Wednesday, May 23, 2012

077 Barnyard Babies

Title: Barnyard Babies
Studio: MGM
Date: 05/25/35
Credits: Harman/Ising
Series: Happy Harmonies
Running time (of viewed version): 9:17
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Anthropomorphic talent show and horrible stage parents.
















Comments: Open on plucked chickens in a (wrestling?) match. Which is pretty jarring, really. Can't help but thinking the hot towel is going to cook the eggs (then there's the oven later). Music feels like Avery-era MGM music (so I guess it's Raymond Scott (edit:Scott Bradley) at this point; or did Scott just have that much o a house style imposed on him later?). Something unpleasant about talent show cartoons. It makes sense as a way to have essentially unrelated gags so you don't have to have a real story. But the gags always seem to be lackluster. Another naked plucked chicken doing a fan dance, which is way less disturbing than wrestling. Shooting of Dan McGoo bit. I think maybe there was a time machine in the MGM studios and Tex went back in time to ghost this cartoon. Mae West caricature. The chickens end up just unwarrantedly claiming the cup at the end. One of the background chickens is totally checking out the buffalo patch of one of the wrestlers. "Better Babies Contest" is a pretty sonofabitch thing to name your contest. Drunk duckling (gosling?).

There's a four month gap in MGM cartoons following this one. And 100 more cartoons overall left in the year.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

076 The Cookie Carnival

Title: The "Cookie Carnival"
Studio: Disney
Date: 05/25/35
Credits:
Series: Silly Symphonies
Running time (of viewed version): 8:01
Commercial DVD Availability: SSd2

Synopsis: Smearing some batter on a cheap cookie makes everyone love her; also seems to make her loyal.




















Comments: Starts with a parade, that thing animators hate. "They're going to choose a cookie queen". There's one gooey looking Miss Banana Cake. There's Miss Licorice, who appears to be black. Pretty Cinderella type cookie. I wonder if that hobo cookie pimp's gonna turn her out... All the cookie dates come in pairs (except rum that comes in 3s). Oh, and the bosses, who propose a three husband marriage to themselves. Miss Jello shakes.  

Monday, May 21, 2012

075 No! No! A Thousand Times No!

Title: No! No! A Thousand Times No!!
Studio: Fleischer
Date: 05/24/35
Credits: -
Series: Betty Boop
Running time (of viewed version): 1:50:02- 1:56:25: 6:23
Commercial DVD Availability: 600d4  alt tin

Synopsis: A stage play involving hot air villainy.














Comments: Levels of curtain. Goggles on the ballonist, but they give the appearance of a domino mask, and the Phantom.  Costumes on costumes on costumes. Bad guy is like Popeye and Bluto's mutual kid. Second moth joke for the month. Philip the fiend and fearless Fred? Prop lightning looks painful. Backgrounds feel a little bubblegum-y. "Be mine or we all die!"; this may be the best line for a cartoon to have.