Here's an early "mark your calendar" notice for those of you in the Southern California area…

As is well known by anyone I'd ever want to associate with, Stan Freberg is one of America's great wits and satirists, and he has also been one of our great cartoon voice actors for close to sixty (60!) years.  His achievements in this last area will be celebrated and examined at an A.S.I.F.A. event on April 24th.  (A.S.I.F.A. is the Association Internationale du Film D'Animation — in plain English, the International Animation Society.  Click here to exit stage left to their website.)

What we're going to do — that's right; I'm the host of this thing — is to show a number of old cartoons for which Stan did voice work.  Some will be well-known classics like The Three Little Bops (above) but most will be obscure stuff which Stan may not remember well…or, in a few cases, never even saw in finished form.  Then I will relentlessly grill him and maybe we'll try whips and chains or sodium pentathol.  One way or another, we'll get him to remember something about the work and tell us.  The film program, which is being assembled by the inestimable Jerry Beck of Cartoon Research, will be chosen more for history than entertainment — Jerry promises at least one stinkeroo — but it should be fun, nonetheless.

That's Wednesday evening, April 24.  Check here or at the A.S.I.F.A. site for further details, including the location, which has yet to be firmed up.  But it'll be open to the public and you'll get to meet Stan and see a lot of weird cartoons he did and get to hear what, if anything, he remembers about them.  And if we're nice, maybe he'll do a little Pete Puma for us.

We keep hearing that judgments in medical malpractice suits need to be limited because insurance premiums are driving doctors out of business or out of certain areas.  The case for this seems anecdotal and weak to me, and I'm inclined to suspect that Ralph Nader is right; that we could solve the problem better by limiting how much profit the insurance companies can make.  (Actually, we will probably solve it some day with some form of national health care, but that will be a long time in coming.)  In any case, the issue is currently being tackled by that greatest of all medicos, Rex Morgan, M.D.  Here's a link to a site where you can read the comic strip.  And here's a link to a letter that appeared the other day in the Washington Post telling why the case being presented in the strip is bogus.

HBO Family is running the Li'l Abner movie (the good one, the one based on the Broadway play) on Monday night and again on March 27.  I mention this because, since it's not out on DVD and the VHS tape is long out-o'-print, some of you might like to record it.  But I also mention it because it's an excuse to run some pictures of Julie Newmar, which always increases donations to this site, hint hint.  As you may know, we have articles posted about this movie and about the stage musical from whence it came.  You can read them here and here.  We are also glad that HBO Family is running it because it's the perfect movie to introduce kids to the idea of musicals — hummable songs, colorful characters, energetic dances, a plot that even a resident of Dogpatch could follow.  Recently-announced plans to revive the show for Broadway seem to have evaporated.  But one of these days, someone will do it and it'll probably be a very big hit.  Even if that version won't (sadly) have Julie Newmar.

My occasional employers, Sid and Marty Krofft, have built some incredible things: Costumes, puppets, even an entire amusement park.  Every so often, they downsize their warehouse a bit and sell off a few items which are snatched up by folks who grew up on the likes of H.R. Pufnstuf and Lidsville.  One such auction is being held tomorrow, conducted by the Butterfields people.  Here's a direct link to the listings in case you want to bid on one of Hoodoo's old top hats…or just want to window-shop.

It's too bad that on the entire Worldwide Web, you can't find a site devoted to the wearing of hats made out of meat.  Oh, wait.  You can.  Thank God.

Check out this cartoon by Peter Bagge.  It's all about copyright and intellectual property.  And it's truer than one might imagine.

We highly recommend two books about Gil Kane, both compiled by a perceptive gent named Daniel Herman.  Gil Kane: The Art of the Comics features history and analysis.  Gil Kane: Art and Interviews features conversations that helped inform the first book.  And both feature a lot of wonderful artwork by one of the great comic book illustrators of all time.  Note that I am recommending both books.  Like love and marriage, you can't have one without the other.  (Well, you can.  Dealers like Bud Plant will sell you either one or both.  But you shouldn't get just one of them.  Between the two volumes, you get a good portrait of a fascinating artist and an erudite, wise gentleman.)

Here's a blind item from the highly-competitive world of TV talk shows.  Let us imagine that a certain talk show is seeking to promote an attention-getting feud with a rival talk show that has much higher ratings.  They decide it might be a funny stunt to hijack some or all of that other show's live audience.  The idea is that they will send a bus over to the other show's studio, to where its audience members line up to get in.  The hijackers, either through fibs or bribes, will seek to get some of those folks to get on the bus and to go out and be wined and dined or otherwise entertained, then brought to the studio of the lower-rated talk show to see it, instead.  This will be humorous, the producers think, and will also promote the notion that the home audience ought to forsake the higher-rated show and watch the lower-rated one, which they otherwise don't seem to be doing.

But what happens is that a staff member at the lower-rated show tips off someone at the higher-rated show, which promptly changes the location where its audience members line up.  Instead of outside on the street, they are moved into the midway on the lot, past studio guards, where the hijackers cannot get to them.  The plot is foiled, but the lower-rated show isn't giving up.

Wouldn't it be interesting if that had actually happened the other night?  And how come a TV talk show seems to have better Homeland Security than Tom Ridge has been able to give this nation?

For a few years now, a group of filmmakers have been compiling a documentary on the life and art of the great fantasy illustrator, Frank Frazetta.  It's said to be almost finished, with screenings now being scheduled, including one on April 6 at the comic convention at the Shrine Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.  In the meantime, you can view an online trailer for the film by clicking here.  And what the hell am I doing updating my weblog at this ungodly hour?

Let's go to the mailbag.  "Waltstar" writes to ask…

The other night on his show, Conan O'Brien did a bit where he brought on an artist who does graphics for NBC.  It was a fellow named Pierre Bernard and I think he's been on the show before.  It's been driving me crazy where I know that name from.  I thought if anyone would know, you would.

I do.  Back around 1980, Pierre Bernard Jr. was a letterer for DC, Marvel, and other funnybook factories.  He now does a lot of the distinctive (and very striking) graphics for Late Night and Saturday Night Live, as well as other clients.  So if you're a comic book reader, you probably recall his credit from back then.  Nice to see the guy doing well, as he seems to be quite creative.

My pal Earl Kress (who's at Disneyland so often, he oughta be registered to vote there) read this earlier item about the old guy who played Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom and sent me this…

That gravelly voiced, old Mickey Mouse worked at the park for many, many years.  I was told by an ex-character that he had been hired by Walt and therefore was untouchable — so much so, that he was the only costume character, besides the "face" characters (those not wearing giant heads like Alice in Wonderland or Peter Pan), that was ever allowed to talk.  Even though he sounded nothing like Mickey, he would greet people with his gravelly voice, saying, "Hiya, kids!  Hiya!  Hiya!"  I'm not sure how parents ever explained that voice.  Mickey Mouse hits puberty?

I wonder if the Disney folks ever experimented with or considered hiring folks who could do a decent Mickey impression to wear the costume.  It's not a difficult voice to do.  Maybe they figured that since they wouldn't be able to have all the walkaround characters talk, it was better not to have any do so.  And why didn't they consider switching the gravelly-voiced guy into the Grumpy suit or something?

I think about this kind of thing.  And it worries me that I do.

If you're still unsure of the arguments pro and con the impending war with Iraq, here are two pretty clear statements by two men who are widely respected for their personal integrity.  John McCain tells us why the war is just and necessary.  Jimmy Carter tells us why it isn't.  This is not to suggest either of them is completely right.

As we all know, William Randolph Hearst once told one of his reporters, "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war."  Well, he apparently didn't say that.  Spinsanity (one of the saner websites) debunks that story here.

As we all know, George W. Bush once told an audience, "The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein and his willingness to terrorize himself."  Well, he apparently didn't mean that. Spinsanity (still one of the saner websites) debunks that story here.

You know, just when Americans are nervous and worried that our elected leaders don't have a clue how to prevent the world from erupting into nuclear holocaust, it's comforting to see someone in Congress come up with a mature, truly effective way to deal with a tense diplomatic situation.  And if we really want to punish the French for disagreeing with George Bush, we could make more jokes about them not bathing, and maybe even throw up an embargo on Jerry Lewis movies.  That'll show 'em.

Jim Korkis sends the following to add to his earlier comments about the Mickey Mouse costume at Disneyland.  It's long, but I think it's worth the space…

I checked my notes at the office this morning and here is a brief background on Disney costume characters.  I was wrong about Mickey's puffy shoes.  They came in 1963 not 1968 but up until that time, he was in just regular-sized black shoes.

In 1955, Mickey became the official host at Disneyland but since Walt had financial challenges, he couldn't afford to build character costumes.  He borrowed them from John Harris's Ice Capades which was then touring with a segment of "Peter Pan."  (Ice Capades had featured a Disney segment since 1948 with "Snow White.")  That's why the costumes look so horrendous.  They were made for ice skating so needed to be light and have a lot of vision.

In 1961, Animator Bill Justice (who did lots of animation on Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale) was brought in to design the costuming and make them more in proportion and to look more like the animated characters.  Bill did the parade costume designs for characters like the marching soldiers from Babes in Toyland and the reindeer with the tongues hanging out as well as many others from 1961-1979.  Bill designed 130 character costumes over the years.

Bill designed the first good Donald costume.  He found a guy who was 4'6" and photographed him from all angles, blew up photos to full size, put tracing paper over the photos and designed the Donald Duck costume.  The guy saw all the work involved and wanted $200 each time he put costume on, so they got someone else.  That's one of the reasons characters are now designated by height rather than by a particular performer.

The early sixties showed a brief revision of some costumes for characters like Mickey who became shorter, fatter and with a tremendously oversized head.  That lasted less than a year and settled into the "look" we know today, although for a while, Mickey wore a top hat and a huge bow tie ribbon around his neck and later just a huge bow tie to again try and play with the concept of size.  Mickey got the puffy shoes in 1963 and Minnie got a satin dress in 1973.  For the 50th anniversary in 1978, Minnie got the polka dot dress.

Over the years, many experiments were done with the character costumes.  Disney briefly experimented with air conditioning on advice from the Kennedy Space Center but it added weight and couldn't be hidden in the odd shape and design of most characters.  They experimented with tape players inside the costumes — Br'er Bear singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," Mickey with approximately six phrases — "How are you?" and "What's your name?" for instance.  But characters have to be international and the limit of phrases also limited interaction.  In 1996, they experimented with new tiny video cameras as small as a ball point pen.  The cast member wore glasses to show the camera's view on the lens.

Abby Disney, granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, once told me this story about an experience she had as a child at Disneyland:  "Just outside the employee's parking lot, there was a little cafeteria for the employees.  I looked over and saw Mickey having a cup of coffee with Snow White.  His head was on the table and he was smoking a big cigar.  He was very short and old and had this gravelly deep voice.  He came over to my grandmother and gave her a big hug.  "Edna!  Edna!  Glad to see ya!"  That's how I remember Mickey Mouse.  He's emblazoned on my brain that way."

Great story and info, Jim.  There's probably a whole book to be written about those costumes.  The cast members I've encountered all have had incredible tales to tell, plus I don't think many people know about the programs where Disney exec-types dress in the costumes and wander the park for a little while on the theory it will give them some new understanding of what Disney is all about.  Someone will do that book.

In 1984, an unemployed air conditioning mechanic and ice cream truck driver named Michael Larsen won a staggering amount of cash on the CBS daytime game show, Press Your Luck.  But it wasn't luck: He'd figured out a way to beat the show's high-tech game board.  Ordinarily, a single game of PYL was completed in enough time to air one per half-hour and whoever won went home with (usually) cash and prizes in the mid-to-high four figures.

Not so with Mr. Larsen.  He racked up more than a hundred grand, and his game ran so long that the producers had to figure out how to break it up into two half-hours.  (Larsen did his voodoo during the show's final round, and the show's rules had not allowed for commercial breaks during a round because no one ever expected it to be necessary.  The producer-director, Bill Carruthers, hastily rigged up freeze-frames and had host Peter Tomarken tape some explanations and introductions.)  CBS was embarrassed by the whole incident and tried to downplay the whole thing.

My tapes of the Larsen episodes have long been a "video fave" of visitors, most of whom find it amazing and real in a way that no so-called "reality show" ever seems to be.  This Sunday and Monday, Game Show Network is airing those two episodes as part of a two-hour documentary that includes interviews with folks who worked on the show.  (Larsen passed away in 1999.  Bill Carruthers, sadly, passed away a week ago, but had been interviewed for the special before that happened.)  Game Show Network is hyping it as a great "scandal" — which it really isn't — but it should still be worth watching.

However, I have a suggestion!  If you aren't familiar with the way Press Your Luck is played, it will all have less meaning for you.  The game is a bit complicated and I think you need to see a couple of "normal" games before you can fully appreciate the magic of this abnormal one.  Game Show Network runs an old episode every morning, seven days a week.  It's on at 8:30 AM on my satellite dish but it may be different on your set.  If you're going to tune in and see the special — Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal — on Sunday or Monday night, I suggest you first watch one or two where the contestants don't break the bank.

Bill Carruthers, by the way, was a very important person in television history.  He directed TV shows for the likes of Steve Allen and Ernie Kovacs, helmed the Emmy Awards for 14 years, directed events like the famous Frank Sinatra prime-time concert, and even aided presidents.  A staunch Republican, he directed TV spots and consulted with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George Bush, and declined offers from several of them to work in the White House.  Even more important than that, he was Soupy Sales's first director.  The one time I met Mr. Carruthers, we talked about Michael Larsen and about Soupy…and didn't breathe a word about those other, relatively unimportant guys.