Jan. TTTP Cartoon of the Month - Tex Avery's "Magical Maestro"

[Pietro]

http://lantz.toonzone.net/topsecret/toonmonth/toonmonth.jpg
Welcome again, members of the TTTP, to "The Spotlight Cartoon of the Month!"

This month's cartoon has been selected by you, the members of the TTTP, "Magical Maestro"

http://lantz.toonzone.net/topsecret/toonmonth/magicalmaestro.jpg

Studio:
MGM

Original Release Date:
February 9, 1952

Original Film Credits:
Directed by Tex Avery
Animation: Grant Simmons, Michael Lah, and Walter Clinton
Story: Rich Hogan
Musical Direction: Scott Bradley
Produced by Fred Quimby

Description: On the night of his performance, Poohini is greeted by Mysto the Magician. "What your show needs is a sure fire magic act! It's all done with a wave of my little magic wand!" Not impressed, Poochini kicks Mysto out, but then Mysto plots his revenge to sabotage the show. He disguises as the compoer and uses his magic wand instead of the baton. This makes rabbits and flower pots appear in Poochini's hands while singing "Figaro." When Poochini decides to smell the flower on his coated he gets squirted. He tries to wipe off the water, but ends up pulling more and more hankerchiefs out of his pocket tied together until he comes to his pants. Now Mysto decides to have a little fun and turns Poohini into a ballernia, an indian chief, a tennis player, a convict, and a football player. Then Mysto turns Poochini into a Chinaman singing a Chinese interrupting Poochni's "Figaro." Poochini continues with Fiagro but is turned into a western singer. More rabbits appear in Poochini's hands! He is then lifted into the air and crash lands back to stage. Mysto then changes Poochini into a square dance caller! Poochini continues singing "Figaro" but is interruted by a hair in the film which he plucks out. Then Mysto changes him into a little boy singing "A tisket, a tasket, I lost my yellow basket." An angry audience member throws fruit at Poochini turing him into Carmen Miranda! The two rabbits join in song. Then the angry audience member squirts him with ink changing him into a member of "The Inkspots." Then an anvil is thrown at him turning him into Fat Waller! A rabbit washes him off, another "cranks" him up, while Poochini sings "Figaro" faster. Then Poochini is turned into a Hawwian dancer with the two rabbits by his side singing "Hoo Ha." But then Mysto's wig falls off and Poochini takes out revenge on him by turning him into a Chinaman, the western singer, the little kid, and the Hawiian dancer!

Also Be Sure to See: The Many Faces of the Magical Maestro (http://lantz.toonzone.net/topsecret/toonmonth/)!

That's all for this month folks!

(Stay tuned next month for a Chuck Jones classic, a favorite of Steven Spielburg and George Lucas)

Comments? Questions?

(01/01/03)

-Pietro:D

[Pilmedium]

I must admit this is a good cartoon and probably would have been my second choice. It is too bad that the edited version is more common.

[Tintin]

I liked your Spotlight with pictures of this short Pietro! :D :)

[J Lee]

A re-worked and improved version of John Hubley's "The Magic Fluke" for all you UPA/Fox and Crow fans out there. Tex apparently was studying UPA's ideas about the same time he and Ed Benedict started borrowing the studio's background and design styles for other releases, beginning with "Symphony In Slang."

I saw "Magical Maestro" at the Carnegie Hall Cinema in New York just as the MGM post-48 package of Avery cartoons was going into syndication. It was part of an entire show of Avery MGM cartoons, most of which were rarely on the air at that time, and nothing got bigger sustained laughs than this cartoon (and outside of the square dance scene from "Hillbilly Hare" no other theatrical cartoon I've ever seen in its natural setting has gotten sustained laughs like this one).

[mjsmith]

I do still have a VHS of "Tex Avery's Screwball Classics" with that one uncut, and it's still funny!!! :harley:

[Nelson]

A great choice to start the new year off Pietro :cool:

Any chance we can see a "cartoon of the month" with either a Heckle And Jeckle or a Max Fleischer, Talkartoon cartoon short, Pietro? That would be great to see. :D

[Pietro]

Actually, I do have a Talkartoon and a Heckle and Jeckle lined up for sometime later this year.

Hint: The Talkartoon is one of the most surreal Fleischer cartoons and has NOT been released on the Betty Boop collection....

-Pietro:D

[rodney]

This is easily one of my favorite cartoons ever, and I'd love to see it in a crowded theater (uncut)!

[Daniel P]

Remember those rabbits in the cartoon? They are so funny. Has this cartoon been shown recently? I don't think I have seen it in a while.

I remember seeing it uncut a few years ago. It's 100% funnier when it's uncut. When watching the edited version, you just know that something is missing.

[Emmanuel Cruz]

Great job on the information and pictures, Pietro. I think this is one of Avery's best cartoons at MGM. I've always liked it as a kid. (I remember seeing this cartoon on TNT or TBS about 8 or 9 years ago.) Too bad I've never seen the uncut version.

-Emmanuel:bosko:

[Spike Mcdougal]

This was my favorite when it aired uncut. I laughed my butt off for two minutes when the anvil got droped on him and was singing like that.

I do still have a VHS of "Tex Avery's Screwball Classics" with that one uncut, and it's still funny!!!

For real!?! Must find it!!!!!!!!!

[cabe624]

Originally posted by Spike Mcdougal
This was my favorite when it aired uncut. I laughed my butt off for two minutes when the anvil got droped on him and was singing like that.



For real!?! Must find it!!!!!!!!!

You can usually find it on ebay, or maybe Amazon.com has a copy. I have the laserdisc version, and the print is very good, not to mention un-cut. I have to say this is probally my favorite cartoon. I love the "kid with a basket part", but i esp. like the now cut scenes where he's turned into a black singer. The cartoon is unbelieveable.

[rodney]

I think it's still in print.

[Spike Mcdougal]

If I can find the tape and rent it it's good enough for me

[Boy Wonder]

Originally posted by Pilmedium
I must admit this is a good cartoon and probably would have been my second choice. It is too bad that the edited version is more common.

Yeah, but then yet again, of the two, the black singer was funnier (the other being a Chinese guy).

[Pilmedium]

I will probably not get around to buying that video.

Originally posted by dacp3
Has this cartoon been shown recently? I don't think I have seen it in a while.

It was on twice in December.

[Lee Glover]

Magical Maestro - good choice! As well as Bad Luck Blackie, it's one of my fave Tex Avery toons of all time. The Hawaiian dance act is the best bit, I have tears of laughter just thinking about it right now!
Fortunately, I now have that toon on an asian DVD of Tex Avery's Screwball Classics (titled "Red Hot Riding Hood"). Not the best transfer, but at least I don't have to worry about wearing the DVD out with repeated viewing, like my previous VHS copy.

[J. J. Hunsecker]

I love that hair-in-the-projector gag! This is one of Avery's best!

[Brandon Pierce]

I shoul;d point out, that there IS a much better way of editing the black singer scene. CN has 2 options:

1. Just leave the damn thing alone and air it uncut (but, then censors would be out of a job and go on strike and CN would sue our asses off).
2. Continue the footage of the "Camen Miranda" scene where one of the rabbits push the cardboard cut-out off-stage, then cut to the footage of poochini conducting the music, and the censors could "loop" the music. CN probably wouldn't edit it this way, because it's a bit technical. But, hell, it'd look SO MUCH better than the way they edit it now.