Author: Mark
Another Pesty Post
This time, Felix meets the Clutching Hand of old time mystery fame. In strips from 11-2 to 11-8-1936, Felix is locked in a haunted house with the Hand. These are fine examples of Otto Messmer’s adept depictions of the mysterious and hauntingly ethereal ectoplasmic denizens of the subconscious, in other words, good spook stuff. In the Sunday, you will notice that the art is NOT by Otto, but quite possibly Tom Palmer or Joe Oriolo. The designs of the supporting characters in particular look like something out of a color Van Beuren cartoon, like a Molly Moo Cow or Toonerville Trolley short. 1936 was the year that the Van Beuren closed shop, and some of his last releases were Felix the Cat color cartoons. So maybe Otto let some unemployed Van Beuren staffer handle a few Sundays for him?
Krazy this time is from 4-22 to 4-27-1940, and Mimi the French Poodle (?) wanders back into Coconino (in the 4-24) to eventually teach school again. Offissa Pupp is too fat for Mimi, and there is a rather subtle gag in the 4-27 concerning Krazy’s gender confusion. Mimi has mistaken him for a tomcat, (this time). Mimi, along with her male predecessor, Kiskidi Kuku, are some of the strangest characters that Garge ever designed, they don’t look so much like dogs as giant rats. They speak in French accents, so the Coconino denizens instantly accept these creatures as their superiors. Mimi looks very attractive to almost all the guys, Krazy only feels love for Mimi intermittently, when his “male” side is dominant. More of this creepiness to follow.
 
Patrick is from 1-24 to 1-28-1966 this time. The 1/25 is iconographic, Patrick only likes Godfrey on allowance day. This one little strip really touches on an essential truth about friendship, does anybody truly like another human being just for himself or herself, or for what we can GET from that human being? Patrick is an unrepentant hedonist. Next time, y’all. And remember, DON’T BUY BP!!!
DON’T BUY BP!!
All my readers, you know what’s going on in the Gulf of Mexico right now stands to be one of the most horrible environmental catastrophes in United States history. To a large extent, the fault is with ourselves for our insatiable appetite for oil, and also to British Petroleum and our own government. BP got special dispensation from the US Government to drill in the Gulf without proper safeguards and the equipment standing by to contain any possible spills before they spread. They were excused from this by our Government, no doubt due to BP’s lobby. BP has cloaked themselves in a mantle of green, advertising that they invest heavily in solar and wind power, take care of animals in the path of oil exploration, etc. This horrible tragedy in the Gulf shows that this is all lies and propaganda. Here in Southern California, BP oil is Arco Gas. PLEASE, all my readers, DO NOT BUY ARCO GAS OR OIL! In other states, please ask your local gasoline dealers if they get oil from BP or the Gulf, and if they do, don’t buy it! This is the best and most powerful way to send a message to BP that their poor safety practices in the Gulf will not be tolerated. BP and Arco consistently undersell every other oil company. The reason they can do it is that they don’t spend money on the extra ships and equipment to contain oil spills. What seems to be “cheap” gas comes at a terrible price, poisoning of all fish, crustacean and animal life in the Gulf region, and possibly up the Eastern seaboard. Our food supply, navigation on the Mississippi river, and the lives and livelihoods of the Shrimpers, fishermen, the port of New Orleans, and so much else are in grave danger from this ongoing spill. It may cost a little more per gallon to buy elsewhere than BP, but eventually BP/Arco’s prices will spike. After all, they will want us to pay “our share” of their botched efforts to drill oil so deep undersea in the Gulf.
Remember that the oil companies buy up all real progress in electric and solar powered motor vehicles by buying all new solar battery patents! Just watch the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” the next time it’s on your PBS station. You will see the story of Stanford R. Ovshinsky, inventor of the Nickel Metal Hydride Battery trade named Ovonic. Before Mr. Ovshinksy developed his battery, electric vehicles (EVs) could only travel about 60 miles on a charge, due to inefficient batteries. The Ovonic battery expanded the cruising range to 300 miles on a charge. The automotive and oil industries deep-sixed this invention with a one-two punch, first General Motors bought a 60% stake in Ovonic Batteries, then they sold it off on Oct. 23rd, 2000 to Chevron/Texaco! It hasn’t been heard of since. When I saw that part of “Who Killed the Electric Car?”, it was a life-changing experience for me. The Oil companies want to kill us, and kill the entire planet for the last 3 or 4 trillion dollars of oil left in the ground and under the sea. The BATTERY EXISTED!!! The breakthrough that would make Solar charging of cars possible, and about the same cruising range as a gasoline powered car per charge!! But the oil companies and car manufacturers don’t want the world to have the battery, it would make them lose money. They have put profits ahead of animals, mankind, food, clean water, fish and LIFE ITSELF! And where is the outrage? Who cares if the battery that would mean clean, safe, non-polluting, low-cost transportation is now in the hands of Chevron/Texaco, who have a vested interest in never letting the public use it. How many other battery patents were made to disappear by big oil? I don’t know how much more proof is needed to show that humanity is on a suicide path if it remains wedded to the oil dynasty. Remember, DON’T BUY BP!!!
Normally, I resist the soapbox, but this incident has really touched me, so back to the comics and thanks for letting me vent: Felix this time is from 10-26 to 11-1-1936. In the dailies, Felix helps Tanglefoot the detective solve several mysteries, including a missing toupee! Felix gets little reward or respect for his crime solving, sad to say. In the Sunday, Felix accidentally blows up a bull. Big changes coming up in the Sunday page next time, wait until you see it!
In Krazy this time, from 4-15 to 4-20-1940, is mostly given over to wordplay, as only Krazy can do it. I like the 4-18, featuring Krazy’s Aunts Tabby and Minny, who wear Unkil Tom’s trousers, the “peddil”, “paddle” and “peddle” confusion in the 4-19 is quite a charmer as well.
Patrick is from 1-17 to 1-21-1966. Patrick is really good at pushing Elsa’s buttons in the 1-18 and 1-19 strips, and the coda for the week has Mommy locked in the hall closet. After all, Patrick has no choice. I’m getting a lot of good comments on the Patrick strips, more interest than I thought would be there. That’s good, but remember that this is the CATblog, so don’t fail to click on the Felix and Krazy strips to blow them up to reading size. The design in Patrick is so simple that it almost reads in thumbnail form. See you next time, and remember, DON’T BUY BP!!!
Here’s a Post to You All!
Felix (10-19 to 10-25-36) solves the clock mystery for Tanglefoot the detective, but it’s a little confusingly written. Seems the man of the house hid all the clocks in the attic so they wouldn’t gong in the middle of the night and give away his punch-drunkenness to his wife! He’s making money at those prize fights in lieu of a job and doesn’t want his cover blown. It’s a little near-fetched that he’d have to hide the clocks for such an obscure reason, but what the heck, it’s comics! In the Sunday, Poppa Dud is once again mad at our Felix for making him buy a washing machine, so tries to do away with him at a Carnival. Felix is a good luck charm for him, though, so once again the Cat is back in Dud’s good graces.
Krazy (4-8 to 4-13-1940) is quite punny and wordy this week. I especially like the subtle word play in the 4/8, don’t ever mis-pronounce the Kat’s “monika” or he’ll bean you with an umbrella! The “Woim” gags in the 4/9, 4/10 and 4/12 strips are a lot of fun, especially along with the tree jokes in the 4/9.
Patrick is from 1/10 to 1/14/1966 this time. He is his usual disagreeable self, socking Godfrey with snowballs and other things, and having an especially emotional withdrawal from “Sody Pop” in the 1/13 and 1/14 strips. This was long before all the “high fructose corn syrup” they lace “Sody Pop” with today, so Patrick was a genuine Cane Sugar freak! Believe it or not, he was better off with the Sugar than with the Fructose!
This week, my friend Milt Gray has started his “Viagri Ampleten” blog. Go to www.viagriampleten.com to see a very colorful and lushly drawn “strip” (in many senses of the word). These panels are really animation layouts, arranged as an Internet comic strip to attract attention to Milt’s long-in-gestation 12 minute animated film featuring Miss Ampleten and a lot of mysterious “spy” drama. I will also put a permanent link to Milt’s blog on this site, so that you can visit Viagri whenever you wish. Tell him I sent you! (Milt’s strip is a bit on the spicy side, so parents may wish to supervise it’s use.) See you next time in the land of Internet strips!
Soothing Post-Um
Not much new around here, just recovering from spring colds and doing a ton of yard work, cutting grass, trimming bushes and Chinese elm trees. Our rain has produced an abundance of greenery and pollen! In Felix this time, from 10/12 to 10/18/1936, Felix continues his detective work in support of Tanglefoot, his erstwhile master. Seems there are a lot of clocks gone missing in town, and Felix has a theory about what happened to them. In the Sunday, Felix and “Whitey” square things with the washing machine salesman from last time. Now, Mr. DUD is turning against poor Felix, continued soon.
Krazy from 4/1 to 4/6/1940, the Kat tries to figure out which way the wind blows, solve the mystery of a Banshee wail, and listens to a mash note that Offissa Pupp records on a home cylinder machine. Of course the “L’il Ainjil” gets all the credit!
Patrick (1/3 to 1/7/1966), the neighborhood kids are getting more regular roles in the strip, Godfrey is featured three times in one week (offstage in the 1/6), and Elsa reappears, in the 1/5, obviously having failed to teach Patrick etiquette. Patrick’s addiction to “sody pop”, reminds me of my addiction to “Cocoa Marsh” when I was that age. I used to sneak downstairs to my Mother’s kitchen and swipe tablespoonfuls of the super sweet chocolate syrup right from the pump dispenser jar! I can’t remember now if she ever noticed the syrup level getting lower or not. I wonder if they still make that stuff; there was a circus lion on the label. Oh, sweet cocoa nostalgia!
Rare Story by Dorothy Parker
I’ve been reading the stories and poetry of Dorothy Parker, one of Chuck Jones’s favorite authors and influence on Bugs Bunny’s personality. I don’t know about specific things she contributed to Bugs, but her dialog was certainly an influence on screenwriters, especially her exchanges between dating and fighting couples. I’m reading “Arrangement in Black and White”, originally published in THE NEW YORKER on Oct. 8, 1927. This short story is Dorothy’s chronicle of her meeting with Paul Robeson at what appears to be a Carl Van Vechten party of around 1925. These parties were attended by such luminaries as Walter White, Eugene O’Neill, George Gershwin, Adele Astaire and many others (perhaps some cartoonists?). In the story Paul Robeson is called “Walter Williams”, but the real clue is that the “woman with the pink velvet poppies” asks Williams to sing “Water Boy”, a song which Paul Robeson made famous. This song was used in the film version of “The Emperor Jones” in 1933. I speculate in the oral introduction to the story that it “isn’t in print” today. That’s wrong, I found a 1995 Penguin copy of Ms. Parker’s “Complete Stories” (photo upstairs), after I did the recording. Warning, the story is dated, uses the “N” word a couple of times, and generally portrays the uncomfortable party atmosphere that the Robesons, Paul and Essie, were moving in, circa 1925. Listen to Dorothy Parker’s dialog, it’s easy to read, and conveys the upwardly mobile, sophisticated society women of the day, who knew next to nothing about black people, but cultivated Paul Robeson, because he was one of the “in-crowd” of New York cafe society in the 1920s. It is a concise little snapshot of that time: http://www.zshare.net/audio/748004553b1708e8/ . Unfortunately, ZShare does not keep these files around more than a month or two, so if you want to listen, do it before then. Dorothy Parker was a lifelong friend of Paul Robeson, and came to his defense in the McCarthy period of the late 1940’s, early 1950’s.
In Felix from 10/5 to 10/11/1936, Felix wants to be adopted by a musician, but instead falls under the spell of Tanglefoot, the detective. Bill Blackbeard would probably find a Holmes parallel here, but in the next few weeks, Felix becomes sort of a Junior Sherlock himself. In the Sunday of 10/11, Felix continues to help out Mr. Dud, infuriating a washing machine salesman in the process.
In the Krazy Kats from 3/25 to 3/30/1940, Offissa Pupp and Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk conspire to cure Ignatz of brick-tossing, but the scheme backfires and soon EVERYBODY is tossing bricks at each other! Offissa Pupp in the 3/30, believes that Krazy tossed a clay missile at HIM!
Patrick this time is from 12/24, 12/27 to 12/31/1965. It’s interesting to contrast Patrick’s reaction to rejection in the 12/29 and 12/30 strips. Where Charlie Brown was depressed and introspective after being snubbed by Lucy, Patrick is in hysterics after being “un-invited” to the little girl’s birthday party. Patrick is a threatening bully to Elsa, in the 12/31, after she tries to teach him some etiquette. Patrick’s almost never defeated by girls in his strip, he usually just overwhealms them with his bombast. Next time, we’ll get into the 1966 Patricks.
AROOOOOO!
Cathy and I visited the Wolf Creek Tavern in Valencia last Saturday, not to indulge in beer, but to see a live wolf and wolf-dogs! They were supplied by the organization www.wolfconnection.org. The purpose of the group is to foster more appreciation of the animals by making it possible for the public to interact with them. One of the animals was a genuine Alaskan She-Wolf, that’s the thinner white wolf in the top photo on the upper left, and the rest of the critters were Wolf-Dogs, a cross-breed. They were all very friendly, and seemed to enjoy being petted. They liked to lick the faces of the folks who paid 8 bucks apiece for the privilege of being snapped (not bitten, but photographed) by the Wolf Connection group. I’ve also displayed one of Cathy’s oil paintings featuring wolves in Yellowstone National Park, called “Mates For Life”. In touching the wolves, we were surprised at how wiry their coats were, not like domestic dogs at all. The Alaskan wolf has a sort of “wild” look in her yellow eyes, the pupils were vertical slits, while the Wolf-Dogs had more “domestic” eyes, pupils were wider, and they squinted their eyes a lot. Click on the link to find out when Wolf Connection’s next event will be, and on the pictures to see the Wolves and Cathy’s painting larger.
Felix (9/28 to 10/4/36) in the dailies is trying to return the handbag that he fished out of the drink last time. The tramp tries to get it from him, but Felix finally gets the bag to a shrewish woman who clobbers him with a rolling pin. Her husband perceives that Felix “took the rap” for him and actually treats him to a “quart of cream” at the local greasy spoon. In the 10/4 Sunday, Felix stays with the Dud family for another week and dries Mrs. Dud’s laundry for her. She says what all of us Felix fanciers feel: “What would I do without Felix the Cat?” It’s Felix appreciation week!
The Krazys this time (3/18 to 3/23/1940) are mostly about sleep-walking, with a road-runner appearing in the 3/18. I love the sleeping brick in the 3/19. There is a sleep-traveller going to Chilchinbito, Arizona in the 3/23, it is not far from Kayenta and Canyon de Chelly. As of the year 2000, less than 500 people lived there, mostly Navajo. There do not seem to be any paved roads going into the town. I wonder if Garge rode there on horseback when he used to visit Coconino County so many years ago.
Wow, there are SIX Patrick dailies this time, from 12/18 to 12/23/1965. You can tell I was home from school for Christmas, no papers got away from me that week! Patrick has his own language, calling himself “greedly” in the 12/20. Patrick practising his screaming in the 12/22 reminds me of Lucy practicing her “fuss-budgeting” in the PEANUTS strip. I wonder if Patrick ever used a “throat-mike”? I’m working on another Oral Tradition story for next time, it’s a true relic. Remember to click on any image to see it larger, and write to me.
Adios, Rudy
In tribute to my late teacher and amigo, Rudy Larriva, who recently went to cartoonist’s heaven, here are a few panels from a sequence in Gus Arriola’s GORDO from 1946. These feature Gus’s caricature of Rudy as a near-sighted little nebbish, constantly falling into the hole left by the excavation of Gordo’s 1912 Michigan Meteor antique car from Rudy’s back yard. Rudy was a great animator, and teacher of animation when I was going to Chouinard Art Institute. I was animating a student film called “The Twenty-Second Tragedy” featuring a frightened little dog. I used a two-drawing shiver cycle of the dog as he confronted a scary axeman. One drawing had shaky lines, the other had normal lines and I exposed them on twos. Rudy discouraged me from using such simple tricks, he advised me to ANIMATE the shiver and really think more about the dog’s emotions. I made a whole lot more drawings, and had to admit that the scene had more impact that way. Rudy animated on such prestigious films as SONG OF THE SOUTH and MELODY TIME for Disney, he animated the tug-boat “Little Toot” in that picture. In SONG OF THE SOUTH, Rudy has draft credit in the “Laughing Place” sequence for Sc. 9, shared with Ollie Johnston, close-up of Bre’r Rabbit tied up on a spit, Sc. 30, shared with Eric Larson, close-up of Bre’r Rabbit starting to sing the “Laughing Place” song: “Hee-Hee-Hee-Hee, Ho-Ho-Ho…” and Sc. 31, also shared with Eric Larson, Long shot of the Rabbit, Fox and Bear with Bre’r Rabbit leading them, tied to a rope. Some experts give Rudy the credit for Sc. 66, 67 and 68 of the “Tar Baby” sequence, as well, but the draft credits Eric Larson. These scenes transitioned back to a shot of Bobby Driscoll listening to the story as Bre’r Fox and Bre’r Bear danced around the tar-bound Bre’r Rabbit.  Rudy was also one of Chuck Jones’s early animators at Schlesinger, notably on ELMER’S PET RABBIT and GOOD NIGHT ELMER from the early 1940s. When I met Rudy he was directing at Filmation. He admitted that his Road Runner cartoons of the late 1960s were not as well-animated as Chuck Jones’s, but he felt that they had superior camera work by Ray Thursby, who shot those cartoons at Format Films, where Rudy also directed portions of THE ALVIN SHOW. Rudy was a smallish, soft-spoken man, not quite as helpless as Arriola depicted him, but not prone to histrionics. He lived to the age of 94. I wish I had been in touch with him all these past years, since Chouinard. My friend Vincent Davis, visited Rudy often. Evidently he was reclusive in his last years and discouraged visitors. He was really a grand person and a wonderful talent, you will be missed mi amigo. Adios, requisat in pace. We will continue the Gordo strips next post with more panels devoted to Rudy Larriva.
Felix this time is from 9/14 to 9/20/1936. Danny Dooit, Socky, Snobbs and the whole Dooit clan vanish from Felix’s life now, as Felix manages to escape from the zoo. The fisherman in the Sunday page is a precursor to more fishing gags to come in the succeeding dailies.
Krazy is from 3/4 to 3/9/1940. Ignatz is thrown in prison again, but manages to fool Offissa Pupp several times. I like the “What Goes Up” 3/9 strip with it’s “Gran Baile” poster on the wall.
In Patrick, from 12/6 to 12/10/1965, Patrick organizes the “Patrick Club”; so exclusive that he is the only member. No Groucho, he. The gag for 12/10 reminds me of Red Skelton’s radio character, “The Mean Widdle Kid”. Patrick arguing with himself over whether to be good or bad is reminiscent of Skelton’s “If I dood it, I get a whippin’…I dood it!” Sometimes when the “Mean Widdle Kid” was contemplating a malicious act, he would say, “I don’t know why I’m wasting time arguing with myself, I’m gonna dood it anyway!” Mal Hancock’s Patrick is unapologetically mean-spirited, unlike a lot of contemporary comedy which IS mean-spirited, but lies about it’s intentions.
The Oral Tradition Continues!
Hi Folks, here is my story-telling effort for the month; “The Bosh-Bosh Oil” by Alicia Aspinwall. The strange drawing above is an original illustration for the story by Marie L. Danforth.  It was originally printed in 1896; collected in the anthology “Short Stories for Short People”. I read “Tulla Oolah” from that book before, now here’s another of my favorite tales. It must be one of the first stories I can remember being read aloud by our wonderful librarian at Bristol School, Miss Bedell. She always read everything with great dignity and a serious air that kept all us first-graders in rapt attention. I have a little more relaxed attitude toward the story and characters, corning it up a bit. Give it a listen while you go about your internet business: www.zshare.net/audio/727905061e166b03/
Felix is from 9/7 to 9/13/1936 this time. The Messmer elephant adopts Felix and is so grateful to him for kicking the mouse that he won’t leave Felix alone! In the Sunday, Snobbs gets arrested for impersonating an officer and Felix sleeps in Snobbs’s bed.
Krazy Kat is from 2/26 to 3/2/1940. Two-day continuities this time involving spelling, telephones, mirrors and Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk’s gossip.
Patrick is from 11/29 to 12/3/1965 this time out. I love the intensity of feeling as Patrick jumps up and down on his wind-up toy and his Lucy-like joy in his “scream that will shatter glass”, without a “throat-mike” yet! The pose in the 11/29 strip as Patrick declares; “And It’ll All Be Your Fault” looks a little like a “Miss Peach” character, but pushed to the brink. Have fun with the blog, and I’ll see you next time.
More Dailies!
Hi Folks, thanks for coming back to the old blog. It seems that blogs are “out” and Twitter and Facebook are “in”. I read an article in the L.A. Times that says that only “old folks” use Blogs anymore. I tried Facebook and thought it nothing but a waste of time, I don’t even care to look at Twitter. If you want to comment you have only to click on the link, or email me at blogmolasses@att.net if you don’t want the comments published. If that’s acting old, to want to avoid Facebook and Twitter, then I prefer the word “mature”. Here’s Felix from 8/31 to 9/6/1936. Great stuff with the animals, Socky and Snobbs in the woods this week, I especially love the Sunday page. I just can’t resist kittens! We also learn from the Sunday that Felix is a really valuable cat!
Krazy this time is from 2/19 to 2/24/1940 and has one storyline for the whole week. Offissa Pupp and Judge Pupp are one and the same person, and they work separately, but in concert to arrest and try Ignatz for brick-tossing. I like all the mice “like-alooks” in the jury box in the 2/20 strip.
Patrick is from 11/22 to 11/26/1965 this time, with the Thanksgiving strip missing, as the Post-Dispatch did not print on holidays. I like the timing of the joke in the 11/22, as Patrick looks expectantly over at his mother (in the third panel) to see if she will respond favorably to his gibe. Mal Hancock even uses Schulz’s patented “AAAUGH” in the 11/23 strip. See you next time.
Please Bear With Me
Here’s part two of my tribute to Dandy, Handy and Candy, the original Sugar Crisp Bears. Read about their escape from a shark, many years before “Jaws”, and then listen to this old children’s record about the bears. See if you can guess who is the principal singer on the record: http://www.zshare.net/audio/72056233966bcdac/. The scratches, pops and ticks are from more than 50 years of well-loved play!
 
Felix this time is from 8/24 to 8/30/1936. It’s a spooky week in the forest for Danny and Felix as they encounter an elephant, a lion, a crocodile, a monkey and an ostrich, all beautifully designed by Otto Messmer. The Sunday features Snobbs in a big dog suit, as he once again becomes Felix’s enemy. Oh, what a short memory has Snobbs, and how ungrateful he is for past favors!
 
In the Kat this time, (from 2/12 t0 2/17/1940)Â Offissa Pupp just can’t win. First he is continuously fooled by the ruse of storing bricks in Ignatz’s big Beaver hat, then, even Joe Stork is in league with Ignatz as he smuggles in a brick hidden in his “bindle” (2-17).
It’s a full week of Patrick this time, from 11/15 to 11/20/1965. Patrick is a pretty big brat, but you will notice that in 1965, no “time outs” for bratty kids. In the 11/19, Patrick is standing in the corner, feeling the stars from being spanked. No “Nanny-911” necessary for this incorrigible boy.
Notice the link over to “Yowp” over to the right. Click on it, and visit a great blog devoted to pre-Iwao Hanna-Barbera cartoons, when the world was safe for the silly puns of Charlie Shows, and the designs of Ed Benedict and Dick Bickenbach, not to mention the animation of Ken Muse, Carlo Vinci, Ed Love, Lewis Marshall and many others. Yowp writes in a very entertaining and non-worshipful fashion about these cartoons. He likes some of them and is dismissive of others, but it’s heartening to read his analysis of the stories and the tricks that the animators used to liven up the limited animation of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He singles out Carlo Vinci for the extra effort he put into making funny extremes, for instance. Yowp also points out how powerful a two drawing cycle or just a “pop” to a strong pose can be in limited animation. It was Ward Kimball who once defined animation as “the difference between two drawings”, and there are numerous examples of the power of two drawings on Yowp’s blog.
The best part of Yowp’s blog is his emphasis on the stock music that these cartoons drew on, and the stories behind the composers like Jack Schaindlin and Geordie Hormel. You can listen to the musical clips without effects or dialogue over them. Find the music that accompanied the Augie Doggie cartoons, by Bluestone, Cadkin and Phil Green; it’s quite appealing and even moving.  Of course, I think the theatrical cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s are the very best, but there is a dusty little corner of my heart and my brain where the early H-B Enterprises cartoons reside. Yogi Bear, Huck Hound and Quick Draw McGraw were like old friends to me, and the cozy, 1950s library music that Bill and Joe used for chases, like Jack Shaindlin’s “Toboggan Run” or “On The Run” played endlessly in my head as my brother and I rode our bikes fast through old St. Louis neighborhoods. These cartoons were on at a time of my life when I responded strongly to animated TV comedy, the watershed was Magilla Gorilla. When Magilla came on, I enjoyed them, but I knew that something was missing. Daws Butler was not the star voice anymore, for one, and the stock music that I loved was no longer there. I better quit blabbing about H-B stuff before Mike Barrier throws his computer at me, but I was a fan, so what.
     By the way, I wish Yowp could teach me how to embed sound files in this here WordPress type blog, then I wouldn’t have to use ZShare! Oh well, head on over there and tell Yowp that I sent you.
Dandy, Handy and Candy
It’s been cold and very wet here in old Glendale this past week. Let’s look at some dry comics, shall we? This Sugar Crisp ad is posted (Post’s) by request of old friend Marc Schirmeister. He wanted to see the original bears, Dandy, Handy and Candy, before they were merged into the singular Sugar Bear we know today. This was clipped from a Boy’s Life comic section of the mid-1950s. The bears encounter a Martian robot and are lucky that he likes Sugar Crisp. This was before “sugar” became a dirty word in cereal-land, now the product is called Golden Crisp. Rosemary Clooney had a hit record for Columbia of “Dandy, Handy and Candy” in the early 1950s, which was about the home life of the bears, maybe I’ll link to it next “Post”.
Felix is from 8/17 to 8/23/1936 this time. Danny Dooit is determined to rough it by camping in the woods with Felix. Snobbs and Socky follow Danny and his cat around with treats and luxuries, embarrassing him. In the 8/22, Danny and Felix encounter a Messmer elephant as they try to sneak off into the woods. I love Messmer’s elephant drawings. The 8/23 Sunday page punctures Snobbs’s dignity as he takes a dip in the old swimmin’ ‘ole on his “awfternoon h’off”.
Krazy this week is from 2/5 to 2/10/1940. No real continuity this week. I love the Kat Langwitch in the 2/8, Krazy mangles the names of famous men, “Watchin’ Ton”, “Cizza” and “Hanna Bill”, remarking on their “crossmints”. Then the famous Chicken Who Crossed The Road shows up to deflate K’s hero “wort-ship”. The Chicken makes a repeat appearance in the 2/10, note the elegant little umbrella Krazy’s carrying in the last panel.
Patrick this week is from 11/8 to 11/12/1965. Panel two of the 11/8 almost looks like a Schulz drawing if you don’t look at it carefully. Patrick is no Charlie Brown, however, he is a master of psychological warfare and is a really “mean” baseball player. He’s a funny character, but ultimately doomed to a short run in the newspapers. Being a real mean little kid is a bit one-dimensional and it’s tough to sustain a run of years in a comic strip without a sympathetic character. Until the next time, don’t leave any newspapers out in the rain.
Postin’ Dailies
To start out this time, Felix dailes and Sunday from 8/10 to 8/16/36. Doin’s at the Dooits continue, as Felix is constantly put out and taken in. The 8/13 has a funny finish as Mr. Dooit is banished to the dog house by the Mrs. for burning a hole in her beautiful rug. “Move over, Cat,” says Mr. Dooit to Felix in the final panel.
Krazy is from 1/29 to 2/3/1940 this time. Mostly cartoonist in-jokes this week, as Krazy erases an extra Ignatz in the 1/29, and fills Ig up with ink in the 1/31 so he won’t be so “trensperent”. I love the Kat language in the 2/2: “Dizzy Poinkmint”, sounds like Mint flavored Pork.
Patrick by Mal Hancock is from 11/1 to 11/5/1965. Patrick is such a cynical little kid, witness his attitude toward friends in the 11/4, “Not ONE SINGLE FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD, sure hope I can keep it that way…” This almost feels like a W.C. Fields line. My friend and reader Jerry Beck likes the “Patrick” strip so far, keep readin’ Mr. Beck! By the way, the reason there are five instead of six dailies in this collection, is that my Dad didn’t work on Saturday, so he didn’t bring home the evening Post-Dispatch that night. Hence a lot of my clipped runs don’t have the Saturday episodes, I was too poor in those days to buy any papers for myself. So far there have been about 20 hits on my recorded “stories”. Not an overwhelming response, but better than no listeners at all. I’ll try to do another one maybe next month.
Happy Mews Year!
If y’all can lay off the spirits long enough to read my blog, here’s the last of my Webb Smith articles from Aug. 21st, 1927 called “Premier Foils Sol on Sword”, originally published in the Los Angeles Examiner.
Felix is from 8/3 to 8/9/1936 this time. Snobbs the butler’s troubles with Mrs. Boo’s baby continue, and Felix goes fishing with Mr. Dooit. The Sunday 8/9 page is beautifully drawn as Socky the bodyguard gets in to the act, punching out Joe the Tailor, who has to prove his identity the hard way!
Krazy Kat is from 1/22 to 1/27/1940 this time. Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk and Ignatz fool around with the pun: “You Can’t Shoo (shoe) a Horsefly”. This same line was used in the Max Fleischer Color Classic of 1940, “You Can’t Shoe A Horsefly”, featuring the song of the same title by Sammy Timberg. My guess is that the gag was started on radio in 1939! The next two days are taken up by a visiting ventriloquist who makes eggs and bricks talk, and then some brick gags. Ignatz gets a rare sock on 1/26.
Here are the first 5 “Patrick” daily strips by Mal Hancock, carefully cut from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by yours truly. These are almost certainly from 1965, 10/25 to 10/29. Mal Hancock drew several daily strips, Patrick was the second one he did, it lasted until 1969. I thought of it as the “Anti-Peanuts”, Patrick was mean and maladjusted and proud of it. I love the cartooniness of the drawings, and how Hancock uses lettering as almost another character in the strip. Mal or Malcolm Hancock, was born in 1936 and died of cancer in 1993. He suffered an accident as a teenager which paralyzed him from the waist down. He evidently was in quite a lot of pain throughout his short life, which may have influenced the sardonic tone of his humor. He was best known for his magazine cartoons for the National Review, and other magazines. This shows what the Post-Dispatch comic section did to a lot of the dailies; they printed them in color! I spent a lot of time (too much time) cutting these out and storing them in envelopes. At least you can see them in good scans and in color this way, instead of (ugh)Â microfilm!
Hey Folks, it’s story-telling time once again! I thought I’d kick off 2010 by telling you one of my favorite stories from the book “Short Stories for Short People” by Alicia Aspinwall. Alicia was a great fantasist, and unjustly forgotten today. “Short Stories” was published in 1896, and was in it’s 24th printing by 1929. The story I will read to you is called “Tula Oolah”, the story of a tiny elephant that Celia and Soft-Eyes the seal found on the beach. (Original illustration by Marie L. Danforth):Â 
 This is my clumsy way of trying to preserve the oral tradition in story-telling. Our world is so media-cluttered that I fear we are losing our ability to just sit down with each other and tell stories. I have so many favorites that will never have a chance to be filmed or animated, so maybe I can spark your imaginations in this way. “Short Stories for Short People” was introduced to me by our beloved Bristol School (Webster Groves, Mo.) librarian, Miss Bedell.  Miss Bedell read to us, as I remember, several times a week in her magical school library in a special period, usually at noon. She didn’t teach a class formally, but just tried to give us a love of literature. She was a stern, strict disciplinarian who ruled by sharp looks and a commanding voice. She often stayed after school, re-binding the books herself with special cloth and glue. Her indoctrination into books didn’t quite work on me, I love literature, but it’s mostly antique juveniles that fill my cup with joy. How many of you remember collections of stories like “Told Under the Magic Umbrella”, or Andrew Lang’s “The Blue Fairy Book”? I hope you enjoy “Tula Oolah”, I’ve recorded it with a new digital microphone, with as few mistakes as possible: http://www.zshare.net/audio/707198640d964d03/.
Enjoy! We’ll see you again soon.
Happy Holidays, Post #2
Hi Readers,
For all those who don’t get our Christmas card through the mail, here’s a color copy of it. It’s patterned after the famous “Le Chat Noir” French poster by the artist Theophile Steinlen. The poster was designed to advertise the Paris night club “Le Chat Noir” in 1896, one year before the club closed it’s doors. The pioneer animator Emil Cohl was a frequent customer, as were the cartoonist Caran D’Ache and one of my favorite composers Erik Satie.  The card is a subtle way of reminding people that the next “Cat” cartoon short should be making appearances next year in festivals. It’s very close to production photography, but still a few weeks or months away.
I sketched this giant Teddy Bear outside the Tea Room at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena on the 5th, as Cathy did an Artist-In-Residence demonstration. She painted a still life of apples sitting in front of another painting she made of tomatoes: 
I’m not invited to paint when Cathy is at the Langham, so I fill the time by sketching. I tried to get the values in the room, it was dimly lit, with the main source of light coming from the fixture on the wall. The stuffed Bear was really large and his fur was quite dark as well, so lots of cross-hatching was called for.
 
Felix this time is from 7/27 to 8/2/1936. Snobbs has a perpetual job of sitting Mrs. Boo’s baby. Felix gets a lot of laughs from Snobbs’s troubles in the 7/30 and 7/31. In the 8/2 Sunday page, Snobbs is forced to put Felix out by Mr. Dooit, and it’s clear that Felix and Snobbs are getting to be friends. Felix sympathizes with Snobbs when he has a conflict between Mr. and Mrs. Dooit in the final panels of the page.
 
Krazy from 1/15 to 1/20/1940 is a miscellany of Ignatz frustration gags. Krazy’s dialect in the 1/16 is especially delectable, “Toot-Pigg”, “Pentsil Witla” and “Piggits”.
 I enjoy reading aloud and Christmas time doesn’t seem festive without a story. So I dusted off my volume of “Christmas Tales For Reading Aloud” and found a story that fits the Cat Blog, “The Mouse Who Didn’t Believe in Santa Claus” by Eugene Field. Field was born in St. Louis, in fact his house has been preserved in downtown St. Louis. At Christmas time, the house is decorated and they have warm cider for the tourists who visit there. Field’s most famous poem for children is “The Duel” or “The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat”. He also wrote “Little Boy Blue” and “Wynken, Blynken and Nod”. This story: “The Mouse Who Didn’t Believe in Santa Claus” is a lot less famous. It is condensed from the story “The Mouse and the Moonbeam” (1912). It is really a pretty grim little tale, not really appropriate for the very small child, or those easily frightened. The moral might as well be, “You’d better not pout, you’d better not cry, or you die.” I recorded the story on the computer microphone, and you may have to boost your volume a little to hear it properly. It runs about 9.5 minutes, and I really enjoyed reading it to you. I hope to record more stories some time, if I get any reaction from this one, including tips on improving the recordings technically. Listen at:  http://www.zshare.net/audio/7012671401b8f2a1/ . This is on a file-sharing site called ZShare. It is ad supported, so you may get some pop-ups if you go over there, also some of the ads displayed on the page are a little bit “R” rated, so use caution if that offends you. If any of you know how to embed a player in this here Blog, let me know.
Ya know, come to think of it, The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat both are destroyed by the end of that poem, so Field never flinched from the grim and gruesome. Kids really love the stuff, anyway.
The best and the warmest wishes of the season to all you loyal readers out there in the “Internets”. This blog couldn’t exist without you; Happy New Year, too!
Greg’s Fire
May 18, 2010
Uncategorized
9 Comments
Mark
    Greg wouldn’t want me to ask you readers for help, he’s a pretty independent guy. But without Greg, this blog wouldn’t exist, and my short “It’s ‘The Cat'” wouldn’t be a reality. So if you can donate, even a few dollars, I would appreciate it very much on mine and Greg’s behalf.
    By the way, for those who care, the artwork to the next Cat short, “There Must Be Some Other Cat”, was undamaged and is at Greg’s office, awaiting photography. It may be a long time before Greg can once again turn attention to such trifling matters as cartoons. Again, if you can, please help. Greg is a friend of very long and honored standing. Thank You.