Comments on: Some Classic Animation

By: John Emerson

John Emerson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:33:40 +0000

In 1953, Ball was subpoenaed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities because she had registered to vote in the Communist party primary election in 1936 at her socialist grandfather’s insistence (per FBI FOIA-released documents in a declassified FBI file).[40] Immediately before the filming of episode 68 (“The Girls Go Into Business”) of I Love Lucy, Desi Arnaz, instead of his usual audience warm-up, told the audience about Lucy and her grandfather. Arnaz quipped: “The only thing red about Lucy is her hair, and even that’s not legitimate.” Then, he presented his wife and she received a standing ovation from the audience.[17] Documents were discovered that showed Ball had in fact registered to the Communist Party[41]

By: Henri Vieuxtemps

Henri Vieuxtemps — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:29:12 +0000

Hey John, any thoughts on the growing scandal over Ikea’s switch from Futura to Verdana?

By: lisa

lisa — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:40:10 +0000

Thanks for these. I’m always on the lookout for interesting animation for the kid. Copyright expired .99 DVDs at the local dollar store have great 40s cartoons (but have to be vetted for racism beforehand). So far, Mr. Magoo hasn’t made an appearance in the dollar store but he might before long.

And damn, that would be fabulous if true about Lucy. Does that explain the chocolate factory scene where the pace of production increased and she and Ethel couldn’t keep up (so they tried eating the chocolates)?

By: Twisted_Colour

Twisted_Colour — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:36:57 +0000

Ring Lardner

I used to use that, but after a disturbing incident involving a clowder of alley cats I changed over to a water based product.

By: Bloix

Bloix — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 03:40:56 +0000

In 1980 or thereabouts I went to an animation festival at which Faith Hubley introduced a number of films she had made with John. In retrospect it was one of the highlights of my college career. If I recall correctly one of the films was Eggs, a dystopia in which Life and Death travel the globe together in an enormous convertible. Death, a crochety old fellow who speaks in a Brooklyn accent, says to Life, “Haven’t you heard of birth control?”

Eggs is on Youtube at about 7 minutes into this interview program, in which poor Faith literally gets only a single word in – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRN1SGFBD74

By: John Emerson

John Emerson — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:46:30 +0000

And Lucille Ball, a card-carrying Communist, wore the pants in her interracial family. Look it up.

By: Bloix

Bloix — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:36:01 +0000

Moonbird was made by the team of John and Faith Hubley, see, e.g., http://www.pbs.org/itvs/independentspirits/filmography.html, who worked together from their marriage in 1955 until John Hubley’s death in 1977. Faith Hubley continued as as a solo animator for many more years.

By: Jared

Jared — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:55:08 +0000

John Hubley is also the father of Georgia Hubley, of Yo La Tengo fame, who had similar roles in some of his other animated shorts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cit6iUEEdyo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSFKjfQolgY&feature=related

By: John Holbo

John Holbo — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:25:27 +0000

Ah, now I see. I was a bit confused about the Ring Lardner business. Yes, that makes a difference.

By: Henry (not the famous one)

Henry (not the famous one) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:57:17 +0000

Fascinating. If only someone had told Justice Scalia that “race” and “blood” aren’t related. In the oral argument involving a mild FCC racial preference—Metro Broadcasting, I think—Scalia hectored the attorney defending the preference by asking “It’s all about blood isn’t it?” or words to that effect.

Yes, I know in his calmer moments Scalia would say he wa s only being metaphorical. It was probably some intrinsic trait, rather than a choice on his part, that caused him to invoke that particular metaphor at that time.

BTW, it’s Ring Lardner, Jr. (makes a difference).