Cartoon Discussion Of The Week (06/14/09) - Blind Date

[Marty26]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_sgMTAX-OE

This is only the second Heckle And Jeckle short I've seen. The first was 1946's The Talking Magpies. It's interesting that, rather than being a husband and wife team, they're now a Laurel And Hardy like duo (not to mention both are now males).

Nevertheless, this is a funny little cartoon. Cross-dressing gags are always a riot. And it's also funny how the rich man was given the usual "dumb guy voice" common in cartoons of the 40's and 50's. The ending is good but feels unfinished (it would've been nice to see the real Dimples eventually return to the millionaire).

Anyway, discuss!

[Jon Cooke]

I hope our resident Terrytoon fanatics take notice of this week's CDotW (calling Mr. Geezil... ;)). Anyway, this is one of my favorite Heckle & Jeckles. I have been re-watching a bunch of them recently on YouTube and thought this one was a stand-out. There is some very funny Jim Tyer animation during the scene of Heckle, Jeckle and the rich fellow chasing each other in and out of various doors. I love how the characters just seem to "bounce" up and down while they are running around.

[Geezil]

Terrytoons suck.
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Everybody fallen out of their chairs after reading that one? Good. :gandy:

I'll be back with my legitimate critique of "Blind Date" in a while. ;)

[oceansoul]

What was the name of the H and J short when they managed to transform into several things, because they are animated characters with freedom... that was quite amusing one.

[kaseykockroach]

What was the name of the H and J short when they managed to transform into several things, because they are animated characters with freedom... that was quite amusing one.
Twas "Power of Thought (1948)".
As for this one, it's a Heckle & Jeckle cartoon with Jim Tyer animation. That's all I has to know! :buzzy:

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

I'm sorry to say that I have never been a Terrytoons fan, mainly due to lack of exposure during my childhood in the 90's(could this happen to the Looney Tunes? Scary thought.) I figured after reading this thread that now would be the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon, and man, what a great start, this cartoon was excellent! Thanks, guys!

[Jack G.]

Terrytoons suck.Bad Geezil.
Bad, Bad, Bad.

[Nelson]

"Blind Date" is a classic, as this is one my my favorite H&J cartoons and a Tyer classic.

[The Coyote Never Wins]

I like the dippy little dances the millionaire does, first around 2:05 (I think) and again at 3:12 or so. Very funny animation. That was a pretty enjoyable short.

[Glowworm]

I too had never seen any Terrytoons as a child and this one is pretty funny-although it seems a little weird to me that Dimples is being advertised with a reward as if she were a lost dog.beautiful animation on the dopey millionaire.I especially love his little dances and when he gets electricuted from kissing the lamp.

Also,not to sound naive but which Magpie is Heckle and which one is Jeckle?:D

[Jon Cooke]

Also,not to sound naive but which Magpie is Heckle and which one is Jeckle?:D

Heckle is the one with the New York accent and Jeckle is the one with the British accent.

[Glowworm]

Thanks-I wasn't sure if it was like the Goofy Gophers in which you never knew which one was Mac and which one was Tosh.:D

[Geezil]

I hope our resident Terrytoon fanatics take notice of this week's CDotW (calling Mr. Geezil... ;)). Anyway, this is one of my favorite Heckle & Jeckles. I have been re-watching a bunch of them recently on YouTube and thought this one was a stand-out. There is some very funny Jim Tyer animation during the scene of Heckle, Jeckle and the rich fellow chasing each other in and out of various doors. I love how the characters just seem to "bounce" up and down while they are running around.

OK, this time for real! :D

What truly makes "Blind Date" a standout in the H&J series (and among the larger body of Terrytoons as well) is the way Jim Tyer was able to run with the Millionaire Guy as handed him, going on to build a worthy "supporting actor" in the same sense as the Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes secondary characters.

Of course, the "doors" scene as it exists on YouTube (and on my DVD copy, which I hasten to note is not one of Jerry Beck's research series) would no doubt be funnier still if a bit or two weren't missing. (Non-PC gags, perhaps? If anybody here knows the answer to that one, please PM me for obvious reasons, and thanks.)

Heckle is the one with the New York accent and Jeckle is the one with the British accent.

As is most clearly revealed, BTW, in "Rival Romeos."

[Mr. Semaj]

Before 2006, I had hardly seen any Terrytoons outside two PD video entries and a very early sampling of the New Mighty Mouse (it had to have been that, because I'm guessing he barely spoke, if at all in his classic shorts). Regardless of whether these cartoons were of any worth back in the day, most of what I've seen so far has been pretty enjoyable.

This one had some fun, crazy animation from those two crazy magpies, though the ending felt a little incomplete. I'll have to list Heckle and Jeckle as my favorite Terrytoon characters.

[J Lee]

Definitely Eddie Donnelly's best cartoon with the characters -- Donnelly and Mannie Davis' early H&J cartoons tend to have less silly animation than the ones Connie Razinski did (i.e. Razinski was the first to let Jim Tyer really go nuts in these cartoons, where his style of animation in comedy action could be used to its best advantage). The change of pace also helps, with the two magpies basically working against each other instead of as a team, and Tyer's animation of Horace is similar (but far less restrained) as the sexual reaction animation he did with Popeye and Bluto in "W'ere On Our Way to Rio".

[Mark J]

It's interesting that you young guys have no exposure to Terrytoons. When I was a kid in the late 70s these used to run constantly, at least an hour a day, and I am as familiar with the characters and toons as I am with other theatrical toons that were constantly shown on independent TV stations like Looney Tunes, Popeye & other Famous/Paramount color toons, Woody & MGM.

[Bobby Bickert]

Terrytoons also got exposure through those little booths that played a cartoon for a quarter. (As did the later Lantz cartunes.) I remember watching H & J, Dinky, Little Roquefort, Deputy Dawg, Sidney, Hector Heathcote, Hashimoto-san, and James Hound in those booths.

[nickramer]

Well, I had a brief exposure of them during their final TV airings on USA.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

It's interesting that you young guys have no exposure to Terrytoons. When I was a kid in the late 70s these used to run constantly, at least an hour a day, and I am as familiar with the characters and toons as I am with other theatrical toons that were constantly shown on independent TV stations like Looney Tunes, Popeye & other Famous/Paramount color toons, Woody & MGM.

Yes, but by my time in the 90's most of the cartoons had moved from local syndication to cable networks. Most of the Looney Tunes I saw as a kid were via Nickelodeon(Looney Tunes On Nickelodeon), just like most of the Disney cartoons I saw were on The Disney Channel(Mickey's Mouse Tracks, Donald's Quack Attack, and The Ink And Paint Club.) Given, the USA Network DID air the Terrytoons in the very early 90's, were I really couldn't remember watching them at all. I guess you could say that we were at a disadvantage.