Christmas Comes But Once a Year - Max and Dave Fleischer (1936)

Once again I am going to post a cartoon from Christmas past in the days leading up to the holiday. I always loved this old classic. I’m posting it again because it’s a great example of the quality of the animation in the 1930's. And, Max and Dave Fleischer were two of the best.

They often worked separately on various projects, though their best works are probably the collaborations they produced with the Popeye cartoons and Betty Boop series. They also made a boatload of feature cartoons like this one, which is a wonderful little story about an orphanage on Christmas morning. If you have seen this before, I hope that you enjoy it once more. 

"Betty in Blunderland" with Betty Boop (Dave Fleischer - 1933)

Here's fanciful version of Betty Boop as "Alice in Wonderland" by Dave Fleischer. I love the fluidity of these old cartoons. They seem to have a life of their own.

As always, these cartoons are posted in the hope that my 4 granddaughters, Aliyah, Trinity, Molly and Julia will enjoy them. Well, I can hope. After all, these old cartoons are up against Dora the Explorer. That's rough competition, though I still prefer the old ones.

The direct benefit to me is of course; and not really having to think too hard about what to post on a lazy Saturday in July.

"Popeye the Sailor" with Betty Boop (1933)

What could be more entertaining than a classic cartoon featuring 2 of the most recognizable feature cartoon characters in it? In this 8 minute classic, Popeye the Sailor finds himself ashore after an ocean voyage. He elects to take Olive Oyl to the Carnival with predictable results, as he and Bluto compete in their never ending quest for her affections.

When the Hula Hula dancer (Betty Boop) makes her appearance and Popeye jumps on stage to perform with her, Bluto sees his chance and takes it; or rather, Olive; and kidnaps her with the intention of making her his wife whether she likes it or not.

By the way, while Popeye is dancing, at about 5 minutes into the cartoon, he encounters a snake on stage, and places his pipe under the serpents nose, quickly neutralizing the snake and calling into question just what was in that pipe? This is not the first time I have sensed that Popeye was a “smoker.” In several other cartoons he uses his pipe as a blowtorch to open the can and then inhales the “spinach” through the pipe.

Once Popeye realizes that Olive is gone and in danger, he jumps into “high” gear; and the chase is on to save the woman of his dreams. As in all of the old cartoons, everything works out in the end for Popeye and Olive. This is a unique cartoon in that it is the first one for Popeye and the only one in which he appears with Betty Boop. He also sings the entire theme song, which was composed by Sammy Lerner in 1933 for this cartoon. It was also a hit for Hoagy Carmichael, which I play in my car, much to most people’s disbelief.

Until this cartoon’s release in 1933, Popeye had only been in the funny papers since January of 1929, drawn by E.C. Segar for the Thimble Theater series. Segar had been working with King Features Syndicate since 1919. Riding the wave of success surrounding the Betty Boop cartoons, Max Fleischer decided to animate the cartoon strip, He chose a Betty Boop cartoon to do it in, figuring that if it failed to gain any traction, it wouldn’t be noticed for long.

Of course, Betty Boop may have remained a staple in the world of classic cartoons, but Popeye went on to greater success in the 1950’s when King Features re-vitalized him in a new format featuring Brutus in Bluto’s place. Those cartoons never did measure up to the “trippy” style which rolled out of the studios during the 1930’s, making them a delight to watch even today, over 80 years later.

"I Heard" with Betty Boop" - Dave Fleischer (1932)

In this 1932 classic from Dave Fleischer, Betty is the waitress at a mining camp. The cartoon begins with real life band leader Don Redman and His Orchestra performing the soundtrack for this entirely musical cartoon. 

Great animation, as always with a Fleischer production, make the machinations of the mine almost life like. And, at the end of the shift, the workers all repair to Betty Boop’s Saloon for some food and entertainment.

Through the dumbwaiter, Betty finds herself down in the mine where she sees not only the workers in action, but runs across some other worldly creatures in the process. With the assistance of Ko Ko and Bimbo, along with some dynamite, she is able to escape the mine, while at the same time planting these other wordly characters back where they truly belong; in the grave and not just underground.

The delightful soundtrack of this cartoon is pure swing, with that big band sound, lending even more fluidity to Mr. Fleischer’s visual efforts. These cartoons are like gems. There is really nothing like them around anymore. That’s why I love You Tube.

"Popeye Meets Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" - (1937)

In this 1937 release Popeye continues fighting the good fight against classical villains such as Sinbad in 1936. This story has him in the Middle East where he meets up with Ali Baba and his Forty Thieves. The battle is on for our intrepid hero, as he seemingly waltzes his way through the swords and knives, armed with only his can of spinach and a wry sense of humor. They always seem to save the day for him, so he must have known something we don’t. Or maybe it wasn’t really spinach? Just athought…

So many of the early cartoons, as well as films, were based upon classical literature, which is not as common these days. The box office demands something new each week, devouring millions, but imparting very little of really classical variety; the occasional “Merchant of Venice” with Al Pacino excepted. But, those films are rare these days.

Even the earliest of the silent cartoons were set to classical music when we were kids. TV had to have soundtracks, so they largely used classical recordings without copyrights. No matter, they gave so many of us kids in the 1950’s an ear for music. No point to this post, just more ramblings from the past for consumption by others in the future. Enjoy the cartoon, and listen to Popeye closely. He says some funny stuff.

"Ants in the Plants" - Max and Dave Fleischer (1940)

This highly imaginative and colorful cartoon was released in March 1940 by Max and Dave Fleischer. It is a glimpse into the lives of the hardest working insects on the planet; ants. Highly organized and motivated, these little fellows can do more work; and even more damage; to anything they set their little minds upon.

In this tale, the ants are gathered in school and taught about the dangers lurking in the world they inhabit. Chief amongst their concerns are, of course, ant eaters. The ants even have an early warning system in the event of a sudden attack by their natural predator.

A fun cartoon with a little bit of a lesson to it. This cartoon came out in the last days of the Great Depression, and when viewed in that light, the lessons are obvious; stick together and work hard, battling your common enemies. It’s the only way to survive. 

"Donald's Happy Birthday" with Donald Duck (1949)

In this classic from 1949, Donald really screws things up when he takes too strict a stance with his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. When the three devoted nephews take on extra chores in order to buy him a birthday present, he thinks they are going to squander the money. So, he takes it from them, only to have them take it back. But, boys being boys, the money is recovered just in time to get Uncle Donald something special for his birthday; and Donald Duck, being Donald Duck, manages to misconstrue the whole affair, finally looking for a hole to crawl into. A great cartoon which speaks to the issue of “trust” with the ones whom you love.

"Hoppity Goes to Town" by Max and Dave Fleischer (1941)

If you have never seen this wonderfully idealistic cartoon before, then here's your chance. Max and Dave Fleischer, my favorite cartoonists of all time, collaborated on this 1 hour and 12 minute feature in 1941. The story takes place in New York City, in a weed patch known as Bugville. The inhabitants of this tiny weeded lot are making an attempt to live peacefully amongst themselves, as well as their human hosts, with all sorts of problems.

The myriad of characters are a sheer joy; there is Hoppity the grasshopper, the dreamer; Mr. Bumble Bee, who owns the honey shop, and his daughter Honey Bee; C. Bagley Beetle, a businessman, who schemes for greed, and enjoyment; Smack, the aptly named Mosquito; and Swat the common fly. Last, but not least is Little Buzz, a "young bee" who is a member of the Bee Scouts.

Long before contemporary animated films such as "Avatar", with all of its technology; or "Wally", with its politically correct message, would attempt to tackle the problems of mankind, Max and Dave Fleischer were already taking note of the human condition. Then, with the comparatively primitive technology available to them at the time, they played it back to us in the form of simple animation, hoping that we would see ourselves more clearly.

Look closely, and somewhere in this cartoon you will see yourself, as well as all of the problems with which we still live today. Throw in a couple of cool songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, and this is a really entertaining piece of work. The film was also released under the title "Mr. Bugs Goes to Town."