026 Frozen Feet

Title: Frozen Feet
Studio: Terrytoons
Date: 2/24/39
Credits: None on viewed print
Series: -
Running time (of viewed version): 5:50

Synopsis: Irishman goes to paint the North Pole and is judged guilty of stealing a walrus's false tusks (which he is in fact guilty of) and sentenced to death by the inhabitants. He is saved from the ice floes by some mounties, alerted by a woman watching the film.




















Comments: It occurs to me the studio might technically be Terry, not Terrytoons. Too late now... Opening seems clipped; everything begins in medias res; probably the print, since it's actually the middle of a sentence where it starts. Three stereotypes are present; American black, Chinese and Irish. It would be difficult to find the lines or delivery for the black character offensive, tho the rest is pretty typical of the time. There are penguins at the North Pole in this universe. Mushy lyrics. The characters are a whole different level of ugly. I suspect there's interesting jokes on the pole itself, but it is hard to read ore than "Joe" or "1912" on it. There's a joke about the Irishman wishing the alerting woman luck at bingo, which was a popular come on at the time to get people into theaters.

025 The Practical Pig

Title: The Practical Pig
Studio: Disney
Date: 2/24/39
Credits:
Series: Silly Symphonies
Running time (of viewed version): 8:22 (9:02 with Walt introduction)

Synopsis: The brick pig is making a lie detector, while the other two are attracted to the dubious feminine wiles of the wolf dressed as a mermaid and are taken to the mill where he lives; brick tortures their whereabouts out of him and then blows him up, but his moral violations are for nought as they escape on their own and the torture apparatus is turned on all three pigs.




















Comments: Son of a ridiculous bastard, this short is hidden on disc one of the fist Silly Symphonies DVD. You have to choose captions and go left within captions to an unmarked thing with a flower to access this. It's listed in the damn booklet as being under Leonard's Picks. It's title 22 if you want to jump directly to it on the DVD. The scientific equipment is pretty impressive looking, and it automatically tortures someone when they lies! The wolflets are sensible and want to kill the pigs in the hand, while their father suffers from Bond-villain disease and wants to wait. The use of a popular song feels weird for a Disney short. It works tho. The wolf's man mask is great, along with his simpering messenger boy voice.

Model sheet for auction at Howard Lowery:

024 The Gorilla Hunt

Title: The Gorilla Hunt
Studio: Columbia
Date: 2/24/39
Credits: None listed on viewed print
Series: Color Rhapsody
Running time (of viewed version): 7:35

Synopsis: A hunter presents a film of his trip to Africa to hunt a gorilla.





















Comments: This kinda has the look of a Famous cartoon. Similar musically as well. The car looks good. Sounds like Mel Blanc doing at least some of the voices, but I suppose it could be similar sounds from people in the profession. There's an anti-stereotype gag with stereotypically visually designed African natives singing in what I would describe as a white American '20s/'30s college harmony group (tho I may be off on that). Unfortunately the print makes darker scenes almost unviewable, and there are many dark scenes (the natives and the gorilla are pretty much silhouettes, except in night scenes where they are just eyes and mouths. I wonder if the title on the film within the film mirrors the original title (not upside down of course). It certainly kills some time and doesn't need to be very animated... I notice amongst the contents of the hunter's exploding bag are a corked bottle and what appears to be an image of a nude woman. The megaship that passes is called The Wrecks (I assume there was a famous ship called The Rex), and it is part of The Clothes Line company. That moving ship element reduces the need for drawings, too. I assume there was an issue about LA expanding really far, as there is a sign in Africa saying "Los Angeles City Limits". The yellow car and trailer look great, but are poorly framed (which could be the fault of a transfer crop). There's a monkey doing a "Peoples is the craziest monkeys" I'm pretty sure I've heard Mel do in WB cartoons, implying it's a specific lift from someone. There's a native in a white tux in the background of one shot (tho the chief in the shot seems in desperate danger of exposing his under loincloth); could be a specific reference. I'm not sure if the hunter is supposed to Oliver Hardy-esque (he's too short and blonde), but the silent sidekick is very Stan Laurel.