Cardinals in Las Vegas

I just caught wind of this one, and I just can't help myself. The Cardinals are gathering for a big dinner in - of all places - Las Vegas. Now, I place no bad motives on anyone, or anything like that, I just find it funny that someone thought "Hey, Sin City - that sounds like a great place to have a big shindig!". Anyway, here's my take. You can read more about it over at the American Papist : http://americanpapist.com/blog.html

Cartoon of the Month: "Miss Glory"

After a two-month pause (for causes beyond our control...ahem), welcome back to the usual "Cartoon of the Month" section!
Featured this time, is one of Tex Avery's most unusual and experimental cartoons from the WB period, "Page Miss Glory" (shortened to "Miss Glory" to avoid confusion with the feature film of the same name).
What makes this (uncredited) directorial effort so special is the use of a great Art Deco style, an experimentation that has never been repeated later (unluckily, I have to say, because the visual result is remarkable).
The cartoon is a Busby Berkeley-esque musical, and the above mentioned visual style fits the tone of the genre perfectly, and there's space for some bits of Avery's typical humor.
The innovative tone of the short is also given by the use of unusual shots and camera angles (the drink seen from the inside of a mouth is probably the greatest example).
And to add more fun, watch for caricatures of famed Termite Terrace personalities like Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Avery himself, Bob Cannon and Melvin Millar!

And now, on with the show!


Brought to you by
mmm...donuts

You know what? I'm on DVD!

May 15 is the day when the complete collection of Droopy's MGM theatrical cartoons will be officially released on dvd. WE KNOW some shorts COULD contain cuts ("Droopy's Good Deed" and "Daredevil Droopy")but you also should know that if this set will sale well we will have a complete Avery release next year or in 2009.
It depends from the sales of this two-disc dvd release.

Here's the reasons to buy this dvd set:

1) Some of you could not want to buy this release because they think that the Droopy cartoons will be in the Avery collection.
Let me reiterate with emphasis that if we don't buy this dvd set we will not have an Avery collection!!
2) Another great reason is that the set will also include the non-Avery cartoons (this ones will not be repeated in the Avery release) like the single Lundy effort ("Caballero Droopy") and the Michael Lah cartoons, including some great efforts like "Sheep Wrecked" and "Grin and Share It" plus the AAN "One Droopy Knight"

3) The cartoons will be, if not restored, at least better copies than the ones in the old laserdisc set (the images I posted come from new transfers)

4) You'll have fun with terrific classic cartoons filled with :

SEX

GREAT ANIMATION


CRAZY REACTIONS


GREAT CHARACTERS


AND THIS LITTLE FELLOW TOO.....

SO WAKE UP.....

...AND LET'S THE DANCE BEGIN....


....ON MAY 15!

Well, I'll be seein' ya!
Duck Dodgers

An Itch In Time

"An Itch In Time" (12/4/1943) is a cartoon with very simple premise, and just three characters: a dog, his owner (Elmer Fudd), and a hillbilly flea, all of them introduced within the first 20 seconds. That was enough for Bob Clampett and his amazing crew (Warren Foster, Rod Scribner, Bob McKimson, etc.) to make another miraculously funny, rich and rewarding cartoon. It is one of those cartoons that you can watch dozens of times, and always notice something new.
Take a look at these screenshots...












Between these two screenshots there's a large quantity of funny drawings, enough to fill another post like this.

















"Scwatching, scwatching, scwatching! One more scwatch, and I'll give you a bath!"
Elmer has his most cartoony and appealing design in this cartoon - he has never looked better, before or since "An Itch In Time".









I always found this moment very odd and curious. It's a sudden cut from the long shot to the close-up, without any change of the background. Dog simply materialized himself in another position. Was Clampett experimenting with a radical jump-cut, 15 years before Jean-Luc Godard? Or maybe it's simply a mistake? Whatever's the case, it fits well in this cartoon, and emphasize the poor dog's anguished state of mind.




























"Hey, I'd better cut this out. I might get to like it!"
This is probably the most famous dirty joke in the classic cartoons, a scene that somehow escaped the censor's scissors. There are few other, more subtle and hidden dirty jokes in this cartoon, for those who like to search for them.















"Now I've seen everything!"