Fox Fails

Did Art Davis get stuck with more one-shot cartoons than the other Warners directors? It seems that way to me.

See more about one of his cartoons in this post.

Flea Bones

Skeletons abound in Ub Iwerks’ Spooks, a Flip the Frog short.

See more here.

Johnny Green

The start of the 1935-36 radio season brought some changes to the Jack Benny show and, as it turned out, they weren’t permanent.

Read more here.

I Created a Wabbit

The man in the photo to your right is the creator of Bugs Bunny.

Read more here.

The Lion Has a Ball

A perky score and a string of gags pretty much describes Bosko at the Zoo, a 1932 effort by director Hugh Harman and his animators for Warner Bros.

See more here.

This Is The City

“Its entertainment value is attested by the fact that it began its theatrical distribution by playing the Paramount Theatre, on Broadway in New York City.”

See more frames in this post.

Before Endora

Agnes Moorehead’s name isn’t one you associate with ditzy dames.

Read more here.

Rubber Hose Waitress

Walt Disney wasn’t quite into “illusion of life” in 1929.

See more here.

Corny Old Gag

Tex Avery of 1944 at MGM referred to Tex Avery of 1941 at Warner Bros.

See more here.

Sing Along With Touche

Earl Kress was among a handful of wonderful people who loved and really knew Hanna-Barbara cartoons, and would go out of his way to help others who did, too, even if it was just to chat by e-mail.

Read more here.

The Young, Mean Benny

The Louisiana State Fair. Expo ’67. The Ronald Reagan Inaugural Concert.

What do they have in common?

Read some stories here.

Gagging the Hugh Harman Way

There’s a pleasant bounciness to the Harman-Ising cartoons for Leon Schlesinger. And an awful lot of repetition.

Read more in this post.

Oproar Clobbering

My favourite Sylvester cartoon?

See frames from a scene here.

Does Anyone Like This Cartoon?

Question: What is Good Night Elmer?
Answer: Name a Chuck Jones cartoon just about everyone dislikes.

See more here.

Marian Richman

They wanted someone besides Bea Benaderet.

Read more here.

Today's Hidden Gag

Tex Avery seems to have made Circus Today (1940) to amuse his co-workers.



See more here.

It's Just a Jokio

During war-time, it’s okay to ridicule the enemy.

See more here.

Tralfaz Sunday Theatre: Printed Poison

See this actor?

See more here.

Benny at 39 for the 30th Time

What was Jack Benny doing on his 39th birthday in 1963?

Read more here.

Commercials By Ernie Pintoff

If you know anything about Ernest Pintoff, it’s because you read about (or have seen) Flebus (1957), his one cartoon for Terrytoons.

Read more here.

Around the Tree With Woody

Ink and paint departments were pretty anonymous in the Golden Age of Cartoons. They did top work, though.

See more here.

Can't See the Characters For the Trees

Tex Avery didn’t originate the “large body behind thin tree” gag, but he seems to have liked using it.

See it here.

Come and Knock On Her Door

The young woman you see to the right had trouble getting sex.

Read more here.

Calling Tom and Jerry

A phone comes to life in the Van Beuren cartoon Hook and Ladder Hokum (1933).

See more here.

Coyly Hidden Gags

There were all kinds of people who didn’t get screen credit in Warner Bros. cartoons but, every once in a while, their names appeared on screen anyway.

See more here.

I Never Ate Jell-O

Out of curiosity, I did a newspaper search of this date 50 years ago to see what Jack Benny was up to.

Read more here.

The Pride of Portis

Mike Maltese doesn’t have a marker celebrating his life. Neither do Warren Foster or Tedd Pierce. But one Warner Bros. cartoon writer does.

Read about it here.

Mommy, Where Does Jippo Come From?

A singing Bimbo (accompanied by a ukulele), Ko Ko and Betty Boop rake in profits from their new wonder tonic Jippo.



See more here.

Buddies Thicker Than Water

When Gene Deitch was handed the task of creating new Tom and Jerry cartoons for MGM, he and his writers put the cat and mouse in different locales.

See more here.

The Long-Time Residents of Wistful Vista

If Fibber McGee and Molly consisted solely of an overcrowded closet gimmick, it never would have lasted almost 2½ decades.

Read more here.