The Persistent Salesman

This collection of vintage cartoons is not only a loopy primer on animation history; it is also an offbeat reflection of western "civilization" in the early 20th century. The racism in "Little Black Sambo," and the overt sexuality of Betty Boop are all-the-more shocking when you think that this is what grandma and grandpa were growing up watching! From the works of the world’s very first animator, Emile Cohl, to Walt Disney himself, Johnny Legend has compiled a twisted list of early animations that are guaranteed to surprise, delight and amaze.

An animated film by French auteur Émile Cohl, one of the earliest examples of hand-drawn film animation. Drawing inspiration from J. Stuart Blackton and the Incoherents of club Hydropathes, the film, with all its wild transformations, sees our protagonist materialize a movie theatre, meet an elephant and escape from jail; A morphing, stream-of-consciousness delight.

A man who no longer can afford his rent is forced to sell his beloved furniture. The furniture can not bear to be parted from their owner and decides to return home. Often confused with Bosetti's film Le Garde meuble automatique (1912).

Émile Cohl mixes live-action and stop-motion animation in this charming evocation of the power of imagination. A magician shapes his cane into a hoop with strange properties for a young girl. Costume changes and city promenades give way towards greater abstraction as the film becomes absorbed by what goes on inside the ring.

A splendid blend of live-action photography and Cohl's famous animation, Nothing... displays the realms man has conquered: Air, sea, the domains of music and machinery. The one thing man cannot conquer, Cohl posits, is gossip.

A nightmare, sketched out upon a living blackboard.

A bizarre musical couple falls asleep after an insane performance, and dreams about musical instruments.

Four customers are having a peaceful game of cards in a quiet café. The atmosphere being heavy, the waiter falls asleep and has an unsettling dream about the ills of alcohol, among other things.

A British clown invents a device which shows all people in grotesque sizes.

A animation film from Émile Cohl about a painter.

Three girls seeking to have their fortunes told invite a witch over. When the girls' father offends the witch, she puts a hex on him and his matches.

In "Rêves enfantins", players in the flesh are mixed with animated objects and cut-out paper actors.

In this film several objects make paintings on an empty canvas, which all turn into photos and films.

Early short by French animation artist Émile Cohl. A woman becomes slowly visible in front of a black space. She points a wand and spells the word “Bonsoir” in colored letters formed from flowers.

Grotesque animated spirits punish a disbeliever who scorns his wife’s interest in the occult.

A showman invites patrons to step up to his Kinetoscope-style magic box and glimpse the answers to their most burning questions.