This example lasts five seconds. Avery supplies a darkened room. The only animation is some eye blinks and a flickering television. Narrator Paul Frees sets it up with the line: “Of course, TV does keep you up late for those night-owl shows.”
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuyCdZENf_ahP7X952n4wqpmZI3tpX_9cBp7q5un2Kl1G5e314MZcjxmISQYs-Cqpt1MBTMvzJo8dAWZthoBj07XTExO-3n7s0kxdVx4CGvbQKMyiNaLafV8oxm5U-KEt_x3fN2WXhiBnBkmgAMdCu_LU1ooj60Kr_0u-TvGBpxKUknGTgKOTH97QqVc_/s280/TV%20OF%20TOMORROW%20%281%29.png)
The lights quickly come up to reveal a pun.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgINxUKOwsLxxgi0e0tpJ9Camp6AmHX6L_NRGyyeCI2pndpk2vCqZcCHpvCRtWJfAmk1XESWeNY2aSI85d3XFD0hpXPtEmm2AohTabufR0Mst3F_MyEcqVYdB-MBzHPN_O9lmEvIVGbQkdm8VVuXQj5rISB8jszKvOGNMmFbE2SnmAW8TyK2WLbG-gPhX-Y/s280/TV%20OF%20TOMORROW%20%282%29.png)
The only animation is the flickering light from the TV. The human and owls are immobile on a background painting or cel.
Avery used five animators: Mike Lah, Ray Patterson, Bob Bentley, Walt Clinton and Grant Simmons. Ed Benedict designed the characters.
Incidentally, there is no mother-in-law joke in this cartoon.
I didn't realize the human and owls are supposed to be a painting since they have outlines, but I do remember a few other examples like this.
ReplyDeleteActually, scratch that, my mistake. The characters are cels placed on the background. Whoops.
DeleteTex Avery cartoons are more fun than a tree full of owls.
ReplyDelete