Seriously? No – it’s not April Fools Day. No – I didn’t lose a bet.
I was talking to a colleague about story repetition in certain cartoon series (Pepe LePew, Mighty Mouse, Popeye, etc) – and I rebutted some of that by reminding him that the classic Hollywood theatrical cartoons were produced for viewing under completely different circumstances than what we grew up with; completely different circumstances than we have today.
Before the late forties, cartoons were seldom reissued (unless they were phenomenally popular – like Three Little Pigs). There were no repeat showings on afternoon television; there was no television. No VHS, no DVDs, no cartoon cable channels, no blu-ray collections, no streaming. You saw a cartoon once – and never again.
They were ephemeral – like a comic strip in a daily newspaper. Read it once and throw the paper away. If you saw a cartoon featuring Tweety once in 1942, you might not see one again for years. If a character (let’s say Pepe) got a strong response from movie audiences – word would filter back to the studio and instead of re-releasing that cartoon, they’d simply make another one – another Pepe. Repeating the same situational set up was accepted because no one had seen it previously – or if they had it was years ago. Repeating the same set up was also accepted because people wanted to enjoy it again.
That brings us back to Casper (and Audrey, Buzzy, Baby Huey, et al.) – Famous Studios (and Terrytoons) understood this well. If something worked once – they had no compunction about repeating the concept again the following year – year after year after year. Once a “character and scenario” was established – that was that. That’s who that character was. That’s what a “Tom & Jerry” cartoon was, a “Road Runner”, a “Magoo”. It’s a testament to the great talents (particularly the writers and director) that the redundant series from MGM, Warners and UPA were so entertaining, so cleverly diverse – and so funny, you hardly noticed the formula.
Not so at Paramount. “If you’ve seen one Casper, you’ve seen ’em all,” said my colleague. “Not really,” I replied. “Oh yeah? What are the Top Five Casper cartoons? Are there a “Top Five” Casper cartoons? They’re all the same!”
Challenge accepted.
So I quickly concocted a list of favorite Casper cartoons – and I found that I had at least ten that were worthy of semi-serious consideration. Here are my choices (in release order):
THE FRIENDLY GHOST (1945)
The first Casper – a Noveltoon – is a very nice little story. Though not unique, it is well told – with great tongue-in-cheek narration by Frank Gallop, beautiful “scenics” by Shane Miller, with an honest attempt at some Avery-esque double takes – and on top of all that: a suicide gag. The “kid voice” of Casper – done by an actual kid actor (identity still unconfirmed) – lends to the urban myth of Casper being a dead child. The intention was that a “ghost” – like a “troll”, a “fairy”, or a “goblin” – was a fantasy figure with no connection to humankind. Here we get nebulous child “ghost” who, by earning our sympathy, gives The Friendly Ghost some real dramatic weight. The Friendly Ghost was certainly a stand out for the studio at the time (dare I say, it was a ‘risk’) produced at a time when wise-guy knock-offs of Bugs Bunny were the popular thing du jour.
TO BOO OR NOT TO BOO (1951)
This is one of the sweetest scenarios of the entire Casper output. In this short Casper can be himself – completely “out” as a ghost – due to a costume party on Halloween night. Not only does he make friends and play games – but finds love for a happy ending. Heart-warming stuff. Even the “It’s a ghost” double-takes seem funny for a change. I can’t help thinking this one was slightly inspired by Tex Avery’s Little Tinker (1949) – which, of course, is a much better film. Still, this is a strong one in the Casper series.
GHOST OF THE TOWN (1952)
There are two or three things that make this one stand out from the pack. First off, it might be the only one that has an animated chorus of folks singing the “Casper the Friendly Ghost” theme song. Nice plug for Famous Music’s sheet music sales. Ghost Of The Town also features a cameo by real-life Broadway columnist-turned-TV host Ed Sullivan – and (unless Keith Scott says otherwise) I’m certain that’s him doing his own voice. The film’s title is even a pun on Ed’s CBS-TV show, Toast Of The Town. Sullivan was based in New York – and this would’ve gotten him a few mentions in the gossip columns (or at least, in his own)… Someone needs to check the columns he wrote for the New York Daily News. And finally, this short demonstrates a theory I’ve had that the Casper scenarios were variations on themes “Superman” might have done. Prior to Casper, the only other character Famous ever tackled who had the power of flight was Superman. Stories with Casper saving a baby from a burning building (as here), Boy Scouts from a wild animal (in Boo Scout), or a mad scientist with a death ray (see Down To Mirth, below), could be reworked for a friendly ghost in a satisfactory way. Ghost Of The Town worked out to be very satisfactory, in my humble opinion.
BOO MOON (1954)
Boo Moon is a VERY good Casper – if you see it in 3D as it was originally filmed. I have – several times – and the three dimensional effects are flawless. In fact I’d say the top three 3-D cartoons of all time would include the two Famous “Stereotoons” (this one and Popeye The Ace Of Space) and Disney’s Melody. They really stand apart from the pack. Famous really had the edge over the other competing animation studios who were cashing in on the 3D fad in 1953-54 – as they had previous experience doing “dimensional” films back in the 1930s (with the Fleischer Stereoptical Process). You can see they really put some extra effort in thinking through the 3D effects. Setting both cartoons in outer space immediately gave both films natural depth of field. In standard 2D “flat”, Boo Moon isn’t half bad either. It features King Bombo (from the Fleischer feature Gulliver’s Travels) as the Moon King… in fact, the whole cartoon feels bigger than a standard Casper short. In any event, it belongs on the list.
FRIGHT FROM WRONG (1956)
The Paramount cartoons released in the 1956-57 and 57-58 seasons reflected the UPA aesthetic that over took all animation then. The Famous Studio films look particularly handsome during this period (especially if you can view them from Technicolor prints). Fright From Wrong is pretty much the Casper cartoon folks point to as a particularly good one. It’s the one where the Ghostly Trio give Casper a dose of “Mean Pills” – which transform him into a little devil (this cartoon was indeed the inspiration for Harvey Comics later “Hot Stuff”). People love this one because Casper doesn’t act like Casper – he becomes a real little prick – and when you realize its actually him pulling all this crap (he didn’t really take the mean pills) it makes the tricks he pulls seem even funnier.
GHOST OF HONOR (1957)
I actually wrote about this one here ten years ago. What I said then still holds: “Love this one for many reasons. First off, it’s set at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for the “World Premiere” of a new Casper cartoon. Wishful thinking, perhaps… but even more fantastic is the depiction of the luxurious “Paramount Cartoon Studios” in Hollywood! There, in spacious settings not unlike the fabled UPA headquarters in Burbank, Casper observes the various steps involved in creating a cartoon. Keep in mind the actual Paramount cartoons were created in cramped office space in a skyscraper off sleazy Times Square in Manhattan. The art direction is particularly lovely in this film, the character designs of the studio staff are fun, and its a rare Paramount cartoon with crossover appearances by Baby Huey, Herman, Katnip, Spunky, Wolfie, Tommy Tortoise and Moe Hare. Gotta admit it – this one always puts a smile on my face.”
BOO BOP (1957)
Here’s one no one ever talks about – and I like it a lot! For one thing it’s got an original plot: Casper helps the ghost of Franz Schubert complete his unfinished symphony. Really look at the designs in this one – the characters, the backgrounds. If UPA itself were to make a Casper – it would probably look like this. I’ve nicknamed it “Spook, Whistle, Plunk and Boo!” – A good little film, worthy of a spot on my top ten. Note: It has an abrupt ending on all the Harveytoon TV prints. I have a friend with an original Tech print and the last scene dissolves into the Paramount logo in an artful way.
HEIR RESTORER (1958)
Casper helping other ghosts seems to be a new formula the studio was exploring in the late 1950s. Like Boo Bop the art direction and clever locales do indeed pump some life into these later subjects. In this one Casper travels to England in search of an heir to Lord Montague’s fortune. Cute little story, well done.
GHOST WRITERS (1958)
Okay, so this one is kind of a cheater. It’s also a follow up on Ghost Of Honor as we return to the specious, fictional, west coast Paramount Cartoon Studio – where two harried writers are trying to come up with a story for a new Casper cartoon. Half this film is reused footage from previous shorts. I somewhat admire the “cheaters” when they are well done – compare this to the last Paramount theatrical, Casper’s Birthday Party, to see an example of this done poorly.
DOWN TO MIRTH (1959)
For the 1958-59 season, Paramount cut the budgets severely for the cartoons – and it shows. However, for this one season, the remaining staffers still had a little artistic pride left in their work (it all goes to Hell the next season, IMHO). And Casper was now the top draw among the shorts (Popeye was no longer around to be the headliner for the studio), so a little extra effort seems to have been poured into his shorts. This one borrows a cliche science fiction plot line – a mad scientist causing havoc with his anti-gravity ray gun – with Casper (ala Superman) saving the day. This is the last theatrical Casper with a full 7-minute plot line – the next two Casper shorts revolve around reuse stock footage. As such, Down To Mirth is more ambitious than it has any right to be – and I like it for that.
Beyond these, I can think of scenes in other Casper’s worth a mention: Casper being inside a comic strip in Ground Hog Play (1956); The emotional “death” of Ferdie Fox in There’s Good Boos Tonight (1948); The beautiful jungle scenics in Spooking About Africa (1957). There are things to see in these cartoons – I challenge you to give them a chance. And if you have your own top five – or ten – post them in the comments below.
