WB Flit Ads

[A. Flea]

I was reading a Dr.Seuss book one day when I happened upon the names of two Warner Bros advertizing shorts. Both ads centered around Flit, a bug spray commonly used at that time. The first ad was entitled " Put on the Spout". It featured a whale, who realizes that a large bug is flying above him. After being chased by the bug he yells " Quick Jonah, the Filt!" (This was Dr.Seuss' slogan for flit at the time). The second film is not as well known, and the only information about it is its title, which is " 'Neath the Bababa Tree".
The ads were financed by Standard Oil, and relaesed on June 1, 1931. Both of them were split-reel, three-to-five-minute, privetly sponsored sound films. Four copies existed but are now missing. "Put on the Spout" was 388-feet-long, or a five minute commercial. " 'Neath the Bababa Tree" is only 350 feet.

Does know anything about these cartoons, like, who wrote them, or what they had in them?

[Sogturtle]

I was reading a Dr.Seuss book one day when I happened upon the names of two Warner Bros advertizing shorts. Both ads centered around Flit, a bug spray commonly used at that time. The first ad was entitled " Put on the Spout". It featured a whale, who realizes that a large bug is flying above him. After being chased by the bug he yells " Quick Jonah, the Filt!" (This was Dr.Seuss' slogan for flit at the time). The second film is not as well known, and the only information about it is its title, which is " 'Neath the Bababa Tree".
The ads were financed by Standard Oil, and relaesed on June 1, 1931. Both of them were split-reel, three-to-five-minute, privetly sponsored sound films. Four copies existed but are now missing. "Put on the Spout" was 388-feet-long, or a five minute commercial. " 'Neath the Bababa Tree" is only 350 feet.

Does know anything about these cartoons, like, who wrote them, or what they had in them?

A. Flea~

Great question! The Seuss Warner released cartoons "Neath The Bababa Tree" and "Put On The Spout" have been a mystery (and sort of a bone of contention for nigh on forty years). I'm not sure which Seuss reference book you're referencing though...

Nearly forty years ago Mike Barrier asked Bob Clampett about them (thinking they must be Harman-Ising efforts since the 1931 date) and was evidently shocked to discover that Clampett had NO knowledge of them (he was emphatic they weren't made at Harman-Ising). That June 1, 1931 date is the date they were copyrighted, BUT since they weren't released or copyrighted by Vitaphone then they DON'T show up on published Vitaphone release sheets. Thus confirming that June 1 date as a release is very, very difficult.

The only KNOWN credits point to Irving Jacoby as being the writer/storyman of both Seuss films (Jacoby would turn up years later here and there making various kinds of films). And curiously the Copyright Catalog shows "Dr. Seuss" as the animator!!:rolleyes: That last "credit" is of course not to be taken at face value. The cartoons were made in New York (NOT Hollywood), and author Graham Webb insisted that the "animator" on "Neath The Bababa Tree" was old New York animator Frank Little... I don't know what his source for that information was, but like some of his other animation credits it has to be taken with a very large dose of salt (unless he has proof).

Fascinatingly enough the two cartoons were both actually copyrighted as a "Dr. Seuss Cartoon":eek: , so as such they really are the first two animated Seuss cartoons (instead of "Horton Hatches The Egg":p ).

Hope this helps a tad...

To date I've never heard of an extant print of either of them... Mr. Beck??

[JERRY BECK]

A. Flea~

To date I've never heard of an extant print of either of them... Mr. Beck??

As far as I know, and I've been aware of them as long as you Sog, they don't exist.

Like THE DOOR, they were released by Warner Bros. but should not be considered true Warner Bros. Cartoons. At least, that's my opinion.

[A. Flea]

Why where they pulled in the first place?

[Sogturtle]

Why where they pulled in the first place?

A. Flea~

'Pulled' is probably not quite the right term. I SUSPECT that they were distributed theatrically for only a few months and that was obviously by Warner Bros., but as to how many prints were ever made...:rolleyes:
I think the real issue is one of OWNERSHIP since they were LIKELY financed at least in part by Flit and as such logically they would've ended up ultimately with the prints and possibly the negatives.
The films weren't commercials like we think of them (i.e. 10 sec to 2 min.) but were really "split-reels" (half of a full reel) and so undoubtedly had a fair amount of entertainment value (despite the ad quotient). And one reason for their "lost state" I believe goes back to the same problem that the Fleischer's encountered with their Oldsmobile ad cartoon "In My Merry Oldsmobile". And that problem reportedly was that audiences simply went into a state of revolt when a lengthy entertainment-ad was foisted upon them, and that caused the studios to halt the practice...

As to whether or not to really count them as authentic Warner cartoons I've long been quite a liberal:p about that sort of thing. We had about 14+ years of cartoons copyrighted and released by Warners but that were actually made by independent outside studios (Harman-Ising and Schlesinger) and that starred characters NOT owned by Warners. These two Seuss cartoons fall into that exact same category...:eek:

Then we have the numerous Schlesinger studio animated sequences made for outside studios... But since the Schlesinger studio was BOUGHT by Warner's then logically these should be viewed as children of the classic studio.

Think of the Snafu and Hook cartoons... Made by the Schlesinger and Warner studio proper but NOT released by Warners, instead by the U.S. government for the army and navy. Of course there's also "Any Bonds Today" wherein Schlesinger's Bugs:bugs2: appears in a government financed film...

Then there was the DePatie-Freleng period where the cartoons were made independently but with Warner-owned characters and then copyrighted and released by Warners. And yeah, "The Door" is probably the greatest stretch of all, but it was released as a Merrie Melodie...

And then lastly we have "Daffy Duck And Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Ghoulies" where a totally outside and alien studio directs and animates the classic Warner characters. (And look what we have to show for it:p ).
For ME, I honestly take that liberal approach and embrace all of them as Warner cartoons.:cool:

[Fibber Fox]

The cartoons were made in New York (NOT Hollywood), and author Graham Webb insisted that the "animator" on "Neath The Bababa Tree" was old New York animator Frank Little...

So, Sog, it sounds like Warners NY office contracted these and had them done by a commercial studio or freelancer there.

F. Fox