NY Times on the shocking proliferation of racist cartoons on You Tube has had an (unintended?) effect in further spreading the awareness of said cartoons. Gawker has just posted a link to it, adding to it an (awful quality) embed of Clampett’s Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs.

The Times article is somewhat sympathetic to the idea that these cartoons should be released legally. In the last paragraph, Michael Barrier, is quoted saying the cartoons should be “presented in an informed way for an intelligent, adult audience.” Barrier also said the Censored 11’s appearance on YouTube “shows that there is a demand, so the logical step would be to release them in a way that is profitable for you as a copyright holder.”

Among a cache of recently discovered American silent films from 1912-1927 was one cartoon, Mutt and Jeff in On Strike (1920). It, along with seven others, will be restored via a new international cooperative film preservation program between the major U.S. archives and Australia.

The cartoon itself is interesting as it reflects and lampoons the strikes and labor strife common in the US during the post World War I period. The plot has Mutt and Jeff going on strike when they are refused a pay raise and their attempts to make their own cartoons. “Chastened by the experience, they return wiser workers.” Exhibition prints will be distributed to the U.S. archives for screenings later this year.

That’s Gene Deitch (left) examining cels of Bert and Harry Piels (of the famed Piels Beer commercials) with director Connie Rasinski in 1957.

J.J. Sedelmaier recently unearthed several rare photographs depicting behind the scenes life at Terrytoons during the Deitch era (1955-57). They have been added to Deitch’s online book, How To Succeed in Animation. You can see these pictures in Chapter 15A (”Terrytoonery”) on Page 8 (shots of Vinnie Bell, Bob Kuwahara, and Connie Rasinski), page 10 (photo of background artist Bill Focht) and on page 11 (rare pictures of Jules Feiffer, Eli Bauer, Frank Schudde, a recording session of Tom Terrific with Lionel Wilson and Tommy Morrison, and the only known photo of “the Dark Lord”, Bill Weiss!).

The very first correct answer to the question below will win the brand new Universal Home Entertainment 3 Disc DVD set Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection Vol. 2.

All those who have won one of our contests in the past 12 months are disqualified from winning this contest. Also, if you’ve already bought a copy, do a fan a favor and do not enter the contest. Give someone else a chance.

QUESTION: Mel Blanc originated the voice of Woody Woodpecker in 1940, and Bugs Hardaway took over from him in 1941. During the 1950s, 60s and 70s who was the voice of Woody Woodpecker?

The contest is closed! We have a winner: Kelly Kilmer! Thank you all for participating.

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