Hit or Miss: Little Johnny Jet

[ThePeterNetwork]

This just aired on TCM five minutes ago. My mom and sister were watching along with me, and they were delightfully amused. And why wouldn't they? After all, it is a Tex Avery masterpiece with all the gags and satire that Tex was famous for. What made it special for us was that my sister remembers that particular cartoon, and knows what the punchline was.

The soundtrack is on my T&J&TAT CD. :D

[Matt the Y]

Even though this is far from Tex Avery's greatest cartoon, I'd still rather watch this over "The Flea Circus" or "Dixieland Droopy".

Plus, while it has an usually "heart-warming" storyline for an Avery cartoon, there are still some great bits in it such as the reference to Douglas MacArthur's line about just "fading away" (followed by the airplane doing just that... into mid-air) and the various airplane "speed" gags during the climax such as Italy's Leaning Tower being tilted in a different direction by the speed and the airplane buzzing through a green blimp revealing it to be a watermelon!!

So, in other words, like most Tex Avery cartoons, this is a hit! Not the biggest hit the man ever directed but still a hit nevertheless.

[Fibber Fox]

This just aired on TCM five minutes ago. My mom and sister were watching along with me, and they were delightfully amused. And why wouldn't they? After all, it is a Tex Avery masterpiece with all the gags and satire that Tex was famous for.

Well, it doesn't have anyone dialogue like "Moo moo moo! Bah bah bah!" or rabbits doing the hula, but the character designs are pleasant and it's a fun little cartoon. I'll go hit, too, though it doesn't come to mind when I think of my favourite Avery cartoons at MGM.

FF

[houserunner]

I vote hit,too. This short is certainly not one of Avery's best, but even Avery's minor efforts still rated first-rate shorts. Little Johnny Jet has many fine moments. My favorite is final speed of airplane gag - of course I'm talking about Statue of Liberty's dress gag, only Tex Avery did that kind of funny gag perfectly - This classic cartoon nominated Academy Awards. I don't think Avery made miss cartoon in his heyday. Even Farm of Tomorrow has some funny, inventive moments. He is comic genius, indeed.

[AardvarkDog]

Definately a hit for me. Tex Avery did really well to bring machines to life, both here and in "One Cab's Family". The storyline was perfect for its time and the gags during the Race Scenes were hilarious.


One question: I could be wrong but was John the Plane voiced by Daws Butler?

[Fibber Fox]

One question: I could be wrong but was John the Plane voiced by Daws Butler?

Mmmm...could be!

FF

[Mr. Semaj]

Hit.

Proof that Tex Avery could incorporate his sense of humor into more serious stories, along with One Cab's Family.

[Vdubdavid]

This is a hit for me too, with Tex Avery's gags and Scott Bradley's music working in perfect harmony with each other. To me it's rare when Bradley's music stands out in an Avery short as much as the storyline.

I actually had a question about this short. On the Scott Bradley CD set there is one stretch with "The Volga Boatmen" playing. It comes at the end of the "around-the-world" sequence, between the Eiffel Tower gag and the shot of the huge ship being shrunk when Junior zooms past it. Onscreen thought, the film cuts from the tower to the ship. There's even a cut in the soundtrack if you're listening. Has anyone any idea of what might have been cut?

[Duck Dodgers]

I prefer "One Cab's Family".

[Matt the Y]

I prefer "One Cab's Family".

So do I, to be honest. "One Cab's Family" has more of an affable quality to it, plus I like the idea of taxicabs being humanized moreso than airplanes being humanized.

But "Little Johnny Jet" is still a strong cartoon and a hit, nevertheless.

[frizfrelengfan]

I missed the TCM airing. But I vote for hit. It's not one of Tex's rip-roaringly funny cartoons, but not all of his cartoons needed to be.

[janiepooh34]

I have always loved this one. Hit for me!