Talkartoons is a series of 42 animated cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures from 1929 to 1932.
History For the Fleischer brothers, the transition to sound was relatively easy. With the new contract with Paramount Pictures, and without the burden of Red Seal Pictures and Alfred Weiss, Max Fleischer was free to experiment with new, bold ideas. First he changed the name of the Ko-Ko Song Cartunes series to Screen Songs. Although the Screen Songs were successful, Fleischer felt that it wasn't enough; Walt Disney seemed to gain a great amount of fame through his sound cartoons as well. He decided to work with his brother, Dave on a new series of cartoons where the characters did more than just simply dance to the music of the "bouncing ball". The name for the new series was to be Talkartoons. When the idea was pitched to Paramount, they leaped at the opportunity.
The Talkartoons started out as one-shot cartoons. The first entry in the series was Noah's Lark, released on October 26, 1929. Although a Fleischer cartoon, it appeared to be patterned after the Aesop's Film Fables of Paul Terry. In it, a Farmer Al Falfa-esque Noah allows the animals of his ark to visit Luna Park. When he brings them back into the ship, the weight is so heavy that it sinks. In the end, Noah chases topless mermaids throughout the ocean waters. Lark has very few gray tones, as it was mostly done in the paper-cutout animation process utilized in the Screen Songs produced during the same time and the earlier Fleischer silent works. It also included copyright-free songs, mostly utilized from old 78-rpm's.
The series began to take a new direction, however, with the arrival of Max and Dave's brother, Lou Fleischer, whose skills in music and mathematics made a great impact at the studio. A dog named Bimbo starred in cartoons in the series and became popular due to his nature as an everyman similar to Mickey Mouse. The first cartoon that featured Bimbo was Hot Dog (1930), the first Fleischer cartoon to be almost fully animated on cels, and thus to employ a full range of greys. New animators such as Grim Natwick, Shamus Culhane, and Rudy Zamora began entering the Fleischer Studio, with new ideas that pushed the Talkartoons into a league of their own. Natwick especially had an off-beat style of animating that helped give the shorts more of a surreal quality. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the Talkartoons series and the Fleischer Studio was the creation of Betty Boop with Dizzy Dishes in 1930.
By late 1931, Betty Boop dominated the series. Koko the Clown returned as a third character to Betty and Bimbo, having languished in legal turmoil between the Fleischers and Albert Weiss for years. The series was retired in favor of Betty's own series, where Bimbo and Koko served as secondary characters.
Filmography Dave Fleischer was the credited director on every cartoon produced by Fleischer Studios. Fleischer's actual duties were those of a film producer and creative supervisor, with the head animators doing much of the work assigned to animation directors in other studios. The head animator is the first animator listed.Culhane, Shamus (1986). Talking Animals and Other People. New York: Da Capo Press. Pg. 40-41 Credited animators were therefore listed for each short; however, many of the shorts from 1931 to 1932 don't have their animator credits listed, as they were cut when the shorts were sold to U.M. & M. TV Corporation for television broadcasts and had their titles replaced.
1929 No. Film Original release date Animators NotesVideo if in the public domain1Noah's LarkOctober 26Unknown First Talkartoon.1930 No. Film Original release date Credited animators NotesVideo if in the public domain2Marriage WowsJanuary 12Unknown Lost cartoon. Working title: Wedding BellesLost cartoon.3Radio RiotFebruary 10Unknown First appearance of Margie Hines (as well as of a female voice) in a Fleischer cartoon The bedtime story broadcast at the end was written by Yip Harburg.4Hot DogMarch 29Unknown First appearance of Bimbo (as yet unnamed). First Fleischer cartoon to feature gray tones. First Fleischer cartoon to be scored by Lou Fleischer. Utilizes a recording of "Saint Louis Blues" by Eddie Peabody within the soundtrack.5Fire BugsMay 9Ted Sears Grim Natwick A Bimbo cartoon (though he is still unnamed). First Fleischer cartoon to credit animators.6Wise FliesJuly 14Willard Bowsky Ted Sears Utilizes a recording of "Some of These Days" by Eddie Peabody within the soundtrack. Uncredited animator: Grim Natwick7Dizzy DishesAugust 9Grim Natwick Ted Sears A Bimbo cartoon. First appearance of Betty Boop (though she and Bimbo are both unnamed). Bimbo's fur switches from white to black. First appearance of a new title card design that would remain through the series. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 2.8Barnacle BillAugust 25Rudy Zamora Seymour Kneitel A Bimbo and Betty cartoon, featuring them in the (named) roles of Barnacle Bill and Nancy Lee. Uncredited animator: Grim Natwick9Swing You Sinners!September 22Ted Sears Willard Bowsky A Bimbo cartoon (though he is still unnamed). Includes caricature of Jewish comedian Max Davidson. Uncredited animators: Grim Natwick, Jimmie Culhane10Grand UproarOctober 12Seymour Kneitel Al Eugster A Bimbo cartoon (though he is still unnamed).11Sky ScrapingNovember 1Ted Sears Willard Bowsky A Bimbo cartoon, naming him in the title card; from here onward, he is usually named.12Up to MarsNovember 23Rudy Zamora Jimmie Culhane A Bimbo cartoon.13Accordion JoeDecember 12Ted Sears Grim Natwick A Bimbo and Betty cartoon (though Betty is still unnamed). Some sources incorrectly label this as a 1929 release.14Mysterious MoseDecember 27Willard Bowsky Ted Sears A Bimbo and Betty cartoon (though Betty is still unnamed). Uncredited animator: Grim Natwick1931 No. Film Original release date Credited animators NotesVideo if in the public domain15Ace of SpadesJanuary 6Rudy Zamora Al Eugster A Bimbo cartoon. Television materials exist as with most of the other Talkartoons, but prints are more scarce.16Tree SapsJanuary 19Grim Natwick Ted Sears A Bimbo cartoon.17Teacher's PestFebruary 7Grim Natwick Seymour Kneitel A Bimbo and Betty cartoon (though Betty, who only appears briefly, is still unnamed).18The Cow's HusbandMarch 14Jimmie Culhane R. Eggeman A Bimbo cartoon. Bimbo's fur switches back to white. The bull's dance was rotoscoped.19The Bum BanditApril 6Willard Bowsky Al Eugster A Bimbo and Betty cartoon (though Betty is named "Dangerous Nan McGrew"). Betty is voiced by Harriet Lee instead of Margie Hines. First time Betty Boop is seen with her slender physique. Uncredited animator: Grim Natwick20The Male ManApril 24Ted Sears Seymour Kneitel A Bimbo cartoon. Uncredited animator: Grim Natwick21Twenty Legs Under the SeaMay 5Willard Bowsky Tom Bonfiglio A Bimbo cartoon.22Silly ScandalsMay 23Unknown A Bimbo and Betty cartoon. First time Betty is named, though only as "Betty" (no surname given). First time Betty is voiced by Mae Questel.23The Herring Murder CaseJune 24Unknown A Bimbo cartoon. First time Bimbo is animated in his most familiar design. First sound cartoon appearance of Koko the Clown.24Bimbo's InitiationJuly 27Unknown A Bimbo and Betty cartoon. Bimbo is voiced by Claude Reese instead of Billy Murray. Placed at #37 in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 2.25Bimbo's ExpressAugust 22Unknown A Bimbo and Betty cartoon (formally billed as such in the titles, still giving Betty no surname). Bimbo is voiced by Claude Reese.26Minding the BabySeptember 28Jimmie Culhane Bernard Wolf A Betty and Bimbo cartoon (first time Betty's full name appears in the titles, stylized as "Betty-Boop").27In the Shade of the Old Apple SauceOctober 16Unknown A Betty and Bimbo cartoon. Not to be confused with the 1929 similarly-titled Screen Song, In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree. Lost cartoon.Lost cartoon.28Mask-A-RaidNovember 9Unknown A Betty and Bimbo cartoon. Bimbo is voiced by Claude Reese. The first Talkartoon to put the director and animator credits on a separate title card. First time Betty is depicted as a human in the Talkartoon series, with her dog ears replaced by hoop earrings.29Jack and the BeanstalkNovember 22Roland Crandall Sam Stimson A Betty and Bimbo cartoon, seemingly held over from earlier production (with both appearing with primitive designs, this being the last time Betty was depicted as a dog)30Dizzy Red Riding HoodDecember 12Unknown A Betty and Bimbo cartoon. Bimbo is voiced by Claude Reese.1932 No. Film Original release date Credited animators NotesVideo if in the public domain31Any Rags?January 5Willard Bowsky Thomas Bonfiglio A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. The surviving master negative has the original opening title card intact.32Boop-Oop-a-DoopJanuary 16Unknown A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. Betty is voiced by Margie Hines, with Mae Questel providing her singing voice. First use of the song "Sweet Betty", which would become the theme song for the Betty Boop series. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 2.33The RobotFebruary 8Unknown A Bimbo cartoon, seemingly held over from earlier production (Bimbo appears in a primitive design; Bimbo's girlfriend is largely a generic one-off, but drawn as Betty in some close-ups that look to have been added later). There is a possibility this was intended to be an advertising cartoon, since the characters are similar to those on the 1931 Fleischer short Step on It, produced for Texaco)34Minnie the MoocherJanuary 1 (NYC) February 26 (general release)Willard Bowsky Ralph Somerville A Betty and Bimbo cartoon (Koko the Clown appears in a brief cameo). Betty is voiced by Margie Hines, with Mae Questel providing her singing voice. Bimbo is voiced by Claude Reese. Music performed by Cab Calloway and his orchestra. This short contains the earliest known footage of him and his orchestra performing. The walrus' dancing is rotoscoped from footage of Calloway himself. Sometimes seen with a refilmed TV title card; transfers with original titles were featured on some on 1980s video compilations. Named #20 in the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 3.35Swim or SinkMarch 13Seymour Knitel Bernard Wolf A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. The original title cards likely animated the short's title; the later, commonly seen TV title card is taken from a single frame of the original, captured at a point where the title reads just "S O S".36Crazy TownMarch 26James H. Culhane David Tendlar A Betty and Bimbo cartoon. Betty is voiced by Mae Questel. Contains special live-action title cards.37The Dancing FoolApril 6Seymour Kneitel Bernard Wolf A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon.38Chess-NutsApril 18James H. Culhane William Henning A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. Betty is voiced by Mae Questel. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 1.39A-Hunting We Will GoMay 3Alfred Eugster Rudolph Eggeman A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon.40Hide and SeekMay 14Roland Crandall A Bimbo cartoon, seemingly held over from earlier production (Bimbo appears in a primitive design; Bimbo's girlfriend is the same featured in The Robot). There is a possibility that, as in the aforementioned cartoon, this was intended to be an advertising cartoon.41Admission FreeJune 10Thomas Johnson Rudolph Eggeman A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. Betty is voiced by Mae Questel.42The Betty Boop LimitedJuly 18Willard Bowsky Thomas Bonfiglio A Betty, Bimbo and Koko cartoon. Final Talkartoon. Officially released on Betty Boop: The Essential Collection, Volume 2.
See also Golden age of American animation
References Sources Leslie Cabarga, The Fleischer Story (Da Capo Press, 1988)