The Legend of Rockabye Point (Lantz, 1955) uses the same structure as Rock-a-bye Bear and Deputy Droopy that Avery made earlier at MGM. One character tries to get another character to make noise and disturb a third character; the other character runs outside to a distant hill to make the noise and not disturb anyone.
I still like Rockabye Point. The gag variations are inventive, Avery moves things along at a brisk pace and Mike Maltese, who got a rap for not being strong at story structure, puts together a very tidy tale.
Here’s the old pepper/sneeze gag. Chilly Willy tries to get the polar bear to wake the guard dog. The shapes on the bear are fun.
The bear gallops up the hill. Clarence Wheeler plays a familiar bar from “The William Tell Overture.”
The sneeze. Avery has some of the drawings on ones, others on twos. I like the stretch in-between.
With a nice look of satisfaction as he turns, the bear rushes back to the ship for another round with Willy.
Don Patterson, Ray Abrams (who was in his unit at MGM at the start) and La Verne Harding receive the animation credits. Dal McKennon is the uncredited sneezing voice actor.
For me, this gag never got old. It had everything to do with how it was animated, the music at the moment, and the voice work. It all worked together to keep it fresh. Funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that sleep is the most common theme in all animated cartoons. on the top of my head I think of more instances of characters unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep than any other premise besides the struggle to get something to eat. This cartoon was nominated for the Academy Award. Exactly 10 years before, Tom and Jerry's Quiet Please! won that year.
ReplyDeleteHey, if you're going to steal, steal from the best. Especially when you're the best.
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