Friday, June 20, 2014

Egghead Rides Again: A Meh Cartoon Enlivened by Irvin [sic] Spence Animation

RELEASE DATE:
7/17/1937 (according to the Big Cartoon Database; IMDb claims a 11/29/1937 release date)

DVD/BLU-RAY AVAILABILITY:
Kid Galahad DVD (part of WHV's Gangsters Collection, v.4)

You can view a mid-1990s Turner print of this cartoon HERE.

The Avery pattern of major film/minor effort rides again! After the game-changing meta-slap of Uncle Tom's Bungalow, this cartoon seems tame and unexceptional. Cheerful, yes. Mildly amusing, for certain. But it's unworthy of Avery and his unit.

The chief joy of Egghead Rides Again is Irv Spence's charming, eccentric animation. His work both looks back and ahead. His drawing style is redolent of the spiky, kinetic look of Ub Iwerks' mid-1930s cartoons. The apparent influence of Grim Natwick informs Spence's way of drawing.