Every studio experimented with different formats in making cartoons. 1939 is a really interesting year in animation history. Gulliver’s Travels became a huge hit at the end of the year, Pinocchio was finished at the end of the year, with Fantasia also being nearly done.

Warners continued to refine their own brand of comedy while MGM struggled between comedy shorts (The Milt Gross, plus the Captain and the Kids shorts) and, later in the year, Harman/Ising’s Disney-esque films. The Fleischers remained strong in the Popeye cartoons and meandered between solid and wobbley films with the later Betty Boops and the Color Classics. Back on the east coast, Paul Terry’s Studio, comprised of seasoned New York animators, had a pretty fascinating year in terms of types of films. Some shorts were the standard animal outings with fair to spectacular production qualities (Their Last Bean, the Ice Pond, The Owl and the Pussycat, The Nutty Network, The Three Bears, The Orphan Duck). Their overall look and story elements fall between a cloying Disney-esque approach, Fleischer’s Color Classics and WB’s Merrie Melodies. A whole series of one-shot black and white shorts feature human characters (Nick of Time, Frozen Feet, The Golden West, The Prize Guest). Gandy Goose and Sourpuss get their own shorts that land somewhere between a Warners and a little more Disney-esque in approach. I find all pretty interesting, and have found I’ve rarely gone back to watch the one shots. So, when Tommy Stathes lent me this short a few weeks back, I was pleasantly surprised – so here it is!

The Prize Guest (1939) plays like a one or two-reel comedy short more than a cartoon in many ways. Directed by Mannie Davis and written by John Foster, the short features a hotel detective tasked with following a mysterious, magical guest who can defy gravity as well as make his dog disappear at will.

It’s a beautifully layed-out picture featuring some beautiful shots of New York Skyscrapers. Terrytoons don’t often get noted for their backgrounds, but they really should since there’s so much beautiful layout and painting work in these shorts.

Now, it’s not a ‘top’ cartoon by any means, but a very enjoyable little outing nonetheless.

The short repeats a gag from Foster’s earlier Van Beuren cartoon Trouble featuring ‘Tom and Jerry’. The print here has a splice at that gag, so here is another print of the same cartoon to watch that scene

Here is the print we’re posting, featuring the original titles. Thanks again to Tommy for the lend – and have a good week all!

Before I give everyone here the “Raspberry”, here’s some quick Thunderbean updating:

Summer is my time to really catch things up, and I go between being incredibly motivated and hiding until certain things are finished and being completely burned out from doing so! This summer, I’m working on one thing at a time as much as I can, then having the other Thunderbean folks also work on one thing at a time to see if we can get through as many of the close to finished projects as possible. Cartoons for Victory is heavily on the plate for me right now along with helping with Tommy Stathes’ beautiful Dinky Doodle project, along with colleague David Gerstein.

And now — onto getting “Razzberried”!!!

I really love the idea of bringing back the entire Terrytoons staff from 95 years ago and have them watch some of their cartoons with a contemporary audience.

Razzberries (1931), like many of the Terrytoons of this period, is working hard to have you laugh at every shot of the film, either with action or, sometimes, just the bizarre or funny drawing. And it *is* funny, and must have been entertaining to the audience at least. The primitiveness of the animation is one of its greatest assets in this case, and pretty enjoyable if you’re not expecting more.

In this nearly plotless cartoon, we’re treated to a series of animals doing funny things for no reason at all, starting with some lions that are dancing in some sort of tribal fashion. It’s animation synced to music for only that reason. The flying monkeys that show up for one shot may be my own favorites. An astute monkey on a high-wheeler uses a small horn to give the lion-tribe the ‘“raspberry”, scaling them off- hence the title of the film. A little more than halfway through the picture, Farmer Alfalfa, game hunter and now the star, shows up in a mechanical elephant rather than riding on a real one. After chasing around a bunch of bear cubs (and eventually being confronted by their angry mom) he gives up that chase, offers our hero a few furs, then. Or monkey on the bike shows up and sells some furs to our hero, but then gives him the “raspberry” to scare him and get them back.

I have to note that the designs of the various animals look barely different than then did in 1925 silent Aesop’s Fables from Terry/Van Beuren. All the said, I sort of don’t mind in this case. It’s animation for enjoyment, not brilliance.

So, that said, enjoy! This cartoon lives again when we watch it, and that’s the best thing we could possibly do for the legacy of these artists.

Have a good week all!