I’m sorry that I didn’t update last week. I was having personal problems; but that is no reason to shirk on my duties. So, to make up, I will post last week’s entry along with this weeks. Also, we’ll be switching to updates every Wednesday. (It’s easier for me) So let’s take a look at a couple of books, that Tashlin wrote, but never did anything with. (Could have been interesting to see them animated.)
Little Chick’s Wonderful Mother
This story takes place in two yards. In one, there is a chicken coop full of chickens, naturally. The other yard contains an incubator that has only one egg inside it. (Seems like a waste of money.) When the egg hatches, a black chick is born. (His color isn’t important, but the narration mentioned it.) The chicks in the next yard ask him where his mother is. He points out the incubator. It hatched him, naturally it is his mother. The chicks laugh at him. Heck, even the full grown hens and rooster laugh at him. (This is where we get jerk chicken from.)
Getting an idea, the chick somehow gets a hold of many objects and makes his “mother” look the part. Painting a face, giving her a broom as tail feathers, a poinsettia as a comb, and a corn cob beak. (Wait, she has a beak AND a mouth? That’s not scientifically correct. Talking poultry however, is fine.) Still, the birds laugh. The chick is sad, but promises “her” that no matter what the others might say, she is his mom and he loves her. Later, a rain storm rolls in and the hen house begins to flood. Being the hero of the story, the chick has all the other chickens climb onto his “mother” as she floats. They are saved and admit that she IS a good mother. The rooster then forces the other hens to look like her. (Um, I don’t think that’s necessary.)
Tony and Clarence
I like this one a lot more as it doesn’t need a moral.
Tony is an organ grinder. His monkey (the titular Clarence) is very efficient at his job. He collects many pennies and thanks the donators for every one. Being a monkey, he can climb anywhere in the city. This way, the lazy citizens don’t even have to get up to pay. At the end of every day, Tony and Clarence go home and have dinner and go to bed. (Sleeping in a bed with an animal is cute.) But one day, Clarence falls ill. (Sleeping in a bed with an animal is also not very clean.)
He is taken to the hospital and Tony asks the doctors to do all they can, and he will pay whatever they ask. But how will he do it without his monkey? A musician without a cute animal might as well have their tunes pirated. Well, the animal kingdom is full of options! Too bad his subs all have their little hiccups. Dog: chases cats. Elephant: falls through the hole in the street it made due to its weight. (Really? Several cars won’t do that, but one elephant will?) Giraffe: gets it’s neck tangled in the clotheslines. Beaver: chews the telephone poles. Pelican: goes fishing. Goat: eats buttons off of people’s clothing. (Maybe if you fed it, Tony…) Ostrich: doesn’t eat the coins like it would make sense to do, but rather does the old hiding in hole cliche that is not true.
Tony is sad and the other animals feel bad they let him down. Then the doctors call Tony with news about Clarence. Is he worse? Is he dead? Actually, he’s not even himself anymore. SHE is a mother. (Really Tony? You had this monkey for how long and you never could tell it’s gender? And how did she get preg…OH NO!) Now named Clarice, the monkey goes back to work with Tony. And he is now 6 times richer as all the young monkeys join in. (Monkey’s don’t have that many babies at once, you know. Let me have my nitpicking fun.)
Hope that makes up somewhat for disappearing last week. It’s great to be back.
Personal Rating: It may not mean much, seeing as they never got past the draft stage. But I’ll give them both a 2. There’s beginnings of greatness there.