World War Two kept cartoon studios busy with work for the U.S. government. Perhaps Walter Lantz’s best known cartoon for military release is The Enemy Bacteria (1945).
The film was ambitious. It combines animation and live action over 28 minutes, with a few humanised germs combined with effects animation of masses of bacteria. It’s also pretty ham-handed, as I guess the U.S. Navy did not want humour or subtlety to get the message across. The first five minutes features nothing but hand-washing and strident music and narration. Dick Lundy directed the animation portion. Ray Taylor handled the live action, Virgil Miller was the photographer while Milburn Stone1 (getting some pre-Gunsmoke experience as a doctor) and Mel Blanc provided voices. Darrell Calker supplied the score2.
(Note: Shamus Culhane, in his book “Talking Animals and Other People,” states he directed The Enemy Bacteria with Art Heineman drawing the layouts. Dick Lundy told Mark Mayerson in a 1976 interview he directed the film. It could very well be they both directed parts of it, but the article below clearly shows Lundy was the animation director).
The Enemy Bacteria was in the planning stages in 19443 and the animation took roughly six months4. It was screened for reporters on September 20, 19455 and given a lengthy profile in the November 1945 issue of “American Cinematographer.” It may be a little technical, but it explains how the cartoon was made. There’s some flag-waving by Lantz as well. The photos, scanned at a maddeningly low resolution, were part of the article. You can read the caption by hovering your mouse over each picture. The full film can be seen on several video web-sharing sites, and I’ve been reminded (since writing this) that Jerry Beck posted a little bit about this several-reeler some time ago with some lovely frame grabs.
Lucite and Lantz Came Through For The Navy
By HILDA BLACK
PRACTICALLY every moviegoer is familiar with Walter Lantz Cartune characters: Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda, Wally Walrus and the others. But comparatively few people know anything about Lantz’ cooperation with our government in turning out twenty-two training films for the U. S. Navy. And they’re worth hearing about, too, because among other things, a new method developed during their production, has opened up hitherto unexplored fields in the realms of education and industry.
Lantz himself, quiet, pleasant, unassuming, has made his entry into the motion picture industry’s Hall of Fame in a completely unorthodox and uniquely un-Hollywoodish manner. In a town where short contracts are the rule and frequent turnover of personnel is the expected thing, Walter Lantz is unusual. For he has a phobia against job-changing and traces his connection with Universal Pictures through seventeen uninterrupted years of successful growth. In fact, Lantz’ tenure at that studio dates back to the regime of “Uncle” Carl Laemmle, its founder.
When Lantz and his staff first undertook the job of turning out training films for the Navy they found they were up against a towering obstacle: Time, spelled with a capital T. Those pictures had to be turned out, not only well, but, as Lantz says, “Yesterday!”
With Germany and Japan undefeated, there was no question of “take your time, boys, and give us a good job.” The government couldn’t afford to sit quietly by and wait for training films. New recruits had to be given the quickest possible instruction; those boys were needed on the battlefield, in the air, on the water and under the water. And—they had to be well-trained.
That’s where the motion picture industry came in. Hollywood had facilities and the “know how” of telling a story—any story, whether romance, comedy or instruction to kill—better than could be done through any other medium. The government knew it; negotiated and gave contracts to carefully selected Hollywood producers to furnish the needed pictures. Those were important films to all of us! Films rushed to training centers throughout the country where they would play a major role in the gigantic job of equipping American boys for the grisly business of war. Films that would hurry the day of total annihilation of our enemy, and bring our boys safely home again.
And so “speed” and “rush” became the order of the day. With every split second precious, Lantz knew he was up against a tremendous responsibility. He estimated that the first picture alone (which dealt with bomb fuses) would take a whole year to produce, if old methods of animation were employed. Obviously, a new method had to be devised; a method that would save time, yet not lessen the efficacy of the film. And so he and his staff entirely discarded old ideas of cartoon animation and set to work to discover that “new method.”
First, it was decided that, wherever possible, actual parts of the bomb fuse would be used. For other parts of the fuse plastic was employed, thus making it possible to photograph right into the fuse and show its actual workings. The almost microscopic parts were then enlarged so that they and their functions were clearly discernible. Workings of the fuse were shown in stop-motion. Incidentally, all of the machine work was done in the Lantz studio.
By thus showing the various mechanical devises set in plastic, the Navy recruits did not have to guess or imagine how a bomb fuse worked—they got a true pieture of its actual operation. Of the twenty-two Lantz training films, eleven were on Bombs and Bomb Fuses.
Other films included “Enemy Bacteria”—the only training film they made in color—and pictures on torpedo instruction. “Enemy Bacteria” combined live action with animation and was shot on Monopack film, a system that requires a single exposure process similar to Kodachrome. It represents a considerable saving on original film and it is further desirable because it does not necessitate the use of a special Technicolor camera. Any camera can be used for the Monopack system. Lantz thinks it will be used almost exclusively for the color pictures of the future.
The Torpedo pictures were very interesting and had to show the various wakes of ships, and the course taken when the torpedo was fired. For these, rear-projection screens were devised, with the wakes of torpedoes and wakes of ships being worked out with lighting rather than drawings. Also, instead of drawings of the ships, exact replicas, furnished by the government, were used. Perfect down to the smallest detail, these miniature ships ranged in size from four inches to one foot in length.
To get the correct effect, it was first necessary to decide where the wake should be, then it was superimposed on the back of glass by a special mechanical devise. It could be made to animate. By the same process, the course of torpedos going through water could also be shown. Blowing up of ships was very realistically reproduced with electrical flashes of light showing explosions.
One of the biggest problems was solved when they decided to shoot through transparency. At first, shooting through glass was attempted, but too many difficulties arose. Glass was hard to handle, couldn’t be machined, picked up reflections, scratched easily and heat from the lamps cracked it. After a few other unsuccessful experiments, Lucite was finally selected as being the most adaptable for their needs. Desirable in every respect, not the least of its good qualities was its flexibility, an important item when machining to specific shape.
As to the actual operation of shooting through Lucite, Lantz offers a simple comparison: suppose you remove the gold case from your watch, enclose it in a transparent material, then observe the inner workings of the watch’s mechanism. That’s about the effect accomplished in those training films.
Lantz estimates that, with this new process, the time required to make a picture was cut one-fifth, the cost one-tenth. His studio turned out twenty-two pictures in twenty-eight months, and of course that was in addition to his regular Cartunes. His staff had to be augmented, but not considerably, for with this process four men were able to do the work of thirty men in animation. It eliminated inking on celluloids, painting, air-brush work and drawing of backgrounds.
The government furnished complete scripts and also sent their technical advisors for every subject covered; and these experts supervised every set-up before it was shot.
Lantz thinks the Navy has done a tremendous job in its wartime film production. So has the Army, of course, but they were better equipped at the beginning of the war, having an already operative Signal Corp that immediately went into the production of training films. The Navy had no such organization and had to start from scratch. The Army turned out more films, but even so the Navy Department made over 900 pictures per year during the war. A staggering figure, when you consider that the entire annual output of Hollywood is about 450 features.
Films made by Lantz, plus the actual models for display purposes, are now in use by the government. The government, thinks Lantz, has gained lots of sound, usable technical experience through these developments of his and other producers. Particularly have they benefited in the field of teaching. Undoubtedly, training of both Army and Navy personnel in the future, will largely be undertaken via the approved training film. Previously, all classwork training was given via the usual instructor-textbook road. Now, while instructors and textbooks will not be discarded, neither will they carry the full load. They will be augmented in most helpful fashion by training films, which will be an integral part of every course.
Time required to master any subject will thus be cut to a minimum, no longer will the instructor be required to draw elaborate charts and graphs on blackboards to explain technical points from textbooks. That will all be covered—and amply—in the training film.
Industry, too, will greatly benefit from this new method, avers Lantz. With a technique for showing internal operation of any machine: whether automobile, sewing machine, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, etc., a new field has been opened to industry. Much of the strife that arises among workers in factories from a misunderstanding of their jobs will be eliminated. Manufacturers will be able to instruct their personnel as to the actual operation of the device or utility they are manufacturing. In large factories, where thousands of men work on one small—and to them unimportant —job, ignorant of what preceeds and follows it, enlightening knowledge can be given to such employees through these films.
It would take years of study and research to master all of the operations that go into the creation of some of our modern machines, and no working man has that much spare time to devote to such an undertaking. But with the motion picture, he can be shown the operation of the plant generally, and his own part in it. While his job may have seemed trivial and unimportant before, when seen in the light of the whole operation, his job would take on added significance.
Lantz believes that the animated cartoon is better able than live action to make such films, because effects impossible to obtain with live action pictures can be accomplished easily and well with animation.
He also thinks that in the near future the government will wish to furnish pictures to the rest of the world. Films sanctioned by government and by various philanthropic groups on a variety of subjects such as hygiene, disease prevention, the cure and remedy of disease, and so on, will increase both in number and in distribution.
As to films made for foreign consumption, he thinks that’s as good a place as any to get in some of our American propaganda. Lantz feels very keenly on the subject of Democracy, U. S. A. style. There’s nothing wrong, to his way of thinking, with democracy, or in all of us doing a little more sincere, honest flag-waving. In fact, he thinks we, as a nation, do entirely too little of it, and sees no reason why we should wait until we are embroiled in war to start thinking of the Star Spangled Banner. It Lantz had his way, our National Anthem would be played at least once an evening in every theater in the land.
As to the importance of the use of films for educational purposes, Lantz grows enthusiastic. Every school has its vocational department, and these films will be of tremendous help in departments particularly where such subjects as electricity, carpentry, work shop are taught. He believes it is only a question of a couple of years when every school will be equipped with these films, which will be an important part of their training program, starting with kindergarten and continuing throughout every grade. Today’s four year’s study course could be cut to one year with such educational films, in Lantz’ opinion.
Another thing of great value, not only to our youth, but to our future as a nation, is some good, fundamental groundwork in American history, and what it means to present-day American life. Lantz would like to see every school teaching our history through educational films. By that he doesn’t mean that the School Boards should spend a couple of million dollars on a film showing Washington crossing the Delaware.
He means short subjects with a purpose—a definite objective behind each picture. Something, he says, with “a little glamour, a little dressing.” Show short incidents, make them vital, real, alive. Show why certain things in our history happened as they did, how they happened, what they mean to us as a nation.
In this suggested program, Lantz would include up-to-date lessons on topics like: “Why Do We Have Taxes?” and show why it is necessary. Subjects like that. Make our youth proud of the fact that they’re United States citizens. Show them reasons why, instead of griping, they can all contribute something of a constructive nature to their government. Most of us are too lazy, says Lantz, we gripe but that’s about all. The best way to improve conditions, is to know more, to be better equipped to help. To hasten this happy state of affairs, educational films are of prime importance.
When asked if his new process would help in the production of his regular Cartunes featuring Woody Woodpecker, Andy Panda and Wally Walrus, Lantz shook his head dolefully.
“No, I’m afraid not,” he said. “We still haven’t figured out a sure way of shortening our work on making cartoons. It’s just a tough grind and we have to keep on plugging. Start cheating on cartoons, and they become jumpy and the cheating shows. Frankly, though I love the business, I’ve got to admit: it’s one heluva way to earn a living!”
1 Film Daily, Oct. 4, 1945↩
2 Hollywood Reporter, August 28, 1944↩
3 Motion Picture Daily, April 24, 1944↩
4 Motion Picture Daily, April 19, 1944↩
5 Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 19, 1945↩
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