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Director: Earl Hurd
Release date: April 23, 1919
Stars: Bobby Bumps and Fido
Rating: ★★★
Review:
‘Bobby Bumps’ Pup Gets the Flea-Enza’ is a funny take on the devastating Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-1920. In this cartoon Bobby Bumps and Fido both think Fido’s got the influenza, while he only got a flea (depicted as a black devilish little man).
The humor is mild, but Earl Hurd once again demonstrates to be one of the best animators of the era. Every shot and move look smooth and elegant. The best gag may be the visit to the horse doctor.
‘Bobby Bumps’ Pup Gets the Flea-Enza’ is available on the Blu-Ray-DVD combo ‘Cartoon Roots: The Bray Studios Animation Pioneers’
Director: Otto Messmer
Release date: November 9, 1919
Stars: Felix the Cat (as Master Tom)
Rating: ★★★
Review:
‘Feline Follies’ sees the birth of the biggest cartoon star of the 1920s, Felix the Cat. In an age when most cartoon stars were more or less human, Felix the Cat was not the first animal cartoon star (that honor has to go to Krazy Kat), but he was the first original one (as Krazy Kat originally was a comic strip character) and the most famous of all before the advent of Mickey Mouse, paving the way for countless animal cartoon stars to come.
In his first film Felix is called ‘master Tom’. While he dates a white kitten named “Miss Kitty White’, the mice run havoc in the kitchen. Felix gets the blame and flees the house, but his girlfriend appears to have loads of children. Seeing no other way out of his misery, Felix commits suicide using gas…
When compared to the earlier Charlie Chaplin films, Otto Messmer already shows a greater amount of creativity in ‘Feline Follies’. The story may be loosely composed, it’s a clear one from start to end, and not just a string of gags like the earlier Charlie Chaplin films were. But more important, one of Felix’s trademark mannerisms, his tale changing into a question mark, already appears a few seconds into the film. Later, the two cats create steps out of musical notes. Metamorphosis gags like these would play an important part in the series, adding to its wonderful atmosphere.
Master Tom/Felix is a singular star from the start, not somebody’s pet. And like Charlie Chaplin before him, he’s a tramp, living outside, without regular food and shelter. ‘Feline Follies’ is no great cartoon in itself, but it sure shows potential. Indeed, although ‘Feline Follies’ was conceived as a standalone cartoon, made to help the Earl Hurd studio out, the film was such a success, distributor Paramount requested another one, and later a complete series. With his third film, Felix got his name, and the greatest cartoon series of the 1920s was born.
Watch ‘Feline Follies’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Feline Follies’ is available on the Blu-Ray ‘Cartoon Roots: Otto Messmer’s Feline Follies’, the DVD-set ‘Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938’ and the DVD ‘Presenting Felix the Cat’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release date: December 4, 1918
Stars: Bobby Bumps and Fido
Rating: ★★★½
Review:
In ‘Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum’ Bobby Bumps and Fido answer to an ad ‘boy wanted in to help in kitchen’ from the ‘Quick Lunch Beanery’.
What follows is a rather aimless string of gags, most remarkable of which is one in which Fido makes a cat eat its words by rolling up the cat’s speech balloon and shovel it down its throat. The cartoon ends all too abruptly, when Bobby pours ink over the cook who chased him out of the beanery.
More interesting than anything of this, however, is the opening scene in which a hand draws Bobby Bumps lying down in perfect perspective. Bobby Bumps helps the hand coloring him, only then follows Fido and the scenery. The Bobby Bumps cartoons were drawn elegantly anyhow, making them stand out of the 1910s crowd, and even though ‘Bobby Bumps puts a Beanery on the Bum’ isn’t the best entry in the series, in this respect it’s now exception.
Watch ‘Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum’ is available on the DVD-set ‘Popeye the Sailor 1933-1938’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: January 28, 1923
Stars: Bobby Bumps & Fido
Rating: ★★★★★ ♕
Review:
I was already impressed with ‘Fresh Fish’, but Earl Hurd’s next Bobby Bumps picture, ‘Chicken Dressing’ is even better.
Earl Hurd, jr. again is a director at a “large film company”, in which Bobby Bumps and Fido co-star a live action cat, rabbit and chicken. These real animals interact marvelously with the cartoon starts, and one immediately believes they’re movie stars, as well.
Only after 4 minutes the ‘real’ picture starts, with Bobby Bumps and Fido being firefighters, rushing to the fire on a live action-rabbit pulled cart, and assisted by the real life cat, while the chicken plays the damsel in distress. Highlight is when Bobby Bumps takes out one of the smoke drawings, handles it as if it were a spring, and complains to the director about this badly drawn smoke.
Soon some real smoke enters the picture, making Bobby faint. The director asks Bobby whether he wants to go to a real life hospital or a cartoon hospital. After imagining the first (also starring two live action children as a doctor and nurse, respectively) , Bobby wisely chooses the latter. In the end the whole cartoon appears to have been the chicken’s dream.
‘Chicken Dressing’ is an absolute delightful cartoon, mixing live action and animation to a satisfying end, and providing some great gags along the way. Earl Hurd makes great use of the animals, sometimes superimposing drawings on them. This cartoon shows that Earl Hurd should be counted among the animation greats, and not only remembered for his cel patent.
Watch ‘Chicken Dressing’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Chicken Dressing’ is available on the Blu-Ray/DVD-combo ‘Cartoon Roots: Bobby Bumps and Fido’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: August 26, 1922
Stars: Bobby Bumps & Fido
Rating: ★★★★½
Review:
Earl Hurd left Paramount for Educational Pictures, and with this move his style changed from pure cartooning to a very inventive and entertaining blend of live action and animation, starring his own little son as a live action director directing the cartoon stars Bobby and Fido.
‘Fresh Fish’ is a perfect example. The opening title card is already promising, reading “Bobby Bumps Film co. Feetures & Comydies. No admitence. Aplie at Offis.” Inside, we watch Hurd jr. filming Bobby and Fido, who are on a fishing boat. First the cartoon concentrates on the cartoon gags, e.g. with Fido pitying the poor fish, before the fish tantalizes the poor dog. This sequence ends when a live action cat catches the fish and runs away with it.
But then Bobby accidentally stands on the water, a fact Hurd jr. has to point out to him. At this point Bobby falls into the water after all. The idea that gravity only works when one is aware it should work is of course a familiar cartoon trope, but this is the oldest instance of this gag type I know of.
After the fall, Bobby blames the poor scenery, which, indeed, hardly indicates the presence of water. Thus, the young director places the scenery in a tub. At first Bobby and Fido are very pleased with the added realism, but they almost drown in it.
This cartoon features quite some very effective special effects, making us easily believe the cartoon Bobby and Fido are in the same room as the cat and the director. Especially the water splashing when Bobby and Fido jump into the tub is very convincing. The result is no less than delightful, and ‘Fresh Fish’ should be regarded as one of the highlights from the silent cartoon era.
‘Fresh Fish’ is available on the Blu-Ray/DVD-combo ‘Cartoon Roots: Bobby Bumps and Fido’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: November 9, 1919
Stars: Bobby Bumps & Fido
Rating: ★★★½
Review:
In this short film, little boy Bobby Bump jumps out of the inkwell, together with his dog Fido, and calls his master, who hasn’t arrived at work, yet, on the phone.
Their creator Earl Hurd invites them at his home. What follows is a funny smoke gag, but shortly after Bobby and Fido start packing, the cartoon ends, cutting short a promising premise.
As ever with the Bobby Bump cartoons, the designs are very appealing, but the animation is very limited and a bit crude. Yet, the simple gags have their own charm, and this cartoon is particularly interesting for starring the master Earl Hurd, himself.
Watch ‘Their Master’s Voice’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Their Master’s Voice’ is available on the Blu-Ray/DVD-combo ‘Cartoon Roots: Bobby Bumps and Fido’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: January 24, 1919
Stars: Bobby Bumps & Fido
Rating: ★★★
Review:
‘Bobby Bumps’ Last Smoke’ starts with Earl Hurd’s hand drawing Bobby Bumps, tickling him on the way. Then finished he gives the boy a cigarette, and immediately the scenery sets in.
Bobby starts smoking enthusiastically, but soon gets dizzy and throws the cigarette away. The cigarette smoke transfers him and Fido to a sultan’s palace in a 1001 Arabian night version of Turkey. The duo rescue a lady from the Sultan’s dungeons, with Bobby knocking out all the guards, and some lions, with the lady’s former ball and chain. He earns the damsel’s kiss in reward, which turns out to be Fido licking him.
Now, one would suspect that ‘Bobby Bumps’ Last Smoke’ is a typical anti-smoking cartoon, with Bobby giving up smoking after this trippy experience. But no, the one thing he’ll never do again isn’t smoking, but “insulting a sultan”. And so, with this pun, the short ends.
‘Bobby Bumps’ Last Smoke’ boasts elaborate human designs and intricate background art, but as with most animated cartoons from the 1910s, the animation is limited and jumpy.
‘Bobby Bumps’ Last Smoke’ is available on the Blu-Ray/DVD-combo ‘Cartoon Roots: Bobby Bumps and Fido’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: November 20, 1918
Stars: Bobby Bumps
Rating: ★★★★
In ‘Before and After’ Bobby Bumps tricks his father into buying a hair restoring lotion, with the help of his pooch Fido and two other dogs.
Bobby spends his father’s dollar on ice cream, but gets spanked in the end by father’s scalp massage machine.
This is a charming short cartoon, full of elegant designs and fine animation, even if it remains as stiff and repetitive as that of contemporary cartoons. But at least the poses look lifelike.
‘Before and After’ is available on the DVD ‘Before Walt’
Director: Earl Hurd
Release Date: September 17, 1917
Stars: Bobby Bumps
Rating: ★★½
The Bobby Bumps series was conceived and drawn by Earl Hurd, the inventor of cel animation, and his series is the first to employ this new technique.
‘Bobby Bumps starts for School’ is the 23rd entry in the series, and this film transcends the tiresome dullness of the limited animation dominating the cartoons of the 1910s with the charm of the drawings.
Bobby Bumps has to go to school. First he’s washed by his ma, then we watch him walking to school, carrying ridiculously large books on his back. At school he imagines himself playing ball with his dog Fido (visualized on his desk). The body of the film involves some antics with the school bell and the headmaster. The film ends with a little mouse writing ‘Earl Hurd’.
‘Bobby Bumps Starts for School’ is full of clever ideas and elegant, if very limited animation. Especially the animation on Fido’s walk is very well done. Throughout it’s clear that Earl Hurd knows how to draw and his perspective drawing is excellent.
Watch ‘Bobby Bumps Starts for School’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Bobby Bumps Starts for School’ is available on the Blu-Ray-DVD-combo ‘Cartoon Roots’
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