Special Appearance by Bob Clampett

Weak. Unfunny. Embarrassingly bad. Which of those terms best describes the work of director Jack King at the Leon Schlesinger studio?

Perhaps all of them.

Take his 1935 short ‘A Cartoonist’s Nightmare.’ Is there even a gag in it? It truly stinks. The most interesting thing in the whole cartoon is the cameo appearance by Bob Clampett in animated form.



The rotund chap looks like Tubby Millar, missing his bristle moustache. Don’t know who the big-nose guy is.

There’s also what I suspect is a Clampett influence in a fun background drawing of the ramshackle cartoon studio. The plant on the left could easily fit in Clampett’s Wackyland (as in “Porky in”, made a few years later).



Fortunately, Tex Avery soon arrived to rescue the studio from inanity and it wasn’t too long (and thanks to other talented people, including Clampett) that Warners released the funniest cartoons ever made. King scurried back to Disney where he wasn’t entrusted with directing features.

Don Williams and Paul J. Smith have animation credits in this pointless mess.

Presents of the Stars, 1963

Mary Livingstone sure had a hard time keeping thieves away from her jewellry. This is at least the third newspaper story where she’s been robbed of it (the first one I found was in 1930).

Let’s see what people in radio and TV got for Christmas in 1963 in this December 25 story from United Press International. Could this be an early sign of Dean Jones’ love for the Love Bug?

JACK BENNY BUYS JEWELRY
What Santa Claus Brought to Movieland
By JOSEPH FINNIGAN
HOLLYWOOD (UPI) – Merry Christmas!
Movieland’s stars were busy this Christmas morning opening gifts of travel tickets to vacation resorts, jewels, art work and glamorous clothes.
Dennis Weaver presented his wife with a painting, “Portrait of a Little Girl.”
June Lockhart, her husband and their two children took a 10-day holiday vacation in Mexico.
Emeralds
Ben Gazzara gave his wife an antique emerald and gold necklace with matching earrings.
They also went to New York for a white Christmas.
Patti Page bought her year-old daughter Kathleen a poodle.
Chuck Connors gifted his wife Kamala Devi with a Dior dress, perfume and a two-week fishing trip to Mexico. She’s not expected to wear the new gown while trolling for fish however.
Edie Adams outfitted her three daughters for the new year. Under their tree the girls found nighties, dresses, robes, coats, sweaters, and jewelry. Edie also gave them books.
Nat (King) Cole’s wife, Maria, received a jade necklace.
David Niven, who has a home in Switzerland, gave his wife Hjordis a mink-lined ski outfit. Mrs. Niven already has broken her leg once while skiing. If she has another accident it’ll be a first-class spill.
Joseph Cotton’s wife surprised him with five 18th century Italian figurines.
Jack Palance presented his wife with a set of Venetian glass stemware and a Venetian glass, hand-finished chess set.
Monty Hall gave his wife an original Grandma Moses painting.
Art Linkletter packed his family off to Hawaii where they’ll spend the holiday on a beach.
Stewarts to Ski
Jimmy Stewart bought his wife, Gloria, and their four children ski outfits. The family will spend Christmas at a ski resort in Aspen, Colo. It’s not certain whether Jimmy will take to the slopes.
Dean Jones bought himself a different kind of a present. It’s a specially-constructed car used for racing over sand dunes.
Bill Dana is the foster parent of a 12-year-old Italian girl. He sent her a wardrobe and cash to spend on presents for her mother and two younger brothers. The family lives in a small town in central Italy.
George Gobel shopped for jewelry this Christmas. His wife Alice was surprised to find a four-carat diamond ring under the tree.
Motor-Bike
Clint Walker gave his wife a motor-bike. Clint already owns one. Now they'll be able to buzz along the road together.
Jack Benny bought jewels for his wife, Mary Livingstone, replacing some stolen recently.

Christmas Sunday Comics Through the Decades

1917


1929


1931

1939


1944

1956

Hollywood Holidays — 1950

Crosby Christmas Follows Normal American Plan
By BOB THOMAS
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 23—(AP)—What’s the Crosby Christmas like? Probably the same as yours and mine.
“We do the same things most people do,” says Bing. “The routine has become traditional and rarely varies from year to year.”
Sometimes Bing, Dixie and the boys celebrate Christmas at their home on the Monterrey Peninsula up north. But this year Bing is working in “Here Comes the Groom,” so it will be a southern California Christmas for the family.
Prefer Big Tree
Preparations for the holiday are made several days before by Dixie, who is in charge of decorations. The Crosbys like lots of decorations and a big tree.
“We got the biggest tree that will fit in the room,” Bing remarked. “I’d say it’s about 15 feet.”
Christmas eve means carols by Bing and the boys—Gary, 17, Phillip and Dennis, 10, and Lindsay, 12. This is a tradition with them and they always visit the homes of Bob Hope, (if they can catch at him at home) Songwriter Johnny Burke, Larry Crosby and other relatives and close friends.
At six o’clock on Christmas morning, the entire family attends Catholic services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. They return home for breakfast.
“We have a big farm breakfast with ham and eggs and all the trimmings,” said Bing. Then come the gifts. He wouldn’t divulge what he was giving the boys. But Lindsay may receive some additions to his collection of unusual toy soldiers. The older boys will probably get some new golf equipment. Like their father, they’re fiends for the game.
Calls In Afternoon
The afternoon is spent on family calls, Bing has three brothers and a sister in Hollywood and most of them have big families. They will probably converge on Bing’s home, since mother Crosby is spending the holidays with him. There will be a sad note to the gathering because of the absence of Bing’s father. He died this year,
“We have dinner late in the afternoon,” said Bing. “Turkey and everything, of course.”
The evening is spent quietly, either calling on or receiving friends. The day ends with an inevitable song session, with the famed Crosby baritone joining in.
That’s the Crosby Christmas. Hope you have a nice one, too.

Filmdom Celebrates Happy Yule Throughout Industry
By BOB THOMAS
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 25—(AP) — It was a happy holiday for the majority of movie workers this year. Film production is keeping on a normal basis, despite the forces facing the industry.
Twas not always so. Even in normal times, the studios used to slack down at Christmas time. The reason was that each day of production costs a great deal of money. Losing the Christmas and New Year holidays mean added expense to a picture’s budget, not to mention the loss of efficiency by pre-holiday celebrations.
But this year production was fairly high, and so are movie workers’ spirits. Next year—well, they’ll worry about that when it comes. . .
Judy Garland is carrying on the “Show Must Go On” tradition. She said she will act in “The Wizard of Oz” on Radio Theater tonight despite her marital break with Vincente Minnelli. . .
N.B.C. will pull a novel stunt on its telecast of the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena New Year’s Day. The picture and commentary by Don Wilson will be carried on the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco TV stations. In addition a Pasadena station will carry commentary in Spanish. This is a service for the thousands of Spanish-speaking residents of this area.
Shirley Temple’s announcement of her film retirement seemed inevitable after the brush-off of news coverage on her marriage. Shirley was always the picture of co-operation with the press during her Hollywood career. Wanna bet the retirement doesn’t stick?. . .
June Allyson snagged the top spot in a movie popularity poll by a trade paper, nosing out Bing Crosby. Maybe that will change things at her studio, where she has long been treated like a stepchild taking roles that other actresses would refuse. I have been saying for five years that she is the most under-rated star in Hollywood. . .
My, Hollywood seems to be growing up. In two recent pictures, “The Magnificent Yankee” and “Halls of Montezuma,” characters actually use the word “hell.” And not in reference to the nether world either. Heavens to Betsy!
Since boyhood, I have heard the old saying “Nobody reads the paper on Christmas Day.” So I might as well give this up and join the festivities. And a merry one to you, too.


JACK BENNY CHRISTMAS SHOW, Dec. 17, 1950

Listen Doc, Can’t You Read?

A surprise appearance in Tex Avery’s ‘Who Killed Who?’





Don’t worry, detective. Only one day to go.

The 1943 cartoon has a bunch of familiar bits Avery used at Warner Bros., including the silhouette of a patron in the theatre being projected onto the screen. But the pace is faster and Tex and his writer have crammed in more gag material.

Something different in this cartoon is the live-action open and close, and the solo organ like you’d hear on radio mystery shows back then. The score is by Scott Bradley and Bernard Katz, according to the U.S. Government Copyright Catalogue. Katz was related to Mel Blanc on his mother’s side.

There are no credits on the version of the cartoon I’ve seen, but John Canemaker’s book credits the animation to Ed Love, Preston Blair and Ray Abrams. It sounds like Billy Bletcher is the detective, with Sara Berner as the skeleton cuckoo bird and Kent Rogers as both the victim and Red Skeleton (animated by Love), with a voice that you’ll hear in the Woody Woodpecker cartoon ‘The Loan Stranger’ (1942). Is that Avery as St. Nick?

Incidentally, if you wonder where the phrase “Let’s not get nosey, bub!” heard in this cartoon, and over at Warners and Lantz, comes from, read this unbylined story from the Madison Capital Times of August 23, 1942.

Catch Phrases of Air Comics Catch Public
New Phrases Added Daily to Our American ‘Slanguage’
AMERICA’S modern language has been colored by radio particularly by those comedians whose joke factories are located in NBC studios.
When Little Johnny wants to contradict his mother nowadays he says, “That ain’t the way I heerd it,” patterned after Bill Thompson’s phrase as the Old Timer with Fibber McGee and Molly.
Thus does radio affect the language of the people of the United States. Catch-phrases from radio are the modern versions of “twenty-three skidoo” and “you tell ‘em, I stutter.” Radio’s comedians add new phrases to the American slanguage every day, and every hep-cat is judged by his knowledge of the latest radio line.
Skelton’s Classic
Red Skelton’s Classic “I Dood It,” besides making newspaper headlines, has become an everyday phrase in young America’s vocabulary, along with his “I would answer that, but it would only wead to bwoodshed,” “If I do, I det a whippin’” and “Now, don’t get nosey, bub.”
Jerry Colonna, on Bob Hope’s program, made “Greetings, gate” a synonym for “hello.”
Molly McGee says “’Tain’t funny, McGee,” and millions stop other millions cold by telling them, “Tain’t funny, McGee.”
Charlie McCarthy’s pet phrase has been a national byword for years—“I’ll clip ‘em. So help me, I’ll mow ‘em down.”
From Al Pearce comes Elmer Burt’s [sic] “I Hope I Hope I Hope,” and Baby Snooks’ contribution is “Why, Daddy?” Meredith Willson has millions of listeners copying his “Well, bend me over and call me stoopid.” Dennis Day says “Yes, please” to Jack Benny, and in every town there are kids from 8 to 80 who say “Yes, please” to every question that calls for an affirmative.

Hollywood Holidays — 1949

Tralfaz note: This post features more old Christmas-themed columns by Hollywood reporter Bob Thomas of the Associated Press.

STARS RECALL THEIR FAVORITE CHRISTMASES
By BOB THOMAS
AP Movie Writer
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 23—What Christmas do you remember most?
This is a sentimental question. Being sentimentalists, movie stars were quick to respond to it. Here are their answers to the AP Hollywood forum question of the day:
GLENN FORD—“It was in 1938 and I had just opened and closed on Broadway in a flop called ‘Soliloquy.’ I was broke, but too proud to write home for money. I walked down Fifth avenue on Christmas Eve, listened to the chimes and looked at the windows. I walked into an automat and treated myself to coffee and pie a la mode with the last 15 cents to my name. That was my Christmas feast.”
BRODERICK CRAWFORD—“I’ll never forget Christmas in Germany in 1944. We had nothing by K rations to eat and no Christmas cards to cheer us up. Fortunately, we found three quarts of brandy so we got happy before we started crying.”
GINGER ROGERS—“I was six years old. My grandmother tagged me and put me on the train for New York where I spent my first Christmas with my mother in several years. I remember I got a tea set and made everybody have tea with me.”
MONTGOMERY CLIFT—“I remember the year the tree burned down. My mother wanted white candles on the tree and my father wanted electric lights. Mother cited an instance when a tree had burned because of a short circuit, so she won out. The tree burned down, and all our presents with it.”
JACK CARSON—“I was eight years old and wanted an electric train. Four days before Christmas, I found it. So on Christmas day I gave perhaps the greatest performance of my career—trying to act surprised.
JANET LEIGH—“The first Christmas I saw snow with 1945. My parents invited me up to a winter lodge. I had my picture taken there, and Norma Shearer saw it and sent it to Hollywood. That was the start of my career.”
JOHN WAYNE—“The Christmas I got my bicycle. That was the year I found out about Santa Claus—but my folks didn't know about it. I wrote a letter to Santa that if I didn’t get a bicycle, I didn’t want anything. My folks had to take back all the things they bought and get me the bicycle.
DANA ANDREWS—“I was on location in Connecticut two years ago at Christmas. I took the family up to Vermont for a real northern holiday. I rented a house, got a horse and sleigh and stayed two and a half months. It was the first time I had seen it snow.”
Linda Darnell — “My favorite was last year, the first Christmas with my daughter, Lola.”
IRENE DUNNE—“I remember when I was nine and had the mumps. The whole Christmas was held around my bed and I got a doll and doll buggy. Believe it or not, I still believe in Santa Claus.”
JOSEPH COTTEN—“I guess my favorite was the year I got my wagon. My cousin had a goat and I let it be known that I wouldn’t be happy unless I got a wagon.”

Wayne Gets Top Rating For Christmas
Number Two On Box-Office List
By BOB THOMAS
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 24.—(AP)—John Wayne isn’t looking for Santa Claus tonight; he already has his Christmas gift.
“Being nominated as number two on the boxoffice list is the best Christmas present I could get,” said the rangy star.
Wayne is philosophic about his success and attributes it to the fact that his films show “honest emotion.”
“The reason some pictures are so bad,” he declared, “is that the director or writer or actor is afraid to show sentiment. They’ll twist the plot around to avoid it. And they are wrong. The world loves sentiment.
“All my successful pictures were hits because they’re frankly sentimental. The women in the audience cried, and they loved it.
“There will be sentiment in my present picture, ‘Jet Pilot,’ too. I’ll play some scenes with a baby. People will be curious to see how a big bruiser handles a baby.”
Acting, he continued, doesn’t require any formal lessons. (Wayne received his dramatic training on the USC football team.)
“Of course, an actor has to acquire poise—either through dramatic schooling or by working in quickies. But lessons don’t make an actor.
“I’ve learned that what’s being said in a scene isn’t so important. It’s the reaction to what’s being said. The more natural the reaction, the better the actor. That’s why kids are so good on the screen—their reactions are completely natural.”
Without appearing so, Wayne is one of the smallest actors in the business. He is aware of his limitations and will not undertake anything that is over his depth. He is also not afraid of work.
“I have four pictures already lined up for next year, which means I’m not going to have any time off. But,” he added hastily, “I’m not complaining.”
Reflecting on his 20-year career in films, Wayne recalled that he was the screen’s first singing cowboy.
“I played a character who always sang when he got mad,” he recalled. “Soon the had me getting mad three times in every picture. That was too much. I’m not a singer, so I bowed out.”
A lad named Gene Autry inherited the job.



JACK BENNY CHRISTMAS SHOW, Dec. 18, 1949

Merry Christmas To Kitty

Nothing exemplifies the benevolent spirit of the holiday season better than beating a cat senseless, decorating it with colourful lights, then plugging its limp tail into a electrical socket to illumine them. All this, while wine-swilling mice join together in a quiet chorus of Winston Sharples’ holiday classic “Christmas is Here.” Makes you feel warmer than rum and egg nog, doesn’t it?



Poor Katnip. All he wants is a turkey dinner and some presents from Santa but he gets wincing violence from trespassing mice.

The credits were ripped off “Mice Meeting You” (1950) when it was released for television decades ago, so the artists may be known only to those who have a compulsion to closely examine the 1950s product of Famous Studios.

Since Herman and Katnip seem to have been influenced by Tom and Jerry, it should be no surprise this gag was likely influenced by one in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.



This was animated by Ken Muse in the Oscar-winner “Quiet Please” (1945).

Hollywood Holidays — 1948

Tralfaz note: This post features more Christmas-themed columns by Hollywood reporter Bob Thomas of the Associated Press.
The first column is a bit humorous, considering Red Skelton treated his writers like crap. And Larry Parks needed some of that “courage” when he appeared before the odious, career-destroying U.S. House (so-called) Un-American Activities Committee in 1951. Read a bit about it HERE.

Stars Tell Santa Claus What to Bring Movieland
BY BOB THOMAS
AP Movie Writer
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 21—(AP)—What should Santa Claus bring Hollywood for Christmas ?
The question is not as dreamy as it might first seem. This is the season when the whole nation is making wishes about what gifts would be welcomed. And—if you would listen to its inhabitants—Hollywood’s needs are considerable.
So I have wheeled out the AP Hollywood Forum to ask stars what they think the movie town needs from Santa. Some of them were stumped for an answer. But most of them came up with the fast replies. Such as these—
Eddie Cantor: “A book on ‘How to Act in Public’.”
Shirley Temple: “The ability to continue to entertain people.”
Dennis O'Keefe: “That the good things Hollywood is doing—such as benefits hospital tours—would be as highly publicized as the few bad things.”
Ava Gardner: “Good Pictures.”
Anne Baxter: “A five-day week.”
Dinah Shore: “A good public relations director who could let the public know that Hollywood is a pretty sane place, despite a few notables who make headlines.”
Gail Russell: “Rain.”
Bob Hope: “Take away the smog—so we can look at the scenery again.”
June Allyson: “Lower Taxes.”
Esther Williams: “Peace and good will. And make everybody love everybody—then we’ll make better pictures.”
Red Skelton: “A little personal kindness. It will go a long way.”
John Payne: “A more sober realization of the immense influence of the picture business and the responsibilities thereby. And a little less concentration on the dollar end—because if you make good pictures, the money will come in anyway.”
Ellen Drew: “Prosperity.”
Jimmy Stewart: “A little man—maybe an elf—who will go around the country and tell, everybody that movies are swell and film people are really fine folks.”
Edward Arnold: “He could bring less toys and more good will.”
Dorothy Lamour: “Better public relations.”
George Raft: “More realism before and behind the camera.”
Larry Parks: “A great deal of honest courage.”
Judy Garland: “A white Christmas.”
• • •
And there we have a good cross-section of what movie stars are thinking about in this Christmas season of 1948. Many of them are concerned about what the rest of the nation thinks about Hollywood. Others are worried about quality of product and working conditions. And some merely wonder about the weather, as who doesn’t.

Christmas In Hollywood Starts Early
By BOB THOMAS
HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 23—(AP)—Listen closely, children, and you’ll hear how Christmas is celebrated in this strange land.
In Brazil, the children hang up their stockings and put out their shoes as well. In Sweden, the Christmas celebration lasts until Jan. 13. Hollywood too has its unusual customs,
Hollywood’s holiday starts in July when studio starlets pose in bathing suits or less before wintry scenes concocted on film stages, with scant regard to season, the curvy cuties hang their stockings in the summer heat—so their likenesses can appear in December magazines.
Christmas begins in earnest on the night before Thanksgiving. Hollywood boulevard is transformed by magic and $50,000 worth of lighted metal trees into Santa Claus lane. Hundreds of thousands of natives and tourists converge on filmtown’s main stem to watch radio and film stars slide past on floats.
The holiday season is declared open. Cautious early shoppers hasten to stores, which they find filled with others just as cautious. Stars mingle with script clerks at the counters as loudspeakers carol “Peace on Earth.”
A Pain to Some
To many stars, Christmas is a pain in the neck. Publicized as generous glamor creatures, they must live the part. They must be bountiful with their gifts, and overlook no one.
A star’s gift list runs into many hundreds. It must include everyone with whom he works from studio chauffeur to production boss. The gifts are according to rank, with the lower-paid workers getting money clips, pocket knives, etc. For the higher-ups, something like a gold cigarette case or a television set will do. Not all stars are so lavish, but many consider it inescapable.
Yes, it’s deductible in their income tax returns, but even so, they argue, it’s just another drain.
Film making is carried on during the morning before Christmas. Most companies do no shooting in the afternoon, possible because the nearness of holiday cheer makes some actors unphotogenic.
Usual Studio Parties
The afternoon of Christmas eve has been devoted to studio parties, but these will probably be scarce or lacking this year. Hollywood has less to celebrate than in previous years.
Christmas day in Hollywood is observed much the same as in any American home. Show business folks are a sentimental lot.
Those who are able see white Christmases in the east at Sun Valley or Lake Arrowhead. But to the native, a Hollywood Christmas can hold much charm.



JACK BENNY CHRISTMAS SHOW, Dec. 19, 1948

Woody Plays Santa

Woody Woodpecker turns a moose into a reindeer and himself into a sleigh-riding Santa as he gets set to dupe Wally Walrus in "Ski For Two" (1944). The moose has a look of horror as he realises he’s going to slide face-first into a chimney on an icy roof. Woody, of course, doesn’t care. After all, he says, “I’m re-pulsive!”





Don Williams and Grim Natwick have the animation credits in this cartoon; Thad Komorowski points out Don did this scene. The best part of the cartoon isn’t the animation, which is pretty basic, but the camerawork. We see the approaching Swiss Chard Lodge from Woody’s perspective as he skis down the hill; the camera jigs to the right and left as it trucks in on the background drawing. And there’s another scene where the camera moves along with Wally’s hand as he grabs food to stuff himself.

Yuletide Bugs

Bugs Bunny tries to sell a Christmas tree at the last minute to Elmer and Filbert Fudd in this Sunday comic from December 24, 1961.



The comic strip Bugs took a bit of a different approach than the cartoons. Bugs seems to have had a variety of small businesses. Sylvester was a mooch who called everyone “Guv’nor” for some reason. Petunia Pig was a regular character, long after her film career ended. And new characters were invented, such as Filbert in this cartoon.

My knowledge of the comic strips is non-existent, but I believe Ralph Heimdahl drew this. The strips through part of the ‘40s actually bore the “signature” of Leon Schlesinger. About the only thing he could draw was Draw Poker.