For the season finale, J.D. ties up loose ends with the help of Danny Horn (The Fantastic Miss Piggy Podcast) as they discuss a Friz Freleng masterpiece. We get into Freleng's early career, the peculiar popularity of Porky Pig, and, making his Stick to Shorts debut, Daffy Duck! Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Danny Horn Content Warning for Cartoon: smoking. Availability: Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection, Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Platinum Collection, Vol. 2; Porky Pig 101. Notes: The Friz Freleng quote at the end of the episode pertaining to You Ought to Be in Pictures is from page 242 of Of Mice and Magic by Leonard Maltin.

Tori Schmidt joins J.D. to talk all things Tom and Jerry! We needed an example of a generic Tom and Jerry cartoon, and we decided this one’s ordinary enough. We think you’ll find that this run-of-the-mill MGM cartoon proves their mill was pretty darn good. We talk about William Hanna and Joe Barbera’s early careers, the remarkable success of their cat and mouse duo, and the remarkable failure of Chuck Jones’ Tom and Jerry era. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guests: Tori Schmidt Content Warning for Cartoon: spanking; cartoon violence. Content Warning for Podcast Episode: mentions of gun violence and other harm that these characters do to each other (whacking, cutting, etc.). Availability: Tom & Jerry's Greatest Chases, Vol. 2; Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection, Vol. 1; Tom and Jerry Golden Collection, Vol. 1; Tom and Jerry: 85th Anniversary Kids Collection. Notes: My main sources for the history of Tom and Jerry were the MGM chapter of Of Mice and Magic and the documentary How Bill and Joe Met Tom and Jerry. My comments on the kind of violence that Hanna and Barbera were willing to do compared to what was happening at Warner were greatly influenced by Michael Barrier's observations about the use of sharp objects in their cartoons on pages 407-408 of Hollywood Cartoons. I learned of Joe Barbera's penchant for plate rail gags from Mark Kausler's audio commentary track for Puss Gets the Boot. In the episode I mention the Cartoon Research article "The INVISIBLE Article" by Charles Gardner.

G! G! Ryan Roe and Anthony Strand (Movin' Right Along) attempt to help J.D. decipher the pop culture references in classic cartoons. Do they succeed? Listen to find out! (They don't.) Listen anyway! (You won't.) Topics include: one-shot cartoons, the old celebrities we first encountered in cartoon caricatures, the career of Tex Avery, and what this cartoon tells us about how the animators saw their own place in the Hollywood system. Please write in to tell us who has the most oomph! Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guests: Ryan Roe and Anthony Strand Content Warning for Cartoon: wolf-whistling; visual fat joke; smoking. Content Warning for Podcast Episode: discussion of a joke that is definitely bad, but I don't know how best to categorize its badness. Racist? Antisemitic? Xenophobic? All of the above? Availability: Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection, Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Platinum Collection, Vol. 2; Looney Tunes: Parodies Collection. Notes: I strongly encourage you to check out Devon Baxter's article "'Hollywood Steps Out': The Full Scoop" on CartoonResearch.com. It has a lot more info than I shared on the podcast, naturally. Other sources that I cited in the podcast (but feel I might as well name again here) include Donald Crafton's essay "The View from Termite Terrace: Caricature and Parody in Warner Bros. Animation" from Kevin S. Sandler's Reading the Rabbit, the "Behind the Tunes" featurette "Looney Tunes Go Hollywood", and The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons by Jerry Beck for its introduction by Leonard Maltin and its entry on Hollywood Steps Out by Keith Scott. For the explanation of Avery's departure from the Schlesinger studio, I refer you to the article "The Heckling Hare Problem" by Thad Komorowski and pages 365 and 609 of Hollywood Cartoons by Michael Barrier. The info about Avery's sabbatical comes from Hollywood Cartoons by Michael Barrier, pages 430-431.

ToughPigs' Danny Horn and Joe Hennes fly in to talk about Superman in his cinematic debut! We also look at where this fits into the history of the Fleischer studio. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guests: Danny Horn and Joe Hennes Content Warning for Animated Short: flashing lights; death. Selected Availability: Public Domain; Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection; The Superman Motion Picture Anthology (among other releases of Superman: The Movie); Max Fleischer’s Superman 1941-1943. Notes: At some point in this episode, one of us referred to comic book writer Grant Morrison using he/him pronouns. It should be noted that, in recent years, Grant Morrison has expressed a preference (albeit a very loose one, from what I've read) for being referred to with they/them pronouns. Apologies for the error. Click here to read the article on Cartoon Research by Jerry Beck on the rumored deleted dialogue from this cartoon. In all honesty, my homework for this episode was a little rushed and relied on video sources almost exclusively, possibly at the expense of accuracy. Most of my info about the Fleischer studio came from the documentary Out of the Inkwell: The Fleischer Story. For information more specific to Superman and his shorts, I relied on the audio commentary track on the cartoon by Paul Dini on the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection and the featurettes Max Fleischer's Superman: Speeding Toward Tomorrow and First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series.

Our Cartoonorama continues with our introduction to the MGM studio! Ryan Roe joins this discussion about the debut of one of our favorite characters: Droopy! We talk about Tex Avery's talent for over-the-top gags and how this cartoon fits into (and doesn't fit into) the genre of chase cartoons. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Ryan Roe Content Warning for Animated Short: attempted suicide (sort of?); guns. Content Warning for Episode: mentions of above. Selected Availability: Tex Avery’s Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection; Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1. References: The voice cast credits can be found in this article: "'Hello All You Happy Taxpayers': Tex Avery's Voice Stock Company" by Keith Scott The MGM chapter of Of Mice and Magic by Leonard Maltin was used for general information on the MGM studio and Tex Avery's time there. I heard/saw the interview with Tex Avery in which he talks about his approach to cartoons in relation to Disney's in a Behind the Tunes featurette called "A Conversation with Tex Avery". That version had music under it, so the audio I used is from this upload of the footage on the YouTube channel Historic Films Stock Footage Archive. I can't remember if one or both of them got cut, but the script includes quotes from animators Eric Goldberg and John R. Dilworth. These come from the documentary King-Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution. The John Canemaker quote is from the documentary featurette Droopy and Friends: A Laugh Back. I mentioned that Chuck Jones said Tex Avery felt that something had gone wrong with Bugs in Avery's Tortoise Beats Hare. I heard this in the audio commentary track for that cartoon that is made up of archival clips from Chuck Jones interviews.

In our first proper look at the Disney studio, J.D. is joined by artist Kristi O. to discuss this essential Mickey Mouse cartoon. Topics include: Mickey's status as Disney's icon and how that affected his cartoons, how the Disney studio pushed animation forward, the particular talents of animators Bill Tytla and Fred Moore, the weirdness of the Brothers Grimm's publication of "The Brave Little Tailor", where to watch Disney movies in Canada in the 1990s, and Bill Roberts: Mystery Man. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Kristi O. Content Warning for Animated Short: smoking depiction. Selected Availability: Disney+ (unrestored); The Sword in the Stone; Mickey Mouse in Living Color; Mickey and the Beanstalk; Celebrating Mickey; Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts. Special Thanks: Tori Schmidt References: As mentioned in the episode, Devon Baxter's excellent profile of director Burt Gillett for CartoonResearch.com is a nifty history of one of the most impactful cartoon directors. Directing at Disney by Don Oeri and Pete Docter and The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston are cited throughout the episode, but I also relied on Of Mice and Magic by Leonard Maltin for further context. The translation I used for "The Brave Little Tailor" by the Brothers Grimm comes from Jack Zipes' 2002 third edition of The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.

Anthony Strand from ‘Movin’ Right Along’ joins J.D. for a chat about one of the most acclaimed animated shorts of all time, ‘One Froggy Evening’! We discuss Chuck Jones, The WB, and how weird it is that Michigan J. Frog and Kermit the Frog are about the same age. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Anthony Strand Content Warning for Animated Short: involuntary hospitalization. Content Warning for Podcast Episode: mention of outdated language in the original recording of “Hello! Ma Baby”; mention of involuntary hospitalization; mention of suicide. Selected Availability: Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Vol. 1; Best of Warner Bros. 50 Cartoon Collection: Looney Tunes; Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces References: The Leonard Maltin quote about Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese is from the Behind the Tunes featurette "It Hopped One Night: The Story of One Froggy Evening" The Jerry Beck quote about Jones' early work being "cutesy-poo" comes from his audio commentary track for Naughty but Mice on Looney Tunes Mouse Chronicles: The Chuck Jones Collection (Blu-Ray). The Michael Barrier quote about Jones' poses is from his book Hollywood Cartoons, p. 485. I heard the Chuck Jones quote about One Froggy Evening on the audio commentary track. The Tom Kenny quote is from the Behind the Tunes featurette "One Hit Wonder".

Welcome to Stick to Shorts! Most of this first episode is introductory table-setting to give you a sense of what you're in for and what cartoons you can expect us to talk about. You’ll hear a little bit about classic cartoon distribution, the academic response to a cartoon crisis, the history of the Looney Tunes style, and why it’s kind of impossible to make a good podcast about classic animated shorts. All in all, you’ll learn why it’s important to talk about these cartoons as films and as historical works. Then, this week’s trip through ToonTown takes us to the Bob Clampett masterpiece ‘Porky in Wackyland’ (1938), and Becca Petunia from ToughPigs joins the fun to talk about the appropriately wacky legacy of the Do-Do. It’s a packed show that’ll have you saying, “FOO!” Whatever that means. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Becca Petunia Correction: I said Clampett's inspiration for Porky in Wackyland was a newspaper article about an actual expedition to Africa to find the dodo bird. In fact, that expedition was to find a rare bird, but I don't have any reason to believe they thought they would find the famously extinct dodo bird. Cartoon Content Warning: racial stereotyping (brief, abstract reference to The Jazz Singer). Podcast Content Warning: references to racism; references to Nazis. Selected Cartoon Availability: Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Vol. 2; Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Vol. 2; Porky Pig 101 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age by Michael Barrier Clarifies why Harmon and Ising left Schlesinger and went to MGM (p. 164) Info on the "Termite Terrace" building(s) (pp. 334, 607) History and analysis of Porky's Duck Hunt (pp. 336-337) General history of Looney Tunes The 50 Greatest Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck The removal of "Injun Joe" from Porky in Wackyland (p. 63) Staff responses to Porky in Wackyland from Tashlin, Larson, and Maltese (p. 62) The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons edited by Jerry Beck Steve Schneider: "Warner Bros.' Emancipation Proclamation…" (p. 142) Clampett's inspiration from reading about an African expedition (p. 142) Ted Pierce's voice credit (p. 142) General history of Looney Tunes Madness: The Invention of an Idea by Michelle Foucault Info on the history of folly/madness Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler Walt Disney: "The short subject was just a filler on any program…" (p. 214) The "stick to shorts" story (pp. 267-268) Warren Susman: "The Disney world is a world out of order…" (p. 151-152) General history of Mickey Mouse and 1930s Disney cartoons Nobody’s Normal by Roy Richard Grinker Info on the history of folly/madness Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons by Leonard Maltin Chuck Jones on Three Little Pigs: "There were three characters…" (p. 40) MGM "New Deal" promo (p. 282) Clampett became a director in 1937 (p. 236) Leonard Maltin: "Clampett's first real gem was the incredible Porky in Wackyland" (p. 237) General history of Looney Tunes Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation edited by Kevin S. Sandler As I make clear in episode, I pull a lot from this book’s introductory essay, “Looney Tunes and Merrie Metonyms” by Sandler (pp. 1, 4-5, 11-12, 28) "A Short Critical History of Warner Bros. Cartoons" by Barry Putterman helped with my general knowledge of Looney Tunes history The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston Frank and Ollie: “Through the years, the term ‘Stick to Shorts’…” (p. 152) Articles: ScreenRant: “The True Meaning Of 'Foo'" by Ambrose Tardive A history of "foo" LA Times: "Why do so many Mexican Americans defend Speedy Gonzales?" by Gustavo Arellano An interesting article on the status of Speedy Gonzales Cartoon Resea

Hello, all you happy people! The first season of Stick to Shorts is coming soon! On this show, we'll be talking about notable classic cartoon shorts from Disney, Warner Bros., Fleischer, MGM, and more. Enjoy this sample of the nerdery to come!