JERRY ON THE JOB was a very forward-looking comic strip for its era, full of what today would be called surrealistic humor, only a step behind Herriman's KRAZY KAT that would, in animation, lead to the regularized insanity of Bob Clampett and the Cartoon Laws of the Universe.
But this is, despite some playing with perspective -- notice when the group runs up to the house near the end -- a fairly limited and one-joke cartoon, suitable for the split-reel job it is. Despite the popularity of the comic strip it was based on, it never really advanced much beyond its newspaper strip roots. But for the year 1920, it is pretty good and a good piece in the history of animation, before Gregory LaCava and Charley Bowers began to hit their strides.
But this is, despite some playing with perspective -- notice when the group runs up to the house near the end -- a fairly limited and one-joke cartoon, suitable for the split-reel job it is. Despite the popularity of the comic strip it was based on, it never really advanced much beyond its newspaper strip roots. But for the year 1920, it is pretty good and a good piece in the history of animation, before Gregory LaCava and Charley Bowers began to hit their strides.
