Happy Mothers Day!

New Blog: David Gerstein

Attention, Folks! As Santa Barbarian youth from the late 80s might recall, "WE WANT DAVID GERSTEIN!" was a chant with the best intentions for making sure the limitless knowledge and humor of our fellow historian Dave Gerstein was accessible to all interested parties. This finally applies even moreso now that he has started a new and very promising blog; Prehistoric Pop Culture, or 'ramapithblog' for short.
David is sure to share much of his knowledge of all things Disney, other miscellany like early Warner Bros. as well as many interesting comic book facts and tidbits. Obviously the random exotic dinner recipe will be thrown in...anyone with esoteric or downright eccentric tastes will enjoy this blog and I highly recommend it.
http://ramapithblog.blogspot.com/

Ken Priebe, Stop Motion Detective

Ken Priebe has posted a wonderful update on his blog The Boundaries of Fantasia in which his detective work and appreciation for all things stop motion animation are showcased. Ken's latest update, Explorations in Stop-Motion History moves from some interesting George Pal imagery (huge favorite of mine!) and then into the annals of something much more relevant to Stathesian animation studies, a [stop motion] animator of the silent era. Ken's musings and research on Howard Moss and his Mo-Toy and "Mugsy" character films is most interesting to me and I highly suggest readers here visit the blog post here.
As posted on Ken's blog and here several months back, a video shot of actual 16mm projection of a film done by Moss and re-released in the 1940s with a new title and narration.

Flip's Lunchroom

Here's a nice Iwerks cartoon I didn't see readily available online...transferred from my 16mm collection. Note the awesome Films Inc. distributor introduction! Enjoy.

NEW DVD releases!

NEW DVD releases for 2009! $20.00 each plus shipping.

TS-41 Farmer Alfalfa Vol. 7 - Everyone's favorite Farmer Alfalfa from Paul Terry.
Alley Cat (1923) Farmer Al encounters the Cat KKK in his nightmares!
African Huntsman (1924)
Jealous Fisherman (1925)
Runaway Balloon (1925)
Up in the Air (1926)
Red Hot Sands (1927)
Flying Hoofs (1928)
Mechanical Cow (1937)

TS-42 Aesop's Fables Vol.2 - More early treasures from Paul Terry.
Rooster and the Eagle (1921)
Monkey Business (1924)
Adventures of Adenoid (1925)
Hitting the Rails (1926)
Wicked City (1926)
Pirates Bold (1926)
High Seas (1927)
Lad and His Lamp (1929)

TS-43 Alice Comedies - More silent classics from Walt Disney.
Alice's Tin Pony (1925- rare Sound version)
Alice's Tin Pony (1925- home movie version)
Alice Chops the Suey (1925)
Alice in the Jungle (1925)
Alice in the Wooly West (1926)
Alice's Little Parade (1926)
Alice the Whaler (1927- rare sound verion)

The following two collections feature Eastern European, mostly Russian cartoons which were edited, retitled, and repackaged with new English soundtracks for American telivision consumption in the 1960s. Here's a rare chance to see what was coming out of Europe during the Cold War. Packaged by Fima Noveck for Flamingo Telefilm, youth of the 1960s and 1970s remember these cartoons well. Unfortunately these color prints have turned red

TS-44 Flamingo Cartoons Vol. 1
Hole in the Sky
Wooden Boy
War of Colors
Gone with the Goose
One Sunny Day
Beggar's Treasure
Woody in Toyland
Detective's Nightmare
Millie the Kid
Monkey and the Atom

TS-45 Flamingo Cartoons Vol. 2
Wolf Trap
Bullies in a Toy Shop
The Rescue
The Party
Lion and the Gazelle
And So On
Animal School
Tiger Trouble
Barefoot King
Magic Mirror.

Shipping extra. Simply email me at cartoonsonfilm [at] gmail.com if interested. Thanks always, friends.

Tom's Vintage Film- The largest source of Early Animation offering some 350 cartoons!
http://farmeralfalfa.tripod.com

Intellitoons Forums

To all the followers and surfers:
Please join Intellitoons Forums, hosted by Thad Komorowski and myself.
We welcome all intelligent discussion relating to classic cartoons as well as offering a generously liberal platform to speak your mind on virtually all topics- including off topic ones!
Remember folks, please register with your real name as the user name.

New Video

This has been over two years forthcoming...finally I have put together a video about my personal tour of the local RKO Keith's theater here in Flushing New York. Definitely of interest to both film historians as well as theater and architecture historians and preservationists. Feel free to cover this on your blogs as well.

Off Topic: 1876 advice for 2009

In looking through my collection of FLUSHING DAILY TIMES newspapers from 1876-1880, I came across the following passage which I found interesting and appropriate for our current times.

One result of the present dullness in trade of all kinds will be the driving out of the credit system, and the restablishment of the cash basis permanently. When we reach the point where retail merchants will only sell for cash, then the prosperity of the people will follow, for then will money be valued higher than it is at present, and its purchasing power be better understood than it has been in the latter years of our national history.
-Flushing Daily Times, March 9th, 1876.

Silent Disney Cartoon Reviews

For the silent-era Disney connosieurs out there I would like to proudly recommend The Disney Film Project. On the blog, Ryan Kilpatrick follows a largely chronological method of reviewing the silent Disney cartoons complete with frame grabs. This is a crucial step (and one that is largely ignored elsewhere) in Ryan's goal to review all of the Disney films. Don't miss the latest review, Alice the Peacemaker, and keep a lookout for ones to come!

Youtube Anniversary: Rare Treat

Today marks exactly two years that I have been posting videos to YouTube and nearly 3 years that I have been a member there. All of you following my videos will notice that the quality of them has varied but of late improving thanks to my purchase of a 16mm transfer machine a few months back. Like postings here on the blog, video uploads are sparse or sporadic but will be added to in the future.
Today's treat for you guys is a short clip from a Little Orphan Annie cartoon. I'm not exactly sure of its origin (yet) but it was distributed to the home movie market in the 1940s and probably dates to the 1930s. It may have been made with sound but this is a silent print. Also note, I received the film in an extremely "light" copy and did all the tweaking I could on iMovie to make it watchable even though it is still partially unintelligable. Gain from it what you may, but it's certainly a forgotten and orphaned film.

Although it's barely visible in the video, here is a decent composite frame from the opening shot that I was able to tweak...

Comic Con in Retrospect

Well, NY Comic Con '09 was my first comic convention and an enjoyable one at that. Lots of endless browsing dealer's tables, meeting people and gasping at all the strange costumes.
As mentioned earlier, yours truly was involved with a special panel on the history of New York animation hosted by J.J. Sedelmaier and Howard Beckerman. It was a very gratifying experience and I'm very thankfuly to J.J. for his kind words regarding my efforts and what I'm doing to preserve and share early animation. For your enjoyment, some pictures of this panel event follow...first, Howard Beckerman and myself followed by screenshots of my video presentation being screened.







Also, check out this nice brief review: http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=28411

NY Comic Con '09

It is only appropriate that I mention the NY Comic Con '09 here. On Saturday Feb. 7th, 2009 there will be a special panel event hosted by J.J. Sedelmaier and Howard Beckerman, both veteran animators. The panel is very directly related to the "It All Started Here!" exhibit as discussed here on the blog in that it is a presentation on the roots of New York Animation. So, if you're in the area or maybe you're already going- please stop by 1A07 (Saturday 2/7/09 4PM) in the Javits Center (visit www.nycomiccon.com for info) for:
A presentation by J.J. Sedelmaier and his co-curating cohort Howard Beckerman, telling the story of the New York area's place in the animation industry's history. That's right folks, cartoons started in NY not on the West Coast! Sedelmaier and Beckerman have organized an exhibit in conjunction with the Westchester Arts Council, The Jacob Burns Film Center, and The Picture House in Pelham, chronicling this very subject, and they're at New York Comic Con to show highlights of the exhibit and shattering the misconception that cartoons call only California home.
I've compiled a collection of clips encompassing the silent and early sound eras of animation as they occured in NY, including footage from several rare cartoons. It would be great to have you there and see it in person although I will probably make the short video available online afterward. See you there!

Reminder: It All Started Here! (in NY) Jan 17th

Just a friendly reminder to all you north-east American readers to try and make it to the White Plains "IT ALL STARTED HERE!" event which will take place on January 17th, this coming saturday. It is curated by animation veteran and historian Howard Beckerman as well as J.J. Sedelmaier of J.J. Sedelmaier Studios; not to be missed!
Here is some good information on the exhibit, and below some will be quoted if you cannot read the link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/nyregion/westchester/11artswe.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&emc=eta1

"Visitors to the Arts Exchange will be greeted by four-foot standees of Mighty Mouse and Popeye. Inside, a 15-by-20-foot reproduction of McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur towers up to the mezzanine balcony, and polychromatic murals of familiar cartoon personalities adorn the walls. A Popeye lamp circa 1938 and a 1960s Mighty Mouse radio represent merchandising based on various characters. An oversized list displays the nearly 550 animation companies that have called New York home since 1906.

There is original artwork from each stage of the animation process, including character sketches, cels and storyboards from a selection of films. “We’ve got artwork of Betty Boop when she still had little dog ears, signed by the animator Grim Natwick, who helped create her,” said Mr. Sedelmaier. “We have a 60-year-old scene of Popeye from ‘Lumberjack and Jill’ that was never used, and a pose test, pencil test and final footage from a Baby Huey cartoon.”

DVDs playing on flat screens and conventional monitors throughout the exhibition focus on different periods of animation. One presents snippets of characters from old silent cartoons; a second shows more contemporary independent animation by New York-based filmmakers. Another plays a compilation of animated television commercials, including Marky Maypo shouting, “I want my Maypo!” and Bert and Harry Piel (voiced by the comic duo Bob and Ray) promoting Piels beer, both from the 1950s.

Equipment on view ranges from an antique Mutascope and a Moviola from the 1950s once owned by the animator Preston Blair to a desktop computer used in the making of Disney’s 1982 feature “Tron.” There are also manual sound effects makers, a Fleischer Studios animation disk from 1936, and a planning board (used to assist in the checking process before the animation artwork was filmed) designed by John Oxberry, of New Rochelle, for Jack Zander, the Pound Ridge resident who animated Jerry of “Tom and Jerry.”"

Please come to the opening on Saturday evening January 17th, 2009
5pm to 8:00pm
The Arts Exchange
31 Mamaroneck Ave.
White Plains, NY 10601
914-428-4220 ext. 223

Here's the most updated info:

"IT ALL STARTED HERE !"
January 18 – February 28, 2009
Opening January 17, 2009
5pm to 8 PM
Curated by Howard Beckerman and J.J. Sedelmaier.
Presented by the Westchester Arts Council in partnership with
J. J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. and Blue Sky Studios

The Arts Exchange
Gallery hours:
Tuesday – Saturday, 12-5 PM
(914) 428-4220 x223

HELP SAVE ANIMATION HISTORY!

Whether you're a friend or fellow blogger, or maybe you've found my blog by googling some early animation key words, you will know that information and film availability is close to nill out there. It's been my goal for the past decade to locate as many pre-sound cartoons as possible--something that I spend hours each day attempting to accomplish.
I cannot do this without the help of fellow historians and fans, however. Almost all my my acquisitions are funded through the purchases of DVDs listed on my Tom's Vintage Film website (banner link above). There you will find the most comprehensive source for silent-era cartoons...as such, I challenge you to locate more!
It is especially necessary that you, the historian or fan, help with my search by purchasing one or a few DVDs in order to enable me to fund further films that can be unearthed at any given time. Imagine a scenario where a random, previously unavailable film hits the market and yours truly has no funds for it because DVD sales have been slow. That increases the chances of the film falling into the hands of someone else who can pay more and will only store it on a shelf for no one else to see. We all lose in that scenario, except for the lucky purchaser. Unfortunately, I've faced that situation countless times!
Here is an example of one DVD I've compiled, and what the costs were to obtain original 16mm film prints...
TS40: Mutt & Jeff Vol. 2 (with beautiful cover art!)

Cramps (1916)
A Kick for Cinderella (1924)
Invisible Revenge (1925)
Mummy O' Mine (1926)
The Globe Trotters (1926) excerpt
Westward Whoa (1926) Original b&w footage!
Aroma of the South Seas (1926; 1931 b&w/sound)
Aroma of the South Seas (1926; 1931 color/silent)

My cost: Roughly $275
Your cost: $20

Here's another example:

TS-38 Cartoons at Home (Brand new 16mm transfers)
Here you will get a glimpse into how your ancestors enjoyed cartoons from the 1920s and 1930s at home by renting 16mm prints from various distributors before the days of television. You may have seen some of these in their original versions, but chances are you've not seen these alternate versions which have been out of use for sixty-plus years.

Fighting Flees (Kitty Kat Cartoons: Felix the Cat)
Alice's Tin Pony (Novelty Film Co.)
Racing Fever (Screen Attractions Corp.)
Tuning In (Unknown Dist.)
El Toreador (Unknown Dist.)
Midnight Frolics (Unknown Dist.)
War Daze (Unknown Dist.)
Magazine Rack (Screen Attractions Corp.)
Slight Fantastic (Screen Attractions Corp.)
Hey Fever (Hollywood Film Enterprises)

My cost: Roughly $325
Your cost: $20

So you see, locating and acquiring these early films is costly. Few are willing or even have the time to do it.

As always, the animation enthusiast's contributions and purchases are always highly appreciated and necessary for allowing additional material to find its way to you. Just follow the Tom's Vintage Film banner link above and take a look at the DVD page.

Thank you all!

It All Started Here!

Well folks, here is a an event I think all of you tri-staters should attend..and one specifically about the history of cartoons in New York, where it all really began as an industry! I'm honored to have contributed some images and information for the event. If you live in the northeast, show you appreciate NY Animation History and try to make it, will ya!

Please come to the opening on Saturday evening January 17th, 2009
5pm to 8:00pm
The Arts Exchange
31 Mamaroneck Ave.
White Plains, NY 10601
914-428-4220 ext. 223

Here's the most updated info:

"IT ALL STARTED HERE !"
January 18 – February 28, 2009
Opening January 17, 2009
5pm to 8 PM
Curated by Howard Beckerman and J.J. Sedelmaier.
Presented by the Westchester Arts Council in partnership with
J. J. Sedelmaier Productions, Inc. and Blue Sky Studios

The Arts Exchange
Gallery hours:
Tuesday – Saturday, 12-5 PM
(914) 428-4220 x223