Friz Freleng and his staff at DePatie-Freleng couldn't resist borrowing some old Bugs Bunny gags for this Ant & The Aardvark entry, "Isle of Caprice". Sub Charlie Ant (John Byner) for Bugs, and the Aardvark (Byner) for Yosemite Sam, and you'll get the idea.
Bugs did it better.
Rating: B.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Toons After Dark: Jonny Quest in The Curse of Anubis (1964)
Jonny Quest and friends are in Egypt, and must face "The Curse of Anubis":
I've seen this a few times over the years, and the designs by Doug Wildey are just flat awesome.
Rating: A.
I've seen this a few times over the years, and the designs by Doug Wildey are just flat awesome.
Rating: A.
Monday, November 12, 2018
From Comics to Toons: Incredible Hulk vs. The Cyclops Project (1982)
No, the X-Men don't make an appearance in this episode of the 1982 Incredible Hulk series. The robot in "The Cyclops Project", though, will stir some memories for fans of Jonny Quest. Scope.
In memory of co-creator/narrator Stan Lee, who passed away today at 95. No rating out of respect.
In memory of co-creator/narrator Stan Lee, who passed away today at 95. No rating out of respect.
Rare Treats: Sam & Friends (1955)
We all know that classic Muppet characters such as Rowlf the dog and Kermit the frog had been in the public consciousness well before Sesame Street. Rowlf, in fact, had appeared with actor-singer Jimmy Dean on his variety show.
Kermit, meanwhile, got his start on a regionally produced, 5 minute comedy show, Sam & Friends, which ran for six years (1955-61) on the NBC affiliate in Washington, DC. At the time, however, as you'll see in the video, Kermit wasn't a frog, but an ordinary lizard. Creator Jim Henson made some changes by the time Kermit landed on Sesame Street in 1969.
Let's check out this sample clip:
Sam is the bald Muppet alongside Kermit. Henson later created Sam the Eagle for The Muppet Show as a call-back to one of his earliest stars.
No rating.
Kermit, meanwhile, got his start on a regionally produced, 5 minute comedy show, Sam & Friends, which ran for six years (1955-61) on the NBC affiliate in Washington, DC. At the time, however, as you'll see in the video, Kermit wasn't a frog, but an ordinary lizard. Creator Jim Henson made some changes by the time Kermit landed on Sesame Street in 1969.
Let's check out this sample clip:
Sam is the bald Muppet alongside Kermit. Henson later created Sam the Eagle for The Muppet Show as a call-back to one of his earliest stars.
No rating.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Toon Rock: Musical Moments From Chopin (1946)
Warner Bros. had Bugs Bunny hobnobbing with an orchestra. MGM did the same with Tom & Jerry. Universal & Walter Lantz answered with Woody Woodpecker & Andy Panda in "Musical Moments From Chopin". There's no dialogue, just Woody & Andy on pianos.
Rating: A.
Rating: A.
Retro Toy Chest: Remember Matchbox's Fighting Furies? (1975)
Matchbox tried to be about more than toy cars for a while in the 70's. The company branched out and introduced the Fighting Furies line of action figures and play sets.
This wasn't my jam, as the kids say. I was more into board games in those days, and until I ran across this next item, I didn't even know this product existed.
Juvenile pitchman Mason Reese, better known for having shilled for Underwood deviled ham spread around the same time, is doing the shilling here.
This wasn't my jam, as the kids say. I was more into board games in those days, and until I ran across this next item, I didn't even know this product existed.
Juvenile pitchman Mason Reese, better known for having shilled for Underwood deviled ham spread around the same time, is doing the shilling here.
Friday, November 9, 2018
Saturday Morning's Forgotten Heroes: Mumbly in The Magical Madcap Caper (1976)
It's been a loooooooong time since we had a Mumbly short.
Anyway, the canine sleuth tangles with the Great Merlini in "The Magical Madcap Caper". Scope!
Every episode virtually had the same formula. Mumbly would, pardon the pun, doggedly pursue the villain until the very end. Kinda like Muttley crossed with Droopy, who'd later become a detective himself.
Rating: A.
Anyway, the canine sleuth tangles with the Great Merlini in "The Magical Madcap Caper". Scope!
Every episode virtually had the same formula. Mumbly would, pardon the pun, doggedly pursue the villain until the very end. Kinda like Muttley crossed with Droopy, who'd later become a detective himself.
Rating: A.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)