There's a darkness gag. George, Junior and the pygmy run into a cave. It's dark. George strikes a match.
A tiger! And a tiger take.
George, Junior and the pygmy rush out of the cave and hide behind a rock. The effects artist gets out the dry-brush.
Junior comes out of hiding behind the rock. George is under Junior. The pygmy is under George. And it turns out the tiger is under the pygmy.
Take. Exit.
Boxoffice magazine quoted from an MGM news release in its July 19, 1947 the cartoon was in “preparation.” Daily Variety reported on December 17 the cartoon was completed. It was released Aug. 7, 1948.
Said Boxoffice:
Half-Pint Pygmy
MGM (Technicolor Cartoon) 7 Mins.
Good. Two half-human creatures read an advertisement offering a reward for the smallest pygmy in the world and immediately make tracks for darkest Africa. There after super-human efforts that include encounters with lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and other fauna, they finally capture a tiny pygmy—only to learn there is another still smaller.
Said the Motion Picture Herald:
HALF-PINT PYGMY (MGM)
Technicolor Cartoon (W-941)
Into darkest Africa where pygmies dwell goes cartoon director Tex Avery. He brings the sad story of a pygmy with an inferiority complex.
Said The Exhibitor:
HALF-PINT PYGMY. MGM—Cartoon. 7m. When a reward is posted for the capture of the world’s smallest pygmy, the two bears set sail for Africa to pint the prize. Spying what they think is the tiny treasure, they make many vain attempts to capture the pygmy, with ensuing chases causing the hunters much grief, they finally catch up with the small pygmy, the bears are then introduced to an even smaller pygmy, who scurries away into the distance. Thwarted, the hunters shoot themselves. FAIR. (W-941)
Perhaps Tex really did kill them off. He made no more cartoons with George and Junior.
Keith Scott has determined Avery played Junior while Wally Maher (the voice of Screwy Squirrel) was George.
Heck Allen was Avery’s gagman in this. The credited animators were Bill Shull, Louis Schmitt, Walt Clinton and Grant Simmons.
Idk why, but the way Boxoffice describes George and Jr. as "Two half-human creatures" is pretty funny in its own right lol
ReplyDeleteI don't know why Tex decided to alter George and Junior's designs. They were inferior to the old ones.
ReplyDeleteBeats me, R. I liked the earlier versions, too.
DeleteGeorge and Junior don't work as bears.
ReplyDeleteThe MGM Cartoons Wikia claims that Irven Spence did the original designs for George and Junior while Louie Schmitt did the redesigns for this short, but unfortunately it's lacking in citations. Luckily other people have already figured it out elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteKevin Langley posted the model sheets for 3 of the 4 G&J cartoons on his blog. Henpecked Hoboes and Red Hot Rangers have their model sheets signed by (Irv) Spence, while the model sheets for this short are initialed L.S. for Louie Schmitt. (This definitely disproves the claim I remember seeing somewhere that Preston Blair did the redesigns!)
As a bonus, here's a photo posted by Scott T. Rivers in the Cartoon Research FB Group. It's apparently from the March 1949 issue of The Exhibitor and shows Tex and Louie going over the designs for "Phil Flea" (who I guess eventually became Homer Flea in What Price Fleadom). On the wall you can see the redesigns for George and Junior.
-Vic
P.S. Count me in with those who prefer Irv's original designs for George & Junior as well.
“ The MGM Cartoons Wikia claims that Irven Spence did the original designs for George and Junior while Louie Schmitt did the redesigns for this short, but unfortunately it's lacking in citations. Luckily other people have already figured it out elsewhere”
DeleteA rare instance of a Wiki being right!