Early American Cartoons 1900-1920

Admission: $1.50

“This cross-sectional compilation reveals animation's primordial birth-pangs and its ragged but exuberant growth as an art-form. From the graphic extension of vaudeville through the cartoon's parallelism of the comic strip to its independence as ‘pure' cinema, the major technical and esthetic trials (and errors) are well represented in this survey. Nor are the racial and ethnic jokes censored, so as to most faithfully reflect the working humor of the time. With minimal narration, the sound track is derived from period 78rpm recordings of jazz and ragtime.” -Anthony Reveaux

I - The Beginnings:
The Enchanted Drawing (1900) J. Stuart Blackton, Edison Studio. Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) J. Stuart Blackton, Vitagraph Co. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) Winsor McCay. The Artist's Dream (1913) John Randolph Bray. Cartoons in a Seminary (1915) Raoul Barré, Edison Co. Krazy Kat: At the Circus (1916) George Herriman, Animated by Leon Searl, Hearst International Film Service. Feet Is Feet (1916) Tom Powers, Animated by Raoul Barré, Hearst. Krazy Kat Invalid (1916) George Herriman, Animated by Leon Searl, Hearst. Animated Hair Cartoon (1918) Ed Marcus, Red Seal. The Dinosaur and the Missing Link (1917) Willis O'Brien, Edison Co.

II - Cartoons as Historical and Social Documents:
Doing His Bit (1917) Frank Moser. Chaplin-Arbuckle Cartoon (c.1918) Otto Messmer. Keeping Up with the Joneses (1915) Harry Palmer, Gaumont-Mutual. Teddy Roosevelt's Arrival in Africa (19?) Anonymous. Origin of the Shimmie (1919) Pat Sullivan, Bray Studio.

III - Training Ground:
Newman Laugh-O-Grams (1920) Walt Disney, Kansas City. Farmer Alfalfa's Wayward Pup (1917) Paul Terry, Edison Co. Modeling (1921) Max & Dave Fleischer, Out of the Inkwell Studio. Feline Follies (1919) Otto Messmer, Pat Sullivan-Paramount.

IV - Toward a Cartoon Language:
Mr. Nobody Holme: He Buys a Jitney (1916) Tom Powers, Animated by Leon Searl, Hearst. The Prize Dance (1920) Bray Studio. Krazy Kat and Ignatz Discuss the Letter G (1916) George Herriman, Animated by Frank Moser, Hearst. Bobby Bumps Puts a Beanery on the Bum (1918) Earl Hurd, Bray Studio. A Winter Day in Chicago (19?) Leonard, Gaumont. Parcel Post Pete's Nightmare (1916) Tom Powers, Animated by Frank Moser, Hearst. Krazy Kat: The Great Cheese Robbery (1920) Vernon Stallings, Goldwyn-Bray.

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