Category: Cartoons from the 30’s

This is the time period where Looney Tunes got there start! Things may have gotten off to a slow start, but they soon became the envy of studios everywhere!

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The Woods are full of Cuckoos

“Are you stirring?”

This short opens with Alexander Owlcott (Alcott) playing an announcer. We see our old friend Ben Birdie fighting with Walter Finchell (Winchell.) Milton Squirrel (Berle) introduces us to Wendell Howl (Hall) who tries to tell the audience which book page has the song they’re singing. He gives up and tells them to do the same, and they throw their books at him.

Billy Goat (Jones) and Ernie Bear (Hare) lead us in our featured song. Many others join in including: Eddie Gander (Cantor) W.C. Fieldmouse (Fields), Fats Swallow (Walker) Bing Crowsby (Crosby) and Al Goatson (Jolson). Grace Moose (Moore) and Lily Swans (Pons) each try to out do each other singing higher and higher notes. We also see some of our favorite radio stars like Joe Penguin, (Penner) Moutha Bray, (Martha Raye) and Tizzie Fish (Lish) who shows us how to make a ripple and get plenty of iron in our diets. After a quick skit which involves Jack Bunny, (Benny. Okay, that one was obvious.) Owlcott sends us on our way.

Personal Rating: Ditto with its precursor. 3 for the fans, 2 for the rest.

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Porky’s Road Race

“On your mark… Get set… SCRAM!”

First of all, I must mention that this short is purely coincidental. If you see anyone who resembles a famous actor, disregard it. It is pure luck. However, I will still call them by the names of who they remind me of. Now then:

It’s time for a big race and the winner gets a cool $1,000,000! (Tax deductibles aside leaves one with a cool $1.63!) Porky is hard at work fine tuning his vehicle. It’s a humble car. The competition includes: Laurel and Hardy riding on a seesaw that is pumping a tire, Charlie Chaplin who accidentally hurts W.C. Fields’ nose, Enda May Olliver, who Fields helps fine tune hiccuping vehicle, Greta Garbo, happily working alone on her car, and Charles Laughton, who has a literal motor boat.

In a locked up area, we see a character known as Borax Karloff. He has a huge car, that is sure to be full of tricks. The race is about to start, and Porky is the clear favorite. (Remember him? His name IS in the title.) It begins and most of the other racers fall victim to Karloff’s tricks. Laughton successfully dodges most of the traps, but can’t avoid the torpedo sent his way. Karloff disables the majority with a squirt of glue, but not Porky. The glue sticks to his wheels ,and bricks stick to them, making some nice treads.

Karloff tries grease, but that just causes the treads to pop off and hit him in the head. After exiting a tunnel our two last competitors have switched cars. Karloff is in the lead and raises a drawbridge to keep Porky from completing the race. Porky uses the bridge as a ramp and launches to the finish line first. The judges award him a crown, but Olliver (whose car is reduced to nearly nothing) drives by stealing the crown for herself. Enjoy your brief victory, kid. I’ll be returning that prize to the REAL champion now, thank you.

Personal Rating: 3

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The Coocoo nut Grove

“My, oh my. Just look at all the Celeb-reties.”

In the middle of a jungle is a trendy nightclub called the Coocoonut grove. Ben Birdie (Bernie) is our host, and he’s not the only one here. W.C. Fields the pig is there with Katherine Heartburn (Hepburn) the horse. Tarzan is there in a tree, and a lady is chased by Harpo as a… Bird? I think. He’s got a beak…

The music starts up and everyone dances. Laurel and Hardy (as a monkey and pig, respectively) share a coconut. Laurel must have drank a little too hard, as he sucks out all of Hardy’s body fat. Edna May Olliver does a dance to Clark Gable’s delight and the Dionne quintuplets perform. Tarzan is frighted by a mouse and Harpo finally catches the woman only to find it’s Groucho in drag. (That gag will never get old.) Helen Morgan sings, but her singing is so sad that even Edward G. Robbinson and George Raft cry. The combined tears of the singer and audience create a sea of tears, (eat your heart out Alice) which carries them all away.

Personal Rating: Depends on how acquainted you are with the parodies. If you know who is being spoofed, then 3. Otherwise, 2.

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Hollywood Capers

“Beans is the name! One of the Boston Beans!”

We open in Hollywood. (Did that guy who ran in front of the car just disappear?) Beans wants to get in to the W.B. lot. Much like the later “You ought to be in Pictures” the guard won’t let him in, despite the cat’s awesome resume. This doesn’t deter Beans, as he uses a Olliver Hardy disguise to get in. (Unlike Porky’s disguise, Bean’s actually works.) He goes in and sees director Oliver Owl directing a film starring Kitty. Beans enjoys his time until he accidentally disrupts the film. Oliver throws him out.

Beans accidentally activates a robot Frankenstein’s monster. It eats the camera, chases Kitty, and gets hit by his own reflection. Beans tries to stop it by wrapping it up in a pipe. The monster is so strong that it doesn’t slow him down. Beans finally destroys the menace by pushing a fan into him and shredding him to bits.

Personal Rating: 2

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Daffy Duck in Hollywood

“Wow! I’ll give ’em a real feature!”

At Wonder Pictures studio, a character named I.M. Stupendous asks a director named Van Hamburger to finish his picture today. He also tells Daffy that they have no need for him. Hilarity is about to go down. Daffy whistles through the microphone, attaches a fire hose to the lights and puts bullets in the cameras. The best part is during a scene where two lovers attempt to kiss, and Daffy jumps in the middle to kiss the lady. (He then does it again, he loved it so much.)

For the finale, Daffy goes into the film library and splices up together many different films. (Yes, decades before there was a YouTube, Daffy made the first YouTube poop.) He then switches his film with Hamburgers. The movie is crazy, weird, and nonsensical, but Stupendous can’t stop praising it. In the final scene, Daffy is now the director and Hamburger is playing the role of Daffy.

Personal Rating: 3

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Katnip Kollege

♪”Okay, Mr. Jones you may, recite your history for today.”♪

At the kollege for kats, all the other classes are clearly never in use. (No zoology? That’s unfair. However I guess they ARE animals) The only class that is in session is swingology. From whats going on, it seems that its just normal school but everything is sung. The class recites their history lesson, but one kat is struggling. His name is Johnny and he has no rhythm.

Rather than accepting the fact that everyone has a different talent, the professor makes him sit in a dunce cap until he learns. The rest of the class taunts him, save for the stereotypical hot chick, Kitty. She’s a bit kinder, and tells him that if he could sing then she’d find him attractive. (B*tch. Or whatever the cat version is.)

Later, everyone is having a great time, ‘cept for Johnathan who is still locked up. A ticking clock gives him the inspiration he needs and he runs to join his classmates. He sings a duet with Kitty about how falling in love with her is easier than falling off a log. Then they fall off the log they were on. Hey, at least he got the girl.

Personal Rating: 3

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I Love to Singa

“That’s mein… Pop!”

In the forest there lives a bird named Prof. Fritz the owl. He is a teacher of voice, piano, and violin, but the one thing he will not teach and can not tolerate is jazz. At the moment, he is awaiting the birth of his children. When the eggs hatch, one can sing, one can fiddle, and one can play the flute. (I guess it’s true what they say: you can’t fit a piano in an egg.) The last one hatches into our protagonist, Owl Jolson. (Get the reference?) One thing I don’t get is why his voice starts out different, and then changes right away.

His parents are not happy with his life choice, and try to force him to submit to the power of classical music. However, he refuses to give up jazz and his father pretty much disowns him. On his own, he sees many other birds auditioning for Jack Bunny. (A joke will never get old.) The rabbit thinks all of the birds suck, and lets them know with his trapdoor. Jolson’s music is just to his liking though, and he gets first prize ready.

His family hears him on the radio and rushes over. Seeing them, the young owlet switches back to classical, like he’s been conditioned to. The rabbit, no longer enjoying himself, is about to give him the door, when his father bursts in and tells him he can sing whatever he wants. The whole family joins in and Jolson gets his trophy. A happy ending for all!

Personal Rating: 4

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Have you got any Castles?

“Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye.”

In another of the “books coming to life” series of cartoons, we come across a bookshop at midnight. The town crier announces that we are in for a treat as 4 famous literary monsters do a cute little dance. All the characters applaud and cheer while “The Good Earth” prays. Everyone begins to dance and “Green Pastures” sings along with Cab Calloway. A thin man goes to fatten himself at the “white house cookbook”, and the “Little Women” and “Little Men” sing about Old King Cole.

They are joined by the house of “Seven (Clark) Gables” and “Bulldog Drummin.” Louis Pasteur blows himself to “Seventh Heaven” and all the while, Rip Van Winkle is annoyed by lack of sleep. The 3 musketeers sing our title song, but I guess they are the villains as they take “The Seven Keys of Baldpate” and free “The Prisoner of Zenda.” Everyone else starts shooting at them, until Rip, who’s had enough, opens up a hurricane on them all, thus making them “Gone with the Wind.”

Personal Rating: 3

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Porky In Wackyland

“Ex-tree! Ex-tree! Porky off on dodo hunt!”

This.. is my favorite cartoon ever! Heck, it’s my favorite bit of animation ever. Is it the humor? The sureality? The b/w charm? The fact that I consider it the epitome of cartoons? All that and whatever too! It’s great no matter how you slice, saute and butter it! And that’s why this site shares its name.

Like its successor this cartoon has Porky is off to find the last of the dodo birds. Its worth a lot of money. He arrives at the best place ever put to film: Wackyland! While searching, Porky sees many of the denizens that call this crazy landscape home. Or at least a condo. (Look! Bob Clampett and his animators created Catdog)

Amidst the bizarre, he finds the bird of his dreams. And the chase is on. The bird is tricky, and Porky has to disguise himself to get his hands on him. He succeeds in his capture but the dodo reveals something about himself. He may be the last of his species but that doesn’t mean he’s the only one left… (That’s a victory for Mother Earth, at least.)

Personal Rating: 5 (And I really feel that way too.)

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Old Glory

“You don’t know why you should learn the pledge of allegiance to the flag?”

For Porky’s first color cartoon, (Yes his debut was in color. But he wasn’t the star) we find him struggling to learn the pledge to the flag. He can’t get the hang of it and he gives up. He takes a nap and Uncle Sam appears and begins to teach his subconsciousness about the history of America. From Paul Revere warning of the British, to the pioneers heading out west to find more land. (That already belonged to someone, but that part doesn’t paint the country in the best lights. Let’s omit it.)

After the history lesson Porky awakens and is able to recite the pledge form memory. (Owl eared listeners will notice he doesn’t say “under God” that part was not added yet.) This cartoon may not be as funny as its numerous siblings, but it’s enjoyable none the less. It reminds us how hard it was to be young and to understand. It also helps us remember to help others.

Personal Rating: 4 (If you can’t stand to see cartoons be serious, than it might not be for you. I stand by my rating, though)