Sunday, June 22, 2008

Remembering George Carlin


He will be sorely missed. Below I am posting a text that has been possibly mistakenly attributed to Carlin, and even if not in line with his philosophy, I still feel it's appropriate.

The Paradox of Our Time
by George Carlin(?)

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all, mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Archive Cleaning Blues... not!

I know, I know... I've been *slightly* shying away from my main interest of silent animation but just for a short while. Tonight, Tom brings you a genuine rarity of the sound era. Granted, the cartoon itself is not rare at all, but the version certainly is!
Lo and behold, a set of main titles UM&M and NTA did not want you to see! (Sorry folks, the ending is abrupt...but enjoy)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Felix the Inventor!

Another gem from my 16mm collection is an Astra TV print of FELIX TURNS THE TIDE (1922), so appropriately (yet confusingly) titled The Inventor. If you've seen the Radio & Television Packagers redrawn cartoons of the 1970s, you may notice that the colorized version of this Felix cartoon is also titled The Inventor. As I've suggested elsewhere (and maybe here on the blog, though I forget), most of the sources for that batch of redrawns were the Astra TV prints. I'm currently trying to research the connection between the two.
Enjoy!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Paul Terry, Suicidal Thoughts, and Black-Market Television...

...a winning combination! What's cuter in a 1930s cartoon than hearing an adorable but lamenting rabbit sing "I think I'll end it all"? Pudgy, later Oswald Rabbit and others wouldn't have anything on the "scared rabbit".
What more could make this cartoon great? Well ladies and gentleman, this happens to be a glorious BOOTLEG print straight from my 16mm library. Transferred on my new machine is the spectacular "Scared Rabbit" (originally a 1937 Terrytoon titled THE TIMID RABBIT) from my favorite distributor, Astra TV. Crank up the sound folks, this isn't Hollywood lab work...oh, and enjoy the original leader and tail from the film print (you'll noticed "Scared Rabbit" scratched into the negative as it strolls by on both ends) left intact for all you film purists.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Silent Comedy (for a quick change)



Here are two clips recently found spliced together in a bunch of stuff I bought. As some of you may know, these things were cut up and retitled for home use. I transferred them on my brand new Tobin machine and uploaded them for the general good as well as so any keen historian out there can properly identify the origin of these clips...that is, the original theatrical titles.
Both star Henry [Harry] Murdock and the first costars George Burton. Enjoy.

SEMI-SPOILER:
*HILARIOUS* gag (in my opinion) involving an 'innocent bystander' of sorts being shot later in the first clip. Hah! Long live slapstick.

Friday, May 23, 2008

New Silent Cartoon DVDs

Well gang, I've put together 5 more DVDs for your perusal...

TS-32: Out of the Inkwell Vol. 4
Tantalizing Fly (1919)
Clown's Little Brother (1920)
Ouija Board (1920)
Koko Chops Suey (1927)
Koko's Hot Ink (1929)
Koko's Haunted House (1928)
Koko's Earth Control (1927)
Koko's Big Sale (1929)
Koko the Kop (1927)

TS-33 Mutt & Jeff
Ups and Downs (1926)
Accidents Won't Happen (1926)
Soda Jerks (1925)
Slick Sleuths (1925, original b/w)
Mixing in Mexico (1925)
Playing with Fire (1925)
Oceans of Trouble (1925)
Lots of Water (1925)
Slick Sleuths (1930 color)
Home Movie Clips Reel
(Special Thanks to Jerry Beck for some sources.)

TS-34 Farmer Alfalfa Vol. 4
Cracked Ice (1927)
Hunstman (1928)
Medicine Man (1927)
Mouse's Bride (1928)
Monkey Shines (1920s)
Coast to Coast (1928)
Sunday on the Farm (1928)
Buck Fever (1926)

TS-35 Farmer Alfalfa Vol. 5
Short Circuit (1928)
Wedding Bells (1920s)
Cat and the Magnet (1924)
One Hard Pull (1923)
On the Air (1920s)
Cat's Life (1920s)
Magic Boots (1920s)
Chemistry Lesson (1922)

TS-36 Farmer Alfalfa Vol. 6
Day at the Park (1920s)
Wonders of the Deep (1920s)
Closer Than a Brother (1925)
Window Washers (1925)
Ugly Duckling (1925)
Canadian Capers (1931)
Owl & Pussycat (1934)
Old Dog Tray (1935, silent version)

For ordering details, click the Tom's Vintage Film banner above on this blog and visit the DVD page.
Enjoy!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Random Thoughts

Well folks, as you can see, I've been away from the blog for some time. This is due to the school semester winding down to a close among various other things. Thankfully this summer I will have ample time to dedicate to animation history related pursuits.
What is new in the life of Tom? Well, I've reached a goal that I had set some years back- that was to one day own a 16mm film transferring machine! I'm happy to report that I'm a proud owner of a brand new Tobin TVT-16 unit which gives great transfers right in my own home. No more risking my rare films in transit...some have in fact been lost that way! :-(
This means that now I will be able to not only put plenty of scarce material onto the market, but do it in a much more professional way than I had been doing formerly. As you can imagine, some projects are now in the works that will blow the minds of all you early/silent/obscure animation fans.
Besides working on this particular venture, I will have more time to update the blog- I've been looking forward to keeping it more up to date and keeping you guys and gals stimulated.
And now, I will treat you to a 'classic' from my 16mm collection, ROUGH ON RATS from Van Beuren. This is a quick transfer to video made while Thad Komorowski was visiting recently (hence him uploading it to youtube). Enjoy and I'll be seein' ya.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Ollie Johnston (1912-2008)

The animation community has lost a true legend. Ollie Johnston, the last living of Disney's "Nine Old Men" has passed away. Coverage can be found on Jerry Beck's Cartoon Brew.
Rest in peace, Ollie.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

What are Krazytoons?

Krazytoons: Another wacky bunch of black-market TV prints...as usual, featuring both well known and obscure cartoons from the 1920s-1940s.
Enjoy AN ILL WIND (actually, Iwerk's HUMPTY DUMPTY JR. from 1935)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Not for the comically prudish...

Simply put, strange stuff happens when in the company of fellow obscure animation fans. A couple weekends ago I had the pleasure of spending a Saturday with good friend Charlie Judkins (blog link at right.) As you can imagine we spent ample time watching both obscure and classic cartoons; early and more contemporary.
However, things became interesting when we decided to, as Charlie put it, "draw posters for silent cartoons that no longer survive."
Here's what I came up with for such a cartoon:

Kudos, Tom, you've successfully disturbed yourself.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

It's February already?!

Wow, I didn't realize how long I've let the blog languish without updates. I suppose you can chalk it up to being busy with college, animation wheeling and dealing, and so forth.
So, what's new? I had the honor of attending the early Japanese animation show at the Japan Society on Saturday, Feb. 15th. What an enjoyable array of early cartoons...some funny, some hilarious, and others leaving you puzzled. Just my kind of mix!
Also at this show were good friends Mark Newgarden and Charlie Judkins.
{Entry has been edited}
Here are some cool silent film intertitles. I do not own the prints these came from, but some quick background info.
These were present in several World War 1 newsreels that were sold to the home movie market by Kodak's "Kodak Cinegraph" branch. Apparently the artist was of some large scale popularity at one point. The cards remind me of Bowers' AWOL (1918) and some of the art is reminiscent of Colonel Heeza Liar or Mutt & Jeff.











More soon!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Welcome to 2008!


Well friends, a new year is here. This year I hope to venture into some new animation history-related projects.

2007 has been my best year yet in terms of cartoon discoveries, meeting new people in the field, and all sorts of wonderful things.
While we've corresponded for a very long time, I was finally able to meet Jerry Beck and Mark Newgarden in person, two highly accomplished historians/collectors and individuals I highly respect. Cool new acquaintances include Mike Matei, Marc Deckter, Kevin Gannon, Charlie Judkins, and Jared Whitham. Heck, I was even quoted in a national publication! (See USA Weekend post somewhere below on this page).


Of course I will put out some new DVDs (maybe even tinker with some restoration work? who knows!). What I really need to get is an Elmo TRV-16 or a new Tobin TVT-16 transfer machine to do professional in-house transfers.


For the longest time I've had an itch to put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard...and perhaps start work on a book. Whatever it would be about, you can bet your bottom dollar I would shed light on some obscure aspect of silent animation. Many studio stories have been told in-depth by very well researched historians, but due to availability issues, not much has been written about the films themselves....I'd like to change that.



Anywhoo, I just hope all of you have a Happy and Healthy 2008. Keep stress levels low, reconnect with friends, and do the things you enjoy most. I'll sign off with a recent YouTube upload from yours truly...a 1920s stop-motion film reissued in the 1940s with corny narration by Sterling Films.

Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year, and Farewell to a Beloved Film Collector

First off, let me wish everyone peace and prosperity for 2008!

The film collecting and historian community's new year has been shadowed by the passing of Harold "Rusty" Casselton on December 30th, from complications from liver cancer.

I knew Rusty only through some vague email correspondence but I can tell you he was a generous man and invaluable resource to the film history community. A short bio on Rusty is given below, borrowed from http://fargofilmmaking.wikia.com/wiki/Rusty_Casselton

Rusty Casselton (1954-2007) film professor, historian, and collector. Harold "Rusty" Casselton was a student, teaching assistant, long-time friend and business partner of Ted Larson. Casselton taught for many years at Concordia College before becoming Director of Film Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2001. He was a nationally known and respected restorer of rare and silent films.

Here is a good article with all the details. You may need to sign up to see it: http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=187612§ion=news

Rest in peace Rusty, you will be missed.
-Tom

Friday, December 14, 2007

Christmas, CartoonsOnFilm Style

Howdy Bloggers and Surfers,
Just in case I won't be able to post sooner, I figured I'd treat you all to a Christmas-themed post. I pulled a couple prints from my collection of obscurities and am able to share them with you, again, via my MacBook's iSight camera and YouTube.
As always, please overlook the amateur, poorly framed/focused and low-res image.

First we have a Cinepix Inc. bootleg of a well known Van Beuren cartoon. Note, however, that Cinepix used a silent home movie print and added a somewhat creative music track. Excuse the water damage in the first few feet...


How do you like that "heavenly" odd music that continues after the end title?

Second, a Krazytoons print of a more obscure 1930s cartoon (but with a very famous character). A very nice print for being a bootleg!


Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season, and will be back blogging soon.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ken Southworth (1918-2007)

As posted by Ray Pointer at http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=10401
***
Ten minutes ago, I received a call from Ken's wife, Carol that he had passed away of a stroke this morning.
I had spoken with him two weeks ago, and he had had a bad fall and was getting around by a cane.
My association with Ken began on THE ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES in 1996. The following year we joined forces to produce the popular three volume Home Instruction course, THE KEN SOUTHWORTH ANIMATION Program that consisted of instructional VHS tapes and workbooks.
The origin of this series was based on Ken's desire to pass on his 50 years of experience to the next generation. Since talent for the animation field can come from virtually anywhere in the world, there is the possibility that someone in an isolated area without the means to attend one of the major Animation Schools might benefit from a few basic lessons. As a result we fashion this series of courses designed to spark that raw talent.

THE KEN SOUTHWORTH ANIMATION series was featured in several Video Catalogs including Schlesinger's Educational Library Video, The Whole Toon Catalog, and our web site: inkwellimagesink.com as well. While Ken established the original web site, I continued to develop it to what it is today. As a result, we have linked to many people worldwide who have found us, and told us how much they have enjoyed our product.

Ken was employed at The Walt Disney Studios from 1943 to 1951. He was primarily an Assistant Animator
in the Jack Hannah and Jack Kinney units working on numerous DONALD DUCK, GOOFY, and PLUTO short subjects. During this period, Ken developed the "Splat" shock/impact effects that became cartoon conventions in the Disney shorts. Ken also worked on a number of the Disney animated features including THE THREE CABBALLEROS, SONG OF THE SOUTH, and THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW. He assisted Frank Thomas on CINDERELLA, primarily on the STEPMOTHER, and also assisted Milt Kahl on ALICE IN WONDERLAND. In one of our programs, Ken took great pride in stating that he had done considerable work on the Croquet Sequence in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, saying, "Chances are, if you see a drawing with ALICE holding a flamingo, I did it!"

Ken left Disney after ALICE in WONDERLAND to accept an offer as an Animator for Walter Lantz, working under Tex Avery. When the second version of the famous WOODY WOODPECKER opening title was done, it was animated by Ken and LaVerne Harding. Ken then went to MGM during its last two years, with an Animator's credit on several of the Cinemascope cartoons produced by Hanna and Barbera starring TOM AND JERRY and DROOPY. When Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera launched H-B Enterprises in 1957, later to become Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1959, Ken went along with them, as an animatior on HUCKLEBERRY HOUND, QUICK DRAW MCGRAW, THE FLINTSTONES, TOP CAT, JONNY QUEST, SPACE GHOST, DINO BOY, SCUBBY DOO, THE SMURFS, DON COYOTE, and SWAT CATS. Ken was with H-B for 21 years.

In the early 1960s, Ken was also a Stop-Motion Animator and Storyboard Artist on DAVY AND GOLIATH for Clokey Productions. He was also Director and Layout Artist on QT HUSH and YOUNG DANIEL BOONE.
In the 1970s, he was a Storyboard Artist and Animator on STAR TREK, LASSIE, HE-MAN, and BRAVESTAR for Filmation. Ken was also an Animator on Bugs and Tweety for GREMILINS 2 and EARTH DAY TV. His fianl assignment was as a Director on ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES on PBS.

During his active years, Ken taught Animation at the Hanna-Barbera Evening School, The American Animation Institute (Cartoonists Local 839), and since his retirement ten years ago, continued to speak at colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada including VanArts.

Ken was a most unique, generous, and inspiring man. With all of his past experiences with business ventures, he stated that I was the best associate he had ever worked with. That was really a tremendous compliment in light of his rich history, which gives me a great deal to live up to. Always the optomist, Ken had this to say about the future of animation:

" I think the best is yet to come, remembering that the play's the thing...I'm very optimistic for both 2D and 3D animation."
***
Rest in Peace, Ken,