The studio was running on fumes in 1962. One of his unit’s cartoons released that year was Shishkabugs. O’Loughlin provided the backgrounds. Here are some of them. They’re not terribly inspired but they do their job to give an appropriate place for the characters. I have managed to paste together the opening pan upward; it is in two pieces.
>
Bugs is pretty tame in John Dunn's story. He finally shows up at the 2:15 mark. His antics include kissing the king (who has done nothing to him) and rigging a custard pie to hit the king's face. Oh, and he becomes the cook and serves the king a carrot. That's it. No sparkling dialogue. No outrageous reactions. Friz, give me Baseball Bugs or Bugs Bunny Rides Again instead.
Virgil Ross, Gerry Chiniquy, Bob Matz, Art Leonardi and Lee Halpern are the animators on this short, released Dec. 8, 1962. Freleng had resigned from the studio the previous month. Everyone knew the end was near.
..on my second birthday...The king is spoofed as Charles Laughton, who'd already died on the same day that this came out..Steve C. WHew!
ReplyDeleteWow!!
ReplyDeleteThrow in that John Dunn did some good work but was no Maltese or Foster, and Bill Lava no longer had the orchestra that Stalling and Franklyn used so well. I also have to admit that after this, Freleng and Dunn did The Unmentionables, which is kind of cute in its way.
ReplyDeleteThe backgrounds are better than the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteMore expressive animation in this cartoon would have been welcome, but the caricature of Laughton has more visual impact than McKimson's attempt in "Good Noose." We get a silent clue of the punishment that awaits Sam when he's marched past the statue of the ax-wielding knight (second from bottom).
ReplyDelete