Just got a disc of transfers of a few films in my collection that I loaned Tom Stathes to transfer at his Vintage Film Archive (aka his mom’s house).
Lady Play Your Mandolin never looked that good wherever I’ve seen it (including the one Warner movie DVD it was included as an extra with), so I had to get this awesome print transferred. I have to say that anyone who doesn’t love that drunk horse at the end (Mark Kausler’s educated guess is that ‘Ham’ Hamilton animated those scenes) obviously hates freedom and justice.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvPVFZxzQwU&hl=en&fs=1]
Cow Cow Boogie isn’t that good of a short, but it’s rare. It has some funny animation and gags (the udder warmer, the one steer getting shot in the face) and a great soundtrack though. Pull out your DVDs to see how much Shamus Culhane brought to the table (and rose the bar) with his own “darkies is hepper than honkeys” cartoon Boogie Woogie Man.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZs5HD6JPDM&hl=en&fs=1]
Finally, some I.B. Tech footage from The Bugs Bunny Show. It’s obviously the work of the Jones unit (looks like Dick Thompson’s animation). I like how the sheepdog’s ass morphs into his face inexplicably (cartoondom really owes a lot to Lou Chaney Jr.’s performance in Of Mice and Men). It’s not the complete show (I really want to know how Daffy got out of that one), though it should give you an idea of how bright Technicolor is supposed to look (and everyone complaining about the DVDs being too bright are talking out of their asses).
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL8w-0-w2jQ&hl=en&fs=1]
Did that Bugs episode come before or after Abominable Snow Rabbit? (The face, voice, and personality are exactly like the snow man)
Nice collection, Thad. you’re the envy of us all.
Neat seeing the Bugs Bunny Show footage in colour. Would it have come from an overseas print?
Anything that was broadcast in color has a chance of turning up in 16mm color prints. Obviously, something like this would be a little less common since b/w was still very mainstream at that point. Glad to see transfers looking good, Thad.
Nice to see some IB color footage. We were getting these in color in Canada by the time the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour arrived, and the openming looks as good as I remember, but not with original TBBS lights (didn’t have a color TV at home until 1969-1970, so I was only about 5 or 6 at the time).
Made a transfer of your rare WB shorts with additional footage too?
I’m always amazed with these early WB cartoons, and how the legend really started. They are ugly and dull, but still charming. I personally prefer “Smile Darn Ya Smile” to “Lady Play Your Mandolin” from the short Foxy filmography, mostly because of the great soundtrack.
(PS: oceansoul is here, I will use my real name instead of the GAC nick from now)
That drunken horse is the most random, funny, god damn thing I ever seen in my life. Most people at first glance think that these old Bosko and Foxy shorts were all cute and innocent, we all know that ain’t true. What so funny about them is that they all usually end up in a bar or someone getting piss drunk. They also had pretty rude humor. Like one Bosko short, a family of pigs get wasted and start dancing and one little pig has to stop to go to the bathroom. XD
As Leonard Maltin said about the H&I cartoons — the shorts are lively and the gags come fast … until you see three in a row and realize how many of the gags/animation are recycled (the cackling laugh/drunken horse scream mouth animation had to have shown up in at least a dozen Merrie Melodies after “Mandolin”). At least this being the first MM cartoon, it’s kind of like Flimation’s work on the original “Archie” series — it’s got animation you’ve seen over and over again in other shorts, but at least here most of it’s original.
The BBS IB print looks as though the “Overture” number may have been edited in from a post-1967 print done for CBS (when they screwed up the audio/video mix and used a soundtrack without Mel’s Daffy voice at the end). But other than that, the colors look great.
I don’t know what it is about the “Bugs Bunny Overture”, but every time I hear “Overture, curtain, lights”, I feel like I’m 7 years old again – this show (& WB cartoons in particular) are such a big part of my life!
Thanks for posting, Thad!! =P
Ella Fitzgerald makes the Cow Cow Boogie a lot more entertaining to listen to than it is here…
When I watched the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show growing up, I always wondered why the recording sounded so old and wasn’t until recently now I see it was for the old BB show. Looking back, the animation looks so clunky in both versions of The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show. The timing was much better in the original.
I’m not a huge fan of the early 30’s Warner cartoons but DAMN if “Mandolin” isn’t an awesome short. I agree with Thad: if you don’t find that horse funny there’s something seriously wrong with you.
When a local channel aired the 71’s BBS 10-15 years ago, they was lookin always cut during the bridging sequences and that’s wonder me what’s going on to Bugs and his pals and they show often only the cartoons.
Anyway, nice stuff you got Thad. That’s very faithful to see someone who was able to take this kind of art seriously! :)
I love how bright and saturated Technicolor prints look and I don’t think that they translate too well on DVD. There are technical reasons, but the main problem, in my opinion, is that in “oversaturated” DVD releases all the colors – including the muted ones – get pumped up. And still the colors don’t come off as satisfyingly strong as when projected in 35mm.
It’s great to see collectors like you going out of their way to digitize these 16mm prints!
I definitely remember seeing the scene with the sheepdog on “The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show” (the hour-and-a-half version) in the 1970’s. Maybe that’s how it “survived” in color.
This is the “original” original opening to the Bugs Bunny Show- a later version was reshot adding the Roadrunner to the lineup.