We're pleased as pomegranates to see a slew of classic cartoons turn up on websites other than YouTube. First off, there's Internet Archive, which we have relied on recently for posts about our favorite silent movie comedians. Among our favorites remains the comic who was also a stop-motion animation innovator, Charley Bowers.
Of course, these comedy heroes include the one, the only Felix The Cat!
While on the topic of silent era cartoons, must note the growing selection of Fleischer Studio, including entries from the original Out Of The Inkwell series.
There are also a bunch of Fleischer Screen Songs on Internet Archive. This is good, as neither the Fleischer nor Famous Studios Screen Songs have been released on Blu-ray as of yet. Some turn up periodically on Steve Stanchfield's Cartoon Research Thursdays.
There are literally hundreds of Warner Bros. cartoons on Vimeo, including the early directorial efforts of Bob Clampett.
Particularly love the Bob Clampett Looney Tunes which feature the very imaginative animation of none other than Chuck Jones.
Porky In Egypt (1938) is an absolutely brilliant cartoon. Can one make amazing comedy out of suffering hallucinations in a punishingly blazing desert? Yes!
As the gang at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog ponders the San Francisco Giants' hiring of Tony Vitello, longtime head coach of the 341-131 Tennesee Vols juggernaut, as the new manager, we doff our fedoras worn by Tex Avery to Internet Archive, Vimeo, Cartoon Research and Devon Baxter and close today's post with two very funny Looney Tunes directed by Norman McCabe. Both never fail to crack me up - it's this cartoon fan's fervent hope that historians Mike Barrier and Milt Gray interviewed Mr. McCabe at length regarding his 50+ year animation career.
Thinking of a couple of outstanding comedians today. Michael McKean, currently plugging the 2025 Spinal Tap movie along with Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner, celebrates his 78th birthday today.
First and foremost, there's something about the very earnest cover of the Rolling Stones' Start Me Up by The Folksmen that cracks me up.
The blog shall toast Michael and the superb comedy he has helped bring to a weary and stressed-out world over many decades, and also toast another outstanding comic born on this date in Quebec City, Norm MacDonald.
Here's a terrific interview and overview of Mr. McKean's lengthy showbiz career. Thanks a million for this, SAG AFTRA!
Michael McKean's episode of Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast is a must-listen.
In the "I did not know that" department, the IMDB entry for Michael McKean notes: In early 1967, he was briefly a member of the New York City "baroque pop" band The Left Banke and played on the "Ivy, Ivy" single.
First heard about Michael McKean via the early 1970's improv group The Credibility Gap, which also featured David L. Lander and Harry Shearer.
The erudite and talented San Francisco deejay John Gilliland hosted a Sunday night comedy show on what was back then a top AM radio station and did us listeners the favor of playing very funny sketches by The Credibility Gap. Did not know until decades later than John was, at KRLA, an early member of the improv troupe in the late 1960's.
Michael and David L. Lander found their way from The Credibility Gap to the Garry Marshall sitcom LaVerne & Shirley as goofballs Lenny & Squiggy. Their best bits were the songs of Lenny & The Squigtones, although the then-prominent laugh track often drowns them out.
Was never crazy about Laverne & Shirley, even as a fan of previous Garry Marshall series (The Odd Couple), since by that time Monty Python's Flying Circus reruns, Saturday Night Live and SCTV were on the air. Still kept an eye out for Mr. McKean's appearances on Saturday Night Live a few years later, when Dick Ebersol produced the show.
The following sketches featuring The Folksmen and Spinal Tap is from the 10th season of SNL, the last produced by Ebersol. Ever so briefly, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest were SNL cast members.
Love those clips of Spinal Tap's early years!
There's so much to draw from that we shall very likely be making additions and edits to this post all weekend. The Return Of Spinal Tap is required viewing.
And then there are the Christopher Guest feature films, in which Michael McKean is among a super-talented stock company, along with Catherine O' Hara, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael Hitchcock and John Michael Higgins.
To make the segue from Michael McKean to Norm MacDonald, here is Adam Sandler's song from the SNL 50 extravaganza. In the Sandman's nicely done hat tip to Saturday Night Live's casts and production crew which starts at 3:45, Michael and Norm are duly noted!
Devoted a lengthy post to Norm MacDonald, born October 17, 1959 at some length at the time of his untimely passing in 2021. Were there any clips not included in that post? Yes - this one.
If that isn't sufficient Norm, watch the following!
Pre-eminent among Chess Records' many ambassadors to the world: bandleader-bassist-songwriter-vocalist Willie Dixon.
One of this writer's all-time favorite albums was recorded at Chicago's North Park Hotel. Chicago music titan Gene Ammons, tenor saxophonist and son of boogie-woogie piano king Albert Ammons, is in top form!
Speaking of Gene Ammons, he is arguably our favorite among the numerous greats who waxed albums and singles for Chess Records. Ammons had the first of two records released by Leonard Chess on the newly-formed Chess Records label in 1950, titled "My Foolish Heart" (Chess 1425); the second release was "Rolling Stone" by Muddy Waters (Chess 1426). Gene recorded the excellent Soulful Saxophone album for Chess. His epic Live! In Chicago album, recorded at The DJ Lounge in Chicago for the Argo label, is a must for any music fan.
Other musical masterpieces from Chess Records include
Chuck Berry - The Great Twenty-Eight
Etta James - At Last!
The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions
Soundtrack to Rock, Rock, Rock
Go Bo Diddley (1958)
The Best of Little Walter
The Real Folk Blues - Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker
Albums, many outstanding, by Muddy Waters, Sarah Vaughn, Anita O' Day, Mort Sahl, Richard Pryor, The Smothers Brothers, Barbra Streisand, Cass Elliot, Dale Hawkins, Bill Cosby, Freddie Prinze and Ella Fitzgerald were recorded there.
On this October day in appalling 2025 at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog, we tip our borrowed Chicago Cubs caps, hopefully previously owned by Mike Krukow, to Mister Kelly's and the city of Chicago, where Chess Records and Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records waxed incredible music and a portion of East 36th Street near Cottage Grove Avenue is Sam Cooke Way. Kudos, bravos, huzzahs, good luck and countless inflatable animal costumes (along with documentary filmmakers) to the Windy City!
It's October 4th, so we have no choice but to pay tribute to Buster Keaton on his birthday.
Buster Keaton's half century in movies and TV remains quite remarkable and encompasses everything from Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in ROUGH HOUSE and Chaplin's LIMELIGHT to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
The diehard film buffs at Way Too Damn Lazy To Write A Blog regard Buster Keaton as the greatest movie comedian, filmmaker and gag writer of all, a singular comic genius.
At the turn of the 20th century in The Three Keatons, Buster was a vaudeville star, as the acrobatic little kid who got thrashed repeatedly in crowd-pleasing mayhem onstage.
Buster began his movie career in a series of short subjects for Comique Productions as a supporting player with slapstick comedian Roscoe Arbuckle, the rotund yet extremely agile star of Mack Sennett's Keystone.
After Paramount Pictures signed the aforementioned Roscoe Arbuckle to headline feature films, Buster inherited the big guy's studio and would launch his own starring series.
Buster assembled a staff of top comedy writers, including Jean Havez and Clyde Bruckman.
The Buster Keaton Productions team would go on to produce short subjects, followed by features.
The transition from independent producer to star for MGM in 1928 would be disastrous, but at first, in silents, such good movies as The Cameraman resulted, even with a Buster Keaton who was no longer directing and producing.
He would end up more as an MGM contract player than the exceptional comedy creator and director he was in silents.
The Cameraman is the one Keaton starring vehicle that combines the big budget gloss of MGM with Buster's inventive ideas and storytelling prowess.
Buster ultimately transitioned from one of his best films, The Cameraman to a series in which he was teamed with wisecracking Jimmy Durante. While we love both Buster and Schnozzola, the teaming doesn't do justice to either comedian.
While Buster's MGM talkies were not masterpieces as his silent features were, some were at least decent enough and entertaining.
For some reason, the powers that were at MGM had the notion that presenting Buster as an idiot, rather than the low-key yet resourceful fellow from such silents as The General, meant surefire laughs.
Would assume from this inexplicable approach that Irving Thalberg, a man with frequently extremely accurate instincts about entertainment, was not involved directly with Buster's MGM features other than The Cameraman.
Buster enters this excerpt from the 1932 MGM feature The Passionate Plumber at 6:29.
Even the worst of the MGM features, What! No Beer? (1933), has its moments, regardless of how baked Buster looks throughout.
Buster transitioned to starring in 2-reelers for Educational Pictures in 1934.
In Educational Pictures' 1920's heydey, such comedians as Al St. John, Lupino Lane and Lloyd Hamilton starred in series.
While Harry Langdon made very good Educational Pictures sound comedies (The Big Flash, Knight Duty) in 1932-1933, by the time Buster arrived there, the company was on the downside.
That said, there is something impressive about Buster making very entertaining comedy shorts on miniscule budgets and extremely tight shooting schedules.
After starring in 16 short subjects for Educational, Buster moved on to the Columbia Shorts Department.
In general, the less said about the Buster Columbias, the better.
There are very funny bits throughout and excellent work by the Columbia Shorts Department stock company (Lorna Gray in particular).
While Buster's performances and physical comedy are very good and some of the 2-reelers are okay, the only comics who truly fit Jules White's slam-bang slapstick format at Columbia remain The Three Stooges.
