Avery did enjoy loading his WW2 cartoons with topical references galore. It’s no wonder that MGM chose to delete those painful reminders of the mid-1940s when these wartime cartoons were reissued in the ’50s.
WILD AND WOOLFY, like THE SHOOTING OF DAN McGOO, feels like a patchwork piece to me. I’ve always sensed that some of the animation is newer, from whenever the cartoon was reissued.
McGOO is a mini-masterpiece. I’ve never cared very much for WOOLFY, aside from the wonderfully primitive cartoon horses. It’s my least favorite of the Wolf/Red series.
Do you know if the Avery unit did these reissue alterations? I would hope it was his bunch, and not Dick Lundy, et al…
It all depends when it was reissued. In this case, the cartoon was reissued for 1953, so Avery’s unit probably did it. I would assume that DUMB-HOUNDED, SHOOTING OF DAN MCGOO, and NORTHWEST HOUNDED POLICE were also altered by the Avery unit. But this is moot, because the studio ordered the changes for reissue, and whoever did it had to oblige.
Those horses were beautifully animated by Walt Clinton, who for some reason had his name deleted in the reissue credits!
I’m glad at least one MGM-altered cartoon survived to the present day, as opposed to the utterly horrifying number of original MGM scenes that have been lost forever.
The reissue fades to black after the wanted poster. Do you know if the original does anything different?
Terrific find!
Guess one should have to read the synopsies for almost every WB/MGM toon of the 40s (expecially of the War Years) to understand the way these shorts were actualy released.
Hope David will soon find and share the one for “The Stupid Cupid”. Wonder if Ford got the ending right.
A “C book” was a book full of “C ration cards”. An “A card” was a card that was very limiting in how much of everything that could be rationed to you (gasoline, tires, sugar, meat, other fineries, etc.). “C cards”, on the other hand, were decidedly more generous and would allow at least three times as much as what would be rationed than that of the carrier of the “A card”. Hence, why a whole book full of “C cards” would make for a very handsome reward offer (a similar gag occurs in Bob Clampett’s “Russian Rhapsody” when one of the Kremlin Gremlins strips the C card off Hitler’s plane dashboard and replaces it with an A card, complete with lowercase A, displeasing Hitler).
“A cards” generally were offered to everyday shmoes while “C cards” were given to people with more important jobs (doctors, professors, military officials, etc.) who would generally need more of what could be rationed.
Thaddeus, thanks for the wonderful assemblage of Art Davis material, and the Tyre. I’m savoring ’em before I go forward with the others.
Otherwise, it’s funny to me that 60 some years later enthusiasts in retrospection feign surprise at the timely topicality of the shorts they scour. It is very likely the creators had no future in mind for their products beyond that of the currency of a monthly magazine and the like. These ‘dated’ cartoons are that much more interesting as historical objects, thereby.
I just wanted to inform you Thad, that the pic of the wanted poster is gone. I was wondering if you could reupload it. for those that are intrested in seeing it.
Nhice discovery! But you knew that.
Avery did enjoy loading his WW2 cartoons with topical references galore. It’s no wonder that MGM chose to delete those painful reminders of the mid-1940s when these wartime cartoons were reissued in the ’50s.
WILD AND WOOLFY, like THE SHOOTING OF DAN McGOO, feels like a patchwork piece to me. I’ve always sensed that some of the animation is newer, from whenever the cartoon was reissued.
McGOO is a mini-masterpiece. I’ve never cared very much for WOOLFY, aside from the wonderfully primitive cartoon horses. It’s my least favorite of the Wolf/Red series.
Do you know if the Avery unit did these reissue alterations? I would hope it was his bunch, and not Dick Lundy, et al…
It all depends when it was reissued. In this case, the cartoon was reissued for 1953, so Avery’s unit probably did it. I would assume that DUMB-HOUNDED, SHOOTING OF DAN MCGOO, and NORTHWEST HOUNDED POLICE were also altered by the Avery unit. But this is moot, because the studio ordered the changes for reissue, and whoever did it had to oblige.
Those horses were beautifully animated by Walt Clinton, who for some reason had his name deleted in the reissue credits!
I’m glad at least one MGM-altered cartoon survived to the present day, as opposed to the utterly horrifying number of original MGM scenes that have been lost forever.
The reissue fades to black after the wanted poster. Do you know if the original does anything different?
That’s a damn shame those original MGM prints were burned. Nice find
Wow, the joke must be really dated.
So, what’s “C Book”? The google search was no help.
Here’s a website with the information regarding gasoline rationing and the meaning of the lettered stamp books.
Terrific find!
Guess one should have to read the synopsies for almost every WB/MGM toon of the 40s (expecially of the War Years) to understand the way these shorts were actualy released.
Hope David will soon find and share the one for “The Stupid Cupid”. Wonder if Ford got the ending right.
A “C book” was a book full of “C ration cards”. An “A card” was a card that was very limiting in how much of everything that could be rationed to you (gasoline, tires, sugar, meat, other fineries, etc.). “C cards”, on the other hand, were decidedly more generous and would allow at least three times as much as what would be rationed than that of the carrier of the “A card”. Hence, why a whole book full of “C cards” would make for a very handsome reward offer (a similar gag occurs in Bob Clampett’s “Russian Rhapsody” when one of the Kremlin Gremlins strips the C card off Hitler’s plane dashboard and replaces it with an A card, complete with lowercase A, displeasing Hitler).
“A cards” generally were offered to everyday shmoes while “C cards” were given to people with more important jobs (doctors, professors, military officials, etc.) who would generally need more of what could be rationed.
Thanks for the thorough explanation Matt.
I was explaining it for Charles. He didn’t know what a “C book” was (this was before J.J.’s reply too).
Oh. Thanks anyway.
Thaddeus, thanks for the wonderful assemblage of Art Davis material, and the Tyre. I’m savoring ’em before I go forward with the others.
Otherwise, it’s funny to me that 60 some years later enthusiasts in retrospection feign surprise at the timely topicality of the shorts they scour. It is very likely the creators had no future in mind for their products beyond that of the currency of a monthly magazine and the like. These ‘dated’ cartoons are that much more interesting as historical objects, thereby.
I just wanted to inform you Thad, that the pic of the wanted poster is gone. I was wondering if you could reupload it. for those that are intrested in seeing it.