Yo, What's up? It's been a while. What have you been up to? Oh, me? Not much. Just working... Anyways, Welcome! With the holiday season fast approaching, it's time for christmasy things... Music on the radio, fist fights at Wal-marts for junk on sale and the creepy crawly feeling of family togetherness.
There's also all the damn holiday movies. While I have my favorites (National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, How the Grinch stole Christmas, the snowman, and Long kiss goodnight (YES THIS IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE!)) We're gonna talk about something a little different.
There's also all the damn holiday movies. While I have my favorites (National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, How the Grinch stole Christmas, the snowman, and Long kiss goodnight (YES THIS IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE!)) We're gonna talk about something a little different.
A long time ago, I had a VHS tape that had maybe 6 or 7 cartoons on it and sometimes a live action segment. This was from a time when most VHS tapes cost quite a bit. These cartoons however were past their copyright expiration, making them pretty cheap. You can still find DVD collections of public domain cartoons and movies at dollar stores or Wal marts.
Most of the cartoons on these tapes are from the 30s through the 50s, but we're gonna focus on the ones from the 1930s because I'm the one writing the article, dammit.
For the most part, the cartoons from the 30s all feature a concept of hope and/or charity. It was the depression. People didn't have much and what they had
So, let's get started!
Most of the cartoons on these tapes are from the 30s through the 50s, but we're gonna focus on the ones from the 1930s because I'm the one writing the article, dammit.
For the most part, the cartoons from the 30s all feature a concept of hope and/or charity. It was the depression. People didn't have much and what they had
So, let's get started!
#1- Christmas Comes But Once a Year-1934
I remember this one because it was usually the first one on the tapes and because of the music. It starts out with a melancholic voice belting out "Noel" and a revolutionary (for the time) 3 dimentional view of the outside of the orphanage. We then see the rundown orphanage typical of everything in the 30s era.
Merry Christmas! Enjoy your new toys from Walmart! We'll just sit here and cry.
Broken down crappy tree with broken ornaments? Check, dirty socks used as stockings? Check
Weird picture of miserly egg-headed mr burns on the wall? Check. Okay, let's go!
Now we see the orphans get up and start their Christmas morning with... GARBAGE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!! The kids all get toys that are one play away from breaking and when they get them out, all break. This results in the kids all crying in droves.
Enter Macgyver claus:
This character always bothered me. Maybe it was okay back in the 30s to be a strange old man that goes up and fixing orphan kids Christmases, but there's just something odd about the whole thing. He literally breaks into the orphanage and starts making toys out of stuff sitting around the orphanage.
The part that always made me wonder was the part when he sits on the steps and puts on his thinking cap. He comes up with several unspoken ideas but the most convoluted one makes the light light up.
For what it's worth, after seeing this cartoon, I would hear "Put on your thinking cap" and imagine this thing.
What were his first two ideas that got beat by breaking in and building stuff out of the utensils and dishes??? Go back in time and prevent each kid from becoming an orphan? Gah, I would think if you had enough money to buy a powered sleigh in the 30s you would have more than enough money to buy each of the kids at least one toy... But I digress, let's keep going.
Macgyver Clause goes into the kitchen, piles up every bit of junk he can find and proceeds to make toys out of all of it, inluding a sled made from a washboard, a flying airplane made from a spoon, a spool and a dowel rod... And then this thing:
I should add that he's laughing maniacally while building these contraptions.
Yes, using a feather duster, a sock, an alarm clock mechanism and 2 forks, he made this... abomination. What the hell is it? How is this going to be any fun for a kid to play with? It smells like dirty feet, it's dusty and the forks are sharp. Anyways,
The professor decorates the orphanage, dismantles the stove to make boots, and gets the kids up to play with their new "Toys". He then creates a sledding hill on the stairs, builds a christmas tree using umbrellas and it slowly fades to a 3d spinning christmas tree then to this:
Sadness level-2/5-Starts out sad but everything works out... I guess... But can you imagine what happens when the orphanage owners come back the next day and they see all the stuff used to run the orphanage has been broken or used to make toys?
Kirby Not included!
I just counted a few things... I'm not gonna get obsessive.
Ah, war. This one tops them all. We start off with the ruins of civilization, complete with ruined church window, cannons dilapidated from years of disuse
Yep, our furry creatures apparently know how to read, comprehend English and go about rebuilding society as well as repopulating the earth.
Annoyance level 1/5- This one has some history. It makes a good point and has been remade a few times. It's actually not a bad cartoon.
Sadness level- 35/5 - Being told of humanity's demise because of our inability to get along by sentient talking animals kinda hits hard.
The professor decorates the orphanage, dismantles the stove to make boots, and gets the kids up to play with their new "Toys". He then creates a sledding hill on the stairs, builds a christmas tree using umbrellas and it slowly fades to a 3d spinning christmas tree then to this:
No children were harmed in the making of this cartoon simply because they felt no pain as they went.-creepy white santa
Annoyance level-4/5- You might not ever get the damn song out of your head once you hear it.Sadness level-2/5-Starts out sad but everything works out... I guess... But can you imagine what happens when the orphanage owners come back the next day and they see all the stuff used to run the orphanage has been broken or used to make toys?
#2 Somewhere in Dreamland
So, here we are again. This time we have two unemployed Campbell's soup kids that gather wood out in the street.They pass by several storefronts where the shopowners see their plight
Unlike the kids in the first cartoon, these kids actually have a living parent!
It's Olive Oyl's missing sister, Canola!
Unlike the kids in the first cartoon, these kids actually have a living parent!
The kids are served a meal of what looks like a brick with icing.
Kids, finish your mortor or you won't get any stucco!
The two then go to bed because, hey, it's the depression, what else are you going to do? Then they start their trip into dreamland 
There, the kids find trees with new clothes, fields of ice cream cones, popcorn fields and new toys.
The kids wake up to see that the three shopowners dug into their profits and gave the kids a decent meal complete with toys. the boy jabs a fork into his backside to make sure he's not dreaming.
Annoyance level-4/5- Both of these kids suffer from "Popeye mumble syndrome" throughout the entire cartoon talking in a low whiny mumble that gets stifled by the music. Granted, what they're saying isn't really necessary to the plot, but it's noticeable.
Saddness level-4/5- As a kid, it's a happy ending. The kids wake up and have a nice morning. As an adult that understands finances better than a 5 year old, it raises all sorts of questions and makes some points, The kids will be fine for this morning and maybe a few days afterwards when they can have leftovers, but then they'll still be in the same plight. If one of the store owners had offered the mother a job it might help.
The other part is how much money went into this spread. Granted, it's 3 storeowners, but they're still in a smaller neighborhood. I researched a little and figured out the food on the table and toys left for the kids would all amount to much more than the 3 storeowners could possibly afford unless the food is all day-old and the toys are of the same quality that were in the orphanage in the last cartoon.
#3 Peace on Earth- 1939
Ah, war. This one tops them all. We start off with the ruins of civilization, complete with ruined church window, cannons dilapidated from years of disuse
SYMBOLISM
We then pan over to a little city made out of soldier helmets and other military junk.
We then meet our narrarator, an old squirrel that tells the story of the last of man.
I didn't catch it the first time, but the lamp post is a bayonet.
The old squirrel tells the story of why there's no men left on earth. Apparently we killed each other to the point that no one is left. With the demise of man, the animals of the forest come out to wrecked society and find a book.
SYMBOLISM! Also, could you imagine if another book were found?
Imagine if the owl found a nature guide and read that his species was supposed to be eating the other animals and not rebuilding the world with them.
That's the story kids, Everyone's dead except the animals and its all our fault we couldn't get along.
Annoyance level 1/5- This one has some history. It makes a good point and has been remade a few times. It's actually not a bad cartoon.
Sadness level- 35/5 - Being told of humanity's demise because of our inability to get along by sentient talking animals kinda hits hard.
Bonus: Creepy Silouette of 12 days of Christmas, FEATURING OSCAR BRAND!!
So, this isn't a cartoon and it's not from the 30s, but I remember it being on one of the VHS Christmas tapes I had. I remember it being the last feature on the tape which was a good thing because I shut the VCR off before it had a chance to scare me. There shouldn't be anything scary about this. It's just a guy playing a guitar while a woman dance, but it's all silhouette.
So, that's it for this time around. Happy Holidays!
So, that's it for this time around. Happy Holidays!
