Andrea/Duck Dodgers here. I friendly welcome every fan of animation at my blog. The goal is to support the love and rediscovery of Classic Theatrical Cartoons from the Golden Age of Animation, keeping meanwhile an eye on Golden Age "Funny Animals" Comics as well as on modern animated productions! Every SUPPRESSED ethnic caricature to be sometimes presented here is just for HISTORICAL and EDUCATIONAL purpose and NOT to offend anyone. Stay Tooned and Enjoy the place !
Enjoy "Jitterbug Follies", an MGM cartoon from 1939, one of the two cartoons featuring the Milt Gross character Count Screwloose, assisted by his faithful pup, J.R. the Wonder Dog.
posted by mmm...donuts at 7:57 am
8 Comments:
I'm not familiar with late 30s MGM stuff. I really liked this, Milt Gross's style adapted very well to animation!
12:40 pm
So MGM was making "screwball" cartoons even before Tex Avery walked through that studip's hallowed halls?
Insteresting find, Andrea. You're one of the best classic cartoon historians i know.
(BTW, When i first heard of Gross and the Count Screwloose character, i thought he was a Vampire (because of the Count name). Boy, was I ever wrong)
1:28 pm
Kevin asked: "So MGM was making 'screwball' cartoons even before Tex Avery walked through that studip's hallowed halls?"
The answer is yes... sort of. The two Milt Gross shorts are magnificent screwball cartoons, but all reports I've read suggest that MGM disliked them at the time, which is why no more were made.
Observation: from viewing, it seems to me that MGM may have demanded changes to JITTERBUG FOLLIES by way of making it more marketable (by their estimation). The title and other references to jitterbugs seem to have been added at the last minute, as the talent contest otherwise has nothing to do with jitterbugs! There's also the strange fact that Zaza the fan-dancing ostrich hardly does anything on stage, though there are no visible edits. Maybe the fact that she hardly does anything is supposed to be funny, though if so, it's the one rather weak spot in the cartoon as created.
Evidently, only with the arrival of the already-successful Avery would screwball cartoons find real acceptance at MGM.
1:58 pm
Thanks Kevin,
but the cartoon here was posted by mmm...donuts and it is not a great find.
It is available on dvd!
5:36 pm
One of the things that I liked about "Jitterbug Follies" is that Milt Gross's individualist art style remains the same as in his comics; no one felt the need to "improve" hios art for animation (of course, the fact that Mr. Gross was the DIRECTOIR of said cartoon may have had a hand in that!)...Count Scewloose and J.R. the Wonder Dog look just the way they do in the comics, even down to the sideways mouths!!
(And speaking of mouths, that's Mel Blanc providing most of the verbiage in this cartoon, including the Count, the two penguins, and the two goons from the Committee on FAAAIRRRRRR PLAY!!)
Say, what DVD collection is this cartoon on, anyway...and is Gross's "Wanted, No Master" on this compilation as well?
Thanks!!
1:35 pm
This cartoon comes from the "The Marx BroThers Collection" DVD set, included as a bonus in one of the dvds.
Other cartoons are included, like some of the "The Captain and the Kids" shorts and a great copy of "The Daffy Doc".
2:06 pm
Thanx, Duck!! I've been meaning to add the Marx Brothers to my DVD library, anyway!!
10:46 pm
Man, I haven't this cartoon in awhile. I forgot how great it was. I especially like that crazy, Gross-inspired off-beat animation, especially of J.R. Thanks guys!
12:00 am
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