โŒ

Normal view

  • โœ‡Cartoon Research
  • โ€œThe Crystal Gazerโ€ (1941) Steve Stanchfield
    Columbia really made some bizarre cartoons! This weekโ€™s selection in no exception. But first โ€” in brief Thunderbean news: This is โ€œreviewsโ€ week at CCS, the College for Creative Studies, where I teach. Itโ€™s a crazy busy week where we look at every students work, in teams of professors. My brain in generally mush afterwords, but watching a Columbia cartoon and talking a little about it was a nice break. I canโ€™t wait to get some quality time over some days just concentrating on Thunderbean thin
     

โ€œThe Crystal Gazerโ€ (1941)

7 May 2026 at 07:01

Columbia really made some bizarre cartoons! This weekโ€™s selection in no exception.

But first โ€” in brief Thunderbean news:

This is โ€œreviewsโ€ week at CCS, the College for Creative Studies, where I teach. Itโ€™s a crazy busy week where we look at every students work, in teams of professors. My brain in generally mush afterwords, but watching a Columbia cartoon and talking a little about it was a nice break.

I canโ€™t wait to get some quality time over some days just concentrating on Thunderbean things. โ€œCartoons for Victoryโ€ is the title getting the most attention at the moment here as we get it closer to finish. Weโ€™ll be talking about that title more in the coming weeks, along with some other projects that are coming together.

The last of a big batch of special discs just went out today, and the next ones are getting prepared. Iโ€™m especially happy with this batch of stuff, and the next ones are pretty enjoyable too. Weโ€™ve launched two new ones today, but Iโ€™m not sure how much longer weโ€™ll do them. Weโ€™ve also opened โ€˜The Vaultโ€™ of the older special discs for a week. Itโ€™s been a lot of fun doing them.


Nowโ€“ this weekโ€™s cartoon!

The Crystal Gazer (1941) is a Columbia I hadnโ€™t seen before scanning a print. Itโ€™s a spoof of live โ€œPsychicโ€ prediction shows, with Mel Blanc lending his voice (and some sound effects). The plot of cartoon consists of a show featuring โ€œFamous Astrologist Professor Ja Ja Rajahโ€, who is almost the same character in design and demeanor that stars in the all time classic Columbia Cartoon The Cuckoo I.Q. My favorite summery of *that* cartoon comes from a review in the old Mindrot โ€˜zine that said a better title for it would be โ€œSeven Minutes of Color Filmโ€.

An audience member asks the question โ€œShould I put Whipped Cream in My Potato Salad?โ€ prompting the professor to go through a series of fairly uninspired convulsions until he gazes into a Crystal Ball, leading to a vision that is a much more interesting cartoon that it looked like it would be.

For some reason, his vision starts with him riding a camel in Egypt. They arrive at a tomb where mummies sing, play checkers, dance and make telephone calls. Mummies are hard to screw up, and this section of the cartoon makes the whole venture worth while, or at least makes it close to worth while. Please let me know if you agree or disagree!

Sadly, after that vision we return back to the original plot of the cartoon- but knowing Columbia it wouldnโ€™t have been unlikely that they didnโ€™t return to it.

All of that said, Iโ€™m glad Columbia kept making cartoons, even if theyโ€™re not on anyoneโ€™s favorite list. Heck, maybe this one is someoneโ€™s favorite.

Have a good week all!

โŒ