Tex made funnier cartoons, but maybe the Yankee Doodle-ism of this Korean War-time short was enough to give it an Oscar nomination. I believe this was the first one he put into production after returning from his year-or-so off at MGM.
Thursday, 23 July 2020
A Little Off the Top
There are a couple of gags in Little Johnny Jet involving the title character and his B-29 bomber dad buzzing the tops of, first, a US Navy blimp and, then, the Sphinx. The end results?
Tex made funnier cartoons, but maybe the Yankee Doodle-ism of this Korean War-time short was enough to give it an Oscar nomination. I believe this was the first one he put into production after returning from his year-or-so off at MGM.
Tex made funnier cartoons, but maybe the Yankee Doodle-ism of this Korean War-time short was enough to give it an Oscar nomination. I believe this was the first one he put into production after returning from his year-or-so off at MGM.
Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Rising Star Elizabeth Montgomery
A witch? A witch who doesn’t really want to be a witch? Who’s going to buy that?
An awful lot of TV viewers, that’s who. And it was mainly thanks to a lovely actress named Elizabeth Montgomery.
Bewitched stayed on the air for eight seasons despite a pretty ridiculous premise. Montgomery, though she played a witch, was the reality anchor of the show. She came across as natural and believable, even as the seasons rolled on and the show got more and more cartoony and over-the-top.
The show featured a couple of extremely skilled dramatic actors, Agnes Moorehead and (on occasion) Maurice Evans. Montgomery may not have been in their league, but she appeared on TV drama in the 1950s and leaned toward dramatic roles after finishing her career as Samantha Stephens.
She was profiled very early in her career. TV Guide of July 24, 1953 featured her and her father, actor and furniture salesman Robert Montgomery (her mother is absent from any mention in the article).
Montgomery died of cancer at the age of 62 in 1995.
Like Dad, Like Daughter?
ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY WILL HAVE TO PROVE IT TO BOB
ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY hopes some day to be known as the famous daughter of a famous father, Robert Montgomery. But if she does, it won’t be because she tied herself to her father’s shirt-tails.
Like any good father who has taken an interest in his offspring’s career, Montgomery is providing as many breaks as he can. He signed her this year as a member of the stock company on his summer TV series. But despite the obvious boost, both father and daughter insist that Liz is to shape her own career.
“I have a standing offer with Liz,” her father said. “Any tie she wants to discuss her career with me, I’m available. But the decisions are hers.”
Because of his lengthy show business experience, however, Montgomery thinks he knows what is best for his daughter professionally.
Liz sat for some publicity pictures, for example, prior to doing her first TV show. When she and Montgomery looked them over, he spotted one he deemed unflattering. He immediately insisted that Liz rip up the copy and have the negative in the network publicity files destroyed.
The younger Montgomery freely admits that she derived her acting ambitions from her father. Now an attractive 20-year-old, she was growing up during her father’s hey-day in Hollywood. “I grew up with Dad’s acting, which probably raised my hopes of becoming an actress,” she said. “But I think I’d have wanted that even if Dad had never acted.”
Liz Competes for Roles
Liz recalls an incident, which she cites to prove that this father-daughter relationship isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Anxious to get a role in Eye Witness, she requested a screen test, which her father granted her. “The only trouble with that,” Liz said sadly, “was that another actress, Ann Sheldon, got the part.”
Liz finally won a part in one of her father’s productions several years later, but this time it was TV. She played the role of the father’s daughter in Top Secret, in 1951. He has his own memories of that experience.
“The last line in the show was the best one in the script,” he recalls. “It was originally to have been mine. But Liz wanted it, so I had to give in. What else could I do?”
Liz hopes some day to emulate her father’s Hollywood success but wants to establish her reputation first in TV and on Broadway. She was graduated in March from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts’ two-year course. To gain further experience, she served as an apprentice last summer at the John Drew Memorial Theater, in Easthampton, L.I.
Plays Ingenue Parts
She is playing ingenue roles in Montgomery’s TV stock company this summer, and because of her youthful experience, is already fearful that she may be typed. “Even though I’m 20 now,” she says ruefully, “everybody thinks I’m about 15. If this keeps up, I’ll probably be playing ingenues until I’m 40.”
Again following in her father’s footsteps, Liz would prefer to play comedy roles. She would also like to try her hand at musical comedy but confesses, “I can’t sing.” She has had ballet training, in case a Broadway musical ever materializes.
With the exception of that one role in her father’s show, she has done not TV, mostly because the Academy frowns on its students doing outside work. Liz is thankful to the Academy for teaching her to reach lines ell, something which her father has been impressing on her for years.
“Dad taught me to read everything since I was a little girl,” she said.
Although he still intends to let her live her own professional life, Montgomery will be on hand all summer to produce the TV series in which Elizabeth plays. But he insists he won’t favor her over others in the cast, including John Newland, Margaret Hayes and Vaughn Taylor. She’ll have to prove herself.
An awful lot of TV viewers, that’s who. And it was mainly thanks to a lovely actress named Elizabeth Montgomery.
Bewitched stayed on the air for eight seasons despite a pretty ridiculous premise. Montgomery, though she played a witch, was the reality anchor of the show. She came across as natural and believable, even as the seasons rolled on and the show got more and more cartoony and over-the-top.
The show featured a couple of extremely skilled dramatic actors, Agnes Moorehead and (on occasion) Maurice Evans. Montgomery may not have been in their league, but she appeared on TV drama in the 1950s and leaned toward dramatic roles after finishing her career as Samantha Stephens.
She was profiled very early in her career. TV Guide of July 24, 1953 featured her and her father, actor and furniture salesman Robert Montgomery (her mother is absent from any mention in the article).
Montgomery died of cancer at the age of 62 in 1995.
Like Dad, Like Daughter?
ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY WILL HAVE TO PROVE IT TO BOB
ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY hopes some day to be known as the famous daughter of a famous father, Robert Montgomery. But if she does, it won’t be because she tied herself to her father’s shirt-tails.
Like any good father who has taken an interest in his offspring’s career, Montgomery is providing as many breaks as he can. He signed her this year as a member of the stock company on his summer TV series. But despite the obvious boost, both father and daughter insist that Liz is to shape her own career.
“I have a standing offer with Liz,” her father said. “Any tie she wants to discuss her career with me, I’m available. But the decisions are hers.”
Because of his lengthy show business experience, however, Montgomery thinks he knows what is best for his daughter professionally.
Liz sat for some publicity pictures, for example, prior to doing her first TV show. When she and Montgomery looked them over, he spotted one he deemed unflattering. He immediately insisted that Liz rip up the copy and have the negative in the network publicity files destroyed.
The younger Montgomery freely admits that she derived her acting ambitions from her father. Now an attractive 20-year-old, she was growing up during her father’s hey-day in Hollywood. “I grew up with Dad’s acting, which probably raised my hopes of becoming an actress,” she said. “But I think I’d have wanted that even if Dad had never acted.”
Liz Competes for Roles
Liz recalls an incident, which she cites to prove that this father-daughter relationship isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Anxious to get a role in Eye Witness, she requested a screen test, which her father granted her. “The only trouble with that,” Liz said sadly, “was that another actress, Ann Sheldon, got the part.”
“The last line in the show was the best one in the script,” he recalls. “It was originally to have been mine. But Liz wanted it, so I had to give in. What else could I do?”
Liz hopes some day to emulate her father’s Hollywood success but wants to establish her reputation first in TV and on Broadway. She was graduated in March from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts’ two-year course. To gain further experience, she served as an apprentice last summer at the John Drew Memorial Theater, in Easthampton, L.I.
Plays Ingenue Parts
She is playing ingenue roles in Montgomery’s TV stock company this summer, and because of her youthful experience, is already fearful that she may be typed. “Even though I’m 20 now,” she says ruefully, “everybody thinks I’m about 15. If this keeps up, I’ll probably be playing ingenues until I’m 40.”
Again following in her father’s footsteps, Liz would prefer to play comedy roles. She would also like to try her hand at musical comedy but confesses, “I can’t sing.” She has had ballet training, in case a Broadway musical ever materializes.
With the exception of that one role in her father’s show, she has done not TV, mostly because the Academy frowns on its students doing outside work. Liz is thankful to the Academy for teaching her to reach lines ell, something which her father has been impressing on her for years.
“Dad taught me to read everything since I was a little girl,” she said.
Although he still intends to let her live her own professional life, Montgomery will be on hand all summer to produce the TV series in which Elizabeth plays. But he insists he won’t favor her over others in the cast, including John Newland, Margaret Hayes and Vaughn Taylor. She’ll have to prove herself.
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Mickey's Cab Keeps It Clean
Traffic Troubles (1931) contains some familiar gags: trying to fit a hippo into a small vehicle, a car going above another car hogging the road, a car biting another car, an angry car exploding black smoke at someone from the exhaust pipe. Walt Disney and his breakaway animators, Ub Iwerks and Hugh Harman/Rudy Ising used them all.
There’s also a license plate gag in Traffic Troubles. Mickey’s car blows a tire. As the car sinks to the right, the license plate turns upside down.
There are some good routines in this one. Mickey’s interrogated by a cop that won’t let him talk. Bumps in the road change the price on the taxi meter. And there’s a bizarre scene where Minnie plays a concertina while Mickey jumps on a pig attached to a hose. The jumping forces air from the pig through the hose and into the flat tire. There’s a great smash-up at the end so Disney’s animator can show off how many feathers he can animate in one scene.
There’s also a license plate gag in Traffic Troubles. Mickey’s car blows a tire. As the car sinks to the right, the license plate turns upside down.
There are some good routines in this one. Mickey’s interrogated by a cop that won’t let him talk. Bumps in the road change the price on the taxi meter. And there’s a bizarre scene where Minnie plays a concertina while Mickey jumps on a pig attached to a hose. The jumping forces air from the pig through the hose and into the flat tire. There’s a great smash-up at the end so Disney’s animator can show off how many feathers he can animate in one scene.
Monday, 20 July 2020
Fans of Piggy Pack Theatre
Everything rocks back and forth to Frank Marsales’ beat in You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’ (1931) as patrons, including an enthusiastic duck, stream into a theatre.
There are 24 drawings to this cycle, animated one per frame. This is close to the timing in the actual cartoon.
This starts out as a typical Harman-Ising cartoon for Warner Bros.—familiar character design, girl-friend with a falsetto voice singing “la la la” while getting ready, blackened character exclaiming “Mammy!”—but takes a turn toward the end with some wilder animation as alcohol envelopes the proceedings. Gus Arnheim’s band bubbles away nicely.
This was one of two cartoons starring Piggy.
Friz Freleng and Norm Blackburn are the credited animators.
There are 24 drawings to this cycle, animated one per frame. This is close to the timing in the actual cartoon.
This starts out as a typical Harman-Ising cartoon for Warner Bros.—familiar character design, girl-friend with a falsetto voice singing “la la la” while getting ready, blackened character exclaiming “Mammy!”—but takes a turn toward the end with some wilder animation as alcohol envelopes the proceedings. Gus Arnheim’s band bubbles away nicely.
This was one of two cartoons starring Piggy.
Friz Freleng and Norm Blackburn are the credited animators.
Sunday, 19 July 2020
Pssst...Wanna Real Bargain?
This appeared in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph of March 2, 1936. Jack’s show hadn’t moved permanently to Los Angeles at this point; he only went there from New York when he was making a movie. The paper’s entertainment section used a gimmick for about two years that the office cat would write columns in the form of letters to entertainment reporter Jane Hamilton. The drawing of the cat (there were different ones) that accompanied the article is below.
Jack Benny Buys Two Tickets To See Himself Broadcast From Radio City
By EBBERBELLE (the office cat.)
Dear Jane:
Well . . . spring is within a gunshot of being here! And here am I full of the wanderlust and indulging in my week's work.As I look back over the week . . . grasping for things to report that you never heard before . . . my brow furrows . . . The most interesting news . . . was that story that Tom Harrington told about the Jack Benny tickets.
Harrington was the production man on the the Benny program last night . . . He's the production man on all the Benny shows, for that matter, and he was telling about the ticket situation in New York.
Somebody said they had two tickets for the Benny program they'd sell for $40 apiece . . . Now that's a laugh . . . you know, because you can't be allowed to sell broadcast tickets . . . they're free . . . if you cart get them which you usually can't.
Well, Harrington was telling about a time once in New York when he and Jack Benny had gone out to get a bite to eat between broadcasts . . . and were going back into Radio City . . . A furtive looking young man approached them and said . . .
"I've got a couple of tickets for the Benny show . . . want to buy 'em?"
Jack Benny said, "Sure . . . How much?"
"Oh," said the dumb egg, "they're for the late show . . . they'll only be $2.00 . . . I let a couple for the early show go for Five."
Jack Benny gave the guy $2.00 . . . and walked into Radio City for his broadcast.
Yeah . . . I thought that was funny, too.
Saturday, 18 July 2020
Disney or Money
How many young men and women wanted jobs in animation because they watched cartoons when they were kids?
Without providing you with any proof, I suspect the number is countless.
Well, let’s provide a smidgen of proof.
Walt Disney Productions attracted would-be Freddie Moores and Bill Tytlas, as revealed in this article in the McClure Newspaper Syndicate’s “TV Keynotes” column that appeared in papers starting around March 4, 1957. The service had a little chat with animator Volus Jones about life (and pay) at Disney; he animated the scene from Clown of the Jungle to the right. Jones worked in a number of other studios, including Columbia/Screen Gems and Walter Lantz, then headed to Hanna-Barbera. He died on May 3, 2004 at age 90.
Hopefuls Write To Walt Disney
by STEPHEN H. SCHEUER
Every week, hundreds of kids write Walt Disney asking to work for his mammoth organization.
When they become older, and a bank account takes precedence over membership in “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the job has less appeal.
“Beginners start at Disney as ‘in-betweeners,’” admitted animator Volus Jones, “making between $55 and $60 a week.” (About what errand boys earn at the other Hollywood studios.)
An “in betweener” has the tedious task of sketching hundreds of individual cartoons which go “in between” an animator's major drawings.
“Of course,” continued Jones, “the salary shoots up after a while. A top Disney director earns up to $25,000 a year.
“That's high in the art field, but mighty low for motion pictures and TV. A man directing a 'live' movie is usually worth $100,000 or more.”
At this salary scale, it might seem that Disney would have trouble keeping his best men. Which is partially true. Graduates of the Disney studio who have set out on their own include Walt Kelly, creator of "Pogo Possum"; Hank Ketchum, responsible for the antics of "Dennis the Menace"; and Ace magazine cartoonist Virgil Partch.
Why has Jones (who played a major role in developing Donald Duck), remained with Disney for more than twenty years?
“I like Walt,” he answered. “And there's more creative freedom at our studio than with any other cartoon outfit in town.”
Turning to the problems of animation, Jones noted that the toughest figure to draw is a human being. “Which is why we often roto-scope humans,” he said. Using the roto-scope technique, a model is photographed, and the photo traced on drawing paper. Marge Champion was, for example, the original model for Snow White.
“The smaller an animal,” continued Jones, “the easier to draw. A mouse may be a frightful thing to find in your kitchen, but animators love them.”
Squirrels are also popular. It could be because they work for peanuts.
Without providing you with any proof, I suspect the number is countless.
Well, let’s provide a smidgen of proof.
Hopefuls Write To Walt Disney
by STEPHEN H. SCHEUER
Every week, hundreds of kids write Walt Disney asking to work for his mammoth organization.
When they become older, and a bank account takes precedence over membership in “The Mickey Mouse Club,” the job has less appeal.
“Beginners start at Disney as ‘in-betweeners,’” admitted animator Volus Jones, “making between $55 and $60 a week.” (About what errand boys earn at the other Hollywood studios.)
An “in betweener” has the tedious task of sketching hundreds of individual cartoons which go “in between” an animator's major drawings.
“Of course,” continued Jones, “the salary shoots up after a while. A top Disney director earns up to $25,000 a year.
“That's high in the art field, but mighty low for motion pictures and TV. A man directing a 'live' movie is usually worth $100,000 or more.”
At this salary scale, it might seem that Disney would have trouble keeping his best men. Which is partially true. Graduates of the Disney studio who have set out on their own include Walt Kelly, creator of "Pogo Possum"; Hank Ketchum, responsible for the antics of "Dennis the Menace"; and Ace magazine cartoonist Virgil Partch.
Why has Jones (who played a major role in developing Donald Duck), remained with Disney for more than twenty years?
“I like Walt,” he answered. “And there's more creative freedom at our studio than with any other cartoon outfit in town.”
Turning to the problems of animation, Jones noted that the toughest figure to draw is a human being. “Which is why we often roto-scope humans,” he said. Using the roto-scope technique, a model is photographed, and the photo traced on drawing paper. Marge Champion was, for example, the original model for Snow White.
“The smaller an animal,” continued Jones, “the easier to draw. A mouse may be a frightful thing to find in your kitchen, but animators love them.”
Squirrels are also popular. It could be because they work for peanuts.
Friday, 17 July 2020
Figaro?
Sylvester avoids stuff thrown at him by Elmer Fudd in the terrific cartoon Back Alley Oproar (1948).
Sylvester ducks down, slowly pops his head up and asks “Figaro?”
Satisfied the bombardment has ended, he jumps up onto the fence and enthusiastically finishes his song just as a boot comes flying to boot him off the fence.
Friz Freleng’s next two releases were Buccaneer Bunny and Bugs Bunny Rides Again. Three real winners, all written by Mike Maltese and Tedd Pierce.
Sylvester ducks down, slowly pops his head up and asks “Figaro?”
Satisfied the bombardment has ended, he jumps up onto the fence and enthusiastically finishes his song just as a boot comes flying to boot him off the fence.
Friz Freleng’s next two releases were Buccaneer Bunny and Bugs Bunny Rides Again. Three real winners, all written by Mike Maltese and Tedd Pierce.
Thursday, 16 July 2020
Pugilist Pudgy
The underwhelming Pudgy the Watchman (1938) climaxes with the title character getting into a fight with a Jack Mercer cat that has taken his job.
Four drawings are used in a cycle (one per frame) with the background slightly moving to give the scene more of a feeling of motion.
Pudgy bites the cat’s tail. Another cycle, this one with three drawings. They alternate 1-2-1-3, one per frame.
So let’s see. Betty wants Pudgy to catch mice. Pudgy won’t. Betty hires a cat to catch mice. The cat catches mice like Betty wants. Pudgy still has a home, but has one less thing to do that he’s not doing anyway. But the cat’s the bad guy. Oh, well.
Tom Johnson and Hal Walker are the credited animators.
Four drawings are used in a cycle (one per frame) with the background slightly moving to give the scene more of a feeling of motion.
Pudgy bites the cat’s tail. Another cycle, this one with three drawings. They alternate 1-2-1-3, one per frame.
So let’s see. Betty wants Pudgy to catch mice. Pudgy won’t. Betty hires a cat to catch mice. The cat catches mice like Betty wants. Pudgy still has a home, but has one less thing to do that he’s not doing anyway. But the cat’s the bad guy. Oh, well.
Tom Johnson and Hal Walker are the credited animators.
Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Two Comedy Greats, One Silent, One Not
he finds he likes them after forty years in show business
GROUCHO MARX, whose NBC show, You Bet Your Life, has been consistently among the Nation’s favorites, has been accused of sometimes presenting contestants in an unfavorable light in order to get laughs. It’s one charge that can cut through the poise built up during 40 years of show business.
“I don’t insult people on my show, I spoof them,” Groucho says indignantly. “Others who did insult contestants have failed. You Bet Your Life wouldn’t be a hit, if I did. There’s a big difference between kidding and ridicule.”
As a matter of fact, Groucho, whose barbed wit was the highpoint of many shows and movies before he turned to television, has grown to genuinely like and appreciate people while doing the thousands of interviews involved in his quiz show.
“My estimation of people has risen tremendously in the past six years,” Marx says. “There are a lot of wonderful people in the world, and this job has given me a chance to meet them.
“I’ve seen poor people give their prizes to charity. I’ve met baseball umpires and the motorcycle cops who hide behind billboards, and they’re nothing like what you’d expect.
“I find that they enjoy the fun of the shows, whether they win or not, and they like a lot of spoofing. That goes for everybody, because I’ve quizzed people from some 50 countries, and the list has included Congressmen, admirals, and other people you might expect to be stiff and formal.”
In six years, Groucho has learned to take everything in his stride, including a woman with two husbands named Bodovnic, triplet sisters from Pinsk, Russia, and the Irish janitor of a synagogue.
“I’ve never been stumped yet,” Marx says. “I guess those years of trouping do something for you.”
In fact, he considers being a quizmaster a soft job. “Next to robbing a bank, it’s about the easiest of all,” Groucho contends. “But this is the culmination of years of hard knocks, believe me. Maybe I’ve earned this kind of job.”
In spite of his gruff pose, Groucho is happy that his show has succeeded and pleased that it appeals to a full cross-section of the public.
He gets letters and an occasional gift from viewers all over the country. Contestants strive for a place on his program, not only for the prizes and the fun of matching wits with Groucho, but because it can be a stepping stone to the movies. One young Mexican, a natural comedian, was signed to a Hollywood contract immediately after appearing on Groucho’s show.
This happy way of life caps nearly 40 years of nomadic trouping in vaudeville, stage, motion picture and radio roles for Groucho.
He started in 1906, at the age of 11, when he joined a Gus Edwards troupe as a boy soprano. Born Julius Marx in New York City on October 2, 1895, he and his brothers Leonard (Chico), Adolph (Harpo), Milton (Gummo) and Herbert (Zeppo) were spurred to theatrical careers by their mother Minna.
Early Days Were Hard
The hardships of the early days in their struggle for success still cling to Groucho’s retentive memory. On a vaudeville circuit in Canada he strolled by a theater one day and was stopped by the unrestrained sounds of laughter. He looked in and saw a bushy-haired, baggy-pants comedian, recently immigrated from England. It was Charlie Chaplin.
Their tours finally brought them to Los Angeles simultaneously and there a film producer spotted Chaplin and offered him $100 a week in pictures. “I won’t take it,” said Chaplin.
“Why not?” asked Groucho.
“Nobody can be worth that much money!” scoffed Chaplin.
Several years later, Groucho returned to Los Angeles. He received an invitation to Chaplin’s home for a party. It was a palatial residence, with formally-dressed servants, sparkling silverware and all the accoutrements of costly living.
The few years had brought a striking change in Chaplin’s manner of living but not corresponding mental satisfaction. “He once said to me, ‘You’re the greatest comedian of all’”, Groucho recalls now, “but I attribute that to his admiration of someone who could speak on a stage, instead of being confined to pantomime.
A Comfortable Life
To Groucho, the experiences of 58 years of hardy living have brought beneficial results in that he knows what he wants and achieves his desires. He lives comfortably in Beverly Hills. His program has settled into a relaxed weekly schedule.
Groucho spends much of his free time with old friends, like Norman Krasna, Hollywood writer, and with his children. His two oldest children, Arthur and Miriam, are writers. Groucho’s youngest daughter, Melinda, 7, finds him always willing to take time to play with her.
P.S. from Yowp: This article, with accompanying photos, appeared in TV Guide of July 24, 1953.
Tuesday, 14 July 2020
Clothes in Context
The villain doesn’t lie in Tex Avery’s The Hick Chick. He promises Daisy June more clothes than she has ever dreamed of. “All about you will be clothes, clothes, clothes!”
Cut to the gag shot.
Avery and gagman Heck Allen carry it further. “Here are your clothes, my little dove,” gestures the villain. “Millions of clothes. And all of them dirty!” Cut to the next gag shot.
The villain forces Daisy June to wash them all in an animation cycle.
The cartoon was released in May 1946 but you can see by Claude Smith’s model sheet, it was in production well before then.
Preston Blair was still in Avery’s unit then, along with Walt Clinton, Ed Love and Ray Abrams. Frank Graham attempts a Charles Boyer voice for the villain.
Cut to the gag shot.
Avery and gagman Heck Allen carry it further. “Here are your clothes, my little dove,” gestures the villain. “Millions of clothes. And all of them dirty!” Cut to the next gag shot.
The villain forces Daisy June to wash them all in an animation cycle.
The cartoon was released in May 1946 but you can see by Claude Smith’s model sheet, it was in production well before then.
Preston Blair was still in Avery’s unit then, along with Walt Clinton, Ed Love and Ray Abrams. Frank Graham attempts a Charles Boyer voice for the villain.
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