. . . as "mutton" practically rhymes with "cotton," and sheep form the basis for Big Wool, as in "Don't let the seditious Rebel traitors pull the wool over your eyes." Watching MUCH ADO ABOUT MUTTON will remind most viewers that it's best to avoid wearing BOTH cotton and wool, as they go hand-in-hand with one of the Hallmarks of the South: The Wanton Fool. The dark sheep here is likely to rub most True Blue patriotic loyal Americans the wrong way, as he does everything possible to thwart, taunt and torture the poor famished wolf. Fans of MUCH ADO ABOUT MUTTON will want to stock up on other backwards bigoted films of the 1900's, such as the Clark Gable 1939 snooze fest, Gashed with the Whip. Like MUTTON, the latter film also includes the traitors' marching dirge, "Dixie."
3 Reviews
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
TheLittleSongbird17 October 2019
Famous Studios did agreed do a lot of very good work in the 40s, before tighter time constraints and lower budgets contributed a lot to some of their 50s and most of their 60s output underwhelming (namely the mid-late years). Of the Noveltoons series, some are better than others with the 40s output tending to be in the better half due to higher production values, more care put into all the different components and feeling fresher.
The last of four cartoons to star Blackie and his encounters with the Big Bad Wolf is a very good one and one of the best of the four in my view. It is not a masterpiece in animation and it is not quite one of the best Noveltoons cartoons, but it is lightyears away from being one of the worst. As well as being very well made and scored (both typical for the Noveltoons series so that wasn't a surprise), 'Much Ado About Mutton' is also entertaining and the two lead characters are a delight.
'Much Ado About Mutton' is flimsy narratively and the lambs have very little to do other than being a plot device.
However, the lush and lively music score, that not only doesn't jar but enhances, more than compensates. As does the animation, some of the backgrounds are just gorgeous and the colours practically pop out at you. Despite the flimsiness, that doesn't stop 'Much Ado About Mutton' from never being dull.
It is hardly devoid of humour, and what there is is genuinely funny. The third act is especially well executed, regardless of any predictability there are some genuinely rib-tickling moments and the timing is crisp throughout. The ending is also a highlight. The chemistry between Blackie and the wolf really drives 'Much Ado About Mutton' and has a lot of energy and tension. While Blackie is likeable, the wolf makes even more of an impression in the personality (full of it) and comic timing (often hilarious) stakes. Arnold Stang and particularly Sid Raymond, best known to me as Herman and Katnip, are solid with the voices and did detect a chemistry between them.
Overall, very enjoyable. 8/10
The last of four cartoons to star Blackie and his encounters with the Big Bad Wolf is a very good one and one of the best of the four in my view. It is not a masterpiece in animation and it is not quite one of the best Noveltoons cartoons, but it is lightyears away from being one of the worst. As well as being very well made and scored (both typical for the Noveltoons series so that wasn't a surprise), 'Much Ado About Mutton' is also entertaining and the two lead characters are a delight.
'Much Ado About Mutton' is flimsy narratively and the lambs have very little to do other than being a plot device.
However, the lush and lively music score, that not only doesn't jar but enhances, more than compensates. As does the animation, some of the backgrounds are just gorgeous and the colours practically pop out at you. Despite the flimsiness, that doesn't stop 'Much Ado About Mutton' from never being dull.
It is hardly devoid of humour, and what there is is genuinely funny. The third act is especially well executed, regardless of any predictability there are some genuinely rib-tickling moments and the timing is crisp throughout. The ending is also a highlight. The chemistry between Blackie and the wolf really drives 'Much Ado About Mutton' and has a lot of energy and tension. While Blackie is likeable, the wolf makes even more of an impression in the personality (full of it) and comic timing (often hilarious) stakes. Arnold Stang and particularly Sid Raymond, best known to me as Herman and Katnip, are solid with the voices and did detect a chemistry between them.
Overall, very enjoyable. 8/10
A fun and lively cartoon that I find very entertaining.
llltdesq18 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Through most of the mid to late 1940s, Paramount's Famous Studios did some fairly good work. Sometime in the 1950s, they kind of seemed to surrender to a rising tide of mediocrity and just turned out shorts virtually indistinguishable from each other and started strip mining the old Fliescher Studios shorts for ideas (particularly the Popeye shorts). But in the 1940s, they actually did some really nice work. This short is a case in point. Because I want to talk about the short in some detail, this is a spoiler warning:
This is a short focusing on a sheep named Blackie. It starts out with three lambs dancing to a jazzed up version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" until a wolf comes along (the characterization of the wolf and the voice all seem very familiar, but I can't quite place them). The wolf grabs two of them, but they get away and all three run for help to their Uncle Blackie. There's a really nice bit surrounding the sack the wolf tried to trap the lambs in that I won't spoil here. Uncle Blackie manages to get rid of the wolf in a creative (and likely painful) way.
The lambs, of course, don't learn anything and wind up in trouble again when the wolf pretends to be "Little Boy Blue" blowing his jiving horn. The wolf lures them back to his place only to have Blackie save them at the last instant.
There follows the longest section of the short, where the wolf goes after Blackie himself, with predictable (but hilarious) results. There are elaborate bits involving a magnifying glass and Blackie tending a bar and serving the wolf a "mint julep" made of hot sauce. Some really funny stuff in this part of the cartoon.
Finally, the wolf manages to get lucky and actually catches Blackie. Not being the shiniest pebble in the pond, the wolf allows Blackie to trick him and get away, leading to the final gag and a very funny close to the short.
You can find this short on the occasional VHS cassette or DVD. It's definitely worth tracking down. Most recommended.
This is a short focusing on a sheep named Blackie. It starts out with three lambs dancing to a jazzed up version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" until a wolf comes along (the characterization of the wolf and the voice all seem very familiar, but I can't quite place them). The wolf grabs two of them, but they get away and all three run for help to their Uncle Blackie. There's a really nice bit surrounding the sack the wolf tried to trap the lambs in that I won't spoil here. Uncle Blackie manages to get rid of the wolf in a creative (and likely painful) way.
The lambs, of course, don't learn anything and wind up in trouble again when the wolf pretends to be "Little Boy Blue" blowing his jiving horn. The wolf lures them back to his place only to have Blackie save them at the last instant.
There follows the longest section of the short, where the wolf goes after Blackie himself, with predictable (but hilarious) results. There are elaborate bits involving a magnifying glass and Blackie tending a bar and serving the wolf a "mint julep" made of hot sauce. Some really funny stuff in this part of the cartoon.
Finally, the wolf manages to get lucky and actually catches Blackie. Not being the shiniest pebble in the pond, the wolf allows Blackie to trick him and get away, leading to the final gag and a very funny close to the short.
You can find this short on the occasional VHS cassette or DVD. It's definitely worth tracking down. Most recommended.
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