Best Old Comedies (1910s-1950s)
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- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleChester ConklinCharlie is an actor in a film studio. He messes up several scenes and is tossed out. Returning dressed as a lady, he charms the director. Even so, Charlie never makes it into film, winding up at the bottom of a well.Charlie Chaplin in drag makes a really convincing woman!
- DirectorLeedham BantockStarsSeymour HicksWilliam LuggLeedham BantockMiserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley, who tries to help him change his selfish ways and redeem his soul by showing him how much his greed has cost him and will continue to cost him if he doesn't atone. An early silent adaptation of the classic story, this version differs from others in that Marley also acts as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.This is the best silent adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The ghost haunting parts are short, but the important parts before and after Scrooge meets the ghosts are there. So it focuses on the heart of the story. - DirectorMarcel PerezStarsMarcel PerezNilde BaracchiRex AdamsTweedledum stands to inherit a fortune, but only if he can prove he's settled down and married. He tries to pass off his friend's wife as his own.A short made by and starring Hispanic film star Marcel Perez.
- DirectorMarcel PerezStarsMarcel PerezNilde BaracchiTom MurrayTweedledum is the victim of a nightmare. The plot deals with the adventures of a club man who has fallen in love with his neighbor's wife, which ends by Tweedledum waking up to find that it was only a dream.
- DirectorMarcel PerezStarsMarcel PerezNilde BaracchiJerry JellmanWhen Tweedledum's girl is kidnapped by bad men, he springs into action.
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsVictor JansonOssi OswaldaHarry LiedtkeAn American heiress seeks the hand of an impoverished German prince.A fun gender-bending comedy about a tomboy who is the 'man of the house.'
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsOssi OswaldaHermann ThimigVictor JansonForced into marriage by his uncle, a man decides to fool him by marrying a life-like mechanical doll instead.This is a VERY dark comedy. It's also nightmare fuel because the leading lady pretends to be a sex robot and the creepy way she looks/acts is the stuff of horror movies. It is a weirdly funny movie though.
Warning: Jokes about suicide - DirectorEdward F. ClineBuster KeatonStarsBuster KeatonEdward F. ClineLuke the DogTwo inventive farmhands compete for the hand of the same girl.
- DirectorOtto MessmerFelix saves a girl doll from a dog, and the doll comes to life and falls for Felix. She takes him to Toyland, where he must save her from the designs of the evil Pierrot. As it turns out, though, she's not quite as helpless as she might seem to be.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainTom MurrayA prospector goes to the Klondike during the 1890s gold rush in hopes of making his fortune, and is smitten with a girl he sees in a dance hall.This is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time.
It's a romantic comedy that takes place during New Year's Eve.
There's two versions of the movie. The 1925 version is a silent movie. The 1942 version is narrated by Charlie Chaplin and the music score was composed by Charlie Chaplin. The 1942 version even won an Oscar.
The Criterion Collection-WB DVD/Blu-Ray release of The Gold Rush has an orchestra reproducing Chaplin's music score in the 1925 version of the movie. - DirectorRichard E. NormanStarsLaurence CrinerKathryn BoydBoise De LeggeA WWI fighter pilot returns to his former job as a railroad detective, and must recover a satchel filled with $25,000 of stolen payroll, locate a missing employee, and capture the gang of thieves responsible.A romantic comedy with an all-Black cast.
- DirectorCharles R. BowersBud FisherThe Devil takes Mutt and Jeff to an icy Hell where they try to get the fires going again.
- DirectorPaul LeniStarsLaura La PlanteCreighton HaleForrest StanleyRelatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.An early killer-in-the-house movie. It's also a romantic comedy.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanHarry d'Abbadie d'ArrastStarsClara BowCharles 'Buddy' RogersRichard ArlenTwo young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.This Pre-Code dram-edy definitely has comedic parts but it's also a WWI movie (with actual planes etc. that were used in WWI) so it's pretty sad too.
This famously has the first same-sex kiss in a movie. It's between two male best friends who seem to be bisexual. (Hilariously, they're also both bi-plane pilots.)
Plus, you get to see Clara Bow's boobs. - DirectorOtto MessmerFelix the Cat stays out late celebrating New Year's Eve and gets extremely drunk.
- DirectorJames ParrottLeo McCareyStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyRichard CarleLoony scientist (Carle) hires Laurel and Hardy to raid the cemetery to keep him supplied with dead bodies for his experiments.
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMerna KennedyAl Ernest GarciaThe Tramp finds work and the girl of his dreams at a circus.Old-timey carnivals are so interesting.
This movie features Hispanic film star Al Ernest Garcia (as the circus owner).
Warning: Merna's step-father, the circus owner, physically abuses her. - DirectorWalt DisneyUb IwerksStarsCount CutelliWalt DisneyCarl W. StallingMickey, a hot dog vendor, meets and quickly falls for Minnie the "Shimmy Dancer". He serenades her by performing the song "Sweet Adeline", much to the dismay of Kat Nipp, who is trying to sleep.
- DirectorUb IwerksStarsWalt DisneyThe demons of hell play music for Satan, whose delight turns to wrath when an insubordinate refuses to become food for Cerberus.
- DirectorWalt DisneyJack KingStarsGeorge MagrillWalt DisneyMickey seeks shelter from a storm in a house that turns out to be haunted. The skeletons command him to play the organ; they dance and play along.
- DirectorWalt DisneyStarsWalt DisneyCarl W. StallingThe clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.This is probably the most popular Disney cartoon episode.
In 2006, Disney released a version of the short that changed the original music to the song "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," in order to make a sing-along version of the short. - DirectorJames W. HorneLeo McCareyStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyJames FinlaysonOllie and Stanley are two Christmas Tree sales reps who get into one of their usual mutual-destruction fights with a disgruntled homeowner.
- DirectorJames ParrottStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyHarry BernardTwo homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective lessees arrive and try to rent it.A crossdressing comedy with Laurel & Hardy.
- DirectorFrank MoserA bandido plans to run a man out of town so he can steal his girlfriend.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
- DirectorHarry BaileyJohn FosterA dog ringmaster woos away the mouse bareback rider from the mouse clown.This is so bad that it's good. The reason it's funny is because it's super weird. Explaining why it's weird wouldn't really make much sense. You have to see for yourself.
- DirectorDave FleischerTed SearsStarsBilly MurrayBimbo is seen late at night, trying to steal a chicken. He runs away from a policeman and enters a haunted cemetery. Various ghosts and monsters tell him that he will be punished for his sin.
- DirectorWalter LantzStarsPinto ColvigWalter LantzThe Phantom of a cheap opera house helps an aspiring singer by putting a phonograph machine down her skirt. When she spurns him for Oswald the Rabbit, the Phantom takes his revenge.This is Universal's parody of their movie Phantom of the Opera (1925).
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsMargie HinesBilly MurrayBetty Boop (with dog's ears) can't sleep on a scary night, so she sings the title song and meets the gentleman in question... a surreal version of Bimbo.
- DirectorUb IwerksFlip the Frog working as prison guard, must go after an escaped convict.This is so bad that it's good. There's some gayness/situational queerness in it and it is wild.
One of the prison guards is a flamboyant gay poodle (or sheep?) with a girly voice. He flirts with the prisoners at this men's prison. We see him flirting with a prisoner and the prisoner blows him a kiss. Then there's a metaphor for gay sex. Which is to say, he shoots a BB-gun at the guard's butt and it makes marks in the shape of a heart. The guard pretends? to not like it and complains to the warden. So the warden goes to punish the prisoner. But some other prisoner shoots a BB-gun at the warden's butt. It's crazy. - DirectorRudolf IsingStarsKen DarbyMarcellite GarnerRudolf IsingPiggy and Fluffy have adventures on a riverboat. And Uncle Tom is chased by skeletons promising to take him to Hallelujah Land.This has a fun Halloween vibe.
Warning:
Negative racial stereotypes - This short has long been considered to be extremely racist and unfit for TV and DVD/streaming. The reason is because Uncle Tom is an archetypal character called an Uncle Tom. Those characters, from my (limited) understanding, are harmless, poor, uneducated country bumpkins. It's definitely an old stereotype of Black people. But I don't think this short is offensive. I encourage you to see for yourself and draw your own conclusions. - DirectorFrank MoserA cowboy goes after two outlaws after they kidnap his Native American wife.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons. It's also one of the few portrayals of interracial relationships.
- DirectorFrank MoserStarsMargie HinesTwo mice go to a carnival on a date.The mice go to a funhouse with skeletons in it, so it's a good cartoon to watch for Halloween.
- DirectorArthur DavisDick HuemerSid MarcusToby organizes a Halloween celebration. Some witches and elves join the party.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonA kitchen is filled with houseflies. A spider wakes up and plays his web like a harp, attracting a pair of them; the female is trapped, and the male summons the cavalry, which arrives riding horseflies, riding dragonflies to drop pepper bombs, firing champagne bottles, and ultimately setting the web on fire and catching the spider on flypaper when he falls.
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsMarcellite GarnerA spider sneaks into the Sphinx and has several spooky encounters.Warning:
Racism - Ancient Egyptians lived in the Middle East and typically had light brown skin. Later in Egyptian history, part of Egypt was ruled by Nubians (who had dark brown skin) and the other part was ruled by Greeks (who typically had white skin). Then the Romans (who typically had white skin) conquered the Egyptian empire.
In this cartoon, the ancient Egyptians have white skin and a few of the low-class servants have black skin. I assume the black characters are Nubian servants or Nubian slaves. This is both accurate and inaccurate.
It's inaccurate in that the Egyptians were not typically white. In the cartoon, they should have been grey. If black or white were the only two coloring options, the Egyptians should have been black, since they were from Africa.
However, there is some truth here. Ancient Egyptians did care about skin color, because the wealthy could afford to have lighter skin since they weren't outdoors much. Regular folks were darker from the sun. Before the Greeks became pharaohs, the Egyptians saw themselves as being a reddish-light brown skinned people. They generally had a negative view of non-Egyptians, like the 'black' Nubians and the 'white' Anatolians (present day Turkey). We see both depicted as slaves in ancient Egyptian art. - DirectorManny GouldBen HarrisonA Columbia Krazy Kat animated short. Krazy Kat plays a painter who has to protect his model from a wolf hypnotist.
- DirectorDave FleischerAl EugsterStarsAnn LittleBilly MurrayBetty Boop is queen of the Masquerade Ball where, among other antics, Bimbo and a lecherous old man vie for her affections.
- DirectorDave FleischerGrim NatwickStarsMargie HinesBilly MurrayWilliam PennellBimbo the dog is initiated into a secret society in a sadistic 'fun house'; then Betty Boop (with dog's ears) takes a hand.
- DirectorBud PollardStarsRuth GilbertRalph HertzLillian ArdellA young girl named Alice falls down a rabbit-hole and wanders into the strange world of Wonderland.A faithful adaption of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
I have no idea why this movie has a low IMDB rating. I assume it's because people compare it to Alice in Wonderland (1933), which has great special effects. But I'd say that Alice in Wonderland (1931) does a better job of conveying the plot. The 1931 version spends a lot of time focusing on the nonsensical trial. It's almost literally a kangaroo court. This political satire is one of the main points of the Alice books. - DirectorDave FleischerGrim NatwickStarsAnn LittleBilly MurrayBetty Boop goes to Grandma's through the woods despite wolf warnings; but Bimbo follows and gives the old story a new twist.
- DirectorRudolf IsingStarsKen DarbyMarcellite GarnerRudolf IsingOn a tropical island, a native boy sings "Pagan Moon" to his sweetheart. Later, he plays music underwater with an octopus-pianist and other jazz-loving sea life.This is one of the rare positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
It's also unique because the girl saves the boy instead of the other way around. - DirectorRudolf IsingStarsMarcellite GarnerRudolf IsingThe King's MenTwo courting hillbilly dogs go to the big barn dance.
- DirectorHarry BaileyMannie DavisJohn FosterOscar the mouse invites his girl friend to the toy store where they have to outwit a cat.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsAnn LittleBilly MurrayWilliam PennellA sinking ship leaves three survivors on a life raft: Bimbo, Koko and Betty Boop. Good news/bad news: they're rescued by a pirate ship...This is a very Pre-Code comedy! Betty Boop is highly sexualized in it. A gust of wind blows up her dress and we see her underwear. We see Koko's underwear too, which he uses as a white flag of surrender. There's even a gay joke! A pirate shoves a sword up Koko's butt and Koko likes it. Koko is the bisexual BFF, confirmed.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsClarence NashEsther CampbellPinto ColvigA jealous stump threatens two trees that are in love by starting a forest fire. When the rain comes and puts out the fire the forest revives and celebrates the wedding.This was the first short to win an Oscar for the (then newly created) category of Best Animated Short.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsCab Calloway and His Cotton Club OrchestraCab CallowayBilly MurrayBetty Boop and Bimbo run away from home, but that night they are scared by a chorus of ghosts singing the title song.This is probably the most popular Betty Boop cartoon.
In this short, Betty is either an unmarried woman living at home or a teenager, and a symbol of the modern woman. In this short, her parents are Dutch immigrants with old-fashioned attitudes. Mr. Boop berates Betty for not eating her hazenpeper. She runs out of the kitchen and says that she's rather eat worms. Well, worms come from the ground and underground is exactly where she's going. Way, way down. She calls her boyfriend, Bimbo, and they run away together, all the way to the underworld.
This is one of the rare positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons. Real-life Black jazz star Cab Calloway, and his orchestra, play ghost versions of themselves. They perform their creepy (and not kid-friendly) songs "St. James Infirmary Blues" and "Minnie the Moocher."
This mature cartoon seems to be aimed at teens, rather than kids. - DirectorMannie DavisThe Powhatans raid the Virginia Colony.This is so bad that it's good. It's racist but there's a Native American gay guy and I stan.
Cubby the bear, as John Smith, is exploring Virginia. We kick off with the minstrel song "Ten Little Injuns," so we're already off to a racist start. Back in the day, the song was performed in red face. The song is about Native Americans dying. It says stuff like, "Three little Indians out on a canoe. One tumbled overboard and then there were two." It's just morbid. I think the 'joke' of the song is that the last "Indian" standing figuratively dies when he gets married. Ugh. Anyways...
All the Native Americans, except for Pocahontas, are grotesque-looking. The gay guy doesn't look too bad but he still has a large beaked nose.
But on the upside, there's the flamboyant gay guy. The Natives raise their weapons and charge, but one skinny one with long eyelashes powders face first. Instead of running, he struts. A little later, he shoots an arrow and giggles in a girly voice. Then he narrowly misses getting shot in the crotch. - DirectorFrank MoserAct I of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Fanny is captured and held for ransom, and a showdown ensues at the sawmill.
- DirectorFrank MoserAct II of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry plans to drown Fanny while Strongheart is indisposed.
- DirectorFrank MoserAct III of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry throws Fanny to the lions to be eaten alive, but she befriends the lions.
- DirectorFrank MoserAct IV of the Fanny "Mellerdrama" operetta. Harry uses his hypnotic powers to lure Fanny to his lair.
- DirectorTed EshbaughA young Eskimo and his animal friends build a snow man, only for it to come to life and terrorize the local wildlife.A cute short where a kid brings a snowman to life and it turns into a Yeti that must be stopped.
This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons. - DirectorFrank MoserA woman falls in love with a Romani guy and runs away with him.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons. It's also one of the few portrayals of interracial relationships.
Warning: This is a positive portrayal of Romani people but it's still a stereotypical one. They're performers who travel by caravan and have a dancing bear. - DirectorMannie DavisJohn FosterStarsMargie HinesAs two feline sweethearts sail along Moonlight Bay, the moon invites them up for a visit. They discover the moon is not made of green cheese, as is rumored, but is actually a land of candy, ice cream and cake.
- DirectorJohn FosterVernon StallingsStarsArtie DunnMargie HinesLes ReisTom and Jerry are police officers, driving around in their car and enjoying listening to some music on their police radio, when they hear a bulletin announcing another theft of a mummy from the local museum. They stumble upon the culprit, a mysterious and ghoulish man who is carrying a coffin through a secret door in a cemetery. They sneak in after him and watch him command the mummy to life; it is a beautiful woman, who he then commands to sing for his audience of skeletal theatre-goers. Tom and Jerry break up the evening and try to escape with the stolen goods, with mixed results.This is a Tom & Jerry short by J. Van Beuren Studios; not to be confused with the Tom & Jerry cat & mouse cartoons by MGM Studios.
This is a parody of Phantom of the Opera. - DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsBonnie PoeBetty Boop hosts a Halloween party with aid from a scarecrow, but an uninvited gorilla threatens havoc.
- DirectorDavid HandWilfred JacksonStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMickey must save Pluto from a mad doctor's lair.Mickey Mouse visits a Dr. XXX, which is a reference to Doctor X (1932).
- DirectorWesley RugglesStarsMae WestCary GrantGregory RatoffCircus performer Tira seeks a better life pursuing the company of wealthy New York men with improbable comic complications along the way.A Pre-Code sex comedy!
- DirectorDave FleischerRoland CrandallStarsCab CallowayBilly MurrayMae QuestelTrouble starts when the queen's magic mirror says Betty Boop is fairest. Cab Calloway sings "St. James Infirmary Blues."A spooky take on Snow White. Cab Calloway voices Koko in this one, and sings St. James Infirmary.
- DirectorNorman Z. McLeodHugh HarmanRudolf IsingStarsRichard ArlenRoscoe AtesWilliam AustinIn Victorian England a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland populated by even more fantastic characters.A faithful adaption of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll.
I think this adaption is good but not great, because I didn't get what the message of the story is in this adaption. But it's still very creepy, surreal, and fun. The costumes are nightmare fuel and the special effects are amazing. - DirectorJames WhaleStarsClaude RainsGloria StuartWilliam HarriganA scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
- DirectorDavid ButlerStarsShirley TempleJames DunnJane DarwellAn orphaned girl is taken in by a snobbish family at the insistence of their rich, crotchety uncle, even as her devoted aviator godfather fights for custody.This is a romantic dram-edy that takes place during the holiday season.
Mary is a single mom who works as a maid so she and her daughter Shirley temporarily live with the wealthy family that she works for. Unfortunately, her employers treat them poorly.
I find that maid subplot boring and the wealthy family is really annoying. But the love story is ok and Shirley Temple is very funny. - DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryA clown saves a beautiful circus performer from a lion and wins her heart.
- DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryRip Van Winkle drinks a brew given to him by elves in the woods.
- DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryA witch tempts children with a box full of spooks.
- DirectorDave FleischerRoland CrandallStarsBonnie PoeThe White Rabbit materializes from a jigsaw puzzle and leads Betty Boop through the looking glass into Wonderland.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsJack MercerWilliam PennellBonnie PoeIn her only color cartoon, Betty Boop goes to the ball thanks to her fairy godmother; later, only her foot fits the glass slipper.This cartoon was made in color instead of black and white, so it has a very striking orange and blue color scheme.
The cartoon has a talking Jack O'Lantern that turns into a pumpkin carriage, so it makes for a good Halloween cartoon. - DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryTom Tom the Piper's Son helps Mary Mary Quite Contrary's garden grow.
- DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryA woman gets captured by a mad doctor who lives in a house full of skeletons.
- DirectorDave FleischerMyron WaldmanStarsMae QuestelIn a melodrama at the Slumbertown Theatre, Freddie is the sheriff and Betty is a school-marm desired by outlaw "Phillip the Fiend."
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsPinto ColvigA statue of Pan seeks to break up a pair of lovers.
- DirectorUb IwerksShamus CulhaneAl EugsterA young grizzly bear, undaunted by his mother's warnings of the coming winter, runs away from home only to be confronted by Old Man Winter himself.
- DirectorDave FleischerWillard BowskyStarsBonnie PoeBetty Boop, sleepless on a freezing night, builds a nice hot fire which proves too much of a good thing; in a dream she visits Hell, sings "Hell's Bells, " and makes Hell freeze over!
- DirectorWilfred JacksonStarsKenny BakerJessica DragonetteTudor WilliamsThe lovely goddess of spring, Persephone, is kidnapped by Hades, thus bringing about the winter season.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyMaureen O'SullivanFormer detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.An adaption of The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.
This is a film noir comedy that takes place during Christmas.
One of the main characters is played by Hispanic film star Cesar Romero (playing a white character). - DirectorCharley RogersStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyMae BuschA gruff sea captain, who absolutely detests the word "ghost," is having trouble manning his ship because of the rumor it's...well...haunted. He inveigles Stanley and Oliver into helping him shanghai a crew from the sailors at a dockside bar. The comic duo accomplish this by using one of the funniest devices ever put into a movie, and of course it all goes wrong. Once aboard, the captain warns them that whoever says the word "ghost" will get his head twisted from north to south. After much time at sea and many port stops later, one of the drunken sailors falls into a trough of whitewash, terrorizing Stanley and Oliver into blurting out "ghost" in front of the enraged captain, which brings about the story's Laurel and Hardy trademark "another fine mess" ending.This Laurel & Hardy short is played on T.V. every Thanksgiving after March of the Wooden Soldiers, to fill the time slot. And a fine choice, I may add. It always makes me laugh.
- DirectorGus MeinsCharley RogersStarsStan LaurelOliver HardyVirginia KarnsOpposing the evil Barnaby, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try and fail to pay-off Mother Peep's mortgage and mislead his attempts to marry Little Bo. Enraged, Barnaby's Bogeymen are set on Toyland.This plays on T.V. every Thanksgiving morning, as sort of the official start of the holiday season. When I sleep in and miss it, I stream it anyway while I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner.
- DirectorGeorge Nicholls Jr.StarsAnne ShirleyTom BrownO.P. HeggieA romantic teenage girl is adopted by a pair of elderly siblings in turn-of-the-century Canada.An adaption of Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
- DirectorRudolf IsingStarsBilly BletcherBeatrice HagenGeneva HallMrs. Mouse is reading "A Visit from St. Nicholas" to her brood when a cat tries to break in and have a feast. The cat overhears them arguing about the existence of Santa, so he dresses up accordingly, but his plans go awry.
- DirectorFrank MoserPaul TerryA dog competes in a bull fight in order to impress his girlfriend.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMarcellite GarnerMickey and friends have various levels of enjoyment skating on a frozen river. As Mickey and Minnie glide romantically, Donald plays tricks on Pluto and ends up in trouble himself with a kite, from which Mickey must save him.
- DirectorTed EshbaughBurt GillettA Japanese family makes paper lanterns with the help of a stork.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
I'm against colorized versions of cartoons/movies 99% of the time, but this is one of those colorful worlds that is best seen in actual color. The dazzling sea of kimonos and lanterns is absolutely beautiful. - DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsMae QuestelGus WickeIn their dreams, two poor and hungry tots enter a fantasy kingdom where there are more sweets than they can eat. But when they wake...
- DirectorDavid HandStarsBilly BletcherDon BrodiePinto ColvigPluto chases a kitten through a window and right into Mickey's lap. Mickey scolds him, and goes off to wash the kitten. Pluto falls asleep in front of the fire, and dreams of a hell ruled by cats where he is put on trial for all his crimes against cats and, of course, found guilty.
- DirectorUb IwerksShamus CulhaneAl EugsterStarsBilly BletcherSpring is coming, but Old Man Winter isn't ready to retire for the year.
- DirectorArthur DavisElves, moved by a cobbler's generosity, work extra hard to help him with his work.
- DirectorTod BrowningStarsLionel BarrymoreElizabeth AllanBela LugosiWhen a nobleman is murdered, a professor of the occult blames vampires, but not all is what it seems.This is a parody of vampire movies. And Bela Lugosi plays a vampire!
- DirectorHenry EdwardsStarsSeymour HicksDonald CalthropRobert CochranEbenezer Scrooge is a mean old miser who wants nothing to do with Christmas. The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve, taking him on a journey into the very spirit and magic of Christmas itself.An adaption of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
- DirectorWilliam A. SeiterStarsShirley TempleRobert YoungAlice FayeA young girl lost in Shanghai is taken in by an American playboy and his girlfriend.This is a romantic comedy that takes place during the holiday season.
I find the romance parts boring, but Shirley Temple is very funny. Plus, you get to hear her speak Mandarin! (She had an on-set Mandarin coach.)
Shirley Temple actually ended up adopting the dog from the movie. - DirectorRaymond KaneStarsBuster KeatonEddie LambertMarlyn StuartA professional magician, "The Great Spumoni", fires his male assistant and his female assistant insists that he hire another one. The young man he hires turns out to have no aptitude whatsoever for a magic act. Complications ensue.
- DirectorDave FleischerDave TendlarStarsMae QuestelJack MercerA spider runs a hotel for flies where he keeps his guests captive. A pair of fly newlyweds arrive and check in. Fortunately, the husband is "flyweight champion". After a pitched battle featuring arrows (fountain pen nibs) and a machinegun (aspirins shot from a perfume atomizer), the spider winds up in a bottle of library paste.
- DirectorDave FleischerSeymour KneitelStarsEverett ClarkJack MercerMae QuestelAt an orphanage, the children are sad because they received broken toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.
- DirectorW.S. Van DykeStarsWilliam PowellMyrna LoyJames StewartPrivate detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora are back home at last and hoping for a quiet New Year when there is a murder. The obvious suspect is his wife, Nora's cousin, Selma.This is the sequel to The Thin Man (1934). It's a film noir comedy that takes place on New Year's Eve.
- DirectorMark SandrichStarsFred AstaireGinger RogersEdward Everett HortonA ballet dancer and a showgirl fake a marriage for publicity purposes, then fall in love.
- DirectorLeo McCareyStarsIrene DunneCary GrantRalph BellamyA married couple file an amicable divorce, but find it harder to let go of each other than they initially thought.
- DirectorIrene StarewiczWladyslaw StarewiczStarsClaude DauphinRomain BouquetSylvain ItkineWhen Renard the Fox's mischievous pranks go too far, King Lion is forced to attempt to bring the trickster to justice.This is based on European folktales about Reynard the Fox.
This movie has very violent slapstick. It doesn't kill the characters, but I definitely thought it would. - DirectorDavid HandStarsDorothy ComptonAurora HagenBeatrice HagenThe "fearless" Hiawatha is more of a lover than a fighter. He befriends the local forest animals and they help him when he's in a bind.This is one of the few positive portrayals of people of color in pre-1960s cartoons.
- DirectorBurt GillettStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMickey, Donald and Goofy run the "Ajax Ghost Exterminators" agency. They receive a call from lonely and bored ghosts to come to their house where they are scared silly by the hilarious haunts and taunts of these spirited pranksters.This is the cartoon where the movie/song Ghostbusters got the phrase, "I ain't afraid of no ghost." In the cartoon, Goofy says, "I ain't a-scared of no ghosts."
- DirectorUb IwerksUb Iwerks dusts off the skeletons from his early-Disney days and puts them to work at Columbia...in a graveyard replete with eerie owls and surrealistic bats, skeletons begin to rise from their graves and form a loosely-jointed band.
- DirectorBen SharpsteenStarsBilly BletcherPinto ColvigWalt DisneyMad scientist Mickey has just brewed up a potion; to test it out, he squirts it on a fly that's been trapped by a spider, a (regular) mouse being harassed by a cat, then the cat when Pluto goes after it, and Pluto when dogcatcher Pegleg Pete goes after him. Each of the underdogs turns against his tormentor.