"Any Bonds Today" - Leon Schlesinger (1941)

Henry Morgenthau, Jr., Secretary of Treasury under Franklin Roosevelt; had a problem. He had come up with the idea of the Lend Lease program to help the British with the Battle of Britain in 1940 against the Nazi’s, but he needed to come up with a plan to pay for the goods being lent. There was also a possibility that we would not be paid back. Struggling; as we were to come out of the Depression; we could ill afford to lose the any money. The plan called for the creation of a public campaign to champion the cause.

To that end, he put together the idea of a promotion along the lines of what Al Jolson and Charlie Chaplin had done in the Liberty Bond program in the First World War in 1917. Even Irving Berlin got involved in the effort, penning the song “Any Bonds Today?” and copyrighting it to the US Treasury; ensuring that the royalties would go to the government rather than himself.  The song was based on his own song "Any Yams Today?” which had been sung by Ginger Rogers in 1938. That song was also a version of "Any Love Today?” which he wrote in 1931 but never recorded. By now it was July of 1941.

“Any Bonds Today?” became the theme of the CBS program “The Treasury Night”. On those nights the network would host various celebrities who would perform and ask for people to buy the War Bonds to finance the Lend Lease program. In the first month alone Americans bought over $440 million dollars of the bonds, which were the same as Savings Bonds. The song was also recorded by by the Andrews Sisters, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Dick Robertson and Kay Kyser and even and Gene Autry in the film "Home in Wyoming."

By July of 1942 the song was being used in a short film to promote the Bond Drive. It was called “Any Bonds Today?” and featured many big name performers, as well as a new cartoon character named Bugs Bunny, who caused quite a stir when he did a black face imitation of Al Jolson.  The cartoon was actually just about 1 minute long.  At the end Bugs is joined by Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. The cartoon is independent of the Merrie Melodies series and also not listed in the complete catalogue of the Looney Tunes series. It is an independent production done exclusively for the War Department. The entire film took 3 weeks to film and distribute.

Mel Blanc - Man of a Thousand Voices

Each week I try to run a cartoon and many of them have featured the amazing talents of Mel Blanc, arguably the world’s greatest cartoon voice over artist. So, rather than run a cartoon today, I thought I would share this little documentary about him and his work. It contains interviews with Mr. Blanc himself, as well as those who worked with, or were influenced by this highly unusual and creative man.

There are few among us who have not uttered a phrase created by Mr. Blanc, the most obvious being the iconic “What’s Up Doc?” attributed to Bugs Bunny. So, sit back and take a peek behind the curtain and think about the genius it took to juggle all of the hundreds of characters in his head, while still remaining firmly glued to reality.

There are cartoons, created by the likes of Max and Dave Fleischer, who bring all of their artistry to the screen via their illustrations. But no one has ever come close to creating the alternate world in which Mr. Blanc lived and worked for so many years. And that personal involvement with his characters has made all the difference.

"Captain Hareblower" with Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny (1954)

In this send up of the popular C.S. Forester novels about the career of Horatio Hornblower, Yosemite Sam plays the evil Pirate Sam. When he spies the ship bearing our hero Bugs Bunny, his very presence frightens Bugs’ crewmates to literally “jump ship” in the middle of the ocean.

Left alone to battle one another for victory, the two would be buccaneers do everything in their power to gain the upper hand. And, in the end, I’m not really sure who the winner really is…

"8 Ball Bunny" with Bugs Bunny (1949)

Bugs Bunny takes on more than he can handle when he attempts to escort a lost Penguin to his home in the South Pole. Of course, it’s all a misunderstanding on the part of our floppy eared friend, but then again, that’s his charm, isn’t it?

Watch for the very funny cameos by Humphrey Bogart, a la “Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, as the “fellow American” who shows up in the strangest of places, always asking for a handout. That is, until the day when Bugs turns the tables on him, and disposes of his responsibilities to the Penguin as well.

"Mutiny On the Bunny" with Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny (1950)

This is a very funny send up of the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, with Yosemite Sam playing the part of Captain Bligh, while Bugs is his usual out of control self.  When the captain finds his crew has deserted him, he resorts to some trickery to engage a new crew. The results, of course, are predictable, with Bugs coming out, as always, on top. The voiceovers, as always, are done by the inimitable Mel Blanc.

"Confederate Honey" with Bugs Bunny (1940)

This little cartoon was released a year after "Gone With the Wind" hit the silver screen. It is very much simplified and plays lose with the characters and the events, but it's easy to see that this is a satire of the film. I've been getting into looking at these type of cartoons, ones which are takeoffs of films and books. Some of them are very clever. This is one of the not so clever ones.

And of course, here is the trailer for the movie "Gone With the Wind", from which the plot of the cartoon was taken;

"Carrot Blanca" with Bugs Bunny (1945)

This Warner Brothers cartoon from 1945 is a comedic send-up of the 1943 film "Casablanca". The plot is pretty much true to the movie, with a little bit of fun thrown in. With Bugs Bunny playing Rick; Daffy Duck as Sam the piano player; Tweety taking on the Peter Lorre role as Ugarte, and Sylvester Cat as Victor Lazlo, this is a very clever satire of the film. Even Dooley Wilson singing "Knock on Wood" is covered in this 8 minute cartoon.

Rounding out the cast of characters is Porky Pig as Signor Ferrari; the owner of Rick's rival cafe, The Blue Parrot; along with Pepe Le Pew as the suave Captain Renault. And, of course, Yosemite Sam plays Major Strasser, the Nazi in search of "stolen documents." It's amazing at how much of the movie is captured in this cartoon, which is actually featured with the bonus materials on the DVD of the original film.

There are many of these classic cartoon send-ups of some very famous movies. The studios, like Warners, who originally released the films, also owned the rights to them, and were determined to make every last buck off of them. Hence the cartoon versions. Amazingly, they are all equally good, and entertaining as well. Below is the trailer for the original film, just for a little comparison.

"14 Karat Rabbit" with Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam (1951)

This is one of the classic Mel Blanc cartoons. Mel Blanc did all of the voices in the Looney Tones Cartoons back in the late 1940's and the 1950's. Some people have commented on You Tube that this is an anti Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender cartoon. The overwhelming objection seems to be the opening scene, which says "The Klondike - Where Men are Men, and Women are Women - A Darn Good arrangement." I think they are reading way too much into it. This is just a funny cartoon from 1951. Enjoy it!

Bugs Bunny - "A Christmas Carol"

I wanted to do something a bit different for Christmas season this year, and so I've been running some old cartoons, here and there, throughout the month. They're all related to Christmas is some way, and you may recognize one or two from when you were a kid and the magic of Christmas was still real. In other words; before you had to pay for it!

Cynicism aside, this cartoon is, of course, based upon the Charles Dickens novel "A Christmas Carol", and so we present this version, courtesy of You Tube, with our apologies to Mr. Dickens. At the same time, these old cartoons did send some us in search of the real thing at the library. If you've got a grandkid around for the holidays, sit down and watch this with them. They'll remember it long after you're gone. And, in the bargain, they just might find their way to reading the book later on.