For over half a century, Gahan Wilson’s macabre cartoons have been sending shivers of laughter down the reader’s spines in magazines like Playboy, National Lampoon, The New Yorker, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Here is a gallery of ten ghastly giggles from the wonderfully warped mind of Gahan Wilson:
THE WEE MEN is a wee bit o’blarney about Leprechauns, one of Paramount Picture’s Noveltoons series. It’s the story of Paddy, just turned 121 years old, and entrusted with the important task of leaving new shoes on doorsteps for St. Patrick’s Day… until the Greediest Man Alive captures him and demands to be taken to that fabled pot o’gold! Directed by former Disney animator Bill Tytla, enjoy THE WEE MEN (and yes, it’s in the Public Domain!):
October is usually reserved for all things Halloween, but today just happens to be Friday the 13th! Originally considered a day to avoid bad luck, the superstition has been superceded by Jason Vorhees and the FRIDAY THE 13TH series of slasher films. ‘Triskaidiskaphobia’ runs rampant in the 1946 cartoon THE STUPIDSTITIOUS CAT, a Paramount entry starring Buzzy the Crow, voiced by Jackson Beck as an Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson parody and directed by Seymour Kneitel. Toss some salt over your shoulder and enjoy THE STUPIDSTITIOUS CAT!:
What do you think of that, Jason?
The only candidate everyone can get behind…. Miss Betty Boop!!
The Monster Boom of the 1960’s saw kids of all ages craving their horror fix, and television supplied us with a steady stream of Monstermania. There were creepy comedies (THE MUNSTERS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY), anthologies (THRILLER, THE OUTER LIMITS), and monsters galore lurking on LOST IN SPACE and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Even Saturday mornings cartoons weren’t safe, as ABC-TV began running THE MILTON THE MONSTER SHOW in 1965.
MILTON THE MONSTER was a limited-animation series about a man-made monster (ala Frankenstein) created in vat by Professor Weirdo and his sidekick Count Kook. Weirdo accidentally spills too much “tincture of tenderness” into the mix, resulting in a too-gentle monster who sounded a lot like Gomer Pyle. Milton’s fellow monsters were Heebie & Jeebie, the former a top-hatted skeleton who talked like Peter Lorre, the latter a hairy, one-eyed, snaggle-toothed goofball. Professor Fruitcake was their rival, the mad scientist next door…
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It’s hard to believe, but that wild-tempered waterfowl Donald Duck made his first appearance 82 years ago in the 1934 Disney short THE WISE LITTLE HEN, part of the ‘Silly Symphonies’ series. Donald’s next film ORPHAN’S BENEFIT teamed him for the first time with frenemy Mickey Mouse, beginning a comic rivalry that lasts to this day. The immoderate mallard began starring in his own cartoons in 1937, begetting a cast of characters such as girlfriend Daisy Duck, nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and uncles Ludwig Von Drake and Scrooge McDuck.
Donald’s flying-off-the-handle personality and riotous fits of anger caused fits of laughter for generations of moviegoers. He made the perfect foil for straight-mouse Mickey, and carried the brunt of their comedic load. The quacking voice of Clarence “Ducky” Nash went a long way towards putting Donald’s over-the-top antics over the top. Every kid tried to imitate that unique duck-like voice (admit it…
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Before I stuff my face with turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc, I’d like to share a laugh with you, so here’s a 1945 cartoon from MGM titled JERKY TURKEY, directed by the great Tex Avery, with the voices of Daws Butler and Bill “Droopy” Thompson. Enjoy, and have a safe and happy holiday!
Lo, there do I see my youth.
Lo, there do I see my past.
And the joys and happiness of childhood.
Lo, there do I see the line of cartoons
Back to the beginning.
Lo, do they call to me.
They bid me to tune into Cartoon Network
this month of July…
Where the new ThunderCats will live once again.
That’s right. You heard me. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s know the power of the word: ThunderCats.
We know the of the Sword of Omens. The doomed planet of Thundera and, of course, the refuge that will be Third Earth. We know of Mumm-Ra the Everliving. We know of the Mutants, the Lunataks and Hammerhand and his Berserkers who harry our feline heroes.
We know of the Ro-Bear Berbils (and what kid didn’t want their very own Ro-Bear Berbil). We know of Hachiman, the Warrior Maidens, the Wollos, the Bolkens and the Tabbuts. We know of other Third Earth allies such as The League of Third Earth, Mumm-Rana, Mandora the Evil-Chaser, Sondora and Hook Mountains’ Snowman.
So, this coming July on Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers Animation in conjunction with Japanese animation house, Studio 4.C, will reboot and bring back one of the gloriest of glories of my youth. This new ThunderCats animated series looks to bring in the nostalgic older fans who remember the original series with differing levels of fondness. It also looks to introduce the kids of these parents to a piece of their parent’s childhood, but with new millenium sheen.
The trailer released during WonderCon 2011 says it all. This series looks to have epic battles between the ThunderCats and the Mutants. A mash-up of technology and magic. It also has Cheetarah, now with a new, more modern hairstyle instead of the 80’s big-hair style she had in the original series. I must wonder if the boys today will wonder with awe when they see Cheetarah in action for the first time the way their fathers did 20 or more years ago. We shall find out in three months.
Thunder!
Thunder!
ThunderCats! HO!
Through the Shattered Lens 