Tuesday, August 9, 2016

...WITH A CAST OF UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS!

The Popeye characters are best of all; but aside from them, I've thought of my four favorites.

The Terrible Tempered Mr. Bang in TOONERVILLE PICNIC (1936)



I think Mr. Bang was the best character the Van Beuren studio ever used, even if he wasn't in the best cartoons the studio made (and the studio didn't create him). There is an effective absence of background music in the set-up scene. This film is the last completed by the studio.

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Dogface in A SELF MADE MONGREL (1945)


If there is a single, solitary Famous Studios character I can relate to, it's DOGFACE!! Check out the cynical "cartoon blues" hidden by the heavy dialogue.

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Wally Walrus in CHEW CHEW BABY (1945)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kw64c

I can't praise the "concept" of Wally enough; a pompous, lovelorn, gluttonous "solid citizen" who could probably dig in and enjoy his life if it wasn't for the woodpecker. Gullible and dumb, but not as grievously cretinous as Fudd. And an extreme case of the voice "being" the character. Other actors were never as effective. Woody certainly had a colorful gallery of adversaries.
 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2kw64c

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Butch in GRIN AND SHARE IT (1957)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1vs4o2_grin-and-share-it-1957_shortfilms


Deadly greed deeply camouflaged in a stereotyped Irish jollity. Even his music is harmless bumptiousness as he sets up his nefarious traps.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1vs4o2_grin-and-share-it-1957_shortfilms

4 comments:

Craig D said...

Oh, yeah. Swedish Wally is great!

And the Butch character is a favorite, too.

Mr. Band is probably the standout Rainbow Parade character (arguable after everybody's "favorite" Molly Moo Cow, that is!)

nodnarB said...

Dogface cracked me up! A lot of really cool animation in that one!

Milton Knight said...

I'm glad you seem to get as big a kick out of "the gang" as I do!

rodineisilveira said...

This Droopy short was directed by the animator/designer Michael Lah (who worked at the Tex Avery unit from MGM, and afterwards, worked at Hanna-Barbera).