Cartoon Discussion of the Week (9/12): "Pinky Doodle/Yankee Doodle Pink"

[wiley207]

I don't think anyone has done a Pink Panther CDOTW thread yet, so this is the first I'm doing, since 9/11 has occurred and this entry is about our country's independence starting against the UK.

Some of you may be wondering why there are TWO cartoon titles. Even though it's technically two shorts, they are both essentially the same cartoon with some minor differences...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm985GR_kUU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF07vFjZpko

You see, while "Pinky Doodle" was originally produced for theatrical release in 1976 (and was done so that year), "Yankee Doodle Pink" was actually made for the Pink Panther Saturday morning TV series back in 1978 but re-released to movie theaters later that year, like practically all made-for-TV Panther shorts of the era were. However, this is practically a cheater cartoon; it reuses pretty much nearly all the old animation from "Pinky Doodle" and the same sound effects, but replaces the Walter Greene music score with the usual Doug Goodwin music cues heard on these late 1970s Pink Panther episodes. A couple of newly-animated sequences were also added, such as the Panther trying to get on a lazy horse just chewing on grass before he notices the British horse (in the original, he just swipes the British horse), and the Liberty Bell gag at the end was also remade, and ended with a closing shot of the Pink Panther walking off playing "Yankee Doodle" on a flute (the original did not end with a shot like that).

I gotta admit, in some ways I like the 1978 remake better. While some of the Doug Goodwin music is annoying, it fits pretty well with when the Panther tries to first steal the British horse, and the Liberty Bell scene. Plus the ending with the Pink Panther playing "Yankee Doodle" seemed a little more tame than the original (he was trapped under the cracked Liberty Bell).

I understand it was made for TV and they figured the TV audiences may not notice, but when released theatrically, I wonder how many people who saw this that already saw "Pinky Doodle" two years ago in the theater said, "Say, didn't I see this exact same cartoon two years ago?" And I am aware about "Pet Pink Pebbles" and "The Pink of Bagdad", which both had the same situation (remaking older cartoons for the TV show.)

Any comments?

[Mr. Semaj]

Pinky Doodle was probably made to commemorate the US's bicentennial.

I like that version better, and it's the one I'm more familiar with. (The ending was the clincher.) Though, I am familiar with the Goodwin scores being used in a bunch of later Pink cartoons, except they're nowhere near as impressive as Greene's scores.
The cartoon itself had a particularly odd gag where the Redcoats treat Pink who they already knew was a Yankee, only so their army could attack him further in restored health. Then there was the annoying horse, who was reused two years still in Daffy Flies North.

As for the other remakes, I did see Pet Pink Pebbles some time ago. The only noticeable difference was the added pinball gag near the end.

[cbrubaker]

For the record, most of the music in those ABC Pink Panther shorts were done by David DePatie's son, Steve, although stock cues by Doug Goodwin were thrown in.

It was an okay short for a late '70s Panther, but nothing special about it. Among other things, the later Panthers suffered with the absence of director Hawley Pratt, leaving Gerry Chiniquy to direct the shorts. Gerry's Panther shorts from the '70s are the weakest, even in comparison to shorts directed by Robert McKimson and Art Leonardi at the same time.

This particular short was directed by Sid Marcus. If you're expecting the quality found in his Lantz shorts, prepare to be disappointed...

[Matthew Hunter]

The canned music in the "remake" really hurts, doesn't it?

[Marty26]

It does. It reminded me of that canned music used in those 1970's redrawns: http://toonsandtelly.blogspot.com/2008/04/r-redrawns-barnyard-frolics-moonlight.html.

Anyway, these Pink Panther shorts are better than I gave them credit for. Their silent nature, which was unfortunately abandoned in that infamous 1993 revival of the series, makes it easier to focus on their plots and settings. The animation, while limited, is better than that of most other DFE series during the 60's and 70's. And it's always fun to see what new situation Pink will find himself in with each cartoon.

As for these two cartoons, I like Pinky Doodle better. Yankee Doodle Pink seems too much like a "censored for television" short. And, as Matt pointed out, that awful canned music really hurts it. It's also interesting that the "stubborn horse" would be reused a few years later with Daffy Flies North.

[frizfrelengfan]

The additions to "Yankee Doodle Pink" (the lazy horse, the different Liberty Bell crack, and the Yankee Doodle ending) aren't enough to compensate for the annoying replaced music. (I had seen "Yankee Doodle Pink" before but not "Pinky Doodle.")

[Marty26]

Actually, the lazy horse was already in "Pinky Doodle."

Wasn't this about the time DFE started using the word "Pink" in every title, so you'd have awkward titles like "Supermarket Pink" and "Pink Daddy"?

[cbrubaker]

Wasn't this about the time DFE started using the word "Pink" in every title, so you'd have awkward titles like "Supermarket Pink" and "Pink Daddy"?
What do you mean? ALL Pink Panther cartoons had the word "Pink" in the title.

And the laughing horse was used in other DFE cartoons before that. He was in "Pinto Pink" and there was also a "Hoot Kloot" short where Kloot traded Fester in for that horse.

[wiley207]

It does. It reminded me of that canned music used in those 1970's redrawns: http://toonsandtelly.blogspot.com/2008/04/r-redrawns-barnyard-frolics-moonlight.html.


That's right. In fact, speaking of those redrawns, the re-animated ending in "Yankee Doodle Pink" kinda reminds me of the infamous Bosko "Ups n' Downs" redrawn (a.k.a. "Off to the Races"), but at least the animation in "Yankee Doodle Pink"'s new ending is better than "Off to the Races" :eek:

[Marty26]

That's right. In fact, speaking of those redrawns, the re-animated ending in "Yankee Doodle Pink" kinda reminds me of the infamous Bosko "Ups n' Downs" redrawn (a.k.a. "Off to the Races"), but at least the animation in "Yankee Doodle Pink"'s new ending is better than "Off to the Races" :eek:

I remember that! In fact, I saw it just yesterday. Here's the link: http://toonsandtelly.blogspot.com/2008/10/r-redrawns-off-to-races-ups-n-downs.html

Warning: Watching the ending for this redrawn will make you either laugh hysterically or gasp in shock.

[doctoon]

The canned music in the "remake" really hurts, doesn't it?

Actually, the original had canned music, too, just like all the other "Pink Panther" cartoons made after "Pinknic." I always found it strange that Walter Greene got exclusive music credit from 1967 on, although Bill Lava snippets were also used from 1967 to '77, and Lava didn't die until 1971.

Anyhow, I prefer the original. It's not even that violent, but ABC edited the scenes of Americans pointing their guns out their windows for the "remake," which even as a kid I thought was pathetic.

[wiley207]

For those interested, I made this parody of the shorts combining "Pinky Doodle" and "Yankee Doodle Pink" all into one cartoon. It mostly consists of the "Pinky Doodle" version, but also includes the scene with that lazy horse the Panther tries to get on before he notices the rude British horse (this is only exclusive to the remake) and the new version of the Liberty Bell crack scene. And don't worry; I left the shots of the Americans drawing their guns intact, AND I kept the Steve DePatie/Doug Goodwin music to a minimum (and in a couple of cases actually REPLACED the music.) You'll only hear it mostly in the 1978 version-exclusive scenes, as well as when the Panther first tries to nab the British horse (as I think the music cue there fits a tad better than the original) and starting when the Liberty Bell is chiming near the end (were they ringing it to signal the independence of our country? That wasn't for nearly four months!)

Here it is:
http://www.dailymotion.com/user/Wiley208/video/xajnhr_pink-panther-pinky-doodle-new-versi_fun