For those in my generation, going to the movies was a regular, often weekly, activity. The entertainment at the local movie theater began with the previews of coming attractions, followed by a plea from the concession stand to buy some snacks and drinks, and then the cartoons. Sometimes the theater manager played two, but generally one cartoon.
In retrospect, the cartoons were often more entertaining
than the feature film that followed. Audiences, never knowing which
cartoon would be playing, roared in approval when the classics came on, and
maybe groaned a little when the less than stellar cartoons appeared.
When America went to the movies in the 50’s and 60’s, characters like Popeye
the Sailor Man were on hand to entertain and save the day for the likes
of Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea and the burger mooching Wimpy. If the spinach
industry had a Hall of Fame, Popeye would head the list. Almost every adult
Boomer today likes or will tolerate the leafy vegetables solely because of
Popeye.
The one-eyed sailor – when the chips were down – regained his strength, usually
by sucking an entire can of spinach through his pipe. Then woe be
to Brutus, Bluto, or other villains. Popeye also starred in comic books
and on television, but young and old alike delighted when the cartoon of the
day at the movies began with this jingle:
I’m Popeye the Sailor man.
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.
I eats me spinach and fights to the finish,
I’m Popeye the Sailor Man.
Another great cartoon of that era was Roadrunner. The first Roadrunner cartoon
appeared in 1949, called “The Fast and the Furry-ious.” The
popular cartoons continued through the mid-60’s, but never once did Wile
E. Coyote catch the rapid Roadrunner of “beep, beep”, fame.”
In most episodes the not-so-wily coyote orders complex devices from the Acme
Corporation designed to detonate at the exact instant the
Roadrunner passes by. But we all know how that story ended as the
Roadrunner zooms by, with Wile E. Coyote still holding the dynamite, which
explodes and leaves the unfortunate coyote in tattered, burning fur or
crashing to the ground from the mountaintops.
Mr. Magoo was another crowd pleaser. Officially named Quincy Magoo, the
near-sighted character was created in 1949 and was voiced by the
immortal Jim Backus, a star of Gilligan’s Island. Magoo, who stubbornly
refused to recognize his affliction, found himself in sticky situations in each
and every episode, but was somehow able to wiggle out of trouble no worse
for the wear. In 2002, TV Guide ranked Mr. Magoo number 29 on its
list of the “50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time”.
And who can forget these words: “I tawt I taw a putty tat!”
That would be Tweety Bird, a Looney Tunes character, voiced by Mel Blanc. As
with many of the Blanc characters, Tweety had a slight speech impediment.
He had a hard time with the letter “s”. Pussy cat became “putty tat”. Sweetie
became “tweety” and so on. The innocent canary was constantly pursued by
Sylvester the Cat, who voiced this famous expression: “Thufferin’ Thucatash!”
Heckle and Jeckle, Tom and Jerry, Mighty Mouse, Daffy Duck, Woody Woodpecker,
Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Porky
Pig and Pepe LePew were among the many cartoon stars who entertained us young folks
back when popcorn was a dime, Cokes were a nickel and a large box of Milk
Duds cost ten cents. Yes, cartoons were once featured at the movies, but no
more.
Like they used to say, “That’s All Folks!”
