Mike Sporn posted scans of the obscenely rare Piccoli children’s book by Paul Julian, a must-see for anyone interested in the phenomenally talented artist.
As somewhat of a companion piece, here’s the Friz Freleng directed sequence from the 1948 Dennis Morgan/Jack Carson feature, Two Guys from Texas. No question that the gorgeous Julian backgrounds are the highlight of it. Julian remarked to Shamus Culhane once that he never did anything at Warners that was in his own “vision,” only Freleng’s. A surprisingly dismissive statement, given that Julian’s are regularly the best of the Warner background paintings of the 1940s. (I guess it was no good because it was all for smartass animals and stupid humor.) Also on display here are some great caricatures by Ben Shenkman (You can see the Carson caricature briefly in Freleng’s Slick Hare as well.) Watchful eyes will notice the rampant animation reuse from Tashlin’s Swooner Crooner.
I included a bit of footage from the actual movie to put it in context. (The squaw harassing Carson is a running gag throughout it.) Clearly you can see why it’s not on DVD: it’s a bad old movie. So it’s chances of release are slim to none.
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