Acme Hour 8/15/01

[Sveven Dvorking]

What Price Fleadom (MGM)
A Horsefly Fleas (WB)
Dixieland Droopy (MGM)
To Itch his Own (WB)
The Flea Circus (MGM)
An Itch in Time (WB)

[PorkyandDaffy]

An all-flea day today.

WHAT PRICE FLEADOM - The interaction between Homer and the dog was nice. After eating all those beans, you'd figure Homer and the dog would get a little....uh, gassy. I'm disgusted at the editing at the end, though, since it's very obvious something's missing. We can even still see the dog's neck in a noose and two guns in his hands at one point. RATING: 4 out of 5.

A HORSEFLY FLEAS - A follow-up to AN ITCH IN TIME, but not quite as good as that. I'm surprised they're even showing this since it deals with Indian stereotypes, but this came on CN two times before in the last few months. How about some other banned Indian cartoons, CN? RATING: 3 out of 5.

DIXIELAND DROOPY - Very good cartoon. That's all I really can say. RATING: 5 out of 5.

TO ITCH HIS OWN - An okay cartoon, but kinda boring. RATING: 2 out of 5.

THE FLEA CIRCUS - Pretty good, but Avery's DIXIELAND DROOPY was better. I did like the song a lot. The flea clown sounded exactly like Droopy. The ending is similar to LITTLE JOHNNY JET. RATING: 3 out of 5.

AN ITCH IN TIME - I love this cartoon. I love the part where the dog turns different colors when A. Flea is drilling in his fur, and the part where the dog is dragging his body on the floor, then says to the camera "I better cut this out, I may get to like it!" (how'd that get past the Hayes office?). Notice the Looney Tunes comic book Elmer Fudd is reading? The hilarious suicide ending was, of course, edited. RATING: 5 out of 5.

[hiphats]

Analysis:

The theme of today's show was "The Acme Flea Market". All of today's shorts featured fleas. And, of course, today's show had two WB BR's without credits (don't you just hate it when a show ends with a BR without credits?)

High points:
"Dixieland Droopy"--yes, CN plays that one to death now a days, but it's funny. For those of you with SAP capability, it's even funnier in Spanish! By the way, this was the flat version.

"The Flea Circus"--The best of the flea cartoons. When the group of fleas finds a dog, it's up to our clown flea hero to mate with his best gal and produce a new "chorus line", if you will.

If you are among those on the West Coast with cable TV only and have the Pacific feed of CN, don't "flea" away from today's show!

[Sveven Dvorking]

Originally posted by PorkyandDaffy
A HORSEFLY FLEASthis came on CN two times before in the last few months.

Actually, it came on CN four times before in the last few months (since March).

It's more overplayed than *** ****** *******!

Sveven "didn't want to say that last title again" Dvorking

[Argus Sventon]

"Oh, there's food around the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for me."

I knew that song would come up in today's Acme Hour. Now I'll know what cartoon that song is from.

[hiphats]

Just a note of curiosity for those of you whose cable or satelite systems have the SAP Spanish simulcast...

The Spanish title for "Dixieland Droopy" (as mentioned by the announcer) translates in English to...get ready..."Musical Maestro"!

No kidding! Before "Dixieland Droopy" begins on tonight's encore broadcast, set your settings to SAP and hear for yourself. Then, listen to the entire Spanish simulcast! You'll laugh your socks off!

Oh, by the way, the Spanish titles differ from the English on the screen. For instance, yesterday's airing of the pre-dubbed AAP-opening version for "House Hunting Mice" had a Spanish simulcast, and its Spanish title translated into English became "Mechanical Problems" (or, for those of you who are expert in Spanish, "Problemos Mechanicos".

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Argus Sventon
"Oh, there's food around the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for me."

I knew that song would come up in today's Acme Hour. Now I'll know what cartoon that song is from.

OK - TRIVIA TIME!!!

a. the original lyrics were 'There's a Home Around the Corner' - think 1930's dustbowl.

b. not certain, but I believe this ditty was used in another LT/MM.
If so - Name That Toon!

d

p.s. - the 'I'd better cut this out...' line did not get past the Hayes Office - the original showing cut that, but left the suicide in...

[Jack]

The song with the "home around the corner" lyrics was also used in A HORSEFLY FLEAS, the sequel to AN ITCH IN TIME. I guess after he ate Elmer and the Dog, he had to find a new home.

There'll be home around the corner
home around the corner
home around the corner for me...


Jack:D

[bushnader666]

Did You Know:

"To Itch His Own" was the last Carl Stalling scored WB cartoon, ending a brilliant career from 1936-1958. (His first was "Porky's Poultry Plant."

[DR. BELCH]

Note that all the fleas in these shorts are cute little things. I want to see fleas in a cartoon shown realistically--hairy six-legged bug-eyed things with big blood-sucking mandibles.

The "I might get to like it!" line appeared also in TTA's "Hollywood Plucky", after the little green duck has his crotch slammed repeatedly against trees and mailboxes and such while being dragged behind a bus.

Technically those aren't Indians in "A Horsefly Fleas" but Indian fleas. They're OK. But no human Indians!

Oh, the subtext of "The Flea Circus"--"Viva le France" becoming a code word for...well, you know. I couldn't help but cringe at the sight of all that flea progeny, being a dog owner.

[Jon Cooke]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
Technically those aren't Indians in "A Horsefly Fleas" but Indian fleas. They're OK. But no human Indians!

If that was the case, CN should have no problem showing "Tom-Tom Tomcat" where Granny and Tweety's fort is attacked by a tribe of Indian putty tats. CN's censors really are hard to understand... but everybody here already knew that. :p


-Jon

[Argus Sventon]

Maybe WB will come to its senses someday, and we'll see Tom Tom Tomcat. Yeah, and AARP will have us as members, when that occurs. :p

[TraciWebb]

ANY CHANCE THAT SOMEONE OUT THERE HAS A PRINTABLE PICTURE OF THAT CARTOON FLEA FROM THE ACME FLEA MARKET? HE APPEARED IN A HORSEFLY FLEAS AND AN ITCH IN TIME. THANKS IN ADVANCE.