"The Se-DUCK-tion Of An Innocent Youth"

I, like many of the students, was anxious returning to school from the comforts of staying at home. There was the impending science fair project that I delayed over the break. The most I could do was how I would layout the tri-fold. Where would I glue paper and paste it on there? It reminded me of when the Three Stooges were paperhangers or Donald in one short decorating his house with wallpaper. Once again it was my dad at the helm of my science fair project. We bought a book listing the numerous experiments. I felt it would be fun conducting if the bounce of a ball depends on the type of ball.

Among the feeble ideas, I jotted down about possible science experiments.

My dad when explaining me potential and kinetic energy, relayed it with an analogy of Curly at the top of the stairs which demonstrated potential energy, as his body was at rest. He said if Curly were to tumble down the flight of stairs that would demonstrate kinetic energy because his body was in motion. He then drew a picture of a set of stairs with Curly falling down accompanied with his sound-effect “Woo-woo-woo”. When I saw that drawing that interested me.

During this era, I watched repeatedly Donald's "antagonizes" a series of ants in "Tea For Two Hundred" (1949). As politically incorrect as it was to have the ants depicted as African Americans it was humorous. 
My favourite part was when the ants throw Donald over the cliff. Beautiful backgrounds from Thelma Witmers and Oliver Wallace music added to what was to have been a serene outing in the mountains for Donald.  

Once again we were learning how Canadian elections were held. Ian, Spencer, Jerry, other classmates and I created our own party, “The Ghostbusters”. I was in charge of creating a poster and a political announcement. I recorded a political announcement over Ray Parker’s 1980s hit “Ghostbusters”, as his song included the lyric “Who ya gonna call” which suggested we were the party to elect. I recreated a poster of “The Ghostbusters” insignia using markers and pastel. When I bought the poster next day in class, Ian was surprised by how well it looked.

Friday afternoon I went downstairs to the library in order to do some research for an assignment. I was in the middle of reading a book when I heard a familiar sound; upon further inspection, it was Clarence Nash as Donald Duck and Paul Frees as the Narrator. I could not help myself from looking into the classroom where students were watching “Donald Duck and Mathmagic Land”. I did not want to make it look obvious that I was looking into the classroom so I headed upstairs.

The scene where a distraught Donald observes his transformation into  Alice of Wonderland fame is the moment I saw the film.   

I was always excited to play “Capture the Flag” with my classmates, on the “Marion Carson Elementary” soccer field: A perfect topper to the end of the school week. In order not to get trapped by the opposing team, I devised a clever way of maneuvering around them. I would quote the promotional texts from issues of “Uncle Scrooge”. For example, on the cover of issue #62 “Yeeks! Advance To The Rear! IT”S THE QUEEN OF THE WILD DOG PACK”. Classmates would give me a puzzled look as to why I would say that, but that did not matter to me. It served its purpose of distracting the opponents. I madly maneuvered around them. When one classmate was close to catching me I said, “I was the Cannon on the Wabash Cannonball” as I ran rampantly from their clutches. You are probably wondering where I had come across this quotation.

A couple of days earlier, my friend Joey had lent me his issues of “Uncle Scrooge” (285-297) that printed “The Life And Times of Scrooge McDuck”. Each installment of “Life and Times” would be accompanied by a commentary where Don Rosa explained the historical events he used or references that Carl Barks inferred to about Scrooge’s past. Therein would lay panels from “Uncle Scrooge” stories. It was a treat for me, as I had not read most of his adventures. Don Rosa did a gargantuan feat of using the few references that Carl Barks made to Scrooge’s past and create a great series. I had a better appreciation of the battles Uncle Scrooge triumphed over when he was attaining his fortune.  We were introduced to his family – his parents, uncle’s, and sisters. When I returned to class that Monday. I was working at my desk when I saw Mr. Pugh pushed a TV trolley in the classroom. I leaped out of my desk when seeing the cover of “Donald Duck and Mathmagic Land”. It was a thrill viewing the cartoon as I had seen only pictures of it. A nifty cartoon that combined math concepts with my interest. After we played soccer, my friend Ian had arrived from a dentist appointment, he asked me what he missed in class. My friend Spencer said that we watched an Uncle Scrooge cartoon, and I corrected him that it was Donald. One thing that irked me at that time was how people would confuse Uncle Scrooge with Donald.

The Narrator (Paul Frees): Look at the condition of your mind: antiquated ideas! Bungling! False concepts! Superstitions! Confusion! To think straight, we'll have to clean house.

A pin-up drawing of Daisy(!) in Donald's mind.

I always felt this was a reflection of my mind as I had difficulty in school, but I recalled inane knowledge about my interests.
I visualized this scene of when I needed to focus on complex concepts in class. 

The background artists imaginatively incorporated numbers in the background.

Each night I would unwind by reading a chapter from "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck". It was “Chapter 11: The Empire Builder From Calisota” that I found to be the most intriguing as his personality shifted to the hardened, villainous character he was when Barks first introduced him to the world. I found it heart wrenching how once he accomplished his goal of being the richest Duck he loses his family. I thought had he not made that immoral decision in securing his position of the wealthiest. Would it have resulted in him in cutting all ties with his family?

We went to the school library to select a book for quiet reading. This one day we had a found a book on the planet Uranus. You can guess the pre-pubescent humor we reviled in. Yes, we were fascinated with the word – Uranus. We purposely read out the name “Uranus” and laughed relentlessly at the name of the planet.” Another session of giggling erupted when asked Mr. Pugh what we were reading, we told him Uranus.

For an inexplicable reason I or one of our classmates brought out “The Sesame Street Dictionary” from the bookshelf. Although the subject was beyond our age level nonetheless we found it interesting. I was amazed by the diverse cast of characters featured in the book from the popular (Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Kermit the Frog) to the obscure (Guy Smiley, Prarie Dawn, Sherlock Hemlock, Herry Monster, and Don Music) In first grade I signed out the book but I was perplexed how there was no narrative. We discussed a rumor of Bert being killed off.

A sample of the layout of "The Sesame Street Dictionary".

When we went back to class Ian and I searched for supplies in Mr. Pugh’s cabinet, we discovered a video – “Disney Sing-Along Songs: Under the Sea”.We shared our find with a group of classmates who were curious about what we were giggling about. The video reminded us of the eponymous song which was lampooned in “Homer Badman” where Homer imagined living underwater. It led to a couple of us singing Homer's rendition of "Under The Sea". By the end of the day, my stomach ached from ceaseless caterwauling.

On February 5, 2004, we presented our projects once in front of our class. When it was my turn to talk about my project “Bouncing Balls”,  Jare one of my classmates asked Adel how far did your balls bounce? Once he said that I could not contain my composure. We presented in the gymnasium after recess and later in the evening. It would be a few weeks later until we would discover who would be the representatives of the Calgary Youth Science Fair, but I was preoccupied in enjoying the "The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck".

Out of good conscience, I couldn't keep Joey's comics for a long time. The night before I had to return the comics Joey lent me I was reading “Chapter 8C: Hearts Of The Yukon”. I remember listening to “Desperado” by the Carpenters as I read the story. The song aptly fit the faltering relationship between Scrooge and Goldie. The final lyric “You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late,” supported the notion of how Scrooge was to reveal his desire for Goldie in the burning Blackjack Saloon before being knocked unconscious from a fire hose. It was a bittersweet moment as I could not wonder what would have prospered had he conveyed his feelings towards her. I preferred their relationship over Donald and Daisy’s as their relationship was one-sided. The fact that they both had rigid hearts and could not openly display their affection was appealing. Don Rosa could be more explicit with how he handled their relationship, as he did not have to deal with the confines of censorship.

The lyric "Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?” alludes to how Scrooge’s imperceivable fortitude conquers the frigidness he is experiencing, while visiting Glittering Goldie. The set of lyrics "The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine. It’s hard to tell the night time from the day" describes the constant bleakness as he was making his way through the storm.In the lower panel, you can sense the struggle he is putting up against the storm by his gesture. Don Rosa's drawing makes you feel as you are battling the elements with him. The colours of blue and purple add to the coldness.

Scrooge's hallucination of Goldie as a reindeer was humorous, yet odd.

The lyric "Your prison is walking through this world all alone" is applicable to both Goldie and Scrooge as they both have put up walls preventing each other from being hurt. In the final tier, Don Rosa through different perspectives conveys how they both feel the same loss.

Sadly I had to return the issues that I had borrowed from Joey. It was “Valentine’s Day” that I picked up “Uncle Scrooge” #325 as it reprinted, Carl Barks classic “Back To The Klondike”. I never owned a copy of the comic. A frequent writer to the Uncle Scrooge letter column, Joe Torcivia, commented: ”Like a cherished holiday TV special, [“Back To The Klondike”] should return regularly to thrill each new crop of readers,” which conveyed my sentiment. I read the story online with my dad, however, it was not the same experience. The tale included the infamous scene of him recalling what happened between him and Goldie. I was enamored with how Glittering Goldie drugged his coffee in order to obtain the Golden Egg Nugget. How he inflicted over the top violence upon the locals in the bar was fantastic.

It was ironic that at the time in Calgary, Alberta there was deep snow, which matched the panel of Scrooge surrounded in a snowdrift. White Agony Creek was reminiscent of the scenery in Calgary. It made me appreciate the great lengths Carl Barks went to make sure the backgrounds were accurate to the story’s setting.

Carl Barks looking back on the morality of the scene said: " Scrooge picked her up and carried her out to his claim and made her go to work. It didn't look like kidnapping, yet it was. He was taking the law into his own hands and that is not lawful. And what did he do with her at night?” My interpretation was there were platonic undertones to their relationship. What was great was how he stirred up interest of what may have happened during the stint without going too much into detail. I had no qualms about the young Scrooge kidnapping Goldie being unethical. At that age, it was cool seeing him as an antihero, as you saw Goldie withering in her ripped clothes and tousled hair. Ha-ha-ha I loved this sequence so much it's scary! The DUCKTALES adaptation of the story appropriately altered the incident of Goldie willingly offer Scrooge to replace his nugget. For further reading on the adaptation, I HIGHLY recommend Chris Barat’s analysis.

His style during this period was nice. As the characters had a 'soft' look to them. The censored pages include a gamut of emotions from scorn, seductiveness, and sorrow were striking that I traced many poses from here.

The interplay between the lethargic Donald as he struggled to carry a crotchety Scrooge on his back while climbing the Chilikoot Pass was witty. It was similar to the beginning of “McDuck of Arabia” (US#55) where he was excited in tossing moneybags, while Donald was intent on sitting on a chair. A few months later, I was having a conversation with my tutor who was from British Columbia. I asked her if she had seen the Chilikoot Pass? She told me she had. After she left, my mom asked me how did I know of the Chilikoot Pass? I told her I learned about it from “Back To The Klondike”. The story is still enjoyable as when I read it in my formative years. 

The Marion Carson School Newspaper announcing the  City Science Fair. 

A couple of days later the list of qualifiers of the Calgary Youth Science Fair was posted outside Mr.Pugh's classroom. I remember how I made my way through the sea of 'grade sixers' to see if I made it. I scrolled down through the list with my finger and I saw my name listed there. Then as I was leaving I went back to check that it was actually my name. There it was! I was awestruck that I was among the many contenders along with Ian, Spencer, and many others. One of my friends Jamie he was heartbroken that his project was not selected to win. I felt guilty about having been one of the contenders as it wasn’t my intention to have been a part of it.

That ride from school I proudly told my mom that I would be participating in the Calgary Youth Science Fair evoked this page from Don Rosa's "The King Of The Klondike.
  In the second tier, the secession of expressions as Scrooge's mood elapses from contemplation to greed was captured marvelously.

There was the day I wanted to borrow a VHS entitled “Donald Duck: Kids Is Kids”. The cover was a still from 1952 short "Lucky Numbers" or as I called it "the one that takes places at a gas station". 
I called all branches of “Rogers Video” to see if they carried the video. I was disappointed that none of the locations had it. The following day I walked to the library, to pay Joey a visit and ask him if I could borrow one of his volumes of "The Carl Barks Library". On the way there I had a longing for a Duck related surprise if it was a comic book or videocassette.

When I arrived at the library I went to the reception to talk to him. We had a brief conversation before he asked to be excused, which I allowed. At the age, I was not aware that our discussions may be distracting him from completing his work. I treasured our discussions about Carl Barks and other Disney artists. I would occasionally bring the subject about the Ducks up with my friends, but they did not share the level of enthusiasm as I did. Remember this was before I entered the world of blogs and forums, so I did not have anyone to discuss deeply the topic. When Joey returned he held a copy of "Walt Disney's Comic Digest" #44. Upon seeing the comic I did a "take" that exaggerated a Tex Avery cartoon. He explained how he found a spare copy while cleaning out his house. I was eternally grateful for him giving the comic to me.

Upon walking home, I was mesmerized by Tony Strobl's drawing and the clever caption. I always liked the layout of the digest's cover with a Disney character in the corner.

The quality of the digest was not in the greatest of shape, but I treasured it nonetheless. I got a real kick of seeing the stories muddily-reproduced in the digest. There were two stories "Donald Duck In Ancient Persia" and "The Pixilated Parrot" I had never read before. The covers that originally followed the stories were also reprinted. "Donald Duck In Ancient Persia" was the first story of his where I was really riveted.

The opening panel of the nephews looking at the ruins of Persia set the foreboding atmosphere.

It was eerie how Prince Cad Ali Cad left alone in the bewildering present, happily commits suicide. Barks revisited the concept of a character using powders to return to his former life in 1967’s “King Scrooge The First”, his last story written but drawn by Tony Strobl.

The scientist is an actual human being added to the chill factor. The scientist’s elixir, when invoked upon on human ashes, brought people to life fascinated me. What was even more foreboding was how he abducted the Ducks. That’s a joke, son! King Nevvawaza poked the scientist in the eye as he repeatedly asked about how his people were desiccated, reminded me of when Moe would inflict it upon Larry or Curly. His illustrations of the characters drying up were spooky.

After all, Donald endured, he was kind to his nephews it made the story upbeat. 

In "Donald Duck and The Pixilated Parrot" his gesture of giving Uncle Scrooge the parrot as a birthday present was thoughtful. Scrooge's reaction ("Me with a bird to support. I should give myself to the poor farm.) was priceless as he refused his nephew's present. The hi-jinx the parrot present as he endlessly enumerated numerous items was a good running gag. It was strange seeing his money stored in a vault inside a building instead of his Money Bin. I found it humorous how Scrooge had to kick Donald in order to persuade him to retrieve the parrot from a flagpole. I thought that the story was finished once they brought Polly from the jungle. I forgot about the robbers who stole his money. How it took them an entire month to split the money between them.

Later the evening, I went for dinner at "Pizza Hut". I looked at the final page before our order arrived. I was anxious that we would not have to wash dishes in compensation for payment as the Ducks did. Thankfully we did not!

On Thursday, March 20 during the last class of the day we played games outside. As we were representatives of our school Mr. Pugh told us to be on our best behavior. It felt as if we were embarking on a secret mission and our duty was to uphold the trust. As I left the building I was on top of a euphoric high that I could not be knocked off from. It felt special attending the City Science Fair while our classmates were in school. The feeling of being away from Marion Carson Elementary even for a day appealed to more.

That night we ordered from Pizza Hut; The leftover pizza slices were my lunch for the next day. It's the only food that can be tasty whether cold or warmed. On Friday, March 21 I went with Ian and Spencer with another participant's father driving us to the Big Four Building. It felt like we were on the cusp of adulthood where we didn't need adult supervision as we went from one booth. I was excited to discuss my project with the judges that would pass by.

I flipped through "Walt Disney Comic Digest" #44 and "Carl Barks Library I" book 1 was how I passed time. If I was bored I would visit Ian and Spencer.  A booth sponsored by APEGA who distributed stickers made me proudly exclaim to my friends how my father was a member of the organization. Ian's mother picked us up from there and we stopped by Roger's Video because Ian wanted to watch a film as he had a basketball game the following day.

The back cover from "Bugs Bunny - Truth or Hare". As mentioned in a previous post I enjoyed looking at the cover art of the video cassettes at Roger's Video.

  I was intrigued with which short the still of Bugs Bunny as Groucho Marx belonged to. 

An energetic participant in front of his project.

"Tales From the Barkside"

A massive apology for those were excited in viewing the second part of my blog post last year. This was scheduled for publication the following week, however due to personal reasons I was disillusioned in continuing it. I feel terrible for the late Chris Barat not having seen this entry, as he would have been fond of it. I regret not having commented as regularly on his blog, as I was shy in posting on his comment board. His comment on my last post "It seems that you got just as much, if not more, inspiration from the DUCKTALES version of Scrooge as you did from the classic comics version! That's what I like to see!" remains a catalyst in conveying my experiences. This goes out to you, Chris wherever you are. Now on with the post. 

"That Old 'H-B' Magic"

QUICK DRAW MCGRAW

He speaks with an exaggerated drawl, which covers the dumb, goofy, and lovable qualities. The contrast of personalities works perfectly between the pairing of the lawman and his sidekick Baba Looey. One character is fast while another is slow. Baba Boy is in control of the situation in difference to the ineptitude Quick Draw McGraw displays.

I like Quick Draw’s catchphrase, “I’ll do the thinnin’ around here. And doooon’t you forget it!” He wants to be in charge, but in reality it is Baba Looey who is in command. Daws extends the words “and”,” don’t”, and “it” for comedic effect. Who can't forget his classic line "Hold on thar!" when he is attempting to catch the latest outlaw.  The stupidity he unleashes is what speaks to me. In “Shooting Room Only” when the narrator asks what he is doing in town? He responds, with, a silly spoonerism, “What I can I you for do? Foo for you? I mean, do for you?” 

Another example is demonstrated in “Bad Guys Disguise”. When Tombstone Jones asks him “How fast can you draw a gun?” Our hero whips out a drawing pad and pencil. Later he and Baba Looey dress up as “defenseless wider woman” and baby in order to retrieve the goods. He bashes Tombstone with an umbrella to the tune of “Shave and a Hair Cut”. The villain praises him, “Oh, you got real spunk, m’am. Lucky for me you cain’t draw a gun.” He responds with “Whom can’t draw a gun?” as he once again pulls out his drawing pad and pencil. Tombstone Jones sees through his disguise. He asks the audience, “How did he know it was me?”

Only a goofy character like, Quick Draw was capable of mixing shooting, and blowing the smoke out of his gun. One of the running gags is how he will be the recipient of the inevitable gunshot, explosion, and possibly every calamity a cartoon character can withstand. “Masking For Trouble” sees him as the Master Avenger, prior to his alter ego El Kabong. He shoots his foot when he is unable to get the gun unstuck from his holster.

In “Chopping Spree” when Knotty Pine casually throws an axe, which happens to land into a hollow log where our hero happens to be hiding. Shortly, he is running with the sharp instrument sticking from his posterior. (Looks like he suffered quite an axe-ident. I am surprised Mike Maltese missed that pun) The spirit of a cartoon character can never be demolished! Although, lookout for that anvil falling. Like all Butler creations, when they loudly yelped or yowled in pain, you could sense the alarming pain they suffered. I will utter a “That smarts!” when injuring myself. For example, I prepared “scramb-led eggs” for the breakfast. I failed to take sight that the stove was on where I placed the plate. When I picked up the plate immediately I released it due to the scorching heat. “Ouch, ooch, ouch!” I expressed while I soaked my fingers in the cool water.

The appearances of “bis-ket” hungry dog Snuffles and his alter ego “El Kabong” adds freshness to the series. The animation of euphoric Snuffles as he hugged himself, while he ascended into the air was hilarious. The multitude of “Mmmms” Daws Butler provided for him enhanced the sensation he experienced. I liked when he doesn’t receive a treat, he will mutter (“Rassa’ Frassin”) under his breath and usually bite Quick Draw. 

El Kabong  hollers “Ole” as he swings from a rope, while bashing the baddies with a guitar (Or as it is properly referred to as a “Kabonger”) always delights me.  In “El Kabong Strikes Again”, Mike Maltese lampoons how in the Douglas Fairbanks films there was a mystery of who the hero is underneath the mask. It is not extremely difficult to recognize a character with a distinct profile like Quick Draw McGraw.

Señorita: Thank you, El Kabong. And may I see the handsome face behind the mask of my hero El Kabong?

El Kabong: Well, it is kind of handsome in a wretched sort of way.”

She is revolted upon seeing Quick Draw’s face and departs with the stolen money. It is a terrific twist on the traditional ending where the heroine happily runs away the hero.

In the El-Kabong series Maltese tinkered with the idea of how during a swordfight, the protagonist and villain will breakout with a civil conversation. In “Who Is El Kabong” when he is sword fighting with the villain Norton South. The sword fight is temporarily halted.

South: By the way, Kabong, I got your letter. I must say your grammar is atrocious. 

El Kabong: It are? 
As grammatically incorrect as El Kabong’s response “It are?” sounds. I prefer using it to “It is”. 

SNOOPER AND BLABBER 

I have always enjoyed cartoon series where the protagonist wears a fedora, trench coat. 

What "Hanna-Barbera" were masters at in starting their studio was twisting the conventional pairing of animals. How about a cat and a dog (Ruff and Reddy)? A cat and a mouse as detectives. What makes it perfect is while they're working in unison, moments of anarchy can arise. 

In "Bear-ly Able" when apprehending the Big Bad Wolf who is in drag. Snooper is about to run after him, however the Wolf trips him and places the wig on him. Blabber runs into the room only to notice his unconscious partner. "It's the wolf! That wig don't fool me!

I like how involved Blabber is in clobbering Snooper with a cane. He says to the wolf standing next to him: "Boy, Snoop is sure going to proud of me by the way I caught you, huh?". "He sure is sonny," replies the Wolf. Blabber shakes his head realizing what he has done. "Oh boy!" he expresses in embarrassment. 

"Does that mean I don't pass my private eye diploma?" inquires Blabber. The infuriated Snooper then plops the wig on Blabber's head. "Come back you little 'squeak-pip' and let me give you your diploma," says Snoop as he chases his assistant with a cane.

Mike Maltese did a terrific turn of events with them chasing one another, instead of capturing the wolf. I liked how Phillip Green's score entitled "Custard Pie Capers" adds to the hilarity of the scene. "I don't know why I always say I am sorry Snoop," exclaims Blabber as the camera irises. It makes light of how the cartoons will usually end with him adoring his superior. 

There will be situations where Snooper will allow Blabber to be in charge instead of an assistant. It was very nice of him as it gives Blab a sense of importance, which is crucial in a partnership. Especially as it is of the cat and mouse variety. In "Eenie, Geenie, Minie, Mo!", Blabber is in tears of the prospect of him being the leader.

Prior to receiving a case Snooper will answer the client's phone in a rhyming motto.  For example in "Real Gone Ghosts": "When other's fail, we'll stay on their trail." It was a perfect exhibition of the rhyming couplets that Maltese wrote for "Beep Beep The Road Runner" comic book stories for Western Publishing.

The recurring clients who kept on hiring the pair made it interesting: Mr. and Mrs. J. Evil Scientist (a family who are known for their ghoulish eccentricities), or how about Toot Suite the french flea. There was the perfect opportunity for them to be involved with the fairy-tale characters ("The Three Bears", "Cinderella", "Jack and The Beanstalk",). Maltese could include his wrangling of the traditional fairy-tale as he had done with Bugs and Daffy. How about the "Dragnet" style interrogation that Snooper employs on the Jack in "Fee Fi Fo Fumble".   

Snoop will never stoop to violating his humanity, no matter how tempting the fee is. In the ending of "De-Duck-Tives" he forfeits the $30,000 reward, and allows the Tralfrazian duck to meet his mother, namely Blabber dressed as a duck. 

I enjoy how since it was a parody on detective series, the fourth-wall was shattered. In "Case Of The Purloined Parrot" Snooper enlightens the audience "Purloined means stolen, incase you've flunked English." Or in "Creepy Chiller" Snooper alerts the viewers "Greetin’s, lovers of spine-chilling stories. If you are the scary type, do not watch this show. You had best go prune a daffodil, or something.”

"Halt in the name of the private eye's writer's room!" exclaims Snooper. 

AUGIE DOGGIE AND DOGGIE DADDY

My mother tells me when I was a couple of months old; my dad would hold me while watching “Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy”. (“Inca-didentally” one of my nicknames was inspired by Augie.)
He would proudly say Doggie Daddy’s catchphrase: “Dats my boy who did that!”

The pride he exuded from him regardless of how significant or slight Augie’s accomplishments were. I always enjoy it.In “Fuss N’ Feathers” Augie is pretending to be a chef. He is taking down his Doggie’s breakfast order in Fractured-french. “I will take three eggs le ‘scramb-led,” requests Doggie Daddy. “Three eggs ‘le scramb-led’ coming. Arrevderci, mon Papa,” says Augie. Doggie Daddy remarks to the audience “That’s my boy whose speakin’ Lithuanian.” That line was generated a gyser of guffaws from my dad and I.

"Pup Plays Pop" during lunch Augie persuades Doggie for an extra slice of chocolate cake. 

Doggie:"But Augie, every loving son of mine. Two peices of choclate cake should be 'suf-fuff-icent' for lunch."

Augie(energetically jumps): "Do I hear three? Huh. Do I? Do I?"

Doggie (points):"Stop the motor! Stop the motor!"

Augie:"You mean like, Oliver Twist, I'm to go empty plated?" 

Doggie:"I mean like, Little Jack Horner, you go sit in the corner. Now go."

Augie: "Some day, when I'm a father. I'll know how to make my son happy."

The displeasure Augie exhibits in his voice, the frowning expression, adds to the authenticity of his emotion he is experiencing. Maltese tinkers with the structure of a father and son sitcom. Augie then becomes the father, while Doggie is the son. The requests that Augie has for Doggie begins to have taken it's toll on him. On a tricycle, he whizzes past a police officer who pulls him over.

Irish Cop:"Now what's the big idea of son?"

Doggie:"I'm not the son officer. I'm what's left of the father."

Irish Cop:"This is a new one. What's your story?"

Doggie:"Well, it all started 'inner-cintly at break-a-fast, when I had to go and open my big mouth. Now, my son has been feeding it ever since." 
Augie: Now eat your rutabaga sand-a-which and your radish malted milk, and then we'll go to the amusement park. 

Irish Cop:"I'll take it from here."

I like how the scene is layed out from the perspective of Augie with the fisticuffs dangling from the police officer.The animation of him tilting his neck as he gulps, adds to his trepidation of being arrested.  He instantaneously surrenders in acting his age. It demonstrates the charm of being a child is problem free, in contrast to the responsibilities that an adult faces. The shot of Augie hugging Doggie Daddy's feet in addition to being cute shot, emphasizes the security he needs.

What I appreciate is how Maltese straddles the line between sweet and silliness. It does not come off preachy. 

Augie:"And daddy dear, I promise from now on I'll only have two peices;Providing I can have three slices for lunch.
Doggie: "I would have been awfully disappointed if he hadn't said that."

All father's wishes for the best interests for their son; Doggie Daddy is no exception. "Watch Dog Augie" Doggie wants to know why Augie hasn't finished his homework to allow him to go to college. In reality he is reading a book entitled "How To Be A Watch Dog", eventually he can follow in his father's footsteps.

In "Party Pooper Pop", Augie comes early from attending the neighbour's birthday party. He explains: "It's like I said dad. I'm not cut out for fun and frolic. I'm the studious type." Within the span of three seasons, Maltese matured him from the hyper-active pup to the boy genius. As an outcast from my colleagues in high school; It is a line that epitomizes my reclusiveness.

When listening to their characterizations, you can extract the respect and tenderness in their relationship. Daws Butler and Doug Young’s performances, as Augie and dear Doggie Daddy enhanced Michael Maltese’s droll dialogue. Maltese would utilize the preformer’s additions to the cartoon, as seen in “Little Wonder”.

Doggie takes Augie to the museum in order to improve his IQ. 

Augie:(points to the exhibition): "What's that thing over there?
Doggie: "That's a 'pre-hysterical monster, Augie boy"
Augie: "It looks to me like turkey leftovers."
Doggie: "To be more exact, it is a - 'Tyrondo-roarious Rex'."

I enjoyed how he mispronounced words, it adds to his clumsiness as a parent. 

He asks Augie to split an atom "scien-teh-tifically", by using a walnut for practice. Augie determines the distance where he can catapult a huge boulder from a tree onto the walnut. Instead, it demolishes into their house.  

Augie:“Dad, I miscalculated the wind velocity. Are you hurt?”

Doggie:“Just a little around the edges Augie."
Augie:“It’s no use-disappointed dad, I’m just an average boy whose got the best dad in the whole world.”

Doggie:“Heh-heh-heh. That’s my average boy, who loves his dad, and I’m glad he don’t need an IQ for that.”

Despite the damage Augie has caused, in the least he is calm. Once again Maltese at work with the right quotient of silly and sweet. It is an extremely touching line.

When Augie would make Doggie Daddy proud, he delivers a hearty, “Dat’s my boy who did dat”; the affection they expressed reverberated into my relationship with my father. When viewing other dynamics between dad and son, I have yet to see a father and son who cared for each other like they did.

“Heh..heh.. it’s not like every offspring can type a blog post like dat!”

"The Pen Is Mightier, Than The Pink"

Grade seven was one of my memorable school semesters. In addition to the uncomfortable times that occurred during that period: Fortunately there were uplifting periods. One dreary afternoon on Friday, April 15, 2005, my dad was upstairs having a conversation with our neighbor. Out of the blue (Er.. pink), I had an urge to watch a VHS of “Pink Panther” cartoons. The first cartoon on the tape was, “Pink But Is It Mink” (1977). The ending was sweet where the Pink Panther holds a pair of scissors as he witnesses a disgruntled Tarzan wearing the fur, which he already cut out of his drapes. Then he walks off with his animal friends. It made me wish how at the end of the hectic school day, I could disperse into the wildness.

There were interstitials in between the cartoons, one skit that I frequently watched was where, the Pink Panther was a high diving champion performing on an ocean cruise. During the Panther’s first dive, after a series of fanciful flips, he embraces the chilly water, only to instantaneously return on the diving platform. The Panther attempts to forgo his dive, until the captain with baton forces him to continue. During his final attempt – he has mysteriously landed in the sea. Doug Goodwin composed fun music that would correspond with the mirth in these in between cartoon gags.

The backgrounds in the DePatie-Freleng cartoons do not replicate that of Warner Bros. or Disney, instead they were successful in creating their own style. When one views the backgrounds, it creates a sensual feeling. You can feel the texture of the surroundings as you watch. In “Psst Pink” (1971), director Art Davis, experimented with having the other characters painted sold white over the colorful backgrounds. It adds to the feeling of isolation between the Panther and the others.

My reintroduction to the Pink Panther was when I was thirteen. I finally understood the subtle adult references that I would have missed when I was younger. Immediately I could recognize that the Pink Panther cartoons were more sophisticated than other contemporary cartoons. As witnessed in “Psychedelic Pink” (1967), a Beatnik hands the Panther a book, entitled “The Love Life of a Panther” with the word Uncensored underneath. I was intrigued at how a risqué reference was incorporated. The Pink Panther’s shifty reaction after he glances at the title of the book enhanced the scene. The backgrounds depict hearts and flowers surrounded by swirling colors. The final scene stood out where the Panther uses the letter “j” as a golf club, and the Beatnik using the letter “f” as a firearm. It seemed as if this gag was a precursor to the animated segments on “Sesame Street”, where letters are used as objects.

When I watched the Pink Panther at an earlier age, I expected that he would talk but to my surprise he was silent. To me the notion of a silent cartoon character was absurd. Now I began to appreciate the brilliance of telling a story without dialogue. The Pink Panther shorts relied on the pantomime actions of the character in order to facilitate the story. As David DePatie explained “Ordinarily a lot of his characterization could be taken care of with a voice, but now it all has to be done in action – so he’s a much more difficult type of character to work with” In a pantomime cartoon series there is difficulty to advance a story without voices, however that is where the imagination of writer John W. Dunn, shone through. In “Rock A Bye Pinky” (1966), the dog is held responsible for the Panther’s backfired attempts of silencing the little white man’s snoring. The relationship between the dog and his master has reached extreme distrust, where the little white man while sleeping holds a pistol aimed for his dog who is tied to a tree stump. The dog questions the sanity of his owner by picturing him as Napoleon.

A similar set-up is seen in “Pink Campaign” (1975). The Pink Panther relaxes in his tree house, until the Little White Man cuts it down. As an act of retaliation the Panther follows the little white man to his residence, and starts stealing his house from him piece by piece. The little white man visits a psychiatrist to confirm the sudden disappearance of his house. The psychiatrist holds a stethoscope over the patient’s head to reveal a speech bubble showing the roof walking, followed by the window, etc. This absurd gag elicited tears of laughter from me. The aforementioned scenarios would fall flat if they were to verbalize their thoughts.

I was lured by the effectiveness of director Hawley Pratt’s drawing ability: You could instantaneously sense the emotion the character was feeling. The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” was applied in "Pink Posies"(1967), after the Little White Man discovers that the yellow flowers he’s planted is pink. He is very frustrated. You can detect the rage the Little White Man feels by the aggravated expression, the position of his arms, and his jagged teeth.

As a companion to the Pink Panther, theatrical shorts was a French detective, The Inspector, who was loosely based on Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau. While both The Inspector and his live action counterpart differ in their approach in crime investigation, namely the former is prone to bad judgment while the later is inept. There is no denying the wrath that both Commissioner Dreyfus and his counterpart have for either Inspector.

There were numerous parallels with The Inspector and his live action counterpart. In “Le Pig Al Patrol” the Inspector employs the old trope where a character hails a ride from the taxi driver only having the taxi leave without him. Likewise, this mishap transpired with Inspector Clouseau only to have the cabbie chase the car on foot in RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER. Upon numerous attempts on his person, Clouseau believes the Mad Bomber to be responsible in THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN and REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER. In “Napoleon Blown Aparte” the Inspector is incapable of the preventing the Mad Bomber’s act to eliminate the Commissioner. Forty winks were uttered by the Inspector when he decides to knock out Toulouse La Moose in TOLOUSE LA TRICK; In THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN prior to Clouseau's attack from Cato he says forty winks. His pronunciation of “beump” when he strikes The Moose with a club is akin to Clouseau's mangling of the French language. In Le Escape Goat (

The series employed Henry Mancini’s lavish theme used in the title for A SHOT IN THE DARK (1965) aptly fit. Adding to the beauty of the shorts, was Tom Yakutis sensational layouts. One feels as if you have been walking in the breathtaking locales (France, Switzerland) the cartoon took place in. Pat Harrington Jr. provided a light French cadence for the Inspector and Sgt. Duex-Deux. Occasionally he would lapse into Peter Seller’s habit of mispronunciation of certain words. Paul Frees performance of the Commissioner reverberated the fierce ferocity, and the authoritativeness - the traits best associated with him.

Of the Inspector shorts that were on there, my favorites were “That’s No Lady That’s Notre Dame”. In an attempt of catching a purse-snatcher, the Inspector surreptitiously cross-dresses, however, the Commissioner mistakes him for a woman - his sister. The Inspector too embarrassed to reveal himself to the Commissioner, he accompanies the Commissioner for dinner. Eventual they meet in the Commissioner’s apartment where they encounter his wife who has a headache.

The Commissioner’s line “We have now come to the parting of the ways,” had become rutted in my mind. The brisk pacing as the Inspector in drag attempts to be unnoticed by the Commissioner’s wife, however constantly ran into the Commissioner, and would dress again sent me howling with laughter. Among the numerous verbal taunts uttered by the Commissioner to the Inspector that were comedic were: “You can explain - after I kill you!! I'm going to invoke the unwritten law!!”

Another short that I liked was "Unsafe and Seine" that sent the Inspector and Sergeant Deux-Deux on an excursion upon receiving notice that his life was in peril. In the beginning, the Commissioner responds in an equally booming voice "Lower your voice when you yell at me, when the Inspector reveals how the secret agent may be unethical delighted me, because I liked how assertive he was rather than complying with his superior. The calamities that both him and Duex-Duex were victim to was amusing.

The first destination was a seedy bar, Le Slit Gullet. A ravishing woman wearing a décolletage flirting with Sgt. Deux-Deux was appealing due to the stunning design of her and the seductive voice provided by June Foray. It made me realize how these cartoons were intended for adults. The Inspector upon seeing how much adoration Sgt. Duex-Duex was receiving literaly turned green with jealousy. I enjoyed how Pat Harington Jr. as the Inspector rather hushed, but nuanced delivery of the line "May I remind you are on duty, Sergeant". The utterance of Sergeant caused a huge uproar in the dives sending weapons chasing after Inspector and Duex-Duex.

In addition to the Pink Panther cartoons on that tape there were a supporting series, "The Ant and The Aardvark", which featured a laid back ant named Charlie, and an aardvark who wants to eat him. At Warner Bros. Friz Freleng had directed the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons; It would be natural that Friz’s earlier work at Warner Bros. would permeate through the “Ant and The Aardvark” series. John W. Dunn and the other writers assisted in devising or reworking gags that seemed inspired. “The Ant and The Aardvark” seemed to me a fresh change of pace from the other predator vs. prey animated cartoons.

Comedian John Byner did an excellent job delivering the lines as both the Ant and his nemesis. The Aardvark rattling off his witticisms to the audience during his unsuccessful attempts of capturing the Ant was entertaining. When I had viewed cartoons where Sylvester would attempt to capture Tweety, he would not divulge his plans to the audience. I thought having the character breaking the fourth wall made all the difference. The voices for both characters perfectly suited their personality. The enthusiasm of watching the series had trickled into my school work. Composer Doug Goodwin created the lingering Dixieland music that perfectly accompanied the Aardvark catching the Ant. In gym class, when I played floor hockey, his music score for the series played in my mind as I dashed from area of the gymnasium to the other.

The final cartoon “From Bed To Worse” (1971) was helpful in preparing me for a quiz in science. The Aardvark while whacking his cane on the dog’s leg cast, utters, "DON'T! BE! A! WISE! GUY!" When I saw that sequence for the first time I was in stitches laughing. It is brilliant how the Dog’s reaction is frozen during the whole moment. The Aardvark says to the audience “You know what? I think he’s dead.” The dog removes his blanket to reveal an alternate leg cast, which he uses to hit him with. I suspect that it was Friz Freleng who may have timed out that sequence.

I transferred the audio from several “Ant and The Aardvark” cartoons to an audiocassette. Late at night, I was listening to this cartoon while attempting to memorize the ranking of rocks on Mohs Scale of Hardness for a quiz the next day. The punctuated dialogue the Aardvark uttered as he was whacking the dog had a catchy rhythm. I attempted to recreate the delivery of how the Aardvark said each word as I recited the order of rocks: It was an extremely helpful method. I relished opportunities where I could connect my studies to my interests.

Fan drawing by Friz Freleng. One of my dreams where Bugs Bunny interacted with the Pink Panther.