043 The Boy and the Wolf

1943 Number: 043
Title: The Boy and the Wolf
Studio: MGM
Date: 04/24/43
Credits: -
Series: -
Running time (of viewed version): 7:32
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: Boy cries wolf, tho lazy dog continues to come fairly quickly.

















Comments: The opening iris on the viewed print doesn't feel right. Off screen dog bathroom joke. The dog looks especially Preston Blair like in that shot. In spite of that, it would be very hard to place this cartoon based on its content with any given studio. I certainly wouldn't just guess MGM. Maybe WB; the wolf even looks like a 1939 Chuck Jones design at times. The actual main character is dog, not the wolf or the boy. I'm surprised there's not a more explicit message that false alarms reduce readiness in wartime. Many cross fades in the wolf watching sequence. I don't really like that.

The below press photos showed up on eBay recently. I won the second one.

042 A Jolly Good Furlough

Title: A Jolly Good Furlough
Studio: Famous
Date: 04/23/43
Credits:
Direction
Dan Gordon
Animation:
Joe Oriolo
John Walworth
Story:
Joseph Stultz
Series:
Running time (of viewed version): 7:36
Commercial DVD Availability: Popeye v3d2

Synopsis: Popeye learns he prefers war to home.






















Comments: A month and a day since I last wrote a '43 (or '35) entry, due to the "I need to finish '39" time period. The backgrounds are very simple in these Pacific war cartoons. Popeye alone in a small lifeboat. Killing faceless enemies with a flushing sound. Seagull/pigeon looks like the one from Gulliver's Travels. Covering mouths in many instances to avoid animation. When not, there often isn't very good sync. Very shouty vocal tracks, and shoddy audio quality. Somehow, the Pacific Theater is close enough for a one night pass for Popeye to go home; I'm sure the idea pissed off many on the home front who knew they wouldn't be seeing their loved ones for years (or ever). On the other hand, maybe Popeye is delusional and isn't really involved in the war. The house is unusually ill defined for a cartoon. Tires replaced with shoes joke. Popeye hit off screen to save energy, then behind a cloud. No sex for Popeye. "Didja shoot alota japs" is accompanied with fingers to the eyes. Nephew's local propaganda. Camouflage paint decreases the ink and paint burden. Gas mask. Woozy FX shot. Fake plane looks good.

BoxOffice, April 17, 1943

BoxOffice, April 17, 1943

p26
"Newspapers are still the basic medium used by United Artists, supplemented "more and more" by radio due to reduction in newspaper space available. Potential hits which will reach theatre goers via extensive campaigns include: "Stage Door Canteen, "Lady of Burlesque," and "Victory Through Airpower," the latter a Disney"

That's some garbling
p34?
"same "Stalingrad" loere shown on the The program at LoewS Rochester ivas packed at local Memorial Art Gallery afternoon when all three shows Sunday and "Silly Symsix Walt Disney cartoons free phonies" were shown. Program loas George L David, film critic for the local Democrat and Chronicle, urges that opinion on whether film fans register their from Hollyany more important actors wood should be drafted."

p36
"Schlesinger Shorts Now Entirely in Technicolor"
"Warner short subject sales manager, Leon Schlesinger has decided to reduce his 1943-44 cartoon schedule to 13 "Merrie Melodies" and 13 "Looney Tunes." Reduction was brought about because of the heavy schedule of army and navy films to be made, and the loss of personnel tothe armed forces. The current program originally called for 26 "Merrie Melodies" and 13 "Looney Tunes." with six of the latter to be made in Technicolor for the first time."

p41
"TEX AVERY set to direct a live-action cartoon, Killed Who?", which will satirize the Crime"

"GEORGE PAL

Paramount

has signed a contract

film for the U. S.

a Puppetoon training

produce

Signal

Army

"The Boogie-Woogie Man Will Get You"

first

in

a new

series of

symphonies. The Loummel Morgan signed for special musical numbers.

will

direct.

WALTER LANTZ swing

trio

be

have been James Culhane"


p42b
"Puppetoon

Army

for

17.

S.

.

.

.

George Pal has signed a contract to produce a Puppeton training film for the U. S.

Signal Corps."

p42c
"Government, church and civic leaders were invited by William P. Rogers. M-G-M vice-president, to attend a preview of "The Human Comedy" at the Studio, shown with Food for Fighters." an OWI picture, and

cartoon. "Dumb Hounded""

041 Fall Out Fall In

Title: Fall Out Fall In
Studio: Disney
Date: 04/23/43
Credits: -
Series: Donald Duck
Running time (of viewed version): 7:23
Commercial DVD Availability: OTFLd1/Dv2

Synopsis: A peon to the crappiness of army life, even in the absence of combat.



















Comments: Silhouettes in the title card, silhouettes in the opening shot. Significant amounts of shadowing. So much for water off a duck's back. Odd choice for a sun effect. Don seems to have a girl in every port, and possibly a guy or two (a sketch of Pluto also zips by). I wonder if they had to keep this from potential recruits, or if it didn't matter because everyone was forced to join. They still weren't willing to show combat. (Unlike, say, Terry in their Gandy and Sourpuss war cartoons). Tired Don looks a lot like Ludwig Von Drake designs; fuzzy lines. At the end, Don's pack is bulbous and squishy with a darker circle of the same family of color at the longest end of it. The marching music keeps the images coming along at a pretty quick clip for a Disney cartoon.

The following drawings showed up on Howard Lowery in March.