Monthly Archives: April 2021

We're all well aware — maybe too aware — of the divides in this country over race and gender and whether you love or loathe Donald Trump. Another one that I'm surprised we don't hear more about is covered in this article by Eric Levitz. The divide is between people who attend church and people who do not attend church…and according to Levitz, the latter are now the majority.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that if you've been vaccinated, you not only probably can't get COVID-19 but you probably can't spread it. I wish they'd say those "probablies" louder because we don't need more people thinking The Pandemic is over and no more precautions need to be taken. New cases are still turning up and people are still dying.

I have no idea if Rep. Matt Gaetz is guilty of sex trafficking or anything else he's being accused of…but I do know that if the same allegations were made about a Democratic Congressman, Gaetz would be on every channel saying they're true, demanding the Democrat resign immediately and chanting "Lock him up! Lock him up!"

David Marron ASKS me…

I've been watching Toon In With ME on MeTV in the mornings, and I've noticed that M.G.M. had about three "cartoon stars": Tom & Jerry, Droopy, and Barney Bear. How come they didn't create as many characters for their "stable" as Warner Bros.?

Well, they did try…a little. Tex Avery made several cartoons that introduced characters who would have been in more cartoons if their first appearances had aroused more interest. "One Ham's Family" (pictured below) was one of them. The little pig who talked like Red Skelton's "mean widdle kid" character was one of 'em.

Tex made five cartoons with Screwy Squirrel (aka Screwball Squirrel) before they got feedback that audiences found him more annoying than adorable. And he did a few with variations on George and Junior, who also didn't become stars.

But it didn't matter as much then as it might today in an animation industry when licensing drives so many decisions about what shows are produced and films are made. Back in the forties, the primary goal was to keep theater owners happy…and theater owners were generally happy with films that audiences liked, recurring characters or not.

Even over at Warners', "One Froggy Evening" went over big and no one (then) thought to give the frog a name, bring him back again and again, and slap his froggy face on t-shirts and toys. The cartoon had served its purpose because theaters kept booking Warner Brothers cartoons…until a few years later when they didn't.