116. Little Dutch Plate (1935)

Warner cartoon no. 115.
Release date: October 19, 1935.
Series: Merrie Melodies.
Supervision: Friz Freleng.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Billy Bletcher (Vinegar Bottle Landlord). Bernice Hansen (Dutch girl)?
Musical Score: Norman Spencer.
Animation: Paul Smith and Bob Clampett. Ken Harris uncredited?
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).

The second-to-last cartoon released before Tex Avery arrives; and let's cope with this cartoon and hopefully find the next cartoon a delight to see. As far as I know Friz Freleng and other directors don't immediately change direction skills when Avery arrives; as it probably takes Friz a year or two to finally improve.

 In a small, quiet town in Holland we hear the sounds of an off-screen chorus. The canals in the Dutch town are beautiful looking (if it were real life). We view inside a random house and look at the lovely Dutch plates that are inside. The optimistic voices are singing the song The Girl on the Little Blue Plate which is a different title to the short title, evidently.

The little Dutch girl inside the plate steps out of the plate as she is notices a salt shaker boy who is in love with the little Dutch girl with love-hearts popping out of his minds. The salt shaker boy then walks out of the shelf he belongs and walks along the kitchen table trying to walk in a sophisticated attitude. The optimistic singing comes from the Dutch ladies in the Dutch plates (coloured in blue) are singing the song with the kettle boiling to play the rhythm of the song.

The next sequence is then a clog dance performed by the Dutch girl and the salt shaker boy. The animation of the dance they did is great animation in terms of the movement. They dance around and move around quite a lot (but I wouldn't say it would be loose animation).

Of course; you might think this is just an ordinary dance animated by "some animator" at Warner Bros. but as far as I know this is believed to be animation done by legendary animator Ken Harris. Greg Duffell (who probably knows about Ken Harris more than anyone else) told me that Harris got his breakthrough in animation with Friz Freleng and wanted to prove Friz he could animate; and Friz gave him a test scene on this cartoon to animate the clog dance. Friz was impressed and Harris was animating since then; but probably didn't join the screen credits list until 1937. Is there a source to back this up since this is coming from Ken Harris' words. Yowp? David Gerstein?? Anyone?

 Two beer jugs with faces carved and painted on them join into the dance (at this point I don't know if this could still be Harris animation). The mugs then swap different swishes of beer to the other. More inanimate objects start to dance such as a pair of suspenders dancing with wooden shoes.

The next dancing sequence shoes blue Dutch ladies inside the dishes moving the dishes and they are sliding it in different positions. The gag at the end shows the Dutch ladies doing a hatstand at the end with their different types of blouses showing - and then they continue to dance off. I really don't know if that could be a Harris scene as well; in fact I don't know if he did the whole sequence. The Dutch girl and the salt boy dance off the lengthy dance sequence (probably Harris).

A vinegar bottle who is rather evil-looking with the villain's mustache; wearing a tuxedo and top hat. The vinegar bottle walks through the cob webs that was blocking his way and looks at both the Dutch girl and the salt boy in an envious, angry attitude.

The vinegar bottle walks up to a candle holder in which he finds a way to climb up the kitchen table and does that by climbing onto the candle holder and touches a mousetrap that will send him flying up to the top of the kitchen table but the end of the candle holder hits the vinegar bottle villain on the head with his top hat stuck in his head. The vinegar bottle then starts to waste some time in the cartoon focusing on trying to get his top hat off so he can see properly. True the gags are in fact improving (and the gag with the candle holder) is certainly an improvement but the timing could be better; but that was how the timing was back then - but I don't think the hat gag shouldn't REALLY take a tiny bit of time.

 The salt boy and the Dutch girl from the plate then reach a small windmill model that is in the kitchen table. It is now the home of the Dutch girl since she was already living in the plate at the beginning of the cartoon. The salt shaker boy then goes into song to the Dutch girl. The boy is singing to the Dutch girl (that he admires) the song Puppchen.

The vinegar bottle seems to be even more annoyed or jealous as he appears to admire the girl himself and wants her to be his lady. The vinegar bottle walks up to the Dutch boy and girl and their song is interrupted.

The vinegar bottle is singing to the Dutch boy and girl as he is holding out a mortgage paper that they are very low on their mortgage. It's hard to hear what the exact words are but I think I can grasp what it is. He seems to point to them that they have until 12 o'clock to pay the mortgage of the windmill or out they go.

Just a darn minute; since WHEN was that their windmill??? The girl was living in a plate and the salt shaker in a damn shelf the whole time so since when have they lived there and ran low on their mortgage; they would've lived there for a while for that to happen. This doesn't make much more sense to me. Anyway; the vine Dutch girl pleads the vinegar bottle to give her a "little more time" as she "hasn't got a dime" I think she is saying. if she's saying "dime" do they EVEN have dimes in the Netherlands (before the Euro currency came)?? This feels unrealistic for a Dutch setting.

 The vinegar bottle then says by using rhyming couplets says if she hasn't got enough money for the windmill then the vinegar bottle suggests her to "marry him and save the bill". The salt shaker boy is extremely against the idea and complains but the vinegar bottle laughs evilly.

A cuckoo clock strikes with a cuckoo shouting that the sound of the bell means it will be 11.30. The figure then whacks the cuckoo which is the sound; to and it means they've got only half-an-hour left to pay the bill. The salt shaker boy promises to save the mortgage for the Dutch girl so she doesn't have to be married to the vinegar bottle man who used her to get married because of short mortgage. Now WHAT a rotten trick. The salt shaker boy walks up to the vinegar declaring him "You old meanie!" but the vinegar razzies him out of the scene. Looks like this villain is more cunning than the other ones since he's the landlord and comes up with an idea to marry the Dutch girl (which he wants to do) if she doesn't pay the mortgage.

The time starts to fly very fast and it's already 12 o'clock and the cuckoo flies out with a figure banging the cuckoo and changes the time to 11.30 to give the salt shaker boy more time to pay the mortgage.

The salt shaker boy has been walking in circles for a long time but notices a piggy bank. So, he HASN'T noticed that piggy bank all along. Stupid. The boy shakes the coin out of the piggy bank which is only a penny which is useless and throws it away. THROW IT AWAY? Hasn't he even heard of the saying "every penny is worth"?

The Dutch girl is walking around in circles with the vinegar bottle self-satisfied as he looks at his pocket watch hoping for the salt shaker to never return. The Dutch bottle then looks at some objects that amazes him in which he is going to use. Instead of paying the mortgage which is hopeless; he seems to plan on killing the landlord. The salt shaker grabs out dynamite and places it on false teeth hoping for it shake out; but as it explodes. It doesn't work and only pieces of false teeth fall out.

The cuckoo clock comes out and gets whacked again (which appears to be the recurring joke throughout this cartoon) and the time is taken back to 11.30. The landlord looks at the time and convinces the Dutch girl; "He won't come back he never will; marry me and save the bill". The Dutch girl stomps her feet shouting "I hate you" three times. The landlord grabs the Dutch girl but she kicks him in the face.

The landlord is furious as he has had enough of the behaviour of the Dutch girl as time has already ran out but he takes her inside a grandfather clock. The landlord then shouts "Now, you'll marry me" in which the Dutch girl still rejects.

Meanwhile the salt shaker boy has finished picking up the pieces of the false teeth lying about and places them in the sack. I imagine that he's going to fake it as "money". Back at the grandfather clock the landlord has already tied up the Dutch girl onto a log that is being cut by a table saw. The salt shaker boy then  approaches the windmill but can't find anyone inside there (not even the landlord or the Dutch girl).


The salt shaker boy hears the cries for "help" and he rushes over to the grandfather clock. The vinegar bottle tries to block the salt shaker boy from going inside the grandfather clock but he whacks him with a sack of teeth in which he struggles to take his hat off his head which is blocking his eyesight.

 The Dutch girl is very close to having her skull cut in half but is saved by the salt shaker boy who turns off the machine from the log moving any further. The salt shaker boy then unties the Dutch girl as they are running out of the grandfather clock with the vinegar bottle struggling to take his hat off.

The salt shaker boy and the Dutch girl then encounter the vinegar bottle landlord. The salt shaker boy whacks him in the face in which his face spins. As the boy punches the landlord in the stomach his head pops out each time. The salt shaker boy then punches the head out of the way in which his head is missing and hunts for a new one.

The final parts is probably the highlight of the cartoon and makes the gags work; and proves the hero doesn't always win. The headless vinegar bottle is looking for a head but finds one out of another vinegar bottle and it has a handsome face.

The salt shaker boy was about to go to the next stage of punching that face off but is stopped by the Dutch girl. The Dutch girl therefore develops a crush on the vinegar bottle because he has a new handsome face on it. She shouts "Don't you DARE hit him!" She has a crush on him with love hearts flowing out of her mind (just like from the salt shaker boy earlier). She takes her arms around his wrist commenting "You handsome man". They walk out of the scene with the salt shaker boy heart broken.

The next shot of the cuckoo clock the cuckoo pops out but turns around with his quick reflexes and shoots the figure on top until it dies. Now that is something which was probably hilarious at the time and it would be funny today as we didn't expect that to happen; and at least this is an example of Freleng coming up with better ideas in cartoons. The cuckoo continues to cuckoo continuously and...

...that's all folks!

Overall comments: It was interesting to hear about the "claimed" Harris scenes in the dance sequence  whatr Ken Harris mentioned and it could be true. This isn't a really good cartoon itself but it saves the cartoon with gags and they do work that scene of the cuckoo clock shooting the figure was probably the highlight of the cartoon but I wonder if that was ideas from Ted Pierce? Of course; Billy Bletcher does the villain voice and don't be annoyed by the usual casting because he was the main "villain" voice actor of the 1930's and 1940s.

115. Hollywood Capers (1935)

 featuring Beans.

Warner cartoon no. 114.
Release date: September 14, 1935.
Series: Looney Tunes.
Supervision: Jack King.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Starring: Bernice Hansen (Little Kitty), Tommy Bond (Beans) and Billy Bletcher (Studio Guard).
Musical Score: Norman Spencer.
Animation: Rollin Hamilton and Charles "Chuck" Jones.
Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).

I'd say this is probably the first appearance to show Beans and the rest of his gang in this Looney Tune, while they already appeared in a Merry Melody just earlier this year. Jack King basically directed ALL of the Beans, and his gang cartoons (excl. Porky) except on Gold Diggers of '49 by Tex. Ooh, we're very close to reaching Tex.

Our cartoon begins with Hollywood; of course at Warmer Brothers Studio. A studio that had been parodied before in Buddy's Theatre. The studio appears to be bust and crewmen doing their jobs. We see a man about to enter the studio that is a caricature of W.C. Fields. The studio guard of the entrance then greets Fields, "Good morning, Mr. Seal, good morning."

The W.C. Fields guy then starts to place his walking stick by the guards' wrist. The actor then gives him a cigar; and brings out another walking stick for the guard in which he uses the stick like a snooker club but pulls the tobacco end off; and takes his cigar with him. Now that is a rather random gag but it would be humorous of the time since the guard thinks he's going to get a cigar but the actor is just using the guard to place his equipments by.

Beans then enters the scene in which he is riding his car that appears to have an explosive engine inside it with the steering wheel stretching and Beans is spinning around and the hubcaps appear to be out of place. The timing of the animation is pretty good.

As Beans is about to enter the Warmer Bros. Studios entrance for the celebrities. The guard then stops Beans as Beans halts his car with a bouncy stop. The guard (probably Bletcher doing the voice) asks "Who do you think YOU are?", Beans replies and I believe it's a new catchphrase for him; "Beans is the name. One of the Boston Beans". That catchphrase doesn't mean anything it's just playing around with the word "beans". Sources and also Jerry Beck confirms that Tommy Bond but it seems rather improbable to me since the voice is similar in A Cartoonist's Nightmare but who knows? The guard then starts to push Beans' car out of the way until it rides up a tree with the engine exploding. Beans is  stuck on a tree with is suspenders caught on a branch and Beans keeps on bumping onto the car horn with his rear end numerous times - which is a humorous gag. The gag idea was later used by Friz Freleng in You Ought to Be in Pictures.

The next celebrities enter the studio such as Charlie Chaplin in his walking automobile. The guard allows them inside and also greets Oliver Hardy and greets "Morning, Mr. Hardy". Of course; this idea of the gag was definitely reused in You Ought to Be in Pictures but the sequence was much funnier in that 1940 cartoon.

Mr. Hardy enters the studio but the disguised is taken off as Beans used it for his disguise to go into the studio - by using a dummy and balloons for his "Plan B". I wonder if Chuck Jones did that scene of Beans releasing the dummy to the sky as Beans looks like Porky from the  early Avery shorts in 1936 like in The Blow Out - it's the facial looks of Beans that I'm talking about. Beans then enters a studio building where there would be filming going on inside.

Oliver Owl is the director of a film inside a sound stage is walking up and down repeatedly probably worrying about production problems or budgets. Could be anything. There is a puppy that is also copying his movements (definitely not Ham or Ex) but is the cameraman. He accidentally bumps into Oliver Owl but Oliver points at the cameraman back to his work as he wants him to role the film. As filming is about to begin Oliver Owl orders everyone in the stage to be "quiet" as all directors and behind-the-scenes crew do when shooting a scene. There is a brief appearance of Porky Pig who "shushes" the audience to be quiet and yes, I will count that as a cameo appearance of Porky since this is basically the gang in this cartoon. We see more gags stir up that tell the audience to be quiet (even Beans' shadow as he is behind the settings). Oliver Owl then shouts "Camera!" as the filming is about to proceed.

There is a piano stool that runs into the scene to stand by the piano. Even the inanimate objects are doing the work. A turtle then approaches the scene to sit down on the piano. Hang on; I've seen that turtle in a brief scene in I Haven't Got a Hat where he is banging his shell for Porky's "Midnight Revere" speech. Could he be only a very minor character of the Beans gang or was it just a coincidence for him to turn up? The filming finally begins as Oliver Owl shouts "Action!"

Little Kitty is the star of the film as it appears to
be and her performance is to sing a song to us. Oh brother. Little Kitty is singing the song Sweet Flossie Farmer and the cameraman uses the stilts to run for a close-up; a technique gag. Evidently; this is another example for Bernice Hansen's voices of the 1930s. Joe Campana told me that she was a child around this time; but then some sources say she was an adult that did child voices. Anyone who can help me with Hansen's date of birth info for proof?

We pan to the next scenes of these men in a bar (different location) and they are continuing Little Kitty's song. Beans is standing on top of the light beam stands on top of the ceiling watching the film being rolled. The turtle playing the piano also gets a part to sing the song. Oh, for a while I thought that turtle was just going to play piano music in the background for a musical score but is just acting. Incoherence.

A bartender is playing his musical notes by using a cash register to be the keyboards. If I'm not mistaken this is probably Chuck Jones animation as his animation was often pretty rubbery looking and it was used in his Clampett Porky cartoons, and I've seen that style before in Buddy's Beer Garden and it's GOT to be the same animator - it's also similar to his animation in A Cartoonist's Nightmare. The turtle is definitely having fun by playing two pianos at one go. The next scene shows the bartender squirting drinks out of the machines and it's reused animation from Buddy's Beer Garden. Beans then accidentally falls down in which he tries to climb himself back up by using the ropes but the ropes aren't attached to anything.

The actor who is acting with Little Kitty brings out his arms but finds out that Beans lands onto the actor's arms which is unfortunate acting timing. Oliver Owl looks  over and does a double-take (no hat take, considering he isn't wearing a hat but a glasses take). Oliver Owl walks over to Beans rather annoyed but Beans gets his chance to say his pointless catchphrase "Beans is the name. One of the Boston Beans".

Oliver Owl then starts to grab Beans and chucks him out of the scene. Similar in You Ought to Be in Pictures when Henry Binder throws Porky out of the stage set - in a way. Beans is tossed out of the scene mainly landing on a lot of light beams. Beans the cat then lands into another scenery that is taking place (a model covered under the sheets).

Beans starts to look over the sheets which turns out to be a model of Frankenstein. Beans is frightened of the model and walks back but accidentally turns on the machines in which Frankenstein comes to life with the electric sockets bringing him to life. The animation of Frankenstein is just brilliant animation to look at and even the electric sockets are amazing to see.

Frankenstein then starts to step out of the table and walk through the walls (although the timing for walking through the wall isn't so great animation in my opinion).

The cameraman then makes a big surprise as he sees Frankenstein crashing through the doors but then gets a fright as he sees a closeup of Frankenstein eating up the camera and the cameraman exits the scene. As Frankenstein robot is eating the film camera; he then starts to spit out the gadgets and nuts; as well as film tape out of his mouth with bullet sounds being heard. Frankenstein then notices that the nut for his mouth is missing so digs inside his mouth to attach it back on. A nice little gag.

Frankenstein then walks onto the next part as
Little Kitty starts to make a double-take (Jack King's hat take) and then runs off. Frankenstein then looks over at the mirror in which he starts to make faces on it for fun. The Frankenstein mirror reflection then whacks the real Frankenstein out of the way and into the wall. Okay, but that gag came out of nowhere. Notice in the posters of the bar that there is a poster that reads "Hurricane Hardaway" that is a reference to director Ben Hardaway of course; but he was gone by then. I wonder if Hardaway was just leaving as this cartoon was in production?

Frankenstein then lands into a tub of water but then manages himself out of the tub. A funny gag pops up with a fountain coming out of his head with his hair being sprayed out. Frankenstein then starts to squirt the water out of his mechanical self. The animation of the mechanic squirting out the water has got some pretty careful timing and moves very well. Beans the cat then notices Frankenstein and has a plan to hopefully try and stop him.

Beans grabs out a long stick near the fan as he is planning to get Frankenstein good I imagine. Beans whacks Frankenstein with the metal pole but it appears that he is so tough that the pole twists around its body. Frankenstein then starts to use his strength in which the pole starts to explode and he is set free. Beans is in danger now. Big time. Beans starts to try and run away but is grabbed by Frankenstein who is holding onto his suspenders.

Beans is knocked out of the scene as he goes flying through and crashing onto doors and crashes onto more doors. Beans then lands on a wind machine in which it's another one of his plans which he assumes is going to work. I think the character personality of Beans shows that he's full of plans.

The wind machine is turned on but Frankenstein is still walking through trying to be so strong but doesn't realise that Beans is behind the wind machine and is pushing it. The animation movement is handled really well.

Frankenstein then starts to walk closer to the wind machine until Frankenstein finally enters inside that machine but is broken and smashed into many pieces as he does step inside. All of the pieces come out of nowhere. The next part then shows what Frankenstein's body looks like. The body has his head inside it but the arms are in the different positions and it feels like as though Frankenstein is being punching himself. Notice that there is a hamster inside his cage running around. This continues to happen to Frankenstein and....

...that's all folks!

Overall comments: The animation in that cartoon was very good and including that Frankenstein robot but the story itself was just mediocre and kind of got bland scenes in here. The filming scenes weren't very special and Beans' catchphrase isn't even great at all - it just doesn't make much sense to me. It's just playing on the word "beans" as I mentioned earlier. This is ANOTHER cartoon which is set at a studio and it's the 2nd cartoon in a row, and ironically both cartoons star Beans. Beans here is the star of this short again - but Oliver Owl does have a fair role in this short as well as Little Kitty. No Ham and Ex here and only Porky makes a cameo. Frankenstein was used in this cartoon since everyone back in the early 30s went crazy about the film and it was a huge hit; and probably the pinnacle of Boris Karloff's career. Not a terrible cartoon but not what I would watch and admire. Well, with this black-and-white Looney Tune finished (and we need to get through a Merry Melody) Tex Avery would've finally arrived at the studios and get ready for his arrival.

114. A Cartoonist's Nightmare (1935)

Warner cartoon no. 113.

Release date: October 19, 1935.

Series: Looney Tunes.

Supervision: Jack King.

Producer: Leon Schlesinger.

Starring: Billy Bletcher (Villains/Monster). Beans' voice unknown.

Musical Score: Bernard Brown.

Animation: Don Williams and Paul Smith. (Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Bob McKimson, Sandy Walker and Ben Clopton uncredited).

Sound: Treg Brown (uncredited).

Well, this is basically the first cartoon appearance of Beans the Cat (in black and white) and for taking over the Looney Tunes since we've already seen him in I Haven't Got a Hat as well as the members such as Porky. All I can say is the couple of cartoons he's in are not bad but he's better than Buddy. I'm also going to use Jerry Beck's commentary where he identifies some scenes on who animated on what for us.

Oh, and I have my last thoughts about Buddy and I'll swear I won't try and speak about him again: what I think Buddy was good at in the Looney Tunes series was acting all bland like a useless twat. It's like as though he's had years of wonderful practising of being one. I've been sitting down here for half an hour thinking about what good parts there were Buddy compared to the "classic" Looney Tunes characters. What  improvements for Buddy should have been made is a more appealing look, more character, Tex Avery already there and also Buddy should stop being a falsetto virgin.

Our cartoon begins with the "Animated Cartoon Studio" sign from a close-up in which we struck backwards which is a pretty good camera set-up. Well, with the cartoon set in a cartoon studio - hopefully this will make the cartoon interesting. I like the designs of the cartoon studio that is pretty funny.

There is a whistling clothesline that yawns but checks the time as it's time to go home for the workers in which he blows a whistle that means rush hour is about to begin. The animation of the whistle blowing is really careful animation, and at least according to Jerry Beck in the DVD commentary; this is Bob McKimson animation. Bob McKimson's animation here is not bad, I'd have to say.

As the whistle has finally blown, the lights start to flicker off with beautiful music beats of piano keys heard. There is a night watchman watching his employees leave the studio and some of them are gags such as a woman with a puppy lied to a leash or a woman with a man tied around his neck. Ed Wynn pops up as a caricature as he says "Goodnight" to the Watchman. Caricatures of the staff leaving is Bob Clampett running out with a portfolio and I think if you look closely you'll find Tubby Millar - most likely. Bob Clampett is believed to have animated that scene of the crowds walking out as well. The watchman then starts to close the windows and also starts to turn off all the lights in which he carries his torch doing the job of the watchman. At least we got to see some gags of the people walking out (well they weren't really gag) but it showed humorous parts like the woman dragging the man out of the studio. Bob Clampett did all that animation until....

...Bob McKimson takes over the animated scenes in which he is given the scenes to animate the animator which I wonder if this was cast wisely since Bob was known to be a hard worker like that animator in the cartoon. He also has McKimson's moustache - so  it's no surprise. The animator is seen busy at work in which he is busy sketching for an animated scene but also takes quick drinks of water from a cup while he's at it. Mmm, comparing the animator's speed at animating (with chunks of paper piled up) I guess this was a good choice for this to be animated by McKimson.

The watchman enters the scene:

Night watchman: "Are you going to work all night, son?"
Animator: I gotta finish tonight.
Night watchman: Well, good luck to you.

The watchman then exits the scene in which the animator continues his job in which he is working on a scene of our new character of the show; Beans the Cat being trapped in a cage as the animator is drawing a evil monster who is rather grizzly; although not by design of course. Notice how the animator also "paints" his own scenes on the colours and no wonder he probably has "all night" to do it since McKimson could get animated assignments done very quickly as he could do as much as 60-80 feet of animation. Mmm, the animation pegs in the paper seemed to be upwards and not downwards as it usually was; and no rotating animation disc. Although Ben Washam would later say in a Mike Barrier interview for Hollywood Cartoons that there was no rotating discs back them to rotate the paper for positions of drawings.

The animator is then working on a scene in which Beans is about to be captured by the monster; but the animator saves Beans in a close-up animated by Chuck Jones saying "Well Beans, I guess I'll have to save you from the villain again". When he says "I guess", it looks as though he doesn't want to bother. The animator then saves Beans by drawing a cage (love the music timing with it) that blocks the villain from catching Beans. Beans then blows a party whistle at the villain. I wonder if that was a Paul Smith scene of the whistler blowing at the monster. It looks very simplistic - as the commentary says so. The villain then tries to grab Beans out of the cage.

The animator then goes to sleep (all the animation of the animator by McKimson, close-up of sleeping animator by Jones). "Ho hum; I'm tired" he remarks as he is bored of animating for the night. As time flies, the "nightmare" begins when the monster starts to laugh evilly and grabs out the animator into the drawing and it's such good dramatic staging there as he is dragged in, apparently done by Jones, too.

The animator then struggles to let go as he is inside the drawing shouting "Stop! Lemme me go! You can't get away with this!", etc. Beans shouts "Hey, let go of him!". Well Beans, you're obviously not attracting attention. The monster drags the animator out and there are gags shown such as the monster taking the animator down the closet, and a plank of woods falls off (from the animator's feet) and whacks the monster in the head. Since this was an accident; the monster whacks the animator in the face. Oooh!! The monster then drags the animator through a hall with doors that have different departments: "Gag Dept.", "Story Dept.", "Music Dept". and from the walls - the animation studio also takes place underground?? The animator then slides through a type of lawn mower in which the handle hits the monster on the head and gets another beating of course as his body flops sideways like a boxing bag. I wonder who the animator was dragging the animator. Since it's easy to make errors of animator IDs from this period of time; and that for some people; it curls their toes if it's not true; I'm not going to bid to animated those scenes.

The monster then starts to take the animator into a door with the sign reading "Cartoon Villains". The room shows different posters through the walls of different villains like "Dirty Dan", "Spike the Spider", etc. The monster whacks the animator to the poster of a boxing kangaroo named "Battling Barney". Now, I don't remember seeing that villain in any of the cartoons before. The joey kicks the animator out of the way. The animator starts to sit on top of the monster's head in which the monster tries to control his steps but then steps backwards so fast until they both fall down. The monster uses the animator as a boxing bag as the gag; in which the villains laugh. The animator is then being punched by an octopus, and it appears to be the same octopus from Mr. and Mrs. Is the Name (as Jerry Beck says). The animator is then surrounded by the villains and they start to sing a dark song:

You've beaten us out of our break 'til now / And always makes us the chumps. The animator then runs to the next poster and it's the mad organ player from Buddy the Detective. The mad doctor sings: You're on the spot we want you and how / You'll get some terrible bumps. It means he'll get beaten, evidently. The next time shows a tough dog that sings: In every picture we are the goat / We got you now, it's our turn to gloat. I wonder if that was Ted Pierce doing the falsetto dog. The villains, now surrounded the cartoonist have the animator surrounded and that they control him. The octopus (close-up by Paul Smith) sings that they have the pencils. The spider insists the animator to draw a "very deep pit" in which they want him to see "if he fits". The spider then gives the animator a pencil (also by Paul Smith, simple looking) in which the cartoonist starts to draw a pit on the floor. The cartoonist is drawing the pit with unnecessary sacrifice.

I do in fact like the sequence of the villains a lot but I do find the song that they sing pretty dark. Though the song they are singing is in fact the rhythm to The Teddy Bear's Picnic. The octopus scares me the most though; probably because of the teeth. I really like the idea of how Jack King used old villains in which they're tired of being "the goats". Of course; I imagine that an audience watching ALL their cartoons would be tired of the same villains, and I think Jack King probably used this as an example as that the villains just did the same routines (capture the girlfriends; will get defeated later) but here the villains are back for revenge; and you didn't expect to see them again? Huh? I like that idea in which I hope it shows the end of the routined villains. It's a great idea to use the villains from older cartoons they made (before Harman-Ising) and shows they're not over yet since the heroes are always the uninteresting ones.

Meanwhile there appears to be another character that shows Beans dressed as a washerwoman. The disguised character gives Beans a piece of bread that Beans mistakes it as food. As Beans takes a bite; he almost hurts himself when he took a chomp at the bread. He opens his mouth and finds out there is a saw inside that bread. Jesus, THAT'S dangerous. He'd probably would've had blood all over his mouth.

Beans then starts to saw the bars out, is it me or is that scene of Beans with a saw not very realistic animation. Apparently, that scene of the washerwoman was by Clampett but I don't know if he did the whole sequence though; since I heard he was a pretty good animator around that time; as well as a great director - later.

The cartoonist has then finished drawing the pit that is pretty deep. The monsters start to growl at the cartoonist in which they throw him down the pit. It turns out that this isn't just any "pit" but a crocodile pit. So, did the animator also draw this inside the pit as well? The animator almost falls into the crocodile's mouth in which the monster's snapping jaws have already grabbed the cartoonist but the animator is already saved by hanging onto a limb. The crocodile is left without any teeth. Paul Smith is likely to have done that alligator's teeth missing since it's also simple looking. 

The animator then throws the teeth back inside the crocodile. No! What are you doing - he MUST he that idiotic. Well, it means that he's going to be in trouble again. Meanwhile Beans has finished sawing the parts of the bars in which he is able to escape quickly now. Nice rhythmic movement that Beans does to escape out of the bars. Beans then runs down to try and save the animator but he runs into the air (nice timing) and then slides down the poll where we see the early unpolished use of speed lines. Another funny complex gag is shown in which Buddy skids down the hall closing all doors but crashes into a barrel in which the barrel hoops all fall out and Beans is inside the hoops. Beans hits the wall and the rings land right back into the barrel. If you ask me; it's a type of gag Avery could use in his early cartoons; and this is definitely pre-Avery improvement in Warner cartoons. I think this was probably Bob Clampett animation of the barrel gag.

Beans then listens up to the villains who are laughing evilly at the animator's poor treatment. Beans thinks of a plan and he finds a pair of boots and I imagine that he's going to throw it at them. Beans then moves the shoes in which they start to move with their steps. Well, this is an animated world and anything can work here - so this is a good enough save to use this gag. The shoes then kick the monster in the backside - animation by Don Williams. The next scenes they notice that Beans is an intruder as he blows a raspberry with the funny sound effect and runs off.

The music heard in the background was also heard from Buddy's Day Out if you watch the scene again of Buddy washing his "asthma" car - although I'm convinced the cartoon is bad enough not to watch again. I don't know what the music in the background but it's the same tune. Can anyone help out? The villains then run out of the doors to chase after Beans but Beans was hiding inside the same barrel. It's nice to see some action paced up again and Beans is certainly better than Buddy - but not Bosko. I think it was fine when Beans only appeared in a few cartoons since it's a good balance for a character bland, but Beans isn't bad - in my opinion.

Beans runs into the room in which he hears "help" cries coming from the animator down the pit. The animator shouts "Get me out of here, Beans" as there is a snapping hungry crocodile after him. Beans finds a pencil and shouts "Here, grab this pencil". The cartoonist grabs the pencil in which he is standing on a branch and draws an extension ladder. The animation of the animator down the pit was Don Williams while Bob Clampett did the Beans scenes of Beans throwing the pencil.

As the animator is climbing out of the pit from the ladder - the main monster villain then approaches Beans in the same room and chases him out until the monster is out of the scene for a brief bit. The animator climbs out of the ladder but Beans tells the cartoonist to be quiet as he has a plan. Beans grabs out a "grease gun" in which he plans to spray grease by the pit where the monsters can slip down. Beans steps outside in which he whistles to grab attention which is of course part of the plan.

All of the monsters then notice Beans and shout "There he is! Get him", they all run into the room and the plan works as they all slip onto the grease and down the pit they go. The monster almost climbs out of the pit in which the animator kicks the monster back down. The cartoonist grabs out an eraser (or rubber) as I call it. The animator then rubs out the pit since of course there is still an extension ladder down there and the villains could climb out. The scenes of Beans with the grease gun with the villains falling down the pit was Paul Smith animation and it's pretty good animation. I personally think that the musical score for this entire climax sequence of Beans to the rescue was a suitable choice for this cartoon; and it even has appeal. The animator and Beans then shake hands for good team work they've produced...

...until we go back to reality where the night watchman is shaking the sleeping animator. The night watchman then shouts "Hey wake up! Wake up!" and then exits the scene. Bob McKimson animation. The cartoonist turns to the animator breaking the forth wall "What a dream". Indeed. The animator then starts to pull the grizzly monster out of the scene in which the monster slides into the inkwell as well as the prison bars. The cartoonist then draws and paints some jelletin desert for Beans and shouts "Come and get it!" Beans runs out and starts to take big scoops of jelly from the cartoonist as a reward. This is all Ben Clopton animation of Beans eating the jelly. Jerry Beck also mentioned Sandy Walker did uncredited animation but doesn't mention any of the scenes. It amazes me that he can tell the scenes here from early 1930s cartoons that would be hard to identify. I imagine that there are animator drafts of them, right? The jelletin scene was probably used since this was a cartoon made during the Great Depression era and that jerry was probably a treat for someone back then which made them happy (as Jerry said). Beans takes a spoonful of jelletin but then starts to lick lots of it like a dog - and...

...that's all folks!

Overall comments: Another new start to the Looney Tunes as we have a new star (for a short time) but this was actually a very good start before Tex comes (which will be another start). Jack King may not have directed special cartoons for Warner Bros. but I can say that I think this cartoon was probably the best he's done at Warners. and it  deserves to be special as it had a very good synopsis for cartoon. True, this isn't something as good as You Ought to Be in Pictures but a story based in a cartoon studio with villains capturing an animator is a great idea, though. I really liked how Jack King seemed to have played around with the villains and screwing around which feels as though he's giving us something in return like an apology for using the villains "too much" in those cartoons. Just a theory. The cartoon had little gags but the story and climaxes were more exciting and there wasn't the need of too many gags. Some of the animation was fine to look at. I like how the animator reminds me of a caricature of Bob McKimson as he was a fine animator and with that moustache, and coincidentally he animated it. You've probably noticed I've produced a different layout with the writing and screen grabs since I wanted to try something different.

The voices of the character Beans is indeed unknown, even in this cartoon and I tried asking Keith Scott this question but unfortunately couldn't provide information since records don't seem to exist anymore and the only way to tell is by old newspapers or radios. The voice of the cartoonist is unknown but evidently it's the same voice that was used in this era like I'd Love to Take Orders from You or The Country Boy but the ironic part is we don't know who the voice actor is. This cartoon showed an example of the techniques that King used in animation staging like when the animator gets into the paper or his hat-take scenes (which weren't used too much in this short). Interesting to find so many uncredited animators doing  a lot of animation while the two animators credited did a fair share; I used to think that the credits back then (with two animators credited) meant they did the bulk of the cartoon but I guess it meant it was a rotating list. Well, all I can say is that I've enjoyed this a lot and this is probably one of the best pre-Avery shorts. Thanks to Jerry Beck for the animator identifications in this DVD commentary in Golden Collection Volume 6.

113. The Lady In Red (1935)

Warner cartoon no. 112.
Release date: September 7, 1935.
Series: Merrie Melodies.
Supervision: Friz Freleng.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Cast unknown.
Musical Score: Bernard Brown.
Animation: Bob McKimson and Ben Clopton.

The Lady in Red - it's one of the musical pieces that Carl Stalling would use to score his cartoons to show a lady dressed in red.

Our cartoon begins with a Spanish street and we go closer to the door of a cafe but it turns out the cafe is "closed" as the owner of the cafe (named Manuel) has "gone to the bullfight". The cafe inside is very empty and rather messy. The next shot turns out that the street is some boxes or kitchen equipment altogether a kitchen table which is a city of cockroaches. I like the idea on how that there are cereal boxes that are like building blocks that is organized probably to form roads. There is a cockroach policeman who is using a whisk as traffic lights for the other cockroaches to cross.

Meanwhile there is a group of cockroaches that then cross into a teapot that is what they call - a ferry. They have their own propeller and it seems that the sink is their sink and they want to cross the other part of the sink - makes sense to me?? The other shots that we are seeing are basically what cockroaches would be doing in their kitchen table city: one would grab a doughnut to eat and dip it into tea. Another cockroach is placing a cookie by a grinder. A group of cockroaches then grab a piece of bread and the first part shows these cockroaches that drill a hole into the bread. They then place a hot-dog inside it by using a special type of crane to push the hot-dog in and the cockroach then takes the bread with hot-dog inside a mouse-hole which is his feast.

We then move on to a sport sequence which shows a cockroach in which he grabs out an olive and uses the olive as a bowling ball. The olive then knocks down what looks like tiny pieces of turnips that are meant to be bowling pins. I like the gag that shows the cockroach placing the ball through the celery which is meant to resemble where you collect a bowling ball. Then we move on to the tennis part where two cockroach players place a cheese grater in the middle to be the net and already have a bat and peas to be the tennis ball. They keep hitting the ball frequently and it's all done in one go where they don't want to drop the ball.

The group of cockroaches with their papers to mark the scores I guess keep turning their heads to see the tennis ball go side-by-side. As the tennis ball hits the ground the cockroach player can't quite make it but uses a spoon to catapult the ball back in which he is saved from the other scoring a point. The cockroach then starts to try and hit the tennis ball (more like pea) but it lands inside a teapot and shoots back at the player in which he trips. At least we saw some fun and imaginary sequences like the sports stuff and the food. This cartoon isn't so bad after all. Definitely better than; let's say The Merry Old Soul.

The next sequence seems to show a cockroach with a spoon and is standing on a cream mug in the sink.It looks like to me that it's resembling canals in Venice but if this is a Spanish city - one thing; do Spain even HAVE canals? The bug then reaches the end of the sink and walks to a cupboard but the sign reads Roach's Nite Club. Inside the club there are these group of cockroaches that are dancing with a band playing. We see a cockroach band that are playing a variety of "instruments" that they use to play such as a pipe to play a saxophone, or even matchsticks were used to play drums, or a matchstick with a fork that looks like it's playing a double bass. Or, to play the flute.

We then cut to the next part of the entertainment which is a cockroach that is caricatured by Rudy Vallee. My goodness, Warner Bros. cartoons sure loved to caricature Rudy Vallee; even back from the very old Harman-Ising days when they made Crosby, Columbo and Vallee and we are still expecting more from him soon. It's not that I have anything against him but I find the caricatures in the Warner Bros. cartoons a little annoying. Rudy Vallee cockroach is singing the song Sweet Music and is it me or does he often sing it in these cartoons.

The cockroach orchestra are conducting Rudy Vallee's music for him in which we see other cockroaches that make chime sounds with spoons with wine glasses. There is a small glass cup in which a cockroach waiter places a cake cup on top of it, and already attracts a customer. A group of cockroaches are swinging of cups hanging onto hooks admiring Rudy Vallee's singing. All of the cockroaches then clap as Rudy Vallee has finished his singing, and now next time is something which I hope will be even MORE entertaining: cockroaches wearing sombreros.

The Mexican-sombrero wearing cockroaches then start to go into song singing the title song The Lady in Red. At least their dancing routines are pretty good where they step one side wearing a different sombrero as they are left in the air. Must be extremely hard to do that in real life - but only works in the animated world. As they are singing "The Lady in Red" we view to a dressing room where there is a Spanish cockroach lady who is wearing her bra and blouse and powdering her face. She then walks to put on her red dress. The Mexican singing cockroaches still sing their song and it's pretty beautiful animation. Hey, Bob McKimson animated on that - maybe it could be him. Since Bob was the top draftsman of the studio at the time; it could be easy to tell his scenes when we look at animation that looks like something he would tackle.

The Lady in Red then walks into the scene with her beautiful looks and the spotlight shines upon her. She walks into the scene where she is posing in her red dress.Well, do I suppose that Spanish girls in particular are pretty stunning when they do these dances - and I'm NOT referring to cockroaches as they are pretty ugly. The cockroach in the red dress also appears to be a flirt from what I'm looking since she can make a male cockroach faint passionately. The next gag which I find random as it doesn't belong to the song sequence; in my opinion but it works is some cockroach that grabs out some ham and since it's red - the false teeth is meant to be the bull I presume.

The Mexican dancers have then finished their song - and yet they don't get the applause for it since they did better than that Rudy Vallee cockroach in my opinion. The next sequence we see is a parrot inside it's cage and starts to squawk fiercely with it's wings flapping out - and I admit the parrot does sort of look a little creepy looking to me but fine animation though; in my honest opinion. The bad news is that the parrot manages to break out of the cage and flies to the kitchen table where the parrot is after the two cockroaches on the kitchen table.

The parrot then flies at the table in which two cockroaches turn around and get a jump as they see giant parrot that is probably the scariest thing they've ever seen. The cockroaches then continue to run away from the parrot that is squawking after them and they hide under some kettle as it looks like. A cockroach pops out of a spout in which he blows a raspberry at the parrot that angers it. The parrot then thinks of an idea by turning on the fire to burn the cockroaches. Okay, but when that parrot turned on the fire; that makes me think of the parrot was "very creepy". No wonder that's why I hate birds.

The cockroaches then start to spit up from the tea at the very top of the kettle with these funny little sound effects. The parrot then starts to laugh with a squawky laugh. See, even the parrot's laugh freaks me out. There is something wrong with that cartoon parrot - they seemed to make it too creepy, well; too creepy for ME at least.

The parrot then starts to look inside the cupboard where the night club is held and the Lady in the red dress is still dancing. While the lady cockroach dancer was still dancing but the parrot then starts to nibble at her red dress in which she is screaming - yes we know those three simple words; "screaming for help". There is a male cockroach member at the club who hears the senorita cockroach screaming and he tries to stop the parrot himself - if he's able to. The parrot has still got the female cockroach as the male cockroach still chases after the parrot. The parrot is standing on a stove in which it grabs the female cockroach with its claws until the male cockroach turns on the gas which the parrot has it's feathers at the back in flames.

The cockroach is therefore in flames and starts to fly up in the air with the plane sounds heard in the background. The lady in the red dress and the male cockroach watch the parrot hit the ground as it squawks around with flames (even that kind of scares me a little). The parrot then starts to fly out of the window into the distance. The lady cockroach then thanks the male cockroach in a "my hero" attitude. The cartoon ends with the parrot's flames flying around with the smoke reading "The End" - and that's all folks.

Well this cartoon was in fact a pretty good take and yet another bizarre idea of using "Spanish cockroaches" as the stars; as it seems Friz Freleng at the time tried to come up with different objects or animals to be the main characters of the stories - as though he felt it would work for the one-shot Merrie Melodies. The parrot was kind of too creepy in my opinion - animation and design wise, as well as the squawking. I quite liked the design of the senorita cockroach in the red dress as she did have quite an appealing design. Well, the cartoon wasn't as great as Friz's other improving cartoons but definitely better than Friz's previous cartoon. The brighter side is that the cartoon will get better since Buddy is already gone and Tex Avery is soon enough from what seemed like a "very long traffic jam" since Tom Palmer in production on Buddy's Day Out or I've Got to Sing a Torch Song.