Captains Christmas" with The Captain and the Kids (1938)

The Captain is playing Santa for the Kids, while his old nemesis Long John and his henchmen plan to rob him up and take all the presents for the boys.   But the band of would be robbers make a mess of the whole scheme.

When John does get in the house by accident he is dazed from a fall down the chimney and quickly reverts to being a big kid, playing with the toys he had intended to steal. While playing with the toys  things get out of hand and he winds up breaking them all, leaving the kids in tears.

Confronted by the heartbroken boys; as well as his conscience; he sets out to replace the gifts by singing Christmas Carols with his gang. They sing so poorly at first that people throw things at them to stop. But with a little effort they wind up singing beautifully and the people wind up throwing presents at them instead.

Gathering the gifts up in the sleigh the band of pirates then return to the scene of the “crime” in the true Christmas spirit, delighting the boys and assuaging John’s guilt. In the end all works out well and Christmas is saved.

There were only 15 Captain and the Kids cartoons made. This one was released in theaters on December 17, 1938.

"Cleaning House" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

Here we go again with the Captain and the Kids. This time the whole family gets in on the action as Mama tries to get the house cleaned up a bit. If she’s expecting any sincere help from either the Captain or the Kids, she’s going to be sorely disappointed.

As the children fool around and try to convince Mama that they are the two little angels she thinks they are, the Captain is busy trying to do as little work as possible. This proves to be harder than “factually” working, and when faced with the 2 choices; working or faking it; he decides to fake a heart attack instead. Mama is beside herself with concern, but the boys are wise to the Captains trick.

Dr. Quack; from Dr. Quack and Stork; is summoned and turns out to be an imitation of W.C. Fields along with a little mannequin who is unmistakably Charlie McCarthy. That’s what I like about these old cartoons; they take license to poke fun at other entertainers of the time. And guess what? Nobody sued one another over it. There was still a sense of humor in the entertainment world.

Anyway, Dr. Quack hurries over and Dr. Stork follows with a Bundle of Joy, thinking a baby is coming. Mama slams the door in Dr. Stork’s face- she doesn't want any more kids, thank you. Meantime the boys have gotten the Captain into bed just in time for Dr. Quack to check him out. What follows is a series of antics all designed to get the Captain to admit his slacking and beg for relief from Dr. Quack.

Dr. Stork gets past Mama and delivers the baby; who turns out to be the Charlie McCarthy mannequin; the Captain is horrified that he has had a child. He confesses all to Mama and she puts him to work doing everyone’s chores. The boys never do get “found out” in this one. The cartoon closes out with everyone but the Captain eating dinner to the strains of “There’s No Place Like Home.”

"Old Smokey" - The Captain and the Kids (1938)

These cartoons are new to me so I will be posting all 15 of them; one each Saturday as I discover them. I watch one a week and then post it. Hey, don’t knock it - if you were doing this blog every day you’d be strung out for ideas, too!

This week’s episode actually doesn’t feature the kids at all. It’s the story of a man and his horse. When Smokey, the local fire department horse, is replaced by a new fire engine he is heartbroken. He leaves the firehouse with an old man and pulling the old hand pump tuck. His future looks bleak.

The Captain meantime is busy with polishing his new engine, thinking he is the luckiest guy in the world. Then the first fire call comes in. Rushing to the scene the Captain loses control of the rig and the truck is severely damaged.  Smokey; who meanwhile is plodding along with the old man; smells the fire and hauls himself; the old man; and the pump truck to the fire, putting out the blaze with a torrent of water.

The Captain; taking a page from the Little Red Lighthouse, realizes the value of loyalty and service, quickly reuniting with hid old partner. This is only the 3^rd of the 15 Captain and the Kids cartoons I have seen. I like them, not only for the fact that they are new to me, but also because of the quality of the animation and the presence of a coherent plot, capped off with a moral lesson.

"Petunia Natural Park" - Captain and the Kids (1939)

Continuing on with another of the Captain and the Kid’s cartoons, in this one we find the entire Katzenjammer family on an outing in Petunia Natural Park. Lots of sight gags and double entendre stuff to laugh at. At one point, when Mama takes a picture of a bear, she ends up on the other end of the camera and then goes on to run afoul of the law when she picks a flower.

  

Meantime the Captain falls victim to an undercover ranger while feeding a bear. And the boys have their own experiences with the natural geysers when they use it for the car radiator; causing an unexpected reaction; and also give some to the Captain to drink!

This is one of the few color cartoons of the Captain and the Kids series. The artwork is excellent and the story is funny enough to hold the interest of even the most uninterested adult. And, to top it off the humor is timeless.

"Seal Skinners" - Captain and the Kids Cartoon (1939)

In 1938 MGM launched a series of cartoons based on the characters featured in the comic strip “The Captain and the Kids” which was originated by Rudolph Dirk. The strip was actually just another version of his highly popular classic “The Katzenjammer Kids.” Dirks was that strip’s original creator and Harold H. Knerr did the drawings. “The Captain and the Kids” cartoons would number 15 in all; released during the years 1938 and 1939.

For some reason the series didn't catch on with the public and was relegated to the back shelves until the advent of television. As more and more households purchased TV sets there was a serious lack of new shows to fill the time. As the 1950’s rolled around the television became the first thing many children saw in the mornings; even before their parents woke up. I remember waking up many a day and seeing the test pattern still on the tube, waiting for start of the broadcast day with the Star Spangled Banner and sometimes even a morning editorial. Then came the cartoons.

This series is interesting because it was produced by William Hanna; later of Hanna-Barbera fame; and the voice over genius of Mel Blanc. If Lon Chaney was the Man of a Thousand Faces, then surely Mel Blanc was the Man of a Thousand Voices. He would go on to become the voice of every character heard in a thousand Looney Toon cartoons. In this cartoon he is the voice of John Silver. The Captain was done by Billy Bletcher.

The plot for this cartoon is relatively simple; a seal has escaped from the circus; Jingling Brothers; and a reward of $100,000 is offered for his return. Bad guys John Silver and the Captain both show up as cabdrivers, offering to take him home. Of course their motives are less than honorable, and soon the seal finds himself in a battle of wits with the two witless ones.

But, fear not; as in most cartoons good triumphs over evil; the beauty is in the way that it gets accomplished. I had forgotten all about these cartoons and was pleasantly surprised to find them while scrolling around on You Tube. You can expect that I will be running the remaining 14 in the weeks to come.

"The Bookworm" - MGM (1939)

A storm and an old mansion are the setting for this 1939 MGM cartoon. As the clock expires from exhaustion in the wee hours of the night a storm rages outside. And as it does the inhabitants of many of the books in the library come out to play. The witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth get Poe’s Raven to hunt for a worm to complete the making of one of their “brews.” Since this is a library the Raven looks in the books for a bookworm.

Finding one isn’t too hard, but keeping him captive proves to be a mammoth task for all concerned. The action is non-stop as the Raven and his cronies attempt to outsmart the bookworm. But remember, he’s spent a lot of time in and around books, so he has a few tricks of his own to fall back on. Great story and animation mark this one as a real keeper.

Although the cartoon was actually directed by Friz Freleng, Hugh Harman got the screen credit. The voice of the Raven is none other than the incomparable Mel Blanc.

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…

"Duck Amuck" with Daffy Duck (1951)

This year was the 100^th birthday of Charles M. Jones; famed animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of literally hundreds of cartoons. Born on September 21, 1912, he began his career in animation sometime around 1933 when he went to work for Leon Schlesinger Productions. That was the independent studio which produced the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons for Warner Bros.  Cream rises to the top, and by 1935 Mr. Jones was working as a full-fledged animator.

The 1940’s saw him working closely with Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, in creating Army educational cartoons. The “Private Snafu” series was used to educate soldiers with humor about subjects as diverse as spies and venereal disease. As they say, this was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, and Mr. Jones collaborated with Dr. Seuss on many of his film adaptations, most notably on “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” in 1966.

In this 1951 cartoon, which was released in 1953, Daffy Duck finds himself at the mercy of a clueless animator, and so ends up directing the cartoon from the drawing board. Genius comes in many forms, leaving something magical in its wake. Along with the voiceovers; done by the incomparable Mel Blanc; Mr. Jones created a parallel world behind the scenes of creating a cartoon when he thought of this one.

"Holiday for Drumsticks" with Daffy Duck (1949)

In this 1949 Daffy Duck cartoon celebrating Thanksgiving, Mel Blanc is at his all-time best providing the voiceovers, as Daffy finds himself the unwitting center of attention after helping a turkey avoid becoming Thanksgiving dinner for a hillbilly family.

When the patriarch of the family throws the turkey out in the yard to fatten him up, Daffy is incensed that he will be sharing his food with him. So, he explains to the turkey that in order to avoid being eaten for the holiday, he must lose weight. Of course this leaves all of the food for Daffy, who soon becomes as plump as a turkey, while the turkey becomes emaciated.

But when the holiday rolls around, and the turkey is found to be unsuitable for a feast, all eyes turn to a fattened Daffy for sustenance. Lots of laughs and a clever ending make this cartoon the gem that it is.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

In this holiday feautre from Warner brothers, "The Wearing of the Grin", Porky Pig gets stranded in the rain, and then takes refuge in a castle said to be inhabited by leprechauns. This is a funny cartoon, which still makes me laugh each time I see it. As usual, Mel Blanc does all the voices, showcasing once again his genius at inhabiting multiple characters. He must have been a scream to hang around with. And probably a lot of fun if you were one of his kids!

Take a few minutes and watch this cartoon. Let the leprechauns work some magic on you and make you laugh. You will feel the luck of the Irish if you do. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, and may all your leprechauns bring you luck!

And for the older folks looking at this site today; here are The Irish Rovers singing their famous hit song, "The Unicorn", from 1967. The Rovers perform the song here live at Waterfront Hall in Belfast in 2010. By the way; Canada has been their home since they were little kids; their mother and father, who were themselves musical, emigrated to Canada from Ireland in the late 1950's. The children had already been performing in Ireland.



The original recording, released in late 1967, worked its way up the charts to number 7 in early 1968. It was written by Shel Silverstein, the iconic cartoonist and writer for Playboy magazine, who gave us such treasures as "The Giving Tree", "A Boy Named Sue", and a host of other hit songs and children's books of poetry.

The band was named after a traditional Irish song, "The Irish Rover". George and Will Millar were the two brothers, both born in Ballymena, in the North of Ireland, near Belfast, who founded the band. Their mother and father were both musically inclined, with their father, Bob Millar, playing a "button-key" accordion in several bands even before settling in Toronto. A cousin, Joe Millar, sang along with Bob in the family kitchen, adding his harmonica to the mix. George and Will sang with their sister, Sandra, under the name "The Millar Kids" before the family moved to Canada.

The unicorn is of course, a mythical beast. Still, this song does offer a sentimental reason for why we never see one anymore. You know, free spirits often pay a high price for their freedom...