Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Fleischer  Animation  Studios

screen shot of Fleischer Studios, Inc. company logo                  short history

people

books

selected films

family & friends

links

characters & series
Betty Boop
Popeye
Superman
Inkwell / Koko
Song Car-tunes

                 Max Fleischer and animated Koko the Clown                  


"If it can be done in real life, it isn't animation."
— Max Fleischer


     s h o r t
     h i s t o r y
     h e r e
     Successor: Famous Studios (fully owned subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956)
     Headquarters on Broadway in New York City from 1921-1938, then Miami, Florida from 1938–1942
     named by Time magazine as the "Dean of Animated Cartoons."

Fleischer Studios entry at Wikipedia


Studio  Executives

Max Fleischer [1883-1972]: credits at IMDbWikipedia

Dave Fleischer [1894-1979]: credits at IMDbWikipedia

{son-in-law} Seymour Kneitel [1908-64]: credits at IMDbWikipedia

brother composer Louis 'Lou' Fleischer [1891-1985]: Lou's credits {over 250 titles} at IMDbWikipedia


Books  &  Videos

"Noah's Shoes" [1944] by Max Fleischer
S.J. Bloch Publng Co. hardcover [1944] out of print/scarce

Fleischer Story book by Leslie Cabarga  
"The Fleischer Story" [1976]
by Leslie Cabarga

Da Capo Press 11x8½ pb [5/88] for $14.00
Crown hardcover [8/76] out of print/used
Fleischer Studios DVD  "Great Animation Studios: Fleischer Studios" [2000]
Winstar color DVD [5/2000] for $17.98
Out of The Inkwell / Max Fleischer & The Animation Revolution book by Richard Fleischer  "Out of The Inkwell: Max Fleischer & The Animation Revolution" [2005]
by {Max's son, director} Richard Fleischer, Foreword by Leonard Maltin

Univ Press of KY 8¾x5½ pb [7/2011] for $21.95
Univ Press of KY 8½x5¾ hardcover [6/2005] for $40.46
Hollywood On The Hudson book by Richard Koszarski  "Hollywood On The Hudson: Film & Television In New York From Griffith To Sarnoff" [2008] by Richard Koszarski
Rutgers Univ Press 10x7 hardcover [7/2008] for $28.76
covers East Coast filmmakers, writers & actors: Thomas Edison, animators Max & Dave Fleischer, D.W. Griffith, Ben Hecht, Charles MacArthur, Oscar Micheaux, Paul Robeson, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, and others
Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer book by Ray Pointer  "The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer" [2017]
by Ray Pointer, Foreword by Jerry Beck

book covers Max Fleischer's life and work and the history of the studio that bore his name, with previously unpublished artwork and photographs
Kindle Edition from McFarland [6/2017] for $19.69
McFarland & Co. 10x7 pb [1/2017] for $39.95


Film Collections & Selected Films
browse 'director Dave Fleischer' on Amazon for DVDs
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=%22Max%20Fleischer%22&and[]=mediatype%3A%22movies%22

Max Fleischer's Color Classics on DVD  "Max Fleischer's Color Classics: Somewhere In Dreamland" [2002]
V.C.I. Ent. color DVD [7/2002] 2 disks for $17.99
Fleischer made a series of Technicolor™ shorts from 1934 to 1941 called 'Color Classics'; here are 30 of them, plus commentary, photo gallery, and a documentary about Fleischer Studios
Lost Cartoons on DVD, Volume 1: Fleischer Studios  "Lost Cartoons, Volume 1: Fleischer Studios" [2005]
Good Times Video color DVD [6/2005] out of prodn/used
includes 8 public domain color cartoons, 1935-37; CAVEAT: transfer quality may be poor
Popeye, Betty Boop & More Fleischer Favorites DVD box set  "Popeye, Betty Boop & More Fleischer Favorites" [2006]
Passport color/b&w DVD set [8/2006] 5 disks for $17.99
contains 66 cartoons from 1933 to 1957, featuring Popeye & pals, Betty Boop, Hunky & Spunky, and others; 7 Superman cartoons; 2 newsreels; and the 1939 Technicolor™ animated feature "Gulliver's Travels"

Treasures from the Fleischer Studios Blu-ray box set  "Fleischer Rarities: Treasures From The Fleischer Studios, 1920-1944" [2018]
Thunderbean Blu-ray [5/2018] 2 disks for $15.95 via Amazon 3rd party vendor
contains 16 short films on Blu-ray: "All Aboard For A Trip To The Moon" [1920]; "Inklings #12"; "Snipshots" (British release); "Christmas Seals Advertisement" [1925]; "Koko Salutes" [1925]; "My Old Kentucky Home" [1925]; "It's The Cat's"
(Weiss reissue version) [1926]; "Finding His Voice" [1929] for Western Electric; "Hurry Doctor" [1931] for Texaco; "Let's Sing With Popeye" [1933]; "Betty In Blunderland" [1933]; "This Little Piggy Went To Market" [1934]; "Dancing On The Moon" [1935]; "Musical Mountaineers" [1939]; "The Vacationer's Paradise" [1942]; and "News Sketches" [1944]; bonus disk includes: liner notes, rare songs & music, production artwork gallery, posters gallery, Paramount Sales News galleries, ads & publications gallery, Fleischer’s Animated News, live action appearances

"Play Safe" color cartoon short
[Fleischer Studios/Paramount Oct 1936]
Max Fleischer Color Classics 'Play Safe' 1936 cartoon short  A child playing with a toy train hops a real freight train and falls off . . .
Produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer
available with 30 other cartoons on "Somewhere In Dreamland" DVD [2002]
V.C.I. Ent. color DVD [7/2002] 2 disks for $12.77
full credits at IMDbFleischer's Color Classics Series entry at Wikipedia
watch full color short [7:56] at YouTube

Max Fleischer's "Gulliver's Travels"
[Fleischer/Paramount Nov 1939]
Max Fleischer's 1939 animated Gulliver's Travels  Filmed in Technicolor™; story based on the Lilliputian section of Jonathan Swift's immortal 1726-1735 novel; the film is now in the public domain. Gulliver washes ashore on an island of tiny people who are at war with another tiny kingdom; he tries to stop the war, while also helping the forbidden romance between the prince and princess of the two opposing realms. • Produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer; voices of Sam Parker, Jessica Dragonette, Lanny Ross, Pinto Colvig & Jack Mercer
Koch Vision stretched color Blu-ray [3/2009] out of prodn/used
A2Zcds remastered color DVD [3/2005] for $9.95
Alpha Video color DVD [6/2002] for $5.49
Koch Vision stretched color DVD [3/2009] out of prodn/used
Winstar 60th Anniversary color VHS [11/2001] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
watch full movie in 720p HD [12/2010 upload; 1:16:22] online at Internet Archive

"Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy" [1941] http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0034079/

"Mr. Bug Goes To Town" [1941] aka "Bugville" aka "Hoppity Goes to Town"
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0033727/

"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" animated short film
[Fleischer Studios/Paramount 1948]
poster for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 1948 animated short  
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 1948 animated short  Cavalcade of Classic Christmas Cartoons on DVD  
8-minute Technicolor™ cartoon filmed in 1944, released by Paramount after Max was forced out; produced & directed by Max Fleischer; adapted by Joe Stultz; narrated by Paul Wing
full credits at IMDbwatch full cartoon [9:06] on YouTube

"Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and Friends" on VHS
with 5 other Xmas-themed cartoons from Fleischer Studios
Goodtime Video color VHS [2005] for $10.00
"The Christmas Video: Classic Cartoon Collection" on VHS
with 8 other Xmas-themed cartoons from Fleischer Studios
Concord Video color VHS [undated] out of prodn/used
"A Cute Cavalcade of Classic Christmas Cartoons" on DVD
with 10 other Xmas-themed cartoons from Fleischer Studios and others
Whirlwind Media color DVD [11/2000] out of prodn/used
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and three other Christmas classic cartoons on VHS
Amvest Video color/b&w VHS [1987] for $11.98

more details (synopses, sequels, stageplays, books & ebooks, links, merchandise) on the
"Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" Books & Movies Page at Spirit of America Bookstore


Fleischer's  Characters  and  Series
Betty Boop {just below} • PopeyeSupermanInkwell / KokoSong Car-tunes

Betty Boop cartoon character
Betty Boop cartoon character
Betty Boop entry at Wikipedia,
Betty Boop WebRing
the voice of Betty Boop: Mae Questel [1908-98]

Betty Boop DVD collection  "Betty Boop: The Definitive Collection" [1998]
Republic Studios b&w VHS [9/98] 8 tapes/780 min. out of prodn/used

"Betty Boop: The Ultimate Collection" [2004]
Delta b&w DVD [12/2004] 2 disks - out of prodn/used

Betty Boop Vintage Collection  "Betty Boop: Vintage Collection" [2007]
A2ZCDS, Inc. b&w DVD [10/2007] 2 disks for $24.95

"Betty Boop: Collector's Edition" [2007]
Echo Bridge Home Ent DVD [4/2007] 2 disks for $9.49

Betty Boop short cartoon films 'Essential Collection' on DVD   "Betty Boop: The Essential Collection" on DVD [2013/2014]
Volume 1 contains 12 short cartoon films, 1932-37
Volume 1: Olive Films b&w multi-format Blu-ray [8/2013] for $19.94
Volume 1: Olive Films b&w DVD [8/2013] for $21.98
Volume 2 contains 12 short cartoon films, 1930-34
Volume 2: Olive Films b&w multi-format Blu-ray [9/2013] for $9.99 {sic}
Volume 2: Olive Films b&w DVD [9/2013] for $17.99
Volume 3 contains 12 short cartoon films, 1932-38
Volume 3: Olive Films b&w multi-format Blu-ray [4/2014] for $19.97
Volume 3: Olive Films b&w DVD [4/2014] for $19.89
Volume 4 contains 13 short cartoon films, 1932-38 - includes color "Poor Cinderella" [1934]
Volume 4: Olive Films b&w multi-format Blu-ray [9/2014] for $21.48
Volume 4: Olive Films b&w DVD [9/2014] for $16.93

"Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions" cartoon short
[Fleischer/Paramount Jan 1933]
'Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions' 1933 cartoon short  7-minute b&w cartoon short produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer; starring Betty Boop {voice by Mae Questel}, assisted by Bimbo the Dog & Koko the Clown
full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
watch full cartoon [6:40] online at YouTube

"Betty Boop in Snow-White" cartoon short [Fleischer Studios March 1933]
'Betty Boop in Snow-White' 1933 cartoon short from Fleischer Studios  Featuring Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, and Bimbo the Dog • Produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer; animated by Roland C. Crandall; voices of Mae Questel, Cab Calloway & Billy Murray
cartoon available on the "Betty Boop Vintage Cartoon Collection, 1932-39" [2010]
Triad Prodns b&w DVD [4/2010] 16 cartoons on 2 disks for $24.99
credits at IMDbwatch full cartoon [3/2005 upload; 7:04] online at Internet Archive

"Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella" cartoon short [Fleischer Studios Aug 1934]
'Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella' 1934 cartoon short from Fleischer Studios  Featuring Betty Boop, the Ugly Stepsisters, Fairy Godmother, and Prince Charming; the only color Betty Boop cartoon • Produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer; voices of Bonnie Poe & Jack Mercer
cartoon available on the "Betty Boop Vintage Cartoon Collection, 1932-39" [2010]
Triad Prodns b&w DVD [4/2010] 16 cartoons on 2 disks for $24.99
credits at IMDbwatch full cartoon [2/2008 upload; 10:33] online at Internet Archive

"Betty Boop: Queen of The Cartoons" [1995] http://us.imdb.com/title/tt1346506/
Boop-Boop-A-Doop: 27 Original Mono Recordings 1928-1951 by Helen Kane B0002AYPPY
http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Boop-Two-Disc-Collectors-Chain/dp/B000MTEFU0/

Betty Boop's Sunday Best: The Complete Color Comics, 1934-1936
by Max Fleischer and Bill Blackbeard (Hardcover - Jul 1995)
http://www.amazon.com/Betty-Boops-Sunday-Best-1934-1936/dp/0878163654/ BettyBoopsSundayBest.gif

"Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery" animated short [1989] /tt0816234/

Boop-Oop-A-Doop Means I Love You by King Features, Patrick Regan ISBN-13: 9780740738449
BettyBoopMeansILoveYou.jpg
http://members.tripod.com/boop_betty/


Popeye the Sailor cartoon character
Popeye The Sailor cartoon character
Popeye the Sailor entry at Wikipedia
Popeye the Sailor - Fleischer Studios filmography {109 titles, 1933-42} at Wikipedia
Popeye the Sailor - Famous Studios filmography {122 films, 1942-57} at Wikipedia
History of Fleischer's Popeye Series fansite

Popeye Section on Spirit of America Bookstore's Cartoonists of America Pages

70 Years of Popeye cartoons on DVD  "70 Years of Popeye" on DVD [2000]
title is misleading: two Fleischer Studios cartoons (1937 & 1939) and ten Famous Studios cartoons (1952-56) which are 'enhanced' with sound effects
Winstar DVD [4/2000] for $18.97
Popeye The Sailor Man 75th Anniversary DVD set  "Popeye The Sailor Man: 75th Anniversary Collectors Edition" DVD Set [2004]
Disk 1 contains six b&w cartoon shorts from Fleischer and the three Fleischer Technicolor Popeye two-reelers: "Sinbad" [1936], "Ali Baba" [1937], and "Aladdin" [1939]; Disk 2 contains 25 cartoons from Famous Studios, one b&w from 1942, the others in color from 1952-57
V.C.I. Video color/b&w DVD [5/2004] 2 disks for $11.80
Popeye Special 75th Anniversary Collection DVD box set  "Popeye: Special 75th Anniversary Collection" [2004]
A bundle of four earlier DVD sets {cost savings of $3.07}: "When Popeye Ruled The Seven Seas"
[2002]: five Fleischer Studio shorts, including the three Technicolor two-reelers; "When Popeye Ruled The World" [2002]: ten 1950s Famous Studios shorts; "Popeye: Fists of Fury" [2004]: eight Famous Studios cartoons, plus a commercial; and "Popeye's Greatest Tall Tales & Heroic Adventures" [2004]: four Famous Studios and five Fleischer Studios cartoons

Good Times Video b&w DVD set [8/2004] 4 disks for $14.50
Golden Age of Cartoons Popeye Original Classics on DVD  
"Popeye: Original Classics From The Fleischer Studio" on DVD [2005]
Mackinac Media DVD [12/2005] out of prodn/used
includes seven short cartoons & three two-reelers; extras include rare interviews
Popeye The Sailor cartoons DVD box sets   "Popeye The Sailor" remastered cartoons DVD box sets [2007-2008]
Volume 1, 1933-1938:
Warner Home Video b&w DVD [7/2007] 60 shorts on 4 disks for $12.49
Volume 2, 1938-1940:
Warner Home Video color DVD [6/2008] 31 shorts on 2 disks for $12.37
Volume 3, 1941-1943:
Warner Home Video color DVD [11/2008] 32 shorts on 2 disks for $11.98
Popeye the Sailor vintage cartoon collection on DVD  
"Popeye the Sailor" [2009]
contains 12 b&w cartoon shorts & 21 color cartoon shorts (including the three Technicolor
two-reelers); bonus features include four 1930s 'Popeye' radio programs
Big D Prodns DVD set [6/2009] 2 disks for $14.95

"Popeye, The Ace of Space" cartoon short in 3-D
[Famous Studios/Paramount Pictures Oct 1953]
poster for 'Popeye, the Ace of Space' 1953 cartoon short in 3-D  Popeye is captured by Martians who conduct bizarre tests on him; luckily he has four
cans of spinach . . .
Co-produced & directed by Seymour Kneitel; written by Jack
Mercer & Carl Meyer; voices of Jack Mercer, Jackson Beck & Sid Raymond
Stereotoon' not available on individual DVD nor on collections above (2015)
a fully-restored 3-D print is in circulation for screening at 3-D film events
full credits at IMDb • not listed at Wikipedia
watch full cartoon [Cartoon Network upload; 6:57] online at YouTube


Superman color cartoon character
Superman cartoon character
Superman 1940s cartoons entry at Wikipedia

'Superman' cartoon shorts released by Fleischer Studios, 1941-42
"Superman (Mad Scientist)" [9/1941]

"The Mechanical Monsters" [11/1941] /tt0033888/
watch full cartoon [2/2013 upload; 9:48] online at YouTube
watch same cartoon as music video 'The Robots' by Kraftwerk [6:11] online at YouTube

"Billion Dollar Limited" [1/1942]

>poster for 'The Arctic Giant' 1941 Fleischer Studios color cartoon short  "The Arctic Giant" [Fleischer Studios Feb 1942]
Superman battles a giant lizard monster that pre-dates "Gojira/Godzilla" by a decade !
Produced by Max Fleischer; directed by Dave Fleischer & animation director Willard Bowsky; written by Bill Turner & Tedd Pierce; music by Winston Sharples & Sammy Timberg; animation by Willard Bowsky & Reuben Grossman; featuring voices of Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander, narrator Jackson Beck, Julian Noa
available on DVD as below • full credits at IMDbmovie entry at Wikipedia
watch color short [10/2009 upload; 8:34] online at YouTube

"The Bulleteers" [3/1942]
"The Magnetic Telescope" [4/1942]
"Electric Earthquake" [5/1942]
"The Volcano" [7/1942]
"Terror on the Midway" [8/1942]

'Superman' cartoon shorts released by Paramount / Famous Studios, 1942-43
"Japoteurs" [9/1942]
"Showdown" [10/1942]
"Eleventh Hour" [11/1942]
"Destruction, Inc." [12/1942]
"The Mummy Strikes" [2/1943]
"Jungle Drums" [3/1943]
"The Underground World" [6/1943]
"Secret Agent" [7/1943]

Superman color animated shorts  "Complete Superman Cartoons" [2000]
includes 9 color animated shorts from Paramount & Fleischer, and 8 color
shorts made after Paramount converted the company to Famous Studios

Image Ent. color DVD [8/2000] for $8.49
Image Ent. color DVD [6/98] out of prodn/used
Cartoon Craze / Superman / Mechanical Monsters on DVD  "Cartoon Craze Presents: Superman - The Mechanical Monsters" [1941-42]
includes nine "Superman" cartoons of good quality from 1941-42, four "Bosko" cartoons, two others; the color Superman short cartoons from Fleischer Studios and Paramount/Famous are: "Superman (Mad Scientist)" [9/1941], "The Mechanical Monsters" [11/1941], "Billion Dollar Limited" [1/1942], "The Bulleteers" [3/1942], "Electric Earthquake" [5/1942], "The Volcano" [7/1942], "Japoteurs" [9/1942], "Showdown" [10/1942], and "Destruction, Inc." [12/1942]
Digiview Ent. color DVD [2006] out of prodn/used
Max Fleischer Superman Cartoons 1941-1942 on DVD  "Max Fleischer Superman Cartoons, 1941-1942" [2009]
"17 Theatrical Shorts on 2 Disks"
extras include two short docufilms, 'sneak peek' for "Green Lantern" feature
WarnerBrothers color DVD [4/2009] 2 disks for $17.85

"First Flight: The Fleischer Superman™ Series" short [New Wave/Warner Bros. 2006]
13-minute documentary short; no director credit; featuring Richard Fleischer {son of Max Fleischer}, author Leslie Cabarga, cartoon historian Jerry Beck,
Myron Waldman, Dan Riba, Leonard Grossman {son of Reuben Grossman}, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, DC Comics librarian Allen Asherman, Roger Stern
available on 2009 DVD set just above • credits at IMDbwatch full docushort [3/2018 upload; 12:36] online at YouTube

"The Man, The Myth, Superman" [Amity/Studio West 2009]
14-minute short that explores the tradition of 'superhuman' heroes on the page and screen; produced by Alexander Gray & Jeff Maynard • bare credits at IMDb

"Superman: The Golden Age of Animation" [podcast March 2016] by Kaptain Kristian
credits at IMDbwatch video docushort [3/2016 upload; 7:46] online at YouTube



title card for Gabby cartoon series from Fleischer Studios
Gabby of Lilliput cartoon character [1940-41]
Gabby cartoon series entry at Wikipedia
The Gabby character first appeared as the town crier in the 1939 animated feature "Gulliver's Travels", then in eight color cartoon shorts
from 10/1940 to 8/1941; today, all eight 'Gabby' cartoons are in the public domain.

#1 "King For A Day" [October 18, 1940]
http://www.archive.org/details/fleischer-gabby/King+for+a+Day+(1940).mp4 = 7:02 sepia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXunSmg3nXI

#2 "The Constable" [November 15, 1940]
http://www.archive.org/details/fleischer-gabby/The+Constable+(1940).mp4 = color 7:01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dajJxXqmU0

#3 "All's Well" [January 17, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/gabby_alls_well = color 6:33
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0kBMxbdOtc low sound volume

#4 "Two For The Zoo" [February 21, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/fleischer-gabby/Two+for+the+Zoo+(1941).mp4 = color 6:34
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ezN15C0NQI

#5 "Swing Cleaning" [April 11, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/Swing_Cleaning = b&w 6:44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x5U-vTvuws

#6 "Fire Cheese" [June 20, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/Gabby_Fire_Cheese_1941 = b&w 6:41
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og8kVHfTKwU

#7 "Gabby Goes Fishing" [July 18, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/Gabby_Goes_Fishing_1941 = b&w 7:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOeq5v2tlkA

#8 "It's A Hap-Hap-Happy Day" [August 15, 1941]
http://www.archive.org/details/fleischer-gabby/It's+a+Hap-Hap-Happy+Day+(1941).mp4 = color 7:11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnfFjuFrLoE

"Cartoonies on Laserdisc: Gabby" [Paramount/Republic Pictures 1991]
http://www.archive.org/details/LV27106 56:30

Max Fleischer's 'Gabby' Cartoons Collection on DVD  "Max Fleischer's 'Gabby' Cartoons Collection" [2015]
all eight 'Gabby' cartoons from 1940 & 1941
Directed by Dave Fleischer; voices of Pinto Colvig, Jack Mercer, Margie
Hines; DVD includes bonus "Gulliver's Travels" [1939] animated feature
V.C.I. Video color DVD [1/2015] for $10.89
Max Fleischer's 'Gabby' Cartoons Collection on DVD  "Max Fleischer's 'Gabby' Cartoons Collection" [2023]
all eight 'Gabby' cartoons from 1940 & 1941
Directed by Dave Fleischer; voices of Pinto Colvig, Jack Mercer, Randolph
Scott
; DVD includes five bonus "Color Classics" short cartoons: "Hawaiian
Birds" [1936], "Play Safe" [1936], "A Car-Tune Portrait" [1937], "Little
Lamby" [1937], "Hold It!" [1938]
Alpha Video color DVD [1/2023] for $8.40


Koko the Clown and Fitz the Dog cartoon characters        trade ad for Fleischer's Koko short films
Out of The Inkwell & Koko The Clown cartoons
Koko the Clown entry at Wikipedia
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Fleischers-Famous-INKWELL-Vol/dp/B00007M4ID

"Out of the Inkwell" incl Koko the Clown = 4 vol on VHS + DVDs
http://www.amazon.com/Max-Fleischers-Famous-INKWELL-Vol/dp/B00007M4ID = all rare/out 12/M6


title card for Fleischer's 'Koko Song Car-tune' shorts        intertitle for Fleischer's 'Koko's Glee Club'        color poster for Paramount/Famous 'Screen Song'
Song Car-Tunes / Screen Songs bouncing ball sing-along cartoon series
These short films asked the audience to 'follow the bouncing ball' and sing along as the song lyrics appeared onscreen. The series was first released in 1924-27, utilizing live musicians at each theater venue, later re-edited by adding the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, and re-released. The re-releases of the enhanced shorts starting in January 1925 complicates the historical record: In any case, "Come Take A Trip In My Airship" {IMDb}, made from the silent version of March 1924, was the first general release sound-on-film movie in history.

And then we discovered that the series was begun again: After the Fleischers left Red Seal/Inkwell, Alfred Weiss of Weiss Artcraft severely edited the cartoons - removing all references to the Fleischers - and in some cases adding new animations, with new releases around 1929; finally, the Fleischers and Paramount-Famous created new 'bouncing ball' and live action performance sing-along shorts - many in color - that were released from 1929 to 1958. The total may be as many as 100!

As usual, official records are one thing, and then there is what you find on Amazon or IMDb: There are supposed to be 34 or 36 films in the first "Song Car-Tunes" series, but the first cut on IMDb found 46 short films by Dave Fleischer in the Deforest sound process from 1924 to 1927 that have song-like titles. Clarification is not a priority matter at this time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncing_ball_(music)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Car-Tunes
http://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=song-cartune = 34 shorts
Fleischer All-Stars fansite page about 'Song Car-Tunes' shorts
Screen Songs (1929–1938) from Paramount/Famous = 57 items at Internet Archive
the De Forest Phonofilm sound-on-film process
color intro from Inkwell Images DVD {MP-4 file that loads to Windows Media in new window}

UU   black bullhorns indicate De Forest Phonofilm or other sound release

Fleischer Screen Song "Ain't She Sweet" [1933]
http://www.archive.org/details/1933FleischerScreenSongAintSheSweet 7:13

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" [1926] 6 min https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016579/

"Annie Laurie" [1926] 6 min | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016605/

"Beautiful Eyes" [1926]

"By The Light of The Silvery Moon" [1927] 5 min | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140868/

"Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016700/

UU   first general release sound film "Come Take A Trip In My Airship" [silent March 1924, sound Jan 1925]
music by George Evans, lyrics by Ren Shields • IMDb listing

UU   "Comin' Thro' The Rye" [Sept 1926] lyrics by Robert Burns https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140910/

UU   "Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built For Two)" [May 1925]
written by Harry Dacre in 1892 • IMDb listing

"Darling Nelly Gray" [1926] 7 min | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140936/

UU   "Dixie" [Nov 1925] written by Daniel Decatur Emmett in 1859 • IMDb listing

"Dolly Gray" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402972/

UU   "East Side, West Side" [1925] music by Charles Lawlor, lyrics by James W. Blake https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0140979/
UU   re-released as "Sidewalks of New York" with RCA Photophone sound [Feb 1929] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141823

"Everybody's Doing It" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016830/

"Finiculee Finicula" [1926]

"For Me and My Gal" [1926]

UU   "Goodbye My Lady Love" [silent June 1924, sound Aug 1929] 5 min https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141132/
+ with RCA Photophone sound /tt0141133/ written by Joseph E. Howard

UU   "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" [April 1926]
music by C.W. Murphy, lyrics by Will Letters, American lyrics by William J. McKenna;
marketed as a St. Patrick's Day holiday special, hand-colored by Gustav Brock • IMDb listing

"I Love A Lassie" [1925] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141281/

"I Love To Fall Asleep" [1926]

"In My Harem" [1926]

"In The Good Old Summer Time" [1926] 5 min https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141337/

"Just Try To Picture Me" [1926]

"Little Annie Rooney" [1931]
http://www.archive.org/details/LittleAnnieRooney 7.21

UU   "Margie" [Oct 1926]
music by Con Conrad & J. Russel Robinson, lyrics by Benny Davis https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017121/

"Mickey" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1012767/

UU   "Mother, Mother, Mother Pin A Rose On Me" [Dec 1926, July 1929]
written by Bob Adams, Dave Lewis, and Paul Schindler • 1926 IMDb listing + 1929 IMDb listing

"My Bonnie" [1925) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141630/

UU   "My Old Kentucky Home" [silent June 1926, sound Sept 1929] 10 min
written by Stephen Foster [1826-64] in 1853 • IMDb listing

"My Sweetie" [1926]

UU   "My Wife's Gone To The Country (Hurrah! Hurrah!)" [1926]
music by Ted Snyder, lyrics by Irving Berlin & George Whiting; cameo by Betty Boop • IMDb listing
watch full sound cartoon - kinda dark [6:19] online at YouTube

"Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017220/

"Oh I Wish I Was In Michigan" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017221/

"Oh, Suzanna" [1925] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141681/

"Oh What A Pal Was Mary" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017223/

"Oh, You Beautiful Doll" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141682/

"Old Black Joe" [1926] 6 min | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141687/

UU   "Old Folks At Home" [Feb 1925]
written by Stephen Foster [1826-64] in 1851 • IMDb listing

"Old Pal" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017228/

"Pack Up Your Troubles" [1926] 6 min | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141701/

"The Rocky Road To Dublin" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017332/

UU   "Sailing, Sailing" [Dec 1925]
written by Godfrey Marks • IMDb listing

UU   "Sailing, Sailing (Over The Bounding Main)" [Nov 1925]
written by Godfrey Marks • IMDb listing

"The Sheik of Araby" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017375/

"Swanee River" [1925] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141865/

"Sweet Adeline" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141866/

"Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Dee-Aye" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141878/

"Trail of The Lonesome Pine" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141911/

UU   "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (The Boys Are Marching)" [silent 1924, sound July 1926]
written by George Frederick Root in 1864 • IMDb listing
watch full 1924 silent cartoon [7/2005 upload; 4:10] online at YouTube

"Tumbledown Shack In Athlone" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017490/

"Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" [1927] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403661/

"When I Leave This World Behind" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017542/

"When I Lost You" [1926] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017543/

"When The Angelus Was Ringing" [1926]

UU   "When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'" [Nov 1926] 7 min
written by Irving Berlin • IMDb listing

UU   "Yak-A-Hula-Hick-A-Doola" [Dec 1926] also known as "Hawaiian Love Song"
written by E. Ray Goetz, Joe Young, and Pete Wendling • IMDb listing

Max Fleischer's Ko-Ko Song Car-tunes DVD from Inkwell Images  "Max Fleischer's Ko-Ko Song Car-tunes" [2003]
DVD includes: nice color intro and six b&w short films: "Comin' Thro The Rye" [Sept 1926], "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" [April 1926], "Margie" [Oct 1926], "My Old Kentucky Home" [1926/1929], "Tramp-Tramp-Tramp The Boys Are Marching" [July 1926], and "When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam'" [1926]
DVD produced by Ray Pointer, cartoons produced by Max Fleischer & directed by Dave Fleischer
Inkwell Images color/b&w DVD [11/2003] out of prodn/used


Family & Friends

Max Fleischer [1883-1972]
inventor of the rotoscope {patent 1917}; worked for John Bray at Paramount, 1914-21; Inkwell Films, 1921-24; Red Seal & Artcraft, 1924-29; formed Fleischer Studios in March 1929, with distribution by Paramount, until December 1941; studio changed to Paramount-Famous Studios in May 1942; Max made industrial films from 1942 to 1953; he retired in 1961 and he and Essie moved to the Motion Picture Home in 1967; Max died in 1972 at age 89.
Max's credits {over 650 titles} at IMDbWikipedia
wife Ethel 'Essie' Goldstein Fleischer [?-1988] - married 1905, widowed 1972

Max's daughter Ruth Fleischer Kneitel []
son-in-law (and exec at the studio) Seymour Holtzer Kneitel [1908-64]
Seymour's credits {over 400 titles} at IMDbWikipedia
three grandchildren

Max's son Richard Fleischer [1916-2006]
directing careerRichard's IMDb listing {60+ titles, 1943-89}Wikipedia

Just Tell Me When To Cry memoir by Richard Fleischer  "Just Tell Me When To Cry: A Memoir" [1993] by Richard Fleischer
Carroll & Graf 9½x6½ pb [7/93] out of print/used
Richard Fleischer's directing career [1943-89] included working with Charles Bronson, Walt Disney, Kirk Douglas, Rex Harrison, Charlton Heston, Howard Hughes, Robert Mitchum, Laurence Olivier, Edward G. Robinson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Wayne, Orson Welles, Darryl Zanuck, and many others


brother composer (and exec at the studio) Louis 'Lou' Fleischer [1891-1985]
Lou's credits {over 250 titles} at IMDbWikipedia
Lou's wife Elizabeth Harris Fleischer [d. 1969] - married 1915-69
two children

brother animator (and exec at the studio) Dave Fleischer [1894-1979]
Dave's credits {over 650 titles} at IMDbWikipedia
lover/secretary Mae Schwartz [] - circa 1938


L i n k s
AWN's Animation Industry Database
Cartoon Character Hall of Fame
Cartoon Portal at PortalBrain
Toonhound website [U.K.]

The Big Cartoon Database

animation category on Yahoo! Directory

Animation genre at Internet Movie Database

Cartoonists Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore

poster for Cartoons of Max Fleischer screening event   ad for Cartoons of Max Fleischer website  "Cartoons of Max Fleischer" website [2021]
staff members include Max Reid, Jane Fleischer Reid {Max Fleischer’s
granddaughter}, and Mauricio Alvarado

cartoons are being shown at arthouse movie venues and fan conventions around the USA
Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored, LLC [est. 2021] website


here on Magic Lantern's Fleischer Animation Studios Page

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