068 Nick's Coffee Pot

1939 Number: 068
Title: Nick's Coffee Pot
Studio: Terry
Date: 5/19/39
Credits: -
Series: -
Running time (of viewed version): 5:44

Synopsis: A new diner opens, a spider is rejected from it, so he absconds with a fly, until his boat is sunk and he drowns.




















Comments: Second cartoon in a row where the female is taken away by a big hairy male. Yet another jitterbug cartoon (based on lyrics and bugs; no one actually jitterbugs). This opening title is from Barker Bill's Cartoon Show, which ran on CBS from 1953 to 1956 twice a week for 15 minutes each; this led to CBS buying Terrytoons. There's a nice NYWF sign, replacing the trylon and perispehere with asparagus and meatball. Something about this overall cartoon feels earlier than '39. Now we'd expect this to be about a coffee shop, but it's more like a diner... I'm not sure if the general intention was to comment on restaurants that looked like things or not. The spider goes down with the ship with Al Jolson's "mammy". The spider is yet another instance of Jimmy Durante-ism. I assume the "No Spiders Allowed" followed the general form of race based exclusion signs.