Noveltoons
Noveltoons was an anthology series of animated cartoons produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios from 1943 to the end of the studio during 1967.[1] The series was known for bring to life characters from Harvey Comics, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Herman and Katnip, Little Audrey, and Baby Huey. All shorts from Baby Huey and Little Audrey are included. It was the successor series to the series Color Classics produced by Fleischer Studios (indeed, several Noveltoons feature characters which originated in Color Classics). This series was also very similar to the two series from Warner Bros., Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in that it features several recurring characters with one general title.
Noveltoons | |
---|---|
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date | November 26, 1943 – June 1, 1967 |
Running time | 6–10 minutes (one reel) |
Country | United States |
Language | English (usually) |
The pre-October 1950 Noveltoons were sold to television distributor U.M. & M. TV Corporation during 1956. National Telefilm Associates acquired those cartoons soon afterward, eventually to be returned to Paramount via various transactions over the intervening decades (and today part of the Melange Pictures holdings formerly held by predecessor company Republic). Paramount sold the rest of the Noveltoons to Harvey Comics, which was in turn sold to Classic Media, now owned by DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of Comcast's NBCUniversal and currently distributed by Universal Television. As new Noveltoons were produced, they were also sold to Harvey, until 1962. Paramount still owns the remaining Noveltoons, and, as aforementioned, has reacquired the cartoons sold to U.M. & M., but a number of those cartoons have become part of the public domain.
List of Noveltoons
- No Mutton fer Nuttin' (1943)[lower-alpha 1]
- The Henpecked Rooster (1944)[lower-alpha 2]
- Cilly Goose (1944)[lower-alpha 3]
- Suddenly It's Spring (1944)[lower-alpha 4]
- Yankee Doodle Donkey (1944)[lower-alpha 5]
- Gabriel Churchkitten (1944)[lower-alpha 6]
- When G.I. Johnny Comes Home (1945)
- Scrappily Married (1945)
- A Lamb in a Jam (1945)
- A Self-Made Mongrel (1945)[lower-alpha 7]
- The Friendly Ghost (1945)[lower-alpha 8]
- Cheese Burglar (1946)
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm (1946)
- Sheep Shape (1946)
- The Goal Rush (1946)
- Spree for All (1946)[lower-alpha 9]
- Sudden Fried Chicken (1946)[lower-alpha 10]
- The Stupidstitious Cat (1947)[lower-alpha 11]
- The Enchanted Square (1947)[lower-alpha 12]
- Madhattan Island (1947)[lower-alpha 13]
- Much Ado About Mutton (1947)[lower-alpha 14]
- The Wee Men (1947)
- The Mild West (1947)
- Naughty But Mice (1947)
- Santa's Surprise (1947)[lower-alpha 15]
- Cat o' Nine Ails (1948)
- Flip Flap (1948)[lower-alpha 16]
- We're in the Honey (1948)
- The Bored Cuckoo (1948)
- There's Good Boos To-Night (1948)[lower-alpha 17]
- The Land of the Lost (1948)[lower-alpha 18]
- Butterscotch and Soda (1948)
- The Mite Makes Right (1948)
- Hector's Hectic Life (1948)
- The Old Shell Game (1948)
- The Little Cut-Up (1949)
- Hep Cat Symphony (1949)
- The Lost Dream (1949)
- Little Red School Mouse (1949)
- A Haunting We Will Go (1949)[lower-alpha 19]
- A Mutt in a Rut (1949) [lower-alpha 20]
- Campus Capers (1949)
- Leprechauns Gold (1949)[lower-alpha 21]
- Song of the Birds (1949)[lower-alpha 22]
- Quack-a-Doodle-Doo (1949)[lower-alpha 23]
- Land of the Lost Jewels (1950)[lower-alpha 24]
- Teacher's Pest (1950)
- Tarts and Flowers (1950)
- Ups an' Downs Derby (1950)
- Pleased to Eat You (1950)
- Goofy Goofy Gander (1950)
- Saved by the Bell (1950)
- Mice Meeting You (1950)[lower-alpha 25]
- The Voice of the Turkey (1950)[lower-alpha 26]
- Sock-a-Bye Kitty (1950)
- One Quack Mind (1951)
- Mice Paradise (1951)
- Hold the Lion Please (1951)
- Land of Lost Watches (1951)[lower-alpha 27]
- As the Crow Lies (1951)
- Slip Us Some Redskin (1951)
- Party Smarty (1951)
- Cat-Choo (1951)
- Audrey the Rainmaker (1951)
- Cat Tamale (1951)
- By Leaps and Hounds (1951)
- Scout Fellow (1951)
- Cat Carson Rides Again (1952)[lower-alpha 28]
- The Awful Tooth (1952)
- Law and Audrey (1952)
- City Kitty (1952)
- Clown on the Farm (1952)
- The Case of the Cockeyed Canary (1952)
- Feast and Furious (1952)
- Starting from Hatch (1953)
- Winner by a Hare (1953)[lower-alpha 29]
- Better Bait Than Never (1953)
- Surf Bored (1953)
- Huey's Ducky Daddy (1953)
- The Seapreme Court (1953)
- Crazytown (1953)
- Hair Today Gone Tomorrow (1954)[lower-alpha 30]
- Candy Cabaret (1954)
- The Oily Bird (1954)
- Fido Beta Kappa (1954)
- No Ifs, Ands or Butts (1954)[lower-alpha 31]
- Dizzy Dishes (1955)
- Git Along Little Ducky (1955)
- News Hound (1955)
- Poop Goes the Weasel (1955)
- Rabbit Punch (1955)
- Lil' Audrey Riding Hood (1955)
- Catty Kornered (1955)
- Sleuth But Sure (1956)
- Swab the Duck (1956)
- Pedro and Lorenzo (1956)
- Sir Irving and Jeames (1956)
- Lion in the Roar (1956)
- Pest Pupil (1956)
- Fishing Tackler (1957)[lower-alpha 32]
- Mr. Money Gags (1957)[lower-alpha 33]
- L'Amour the Merrier (1957)
- Possum Pearl (1957)[lower-alpha 34]
- Jumping with Toy (1957)
- Jolly the Clown (1957)
- Cock-a-Doodle Dino (1957)
- Dante Dreamer (1957)
- Sportickles (1958)[lower-alpha 35]
- Grateful Gus (1958)[lower-alpha 36]
- Finnegan's Flea (1958)
- Okey Dokey Donkey (1958)[lower-alpha 37]
- Chew Chew Baby (1958)
- Travelaffs (1958)[lower-alpha 38]
- Stork Raving Mad (1958)
- Dawg Gone (1958)[lower-alpha 39]
- The Animal Fair (1959)[lower-alpha 40]
- Hound About (1959)
- Huey's Father's Day (1959)[lower-alpha 41]
- Out of This Whirl (1959)[lower-alpha 42]
- Be Mice to Cats (1960)
- Monkey Doodles (1960)
- Peck Your Own Home (1960)
- Silly Science (1960)
- Counter Attack (1960) [lower-alpha 43]
- Turning the Fables (1960)[lower-alpha 44]
- Fine Feathered Fiend (1960)
- The Planet Mouseola (1960)[lower-alpha 45]
- Northern Mites (1960)
- Miceniks (1960)
- The Lion's Busy (1961)[lower-alpha 46]
- Houndabout That (1961)[lower-alpha 47]
- Alvin's Solo Flight (1961)[lower-alpha 48]
- Goodie the Gremlin (1961)[lower-alpha 49]
- Trick or Tree (1961)
- Cape Cidnaveral (1961)
- Turtle Scoop (1961)[lower-alpha 50]
- Kozmo Goes to School (1961)[lower-alpha 51]
- Perry Porgun (1962)
- Without Time or Reason (1962)[lower-alpha 52]
- Good and Ghoulty (1962)[lower-alpha 53]
- T.V. or No T.V. (1962)[lower-alpha 54]
- Yule Laff (1962)[lower-alpha 55]
- It's for the Birdies (1962)
- Fiddlin' Around (1962)
- Ollie the Owl (1963)
- Good Snooze Tonight (1963)
- A Sight for Squaw Eyes (1963)
- Self Defense ... for Cowards (1963)[lower-alpha 56]
- Gramps to the Rescue (1963)
- Hobo's Holiday (1963)[lower-alpha 57]
- Hound for Pound (1963)
- The Sheepish Wolf (1963)
- Hiccup Hound (1963)[lower-alpha 58]
- Whiz Quiz Kid (1964)[lower-alpha 59]
- Laddy and His Lamp (1964)[lower-alpha 60]
- A Tiger's Tail (1964)[lower-alpha 61]
- Homer on the Range (1964)[lower-alpha 62]
- Horning In (1965)[lower-alpha 63]
- A Hair-Raising Tale (1965)
- The Story of George Washington (1965)[lower-alpha 64]
- A Leak in the Dike (1965)[lower-alpha 65]
- Tally-Hokum (1965)
- Op, Pop, Wham and Bop (1966)
- Sick Transit (1966)[lower-alpha 66]
- Space Kid (1966)[lower-alpha 67]
- Geronimo & Son (1966)[lower-alpha 68]
- The Trip (1967)[lower-alpha 69]
- Robin Hood-winked (1967)[lower-alpha 70]
In total, 170 animated shorts in the series were produced.
Home media
On January 23, 2012, Thunderbean Animation released a restored collection of public domain Noveltoons on DVD entitled Noveltoons Original Classics with the following cartoons:
- Cilly Goose
- Suddenly It's Spring
- Yankee Doodle Donkey
- Scrappily Married
- A Lamb in a Jam
- Cheese Burglar
- Sudden Fried Chicken
- The Stupidstitious Cat
- The Enchanted Square
- Much Ado About Mutton
- The Wee Men
- Naughty But Mice
- Flip Flap
- The Bored Cuckoo
- Leprechauns Gold
- Quack-a-Doodle Doo
- Teacher's Pest
- Ups an' Downs Derby
- Pleased to Eat You
- Saved by the Bell.
On October 1, 2019, Thunderbean Animation released a restored collection of public domain Noveltoons on Blu-ray entitled Noveltoons Original Classics. It included the following cartoons:
- Cilly Goose
- Suddenly It's Spring
- Yankee Doodle Donkey
- Scrappily Married
- A Lamb in a Jam
- Cheese Burglar
- Old MacDonald Had A Farm
- The Stupidstitious Cat
- The Enchanted Square
- Much Ado About Mutton
- Quack-a-Doodle Doo
- The Wee Men
- Naughty But Mice
- Flip Flap
- The Bored Cuckoo
- The Old Shell Game
- Teacher's Pest
- Ups an' Downs Derby
- Pleased to Eat You
- Saved by the Bell.
See also
- Other animated shorts series
Notes
- First Noveltoon cartoon, and first appearances of Blackie the Lamb and Wolfie Wolf. Only cartoon directed by Dan Gordon.
- First appearances of Herman, Henry, and Bertha. First cartoon directed by Seymour Kneitel, and this is the first Noveltoon cartoon with the directorial credit. First cartoon featuring Harvey characters.
- First Noveltoon series short where the solo character speaks.
- First sequel to the 1941 Max Fleischer Color Classic cartoon, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (1941).
- Featuring Spunky, an alumus from the Color Classics series produced by Fleischer Studios. First cartoon directed by Izzy Sparber.
- Based on three books by Margot Austin.
- First appearance of Dog Face. First cartoon directed by Dave Tendlar.
- First appearance of Casper the Friendly Ghost, and also his first short in the Noveltoons series, and the only short based on the 1939 book of the same name.
- Featuring Snuffy Smith from the comic strip Barney Google and Snuffy Smith; served as the bridge between the 1934-1936 Charles Mintz/Screen Gems Barney Google cartoon series and the 1963 Snuffy Smith cartoons produced specifically for the animated television series King Features Trilogy. Previously considered a lost cartoon, and currently only exists in black and white format with French subtitles. This is the only cartoon produced in Cinecolor.
- This cartoon appeared in Smart House. First cartoon directed by Bill Tytla.
- First appearance of Buzzy the Crow
- Second and final sequel to the 1941 Max Fleischer Color Classic cartoon, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy (1941).
- First cartoon without animation credits.
- Last appearance of Blackie the Lamb in the Noveltoon series, before he moved to the first Screen Songs color cartoon, The Circus Comes to Clown.
- First appearance of Little Audrey and also her first short in the Noveltoon series.
- This cartoon was narrated by Ken Roberts. This is the only cartoon produced in Polacolor.
- Second appearance of Casper in the Noveltoon series.
- First of three animated shorts based on the then-popular children's fantasy adventure radio series of the same name.
- Last appearance of Casper in the Noveltoons series, before the character was given his own series.
- A dog is at his wits' end when his mistress adopts a stray kitten, but a nightmare about Dog Heaven and Dog Hell makes Dogface change his ways. DVD 100 Cartoon Classics, Treeline Films, 2004.
- Sequel to The Wee Men (1947).
- Short is a semi-remake/reused plot of the 1934 Max Fleischer Color Classic cartoon, The Song of the Birds (1934); featuring Little Audrey.
- First appearance of Baby Huey.
- Second of three animated shorts based on the then-popular children's fantasy adventure radio series, Land of the Lost.
- First Harveytoon short in the Noveltoon series.
- First appearances of Timothy the Turkey and the farmer. Final cartoon directed by Bill Tytla.
- Third and final animated short based on the then-popular children's fantasy adventure radio series, Land of the Lost.
- Final appearance of Herman the Mouse in the Noveltoon series, before he and Katnip moved on to their own series.
- First appearances of Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare.
- Final appearance of Katnip in the Noveltoon series.
- Banned from being aired on television, due to its exploitations and exhibitings of smoking habits, and only appearance of Katsy in the Noveltoon series.
- The 100th Noveltoon cartoon.
- Final appearances of Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare. The only cartoon directed by Al Eugster.
- Only short featuring a day in the limelight character, Possum Pearl, from the Olive-Oyl-themed Popeye the Sailor short, Hill-billing and Cooing (1956), in the Noveltoon series.
- First cartoon with music sections from Famous Studios cartoons by Winston Sharples, and first cartoon with additional direction by Izzy Sparber (uncredited).
- Final cartoon directed by Dave Tendlar.
- Featuring Spunky, from the Hunky and Spunky cartoon sub-series of Max Fleischer's Color Classics.
- Final cartoon directed by Izzy Sparber. Final cartoon released in Izzy Sparber's lifetime. Only cartoon with additional direction by Seymour Kneitel (uncredited).
- Last appearance of Little Audrey.
- Second and final cartoon with additional direction by Izzy Sparber (uncredited) due to his death the previous year.
- Last appearance of Baby Huey.
- Prototype of the two shorts, Kozmo Goes to School (1961) and its direct sequel Space Kid (1965).
- Featuring Scat the Cat, a sequel to this short was produced and was entitled The Planet Mouseola (1960).
- Featuring Mortimer Tortoise and the hare.
- Featuring Scat the Cat, a sequel to Counter Attack (1960).
- Featuring Sir Reginald Tweedledum IV.
- Featuring Harry Hound.
- One of the only two post-1948 cartoons featuring the belated return of Little Audrey after the end of her own cartoon series, the other being the 1962 Comic Kings cartoon Frog's Legs.
- First appearance of Goodie the Gremlin.
- Last appearances of Mortimer Tortoise and the hare.
- Featuring Kozmo the Space Kid, a short sequel followed just five years later under the title Space Kid (1965).
- Featuring Ralph and Percy, a sequel short followed this cartoon and was called T.V. or No T.V. (1962).
- Second appearance of Goodie the Gremlin.
- Final Harveytoon short in the Noveltoon series. Featuring Ralph and Percy, a sequel to Without Time or Reason (1962).
- Third appearance of Goodie the Gremlin, Santa Claus' second Noveltoon appearance following from Santa's Surprise (1947).
- Self Defense ... for Cowards (1963) was a co-production with Rembrandt Films. Final cartoon directed by Gene Deitch. Also final cartoon without animation credits. Only cartoon to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
- The second and final of the two Screen Songs homages in the Noveltoons series.
- Last appearance of Goodie the Gremlin.
- Final cartoon released in Seymour Kneitel's lifetime.
- Featuring Laddy and the Genie, a sequel later followed titled A Tiger's Tail (1964).
- Featuring Laddy and the Genie, a sequel to Laddy and His Lamp (1964).
- First cartoon directed by Howard Post.
- Featuring King Artie.
- Featuring Jacky, a sequel short followed entitled A Leak in the Dike (1965). First of two cartoons directed by Jack Mendelsohn.
- Featuring Jacky, a sequel to The Story of George Washington (1965). Second and final of two cartoons directed by Jack Mendelsohn.
- Final cartoon directed by Howard Post.
- Featuring Kozmo the Space Kid, a sequel to Kozmo Goes to School (1961). Final cartoon directed by Seymour Kneitel due to his death in 1964. Final cartoon featuring Harvey characters.
- First cartoon directed by Shamus Culhane.
- An animated short caper in the same vein as the stylized UPA limited animation cartoons of the 1950s and '60s, and final cartoon without dialogue.
- Featuring Sir Blur, the very last Noveltoon ever produced after the studio closed down. Final cartoon directed by Shamus Culhane.
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 113–114. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.