A Close Call

Silent cartoon.

Early cartoon from the Aesop's Fables series featuring Sentinel Louie, the "topper" to Otto Soglow's Little King comic strip.

An animated silent cartoon from the classic Aesop's Fables studio, directed by Paul Terry. The plot follows Farmer Alfalfa, who can't get a mule into his barn, while his cat uses a magical, enchanting fiddle to lure mice out into the open.

Waffles the Cat and Don the Dog fiddle around with a magic pencil, producing drawings that come to life.

Van Beuren's Mickey Mouse clone is at it again, this time in a Western setting. They're all riding those wacky mechanical horses that always seem to appear in early Van Beuren and TerryToons cartoons.

A romance between two office workers--knockoffs of Mickey and Minnie Mouse--is threatened by their lecherous boss. This blatant rip-off of Disney's Mickey Mouse is indeed a fascinating effort. Not only is it most agreeably quaint, but it's remarkably fast-paced. And even better still, it's visually well-stocked with a host of neat gags. The superbly integrated music score rates as an outstandingly entertaining bonus.

Some "jazz tonic" restores Grandma's youth. When the Big Bad Wolf pays a visit, he and Grandma decide to marry on the spot; but Little Red Riding Hood finds a way to stop the wedding.

An animated short, part of Van Beuren's Aesop Fables collection.

Early sound cartoon with an all-insect cast. An eager-to-please young bugler inadvertently annoys the king during a parade and tournament, but redeems himself by rescuing the king's daughter, who's been abducted by a really horrid-looking spider.

The Fly's Bride was produced in 1929, one year following Van Beuren's edict that all cartoons would be produced in sound. The RCA Photophone System is the credited process, and Carl Edouarde is credited with "synchronization." The film continues the long-running silent series of Aesop's Fables ("sugar coated pills of wisdom" as the end titles remarked) that the studio turned out. This entry displays the lively brand of "rubber hose" animation that was common in the early sound era. The story opens as a swarm of white shoe-clad flies cavort in a kitchen (gags include a soft-shoe number danced over spilled salt and a cop fly directing traffic around a piece of flypaper). The story shifts outside as a fly calls his gal on the phone. Here some rare lip-synch is attempted during the dialogue; Van Beuren usually avoided dialogue in the years to come in favor of songs to help the story along.

A sassy cat visits a cartoon studio and learns the mysteries of animation.

RKO cartoon about a feline flapper who helps a farmer get his place up and running.

Mother Goose and a scarecrow are having a secret romance.

An Aesop's Fables cartoon about a musical fly.

Oscar the mouse invites his girl friend to the toy store where they have to outwit a cat.

A day in the life of a sentinel, with some modernistic musical accompaniment.