Felix Gumshoes Again
The Catblog presents Felix at his best in the strips from 2-14 to 2-27-1932! My favorites are the 2-19 and 2-20 dailies as the gangster is clobbered with his own rock in the former (Love that Felix pointing and laughing pose) and Felix deftly popping through a hole in the fence in the last panel of the latter. Prohibition is referenced in the 2-22 and 2-23 dailies as Felix says “I put extra raisins in this home brew to make the corks pop..”. There is an Aesop Fable cartoon from 1923 called “The Fable of A Raisin and a Cake of Yeast” which were the main ingredients of home made beer, so the recipe was well known in the era of the Great Experiment. We also learn that Felix’s Girlfriend was named “Phyllis” in 1932 as opposed to “Kitty” for so many of the other Felix years. Phyllis is such a wispy little cat, isn’t she? Sorry it’s been more than two months since the last entry around here. I keep busy with my weekly post of “Someday Comics” for the Daily Dose online comics sharing group. But I love to do these blog posts best of all. Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Cameron M. says:
To Mr. Kausler, thank you for everything you’ve done!
I have had a chance to revisit some of the things you have worked on over the years, and am genuinely taken aback with the scope of your accomplishments.
Through your hard work, dedication and passion, a lot of wonderful shows and films have become a reality.
In the future, I would be honored to have a conversation with you, to learn about you, your life, and the ups and downs of your career.
I hope you and your family are doing well, and that this message has found you in good spirits.
Humbly, I thank you for everything you’ve done in the industry.
Mark says:
Thanks for your very kind comments, Cameron! I always tried to do the best I could with the limited gifts I had. I only worked 37 years in the animated cartoon business, but enjoyed a lot of it. Of course, making my two cartoon shorts with Itza Cat, was the most fun I EVER had! You have my permission to engage me in a conversation about cartoons any time. I have been interviewed extensively on the The Animation Guild’s website: https://animationguild.org/oral_history/mark-kausler/ Go there and hear a lot of my history! Thanks again, Mark
Cameron M. says:
Thank you very much for your kind, humble (and expedient) messages! I apologize for the follow-up…strangely enough, I did not see that you had responded until AFTER I sent that message. So there may have been (or may still be) an issue with the system. (Seeing you replied twice too, I feel a bit less awkward about it.) Technology can be damn screwy.
I will be glad to listen to that interview–I had a lot of fun listening to an interview Steve did with Robert Alvarez in 2010. I heard most of that, and listened to a little bit of a Tim Walker one too. Two great animators, to say the absolute least (and I believe they both went to Chouinard with you back in the mid-1960s). I’m looking forward to seeing what you share on your blog in the future…and if you ever want to reach out, you should have my e-mail address in your records now. Or perhaps I can contact you on Facebook. Whatever works!
By the way, you mentioned in another blog post the IrfanView program. I’ve used IrfanView for many, MANY years. It’s far better than the default picture viewer Windows comes with, and very flexible. I’ve used it on everything from Windows 95 to Windows 7 (which is what I’m using now). Absolutely brilliant stuff.
Mark says:
Thanks for your comment, Cameron. I’m glad you like my work, I just did the best I could with what talent I had. I managed to squeeze 37 years of work out of the animated cartoon industry. The best time I had was doing my two animated shorts featuring Itza Cat. If you want to hear a long interview with me, go here: https://animationguild.org/oral_history/mark-kausler/ You will find a long interview that the MPSC business agent Steve Hulett, did with me. I would be happy to talk with you anytime. All the best, Mark
Cameron M. says:
Mr. Kausler, I hope you will forgive me if this turns out to be a double-message…I left a comment earlier, but for some reason it hasn’t shown up, and I’m not sure if they need to be approved beforehand before they appear on the blog.
I just wanted to thank you for everything you have done during your career…I have had a great time revisiting a lot of shows and movies that I enjoyed growing up, and was amazed to discover you had worked on quite a few of them.
It is amazing to look at the scope of what you have done, and all that you have accomplished. You are a fantastic animator.
If you are interested, I would be honored to talk to you in the future about your life and career.
Thank you very much for your time…all the best to you and your family for a happy Thanksgiving!