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

120 The Playful Pest

Title: The Playful Pest
Studio: Columbia
Date: 12/03/43
Credits:
Produced by
Dave Fleischer
Direction
Paul Sommer
Story
Sam CObean
Animation
Don Williams
Volus Jones
Music
Eddie Kilfeather
Series: Phantasy
Running time (of viewed version): 6:41
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Termite calls out the exterminator.



















Comments: Opening sign pan. Bulbous man. Timing too quick. Strangely computer looking thing with wires coming out. Many odd angles. Feels kinda like a bad Porky Pig cartoon (from '39). Addams family looking house. The termite is a douchebag. Many odd angles (that the backgrounds are presented at). More signs that What's Buzzin' Buzzard?, which is saying something. I didn't like them especially there, and I like them even less here. Why would a termite looking for a fight dress in old fashioned high society clothing? The cartoon gives the feeling of not havig really been thought about when made. It just got made.

Volus Jones is quite a name.
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/old-brew/animator-volus-jones-rip.html

113 Way Down Yonder In The Corn

1943 Number: 113
Title: Way Down Yonder in the Corn
Studio: Columbia
Date: 11/25/43
Credits: (Totally Tooned In End Credits for this:
Producer Dave Fleischer
Direction Bob Wickerham
Story Sam Cobean
Animation
Phil Duncan
Basil Davidovich
Music Eddie Kilfeather
Voice Frank Graham
Series: Fox and Crow (credited that way, free of articles, on the viewed version, which to be fair doesn't look contemporary)
Running time (of viewed version): 6:40
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Farmer Fox hires Crow as scarecrow.



























Comments: I suppose I'm not lucky enough to have this be the last Fox and Crow for the year. Two more Columbias after this; the last is probably another F&C. I think I've ended up hating them more than Sniffles. While Sniffles may be as bad a character, the cartoons have enough other good stuff going on in them to make the films bearable. I like the backgrounds (art and layout) in F&C, but it's not enough to balance out everything else usually. Opens with a setup pan and sign gags. The watermelons are cool looking. Watermelons appearing without an African American reference (tho I suppose Crow being a character black in color could still make it an intentional indirect reference). I think F&C have the most gunplay of any cartoons for the year (overall). That includes SNAFU. I don't think the book title "How to Fox Crows" means how to fuck crows, just how to fix crows, but I'm not entirely certain of that. Really flat tree. Did people dress scarecrows as witches? Backgrounds are almost Hanna Barbera-like (Flinstones HB, not T&J HB). This entry feels like it's been made by a different team than the previous F&Cs for the year. Joker smile on the fox. Non-Ending ending, tho with an extreme zoom and animated shatter transition. Fox's den, and the way the dirt constantly frames it, is cool.

(On 10/22/11, I saw this on Totally Tooned In on Antenna TV; it was the first cartoon I'd seen on the show, as it was the first time I was in town for it since Detroit got access to the station on WADL's subchannel.)