Rarely has there been a wackier race

Ker-Choo (1933)
Starring: Bonnie Poe and Gus Wicke

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

It's the Grand Prix, cartoon-style, with all the craziness you'd expect!

"Ker-Choo" is one of those cartoons where almost anything I might say about it will ruin the fun of watching it for the first time. While it remains funny if you watch it more than once, the biggest enjoyment will come from watching the race (as well as the cartoon animals watching it in the stands) for the first time; the wacky bizarreness of it all will bring joy to even the grumpiest soul!

This is one of the Betty Boop-headlined cartoons where the entire gang is here -- with Bimbo and KoKo the Clown being among the drivers competing against Betty -- and each gets their moment to shine. In fact, I think Bimbo and KoKo between them deliver two of the funniest gags in the film, with KoKo even turning what might have just been a simple transition scene into a moment of hilarity.

While there are many reasons I think you'll enjoy this cartoon if you're into Pre-Code Era animation, the most important one is the unique place it has cinematic history: It was the first tale (and perhaps the only tale so far) of a race being won through germ warfare! Further, this cartoon may also be the true origin of "twerking"!

One word of warning: The race music may get stuck in your head for a day or so after watching this!

It's Mermay!

It's a little known fact that mermaids enjoy sports-fishing!

 
  
 

Musical Monday with Lady Gaga

Well... sort of. It's Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" filtered through the stylings of 1940s western swing by There--I Ruined It. (It's a lotta fun, and it'll kick off your work-week in just the way you need!

The fight in the fountain!

I've failed to find the original version of the cartoon embedded below, so I can't give proper credit nor do I even remember the actual title... but I found this short cartoon featuring an indignant mermaid and her attempts to defeat a statue of a little boy peeing hilarious when I first saw it many, MANY years ago and I find it hilarious today. I hope you do, too!

And if anyone out there knows the original source and creator of this animation, please let me know, so I can give them proper credit and put a review header on this video. (It's an easy Nine of Ten Stars, by the way.)

Flapper Fanny

Barnacle Bill makes landfall!

Barnacle Bill (1930)
Starring: Billy Murray and Margie Hines
Director: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Barnacle Bill (voiced by Murray) has a girl in every port--and nothing's going to keep him from getting it on Nancy (voiced by Hines!

"Barnacle Bill" is an early appearance of the characters that would eventually evolve into Bimbo and Betty Boop--the second for Betty, actually. You can see hints in what both characters would eventually become, but Nancy Lee/Betty is equal parts grotesque and cute in this iteration. (She still is an anthropomorphic dog, like Bimbo, but it's downplayed more here than it is in her third appearance in "The Mysterious Mose".)

Historical trivia aside, "Barnacle Bill" is worth checking out for its non-stop stream of sight gags and nifty twists on cliches that were old even at the dawn of the 1930s. It also shines as a mini-operetta, with Barnacle Bill and Nancy hilariously singing their way through their romantic interactions. Other highlights include Bill escaping his ship for shore leave against his captain's orders, the surprising love game Bill and Nancy end up playing, the gossiping neighbors, and a very cute surprise finale.

This classic cartoon is only some 8 minutes long. Check it out for the fun, or check it out to see the origin of one of the most famous cartoon characters to ever be created... but check it out!

It's Mermay!

Some say mermaids are just imaginary creatures... but we have photos that prove otherwise! 

 
  
 
 

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Happy birthday to Jessica Morris

 

 Actress Jessica Morris turns 44 today. Here are a few photos in celebration. (And here are reviews of some of the films she's either starred or has been featured in!)

A Special Musical Monday with Mike Oldfield

As some of you out there might know, I began my professional life as an entertainment writer, focused mostly on music reviews. I did that for roughly four years, after which I was so burned out on music that my car radio stayed tuned to talk and news-stations from 1993 through 2000... and I hardly played any music on my system at home. To this day, I still have not been to a life concert, or even watched one on television.

Major exceptions to my time away from music were certain works by Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Beethoven, and/or Handel... and everything by one of the 20th century's great composers and guitar players, Mike Oldfield.

I have loved Mike Oldfield's music since I first heard "Ommadawn". I prefer his long-form instrumentals over his pop/rock songs, but everything he's done is good. Even his weakest releases are far, FAR better than the best that many other modern song-writers and musicians produce.

Mike Oldfield turns 70 years old today. I honor him on his birthday, and I thank for enriching my life, inspiring my creativity--characters and storylines have all sprung into my head while listening to Oldfield--and bringing light into my world during my darkest times. 

 

This post also celebrates over five decades of brilliant music composed and performed by giving you a chance to listen to some of my favorite songs from him, along with a few videos. Only a few of them actually that fit the black-and-white format around here, starting with a fan-made one (which features a little nudity, so be careful where you watch it), but I hope you'll be inspired to check out more of his music and come to love his work the way I do.

Here's another fan-made video, mostly abstract and set to some very pretty Oldfield tunes.

"Five Miles Out"--the title track from the 1983 album that is Mike Oldfield's greatest masterpiece. "Taurus II" (a 27-minute long track that occupied most of Side 1 of the LP record when it was first released) is his very best work, containing some of his greatest themes and melodies.

"Magic Touch" from Islands (1987)

It's a Mohammed Monday

 

THIS WEEK WITH JESUS & MO