Thursday 10 March 2016

Sorry, Dad, We're Only Takin' Jets

A B-29 develops hands and feet when it needs to in Little Johnny Jet (released in 1953). For example, when it’s kicked out of the reenlistment headquarters because he’s obsolete. The U.S. Air Force is only taking jets.

Here are some frames. I like the smug jets in the background.



A number of years ago, someone asked me if a short cut had been made at the 5:29 mark, pointing to a soundtrack record released a number of years ago where Volga Boatman was played for a few seconds then there was the sound of an explosion—something not heard in the version of the cartoon in circulation. Was a Russian sight gag cut? As an Avery cartoon might say “Mmmmm....could be!” But I really don’t know for sure.

2 comments:

  1. Interestingly, B-29s WERE used in the Korean War, though not nearly to the extent that they were in the closing months of the Pacific Campaign in WWII.

    I personally think the character looks more like a B-17 Flying Fortress, which was used in the Pacific, though B-24s later took on much more of a role, and they in turn were supplanted by the B-29s.

    One gag that's quite interesting is the Douglas MacArthur gag, which quotes the "fade away" line from MacArthur's address to Congress. (MacArthur, by the way, DID have a plane named "Bataan," though it was a Constellation.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Of course, having now just rewatched the cartoon, he identifies himself as a B-29.

    ReplyDelete