Happy Birthday, Donald Duck!

  

Donald Duck made his debut in Walt Disney's, "The Wise Little Hen," one of the "Silly Symphony" series in 1934. The curmudgeonly little duck has been competing with Mickey Mouse for decades, but seems to enjoy the greatest fame in Germany. Wikipedia says his outsize popularity in Germany is akin to Jerry Lewis' fame in France. He is also popular in other Nordic countries as is apparent in the number of videos on YouTube uploaded from those areas. Regardless of his renown, the Disney family wouldn't be the same without Donald Duck and his family!   

Eh, What's Up, Doc? It's Bugs Bunny's 75th Birthday!

Bugs Bunny unfazed by Marvin the Martian - Warner Bros.

A rabbit resembling Bugs Bunny, in character and appearance, made his debut on April 30, 1938 in the cartoon Porky's Hare Hunt (video at left below). Although he wasn't identified by name as Bugs Bunny at the time, he certainly looked, talked, and behaved a lot like him! This prototype Bugs is generally regarded as the nascent Bugs Bunny, but he made his official appearance on July 27, 1940 in A Wild Hare (video at right below). And the rest is lagomorphic history. Mel Blanc brought Bugs to life ever since his prototypical debut, and the character simply wouldn't have been the same without that inimitable voice! Of course, pretty much most of the Looney Tunes characters were branded with Blanc's unique voice, but Bugs Bunny somehow stands out because of his everyman character. In all of his cartoons, there's never a time you're not rooting for Bugs, in spite of the frustrations of his hapless foes. I think we all want to be like Bugs - indomitable, cool under fire, and always the winner :) 

                        

Walter Lantz's 114th Birth Anniversary



Walter Lantz photo by D. Ramey Logan, 1990
contributed by WPPilot, Wikimedia Commons

                                                                                        Woody Woodpecker - The Screwball

The birthday of another birdman of sorts follows on the heels of  Audubon's birthday. Walter Lantz, creator of Woody Woodpecker, was born 114 years ago today. Probably the wildest, wackiest woodpecker ever conceived! An interesting story about the voice of WW is related in the Wikipedia article: "In 1950, Lantz held anonymous auditions. Grace, Lantz's wife, had offered to do Woody's voice; however, Lantz turned her down because Woody was a male character. Not discouraged in the least, Grace went about secretly making her own anonymous audition tape, and submitted it with the others for the studio to listen to. Not knowing whose voice was being heard, Lantz picked Grace's voice to do Woody Woodpecker. Grace supplied Woody's voice until the end of production in 1972, and also appeared in other non-Woody cartoons. At first, Grace voiced Woody without screen credit, because she thought that it would disappoint the children to know Woody Woodpecker was voiced by a woman. However, she soon came to enjoy being known as the voice of Woody Woodpecker, and allowed her name to be credited on the screen. Her version of Woody was cuter and friendlier than the manic Woody of the 1940s, and Lantz's artists redesigned the character to suit the new voice personality." I remember as a child, along with my friends, trying to imitate this unusual voice! Another interesting chapter in the annals of animation history. 

Joseph Barbera Birth Anniversary

 

As one of the creators of some of the best-loved cartoon characters of the 20th century, Joseph Barbera enjoyed a long, fruitful, and faithful career in the animation world. He and long-time collaborator, William Hanna, brought such characters as the Flintstones, the Jetsons, Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, and many others to colorful life every Saturday morning. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, Saturday morning was the most enjoyable part of the week, when kids would wake up, run to the TV, and eat cereal while watching all these characters do their own goofy thing. At least, that's what my siblings and I did! So, I am grateful to Joseph Barbera (and William Hanna) for making my childhood Saturday mornings totally blissful. Barbera was known as a genuinely nice guy in Hollywood and he enjoyed a truly remarkable working and personal relationship with William Hanna. No two partners were better suited to one another in their creative endeavors. They were a superb team of animators, cartoonists, artists, and directors; and gave 20th century entertainment its own special character.

 

Eh, What's Up Doc?

Looney Tunes characters (Wikimedia Commons)

Today is Chuck Jones's 100th Birth Anniversary - that's what's up! What a talent he was and how much laughter he gave the world. Almost everyone has some memory of growing up with the zany cast of cartoon characters Jones either animated or directed: Bugs Bunny,  Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester and Pepé Le Pew. Not to mention Marvin the Martian, the Grinch, and Sniffles the Mouse. Various websites and publications are paying homage to Jones' 100th, notably Wired, Animation Magazine, Comics Alliance, Legacy.  And they all express a common theme of childhood memories growing up with these looney characters that influenced and affected each of us. Who hasn't memorized the various scenarios and quotes the cartoons gave us, having embedded these into our subconscious? Jones' grandson, Craig Kausen, gave an interview last year in anticipation of his grandfather's 100th birthday, in which he reminisces about his work and life.  And now, don't forget to watch one of my favorites, Sniffles the Mouse trying to stay awake for Christmas: