Summer “Cel”-ebration!: Classic Cartoons on Summer Vacation

By Michael Lyons

It’s the Dog Days of Summer.  It’s also the Cat Days, Mouse Days, Duck Days and even Popeye Days of summer!

As we find ourselves in the midst of this hot, hazy and humid season of bar-b-ques, summer camps, beaches and vacations, a great way to mark all that summer has to offer is to turn back the clock to a time when cartoon short subjects were part of a night at the movie theater.

In the Golden Age of Hollywood Studio animation, cartoon characters who were stars of these shorts, found themselves in a variety of seasons and settings, including summer.

Watching these summer-themed cartoons, in all of their 2-D, traditional animation glory, there’s not just a sense of innocence for a time gone by, but of all the glory that the season of summer holds.

Hawaiian Holiday (Disney, 1937)

A very iconic cartoon short from Disney that stars the Studio’s “Fab Five:”  Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy & Pluto, all together on vacation in Hawaii.

Directed by Studio veteran Ben Sharpsteen, the short has lush background design, as well as great animation of the characters at their most classically iconic.  It also features brilliant sight gags, such as Goofy battling a wave while surfing and getting “flung” to shore and Pluto fighting with a crab, with some painful results.

All of “Hawaiian Holiday” is SO classically Disney, from look to design to music that the short is as warm, comfortable and welcoming as vacation itself.

  

Vacation with Play (Famous Studios, 1951)

Popeye the Sailor and his girlfriend Olive Oyl embark on a resort vacation.  Popeye wants to relax and sleep, while Olive wants to take part in some of the resort’s activities.

Soon, Olive finds herself pursued by the Resort’s Activity Director, played by, you guessed it, Bluto.  Popeye is soon iterally battling Bluto for Olive’s affections.  After downing a can of Spinach and fighting to “the finach,” Popeye defeats Bluto and wins Olive back.

Not as strong as many short subjects of the time, “Vacation with Play” features some amped up “cartoon violence,” when Popeye and Bluto go at it (Popeye is literally knocked out and sent flying back into his hammock).

Still all the now iconic trademarks of a Popeye short are there, coupled with a cartoon glimpse of what resort vacationing looked like about 60 years ago.  It’s a quaint, nostalgic look at summers past.

Muscle Tussle (Warner Bros., 1953)

Daffy Duck takes his girlfriend to the beach, only to have words with a musclebound duck.  Daffy wises off to the mammoth mallard, who tells Daffy that he will knock his “head so far down between your little old shoulders, you’ll have to unbutton your vest to eat!”

Daffy proceeds to get pummeled and his girl leaves with the muscular duck.  Daffy then attempts to win his girlfriend back by purchasing a questionable muscle tonic...which has disastrous and funny results.

Warner Bros. Animation legend Robert McKimson brings his ingenious, quiet comedic style to this short.  When Daffy’s girlfriend calls him a 9-lb weakling, Daffy retorts, “How do you like that?  Calling me a scrawny little 9-lb weakling, when it’s perfectly obvious I’m a scrawny little 10-lb weakling!”

There’s also fun character design, particularly in the ridiculous looking bodybuilding bully of a duck.

As with many Warner Bros. Shorts, this one also skewers popular culture, as it seems to be poking fun at ads at the time promoting “Charles Atlas body building books,” which included a comic strip featuring a skinny “wimp,” at the beach getting sand kicked in his face.  Obviously, one of the many summer dangers of the time! 

Barbeque Brawl (MGM, 1956)

One of MGM’s Studio’s wide screen Cinemascope cartoons, this Tom and Jerry offering centers on the bulldog father and son Spike and Tyke, who are settling in for a backyard barbecue, when they are interrupted by the cat and mouse chasing antics of Tom & Jerry.

What follows is what one would expect with Jerry outsmarting Tom and Tom getting in the way of Spike and Tyke’s barbecue (to Spike’s fury).

What sets this cartoon apart is how stylized the backgrounds are, obviously influenced by both the UPA Studio and television animation, that was on the rise in the ‘50’s.  The imperfect, crooked lines and colors, so prevalent in animation at the time, adds a note of nostalgia to the proceedings.

Also, it’s nice to reflect back on a time when charcoal briquettes were a part of barbecuing and an army of ants was a mainstay of any cartoon picnic.

All of these cartoon shorts are a nice reminder of a time when animation was a prevalent part of major Hollywood Studios and the regular moviegoing experience.

That silver screen era has faded like the last days of summer itself.  However, thanks to the filmmakers who brought us these shorts, we can celebrate summer with our favorite cartoon stars and enjoy all that the sunshine season brings our way.

Sources:

Boomerang

IMDb

Wikipedia 

“A Quest for Fun!”: The 35th Anniversary of “National Lampoon’s Vacation”

By Michael Lyons

It’s tough to pick a favorite scene.

That’s the type of movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation” has become.  The trials and tribulations of the Griswold family’s cross country trek to spend summer vacation at “America’s Favorite Family Fun Park, ” Wally World has become the stuff of hysterical legend.

This summer, “National Lampoon’s Vacation” marks its 35th anniversary, which means there’s no better time to hop in the ol’ Family Truckster and travel back in time to celebrate this ever re-watchable comedy classic. 

One of the first major scripts by John Hughes, (who had based the screenplay on his short story, “Vacation ‘58,” which had appeared in “National Lampoon” magazine), “National Lampoon’s Vacation” contained all the hallmarks of the filmmaker’s later films: broad comedy that shines an oh-so-realistic light on society. 

In it, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) becomes obsessively focused with taking his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and kids Audrey and Rusty (Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall) to Wally World Theme Park, home of Marty Moose (an obvious and clever sting at Disney).  

Of course, nothing goes as planned and everything goes wrong, which results in some of the funniest and most memorable scenes the comedy movie world has ever seen.

Pulling all of this together with perfect staging and pacing is director Harold Ramis, who had only made one film (“Caddyshack”) prior to “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”  With this film, Ramis’ trademark ability to solidly stage a comic film that sustains laughs throughout its entire running time is on display.

Bringing it all to life like a solid rep company is the cast: Chase, is at the zenith of his stumbling comic timing and D’Angelo as his put upon wife believably delivers her straight lines.

In supporting roles, TV comic legend Imogene Coca is all over-the-top crustiness as Aunt Edna; Randy Quaid populates the hillbilly-like Cousin Eddie so well, he doesn’t seem like he’s acting; John Candy is his likable self as the simpleton, officious Wally World Security Guard; Veteran Eddie Bracken is the perfect Walt Disney-like Company figure head, Roy Wally; Christie Brinkley (in her only acting role) is as stunning as her magazine covers of the time and Eugene Levy is shmoozy goodness as the quintessential slime ball car salesman.

The characters and story were so popular that they gave rise to three sequels (another of which, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” has become an equal classic to the original), as well as a re-boot in 2015.

But, it’s “National Lampoon’s Vacation” that blazed the trail.  Released on July 29, 1983, the film celebrates 35 years this summer.  Three and a half decades of laughing its way into our pop culture psyche (the term “Griswold family vacation” has taken on new meaning).

And, then...there’s those scenes: the Griswolds singing the “Marty Moose Theme Song,” as they drive the open road; Clark falling asleep at the wheel; a Hamburger Helper picnic (without hamburger) at Cousin Eddie’s House; Clark accidentally jumping the Family Truckster like a stunt man; Aunt Edna’s poor dog, dinky’s sad fate; Aunt Edna’s sad fate; Clark swimming with Christie Brinkley (“This is Crazy!  This is Crazy!”); Clark’s “off-the rails” rant at his family; Wally World is closed (“Moose outside should have told you.”).

It’s tough to pick a favorite scene.

Sources:

IMDb

Wikipedia

Saturday “Super” Stars: Cartoon’s Offbeat Heroes

By Michael Lyons

Who would have thought that someday we would get ONE “Ant Man” movie, let alone TWO!  But, here we are, this weekend as Marvel’s latest “Ant Man and The Wasp” hits theaters.

The sequel features a super hero with most unlikely powers.  No iron suit, shield, strength or gift of flight.  Ant Man’s super power is that of making himself small (and sometimes big).

He’s proof that heroes can come in all shapes and sizes and can also come from the most unlikely of places.

Ant Man is also part of a long line of offbeat super heroes that were once a staple of Saturday Morning Cartoons.  With “Ant Man and The Wasp” now poised to do “big” things at the box-office this weekend, it’s the perfect time to look back and celebrate the weird (and wacky) cartoon superheroes of yesteryear. 

“Mighty Mouse” (CBS, 1955)

“Mr. Trouble never hangs around, when he hears this mighty sound: ‘Here I come to save the day!’  That means that Mighty Mouse is on the way!”

So began the theme song to “The Mighty Mouse Show” on Saturday Mornings, letting all know that the diminutive caped rodent was about to take on the bad guy (or, in this case, bad cat).

Created by the Terrytoon Studio in 1942, Mighty Mouse has flown high for years and was re-imagined by the Filmation Studio in the ‘70’s and animator Ralph Bakshi in the ‘80’s.

Originally named “Super Mouse,” as a parody of Superman, Mighty Mouse has become as iconic as the Caped Crusader.

“Space Ghost” (CBS, 1966)

Another iconic Saturday morning cartoon super hero, Hanna-Barbera’s Space Ghost was just that: a super hero who had the ability to fly and make himself invisible, while fighting villains in outer space.

The show was created by Alex Toth, a noted comic book artist who brought the sensibility and style of a comic book to Hanna Barbera.  The visuals, coupled with the booming voice of Gary Owens, created a true sense of those panels on the page coming to life.

If you only know Space Ghost from the ‘90’s comedic re-boot “Space Ghost: Coast to Coast” on Cartoon Network, you owe it to yourself to check out the heroic original.

“Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles” (CBS, 1966)

Another “super oddity” from Hanna Barbera.  This show was divided into two separate sections: one involved a young boy scientist named Buzz Conroy who fought crime with the aide of his robot, Frankenstein, Jr.; the other part of the show focused on The Impossibles, a trio of super heroes.  They were Multi-Man (the power of duplication), Coil Man (spring action!) and Fluid Man (can easily turn himself to water).  Oh, and The Impossibles was also a rock band.

Was the show as weird as it sounds?  Sure was.  Is it as fun as it sounds?  Sure is.

“The Mighty Heroes” (CBS, 1966)

Ralph Bakshi, who would not only go on to re-boot Mighty Mouse in the ‘80’s, but also create adult-oriented animated films like “Fritz the Cat,” in the ‘70’s, brought this off-beat, Avengers-like group of superheroes to life for Terrytoons TV Studio.  The team consisted of Strong Man, Diaper Man, Tornado Man, Rope Man and Cuckoo Man.

With surprisingly fluid animation for TV at the time, “The Mighty Heroes” was both a send-up and a love letter to the super hero genre.

“Dynomutt, Dog Wonder” (ABC, 1976)

Debuting as part of “Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour,” this was another “Only from Hanna-Barbera” super hero.

A sidekick to the oh-so-serious Blue Falcon (voiced in Space Ghost tones by Gary Owen), Dynomutt (animation voice veteran Frank Welker) was a mechanical dog with a number of electronic and hydronic abilities, most of which malfunction, but manage to always catch the villain.

The character and the show have come to epitomize the Hanna-Barbera style from the ‘70’s, which has allowed Dynomutt to gain quite the cult following through the years.

“Mighty Man and Yukk” (ABC, 1979)

Part of the Ruby-Spears Studio’s “Plastic Man Comedy Show,” this is one of Saturday Morning’s most bizarre and forgotten cartoons.

Mighty Man was actually an eccentric billionaire who used a machine to shrink himself down to a few inches tall, while being equipped with super powers.

His sidekick was Yukk, an anthropomorphic dog who is so ugly that he has to hide his face inside a miniature doghouse he wears on his head.  Yukk’s superpower is that when he shows his face to bad guys, they run away.

Yup, the show has to be seen to be believed.

Of course, this discussion of Saturday Super Heroes wouldn’t be complete without mentioning...

“Atom Ant,” (NBC, 1965)

This was the adventures of a radiation-infused ant who finds himself with super strength powerful enough to take on any villain.  Atom Ant was Hanna-Barbera’s first super hero.  

Guess you could say, he was the first Ant, man.

So this weekend, during this era of blockbuster summer super hero movies, grab a bowl of your most unhealthiest, sugary cereal and settle in to flashback to a time when Saturdays truly were super!

Sources:

Wikipedia