The Fox and Crow: the characters the Columbia studio accidentally got right (but only a few times).
This is probably the best of the post-Tashlin shorts, the underrated Bob Wickersham’s Mr. Moocher. The characters here are fully-realized, with interesting, discernible traits. We want to learn more about who these guys are and see them in more cartoons, which is not a feeling we get in other F&C cartoons. The animation and drawings are solid and funny. Frank Graham does a brilliant job with the milquetoast Fauntleroy, and uses his beloved conman voice heard in several MGM and Disney cartoons for Crawford. It also has a coherent story that actually builds up to a satisfying conclusion (this is not a trait one finds in many Columbia cartoons). The whole mooching/’chiseler’ concept would be cribbed for the wonderful comic books with these guys (and eventually for just about every DC funny animal comic too).
This is from a time coded VHS that originated from Jerry Beck and circulated almost eight years ago amongst collectors. Those were fun times when people actually sought out this stuff with their own time and money, and not just sit on their ass and wait for stuff to be handed to them on YouTube.
[dailymotion id=x90tyr]
Last paragraph: Well said, man.
I was going to comment on Thad’s last paragraph as well but Tom beat me to it first with his own identical feelings; YOUTUBE IS OVERRATED!!!!!
This cartoon (while actually not my favorite Fox & Crow short) is one of the better Columbia shorts. Sid Marcus’ story is one of his better ones and I certainly agree with the Fox and Crow being more rounded, identifiable characters in this short than in many of their others. Also, gotta love the ending where the Fox finally goes ape-shit and strips the Crow naked (“Some feathers ‘cuz I wanna be an Indian!”).
I agree with Tom – well stated, Thad – ah, those were good ole days…!!!
Anyway, this is one of the better Fox & Crow shorts – the animation is great & the storyline was supplied by the under-rated Sid Marcus. Frank Graham’s voice work is terrific as usual – another under-rated talent, IMO
Can’t understand why they do not release these on DVD (with the correct soundtrack of course).
They got the colors ones already restored and quite a bunch of black and white cool efforts are indeed restored too.
I know of an upcoming complete UPA set which should have to come out this year. But I don’t not know if they changed their mind.
so what are the other good fox & crow shorts
Damn! The fox takes a bath in his underwear and then he needs to wrap a towel around it when he gets out. Relax, Fauntleroy, nobody can see your package.
No kidding! It wasn’t too long ago, that we actually worked to get our cartoons! And ten years before that guys were getting busted by the FBI for buying 16mm prints. It’s just so easy now…..it’s easy to forget how big of a deal these shorts were when they first started circulating.
Thad, you’re not quite correct. Some people don’t wait for stuff to be handed to them on YouTube. They demand it to be uploaded. Now! Though they’re willing to wait a couple of minutes.
There’s no such thing as the “me” generation. “Me” knows no generational boundaries.
Thanks for posting that, Thad! Damn funny, very nicely animated and full of that wonderful antagonistic tension found in 1940’s comedy teams (Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, even such Jules White pairings as Schilling & Lane) Last saw it, oh gees, 18? 20? years ago at a fun home screening of movie rarities at Mark Kausler’s
And frankly, I thought the selfish bastard baby boomers of my age group were “The Me Generation”. . . or more accurately, the “Me – Fuck The Rest Of You, And We’re So Spiritual, Too – Generation.”