tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post4222709710703916216..comments2024-03-28T11:45:24.378-07:00Comments on Tralfaz: The Saturday MatineeYowphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-75683532296270163972012-12-29T22:33:02.000-08:002012-12-29T22:33:02.000-08:00Yowp, so many memories you've conjured up with...Yowp, so many memories you've conjured up with this post! I grew up in St. Louis, Mo. and saw many "Kiddee matinees" at local theatres like The Ozark and Loew's State. The Ozark ran mostly Famous Studios Paramount releases and some Warner Bros. cartoons. Loew's State ran mostly MGM cartoons and a few Disney one reelers. I remember how popcorn boxes sailed up in the air to a tremendous roar whenever the Warner Shield popped up with a Bugs or Foghorn cartoon, and the tepid reception a Casper or Goodie the Gremlin received. I loved seeing Tom and Jerry at the Loew's State, because the presentation was so good, the projectionist always closed the curtains during the iris down, and the "end" title showed on the curtains. "Fraidy Cat" was a Tom and Jerry I saw there. Remember the Tom and Jerry "Festival of Fun", theatrical feature, which used about 10 shorts with bridging footage from "Jerry's Diary"? I saw "Old Rockin' Chair Tom", "Mouse Cleaning" and "Jerry's Cousin" for the first time in that feature. I remember the 20 cartoon marathon shows for a quarter, and counted down the cartoons until tears ran down my cheeks at the second to the last one, because I was so sad that the cartoon fantasy palace was closing it's doors for another afternoon. I saw Chuck Jones's "A Hound For Trouble" at the Fox theater in downtown St. Louis and I remember how grand the leaning tower of Pisa gag looked on their giant screen, as Charlie Dog exclaimed, "Doesn't anybody CAPICE?" Today I participated in the 3rd Annual "Greatest Cartoons Ever" show at the Alex (Alexander Theater in the 1930s) Theater in Glendale, CA. They ran 10 cartoons, "Fast and Furry-ous", "Billion Dollar Limited", "Madeline", "Hockey Homicide", "Pet Peeve", "The Fox and the Grapes", "Casey at the Bat", "The Ventriloquist Cat", "Rabbit Seasoning" and "Rock-a-Bye Bear". The audience was very receptive, the children laughed heartily at the Tom and Jerry and the Avery cartoons. A little bit of the old time love for the Fantasy Palace came back this afternoon. I got in free because I loaned them some prints, glad I did because they wanted about 15 bucks a person to get in! And I used to think that 20 cartoons for 25 cents was expensive! Mark KauslerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-85842031518104741762012-12-29T18:45:13.659-08:002012-12-29T18:45:13.659-08:00Rob, I don't know who directed them. This was ...Rob, I don't know who directed them. This was almost 50 years ago. But I remember they were extremely unentertaining and not as good as the Woodys on TV at the same time.Yowphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09264605351878574044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-25920155870234281552012-12-29T17:53:09.683-08:002012-12-29T17:53:09.683-08:00Just as an aside, back in the late 1970s I went to...Just as an aside, back in the late 1970s I went to a double-feature down in Greenwich Village of the Zucker Brothers' "Kentucky Fried Movie", after the X-rated "Flesh Gordon". In-between ... a Woody Woodpecker cartoon. But I'll be honest, even though it was one of the early 70s Paul J. Smith jobs, it was still better than "Flesh Gordon".<br />J Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15175515543694122729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3738012638904762739.post-84701137590472659242012-12-29T17:08:33.330-08:002012-12-29T17:08:33.330-08:0012/29/12
RobGems.ca wrote:
Those "bad" W...12/29/12<br />RobGems.ca wrote:<br />Those "bad" Woody Woodpecker cartoons you mention. Let me guess, were they directed by Paul J.Smith? probably after 1958 as well? It must be, because Mr. Lantz was just too loyal to Mr. Smith and his family during the 1960's and into the 1970's, even if his directing talents deterioated after he contacted blindness in both eyes as he was past 65 years of age. Mr. Lantz's best directors were Don Patterson, James "Shamus" Cullhane,And Tex Avery. Dick Lundy and Jack Hannah were also decent directors. Sid Marcus had a brief reign at Lantz's studio around 1964-66, and served as a refreshing alternate to the dull Smith efforts. Then there was Alex Lovy,later of Hanna-Barbera studios, who served originally 1941-43,then returned in 1955,staying until 1960. He was a decent,if not great director. He was not like Patterson by any means, but he wasn't as dull and plodding like Smith, either. It wasn't really Smith's fault by a medical means for his weak directing, really, he should have stopped around 1958, when his work became mediocre,but Lantz wouldn't hear of it, probably worried that Smith might wind up in a nursing home out of his own safety of bad eyesight. The only thing I miss about Saturday afternoon matinees was when they used to cost only a quarter!(the prices went up sometime in the mid-60's) It's just not the same to see an afternoon feature for about $10 today,compared to what it was like in the 1920's-60s!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com