Word Cloud of 1943

A Wordle word cloud of this blog, generated on 12/8/11. Oddly cartoon modern... Odd that Clampett is as big as Bugs and Disney. I'm not sure how long back the engine checks stuff; generating one of these for 1939 clearly ignores actual posts on cartoons and is pulled from the last few meta posts.

130 The Marry-Go-Round

Title: The Marry-Go-Round
Studio: Famous
Date: 12/31/43
Credits:
Direction:
Seymour Kneitel
Animation:
Graham Place
Abner Kneitel
Story:
Joe Stultz
Series: Popeye
Running time (of viewed version): 7:58
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Love and murder and a washing machine.

























Comments: Nice looking title card. Opening image; kinda looks like Bette Davis, but while she's ugly, she's not that ugly. I assume a Paramount star. Sig says Dottie. Maybe Dorothy Lamour? Tough looking whistling sailor. Don't ask don't tell: Shorty and Popeye kiss. Cool background iris transition that only transitions the background. Industrial danger music. My grandfather hated the wringers on washing machines for the same reason Popeye must have. French impression (Charles Boyer?). Odd but cool shot choice on eyes are limid pools. Olive hairection (which looks like a black Playboy bunny rotated 120 degrees counterclockwise). Olive apparently went to Drag U. Silhouette. Olive seems to have Deniro's southern accent from Cape Fear. Shorty has his lips on Olive's chest. And he has a tongue like a '39 Lantz heroine. Popeye apparently kills Olive and puts her corpse in the washing machine, and the year ends with Shorty bound and disgusted.

The last Famous, the last Popeye and the last cartoon overall for 1943. And it was sourced from YouTube.

Defense Against Invasion

Title: Defense Against Invasion
Studio: Disney/US Government
Date: 12/XX/43
Credits: -
Series: -
Running time (of viewed version): 12:37
Commercial DVD Availability: OTFLd1

Synopsis: Hey kids, get your shots, kinda for the war effort. We need you fit to fight in Korea!



















Comments: Flasktastic title. Real life shadows. Multi-culti kids. Fat kid, black kid, white yet ethnic kid, little kid. The fat kid's name is Tubby. Odd drawing of anatomical man. Kind of a pre-cursor to Hemo the Magnificent. Disease looks like Chernabog. Or a spider version of the Axis octopus from Victory through Airpower. Also Osmosis Jones. Better than Victory... because the military is more cartoony. Blood makes this more abstract; but better than Fantasia because it's still actually a thing. With guns! Apparently Disney didn't know what a white blood cell was... The doctor is giving the British finger version of V. In the Hall of the Mountain King and the William Tell Overture. The (kidneys and liver?) look like mickey Mouse.

Not really sure if this is the last Disney for the year. The vagaries of propaganda short dating and all. Anyway, the last Disney and the last propaganda for the blog for the year (barring additional content after 2011).

129 The Herring Murder Mystery

Title: The Herring Murder Mystery
Studio: Columbia
Date: 12/30/43
Credits: -
Series: Color Rhapsody
Running time (of viewed version): 7:08
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Man on trial for crimes against fish.


























Comments: Non parallel window struts. Fish shadow. Screaming fish. Fishmonger guilt. Footsteps (and tapdancing as a related idea). Sherlock fish (Sherlock Shad by name). I wonder if Hitchcock got some shot angle ideas from these Columbia cartoons. Octopus looks good. Helpfully defines some of its own terms with a dictionary (shad roe, in this case). Cool shell organ. Self referential soundtrack appearing as a character. Puns. I think the judge may be a radio host caricature. Wait, was marinated herring a euphemism for properly lubricated lady business? That's what the last joke seems to imply. H.P. Lovecraft might have enjoyed the fishman elements of this. I wonder if it directly compares with Fish Police? Man's name is apparently Oscar (unless "you will Oscar, you will" is a line lift).

Interesting cartoon on several levels; surreal narrative, decent jingle, good voice acting and design. Like a funny episode of the Twilight Zone... Good for Columbia on going out for the year on a high note.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ognOTu_NIw4