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After the box office failure of Hoppity Goes to Town (a.k.a. Mr. Bug Goes to Town, 1941), executives at Paramount fired Max and Dave Fleischer, changed their studio's name to Famous, and moved operations to New York. They continued making Popeye cartoons but in color, and built new series around Little Lulu (from Marge Buell's magazine cartoons), Little Audrey, Baby Huey, Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Herman and Katnip. They even tried reviving the sing-along format of the "Screen Song" films from the mid-1920's. Despite the presence of some talented artists, the Famous cartoons never matched the humor or imagination of the earlier Fleischer shorts, and the viewer looks in vain for the rapid pacing, polished animation, and brash gags that were being developed at MGM and Warner Bros. "Golden State" and "The Mild West" offer faded versions of jokes Tex Avery had used years earlier in his travelogue spoofs at Warners. Animation collectors may want to add these outré films to their collections, but most viewers will quickly tire of their limited charms. Some gags about Indians and rolling-pin toting wives seem very dated--and not funny. Not rated; suitable for all ages, although parents should be aware of possibly offensive ethnic and sexual stereotypes. --Charles Solomon The episodes: 1. Bargain Counter Attack, 2. Quack A Doodle Doo, 3. Self Made Mongrel, 4. Base Brawl, 5. Out to Punch, 6. Seapreme Court, 7. Golden State, 8. A Haunting We Will Go, 9. Suddenly It's Spring, 10. Scout with the Gout, 11. The Mild West, 12. Scrappily Married
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