"It's a Grand Old Nag" by Robert "Kilroy" Clampett

cbrubaker · #1 09-17-2005, 09:13 PM

Anyone have information on this non-WB short Bob Clampett made after he left "Looney Tunes"? It was made for Republic Pictures, from my understanding.

Sogturtle · #2 09-17-2005, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrubaker

Anyone have information on this non-WB short Bob Clampett made after he left "Looney Tunes"? It was made for Republic Pictures, from my understanding.

Charles~

What are you wanting to know about it?? Twas made in '47, Clampett thought it was a pilot film for series of toons for Republic. It was made as test for "Tru-Color" for Republic (as if they were going to start making all their cowboy films in color ). The only former-Warner animator on it was Paul Smith (funny how none of Clampett's former animators would never work with him again huh??). Don Towsley played a fairly large role in the cartoon as storyman... Clampett did indeed put down "Kilroy" as director both on the film credits and in the Copyright Catalog (not such a smart move). Prints of it were still being sold on the home market in the Eighties!

And I have model sheets of the main horse characters from the cartoon lurking here.

cbrubaker · #3 09-17-2005, 09:54 PM

Thanks.

Anyone saw the film? If so, did it have the wacky animation Clampett is known for? Assuming the budget in the cartoon was big.

Sogturtle · #4 09-18-2005, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbrubaker

Thanks.

Anyone saw the film? If so, did it have the wacky animation Clampett is known for? Assuming the budget in the cartoon was big.

Charles~

I can only think of one member of our board who I KNOW has a print of this cartoon, soooooo maybe he'll pop up and give you a description of the animation... (It only listed two animators on the credits though, plus of course layout and background artists and storyman).

rodney · #5 09-18-2005, 11:46 AM

Being from Republic, I can't imagine that the budget was big. They no doubt put time and care into it, but that's probably it.

J. A. Boschen · #6 09-18-2005, 12:44 PM

How many prints are in existance of this cartoon? Does Republic own the rights or have this film in their vaults?

JERRY BECK · #7 09-18-2005, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sogturtle

I can only think of one member of our board who I KNOW has a print of this cartoon, soooooo maybe he'll pop up and give you a description of the animation...

Not sure who Soggy is refering to... but I've seen it (in fact, I have two 16mm prints of it - one a fairly common color dupe, the other a razor sharp black & white original).

While the film does not resemble Clampett's work from the 1940s (no Scribner/McKimson stylists here), but the animation is quite good with strong poses and great drawings. If I had to compare it to another studio/director, I'd say the visual look it was on par with Dick Lundy's late 40s Lantz pictures.

The film's pace is closer to the wildest Beany & Cecil cartoons of the 60s (DJ THE DJ or WILDMAN OF WILDSVILLE). In fact, if the Beany & Cecil cartoons were fully animated, they probably would've looked like this.

It's not Clampett's best film - but it's a very good cartoon. I wonder why they never made any others. I also wonder how intentional it was that the lead character (Charlie Horse) was selected - as Republic was well known for Westerns and "rural" pictures. Did Herbert J. Yates (President of Republic Pictures) or Bob Clampett suggest such a character?

JDWeil · #8 09-18-2005, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sogturtle

Charles~

What are you wanting to know about it?? Twas made in '47, Clampett thought it was a pilot film for series of toons for Republic. It was made as test for "Tru-Color" for Republic (as if they were going to start making all their cowboy films in color ). The only former-Warner animator on it was Paul Smith (funny how none of Clampett's former animators would never work with him again huh??). Don Towsley played a fairly large role in the cartoon as storyman... Clampett did indeed put down "Kilroy" as director both on the film credits and in the Copyright Catalog (not such a smart move). Prints of it were still being sold on the home market in the Eighties!

And I have model sheets of the main horse characters from the cartoon lurking here and a cel or two of the human non-equestrian characters.

From what I've read, the "Tru-Color" process was a three strip color pack process that was developed by Cosolidated Film Labs (which was also owned by Republic) and the budget for the cartoon couln't have all that generous since Herb Yates was an even bigger penny pincher than Schlesinger.

cpdavison · #9 09-18-2005, 03:31 PM

I had posted a question about this cartoon on a different message board and, while there was no public response, a member sent me a PM reply. He indicated that Clampett's own personal 16mm print of this title went missing after a film festival appearance. The suspicion is that the festival organizer made off with it.

I don't present this as anything other than an unconfirmed rumor! Has anyone else heard such a story?

(BTW, JERRY BECK pretty much nailed it in his description of the cartoon. It does somehow presage the look & feel of a more fully-animated B & C cartoon.)

Steveman · #10 09-18-2005, 09:06 PM

Greetings from a longtime lurker. I bought a black and white 16mm copy of this cartoon some time ago and thought it was very entertaining. It's too bad it's so obscure. I wish more Charlie Horse cartoons had been made.

Here's an image. Pardon the quality, it's just a snapshot taken off the projector screen.