Public Domain Highlights: Silver Screen Video

 Like that rash on your skin, this thread never goes away, where we highlight the best and worst, though mostly worst, public domain companies.  Today's company is a small but somewhat impact full company known as Silver Screen Video.

Very little is known about this company.  It, essentially, was another fly by day company.  Its earliest known tapes were around 1989, its latest.....around 1990.  Two years, and they couldn't keep a profit.  Clearly they couldn't be that bad......could they?

Well for the art covers for starters, yes.  The covers for a lot of their tapes are really bad.  Some of these looked like they were drawn by a five year old.  The many different volumes of tapes include Mickey Mouse, which we'll talk about later, Superman, Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, Popeye, Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Tweety, Elmer Fudd, Heckle and Jeckle, and Casper.  

Our first infamous tape is Mickey Mouse which appears to be a collector's edition unlike all the other tapes.  Probably because of the value of Mickey Mouse and the growing popularity of Disney thanks to the Disney Renaissance from The Little Mermaid to Ducktales and Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers.  However, two problems.  One, Disney already put out valuable Mickey Mouse tapes as part of their own classic cartoon line and featured important classics like Steamboat Willie and such.  And two, this was a complete scam.  I have not seen the tape; I believe the Disney cartoons are the exact same quality as other VHS public domain tapes with speed up and edited out titles referencing Walt Disney.  But the actual contents are questionable.  The Mad Doctor is a legit Mickey Mouse cartoon that somehow got through the copyright cracks.  Minnie's Yoo Hoo never got copyrighted as it was used for Mickey Mouse Clubs in movie theaters across the country.  Two other cartoons are not Mickey cartoons, but Silver Screen passes them off of as such anyways.  First is Smile Darn Ya Smile.  The characters may look like Minnie and Mickey, but they were really Foxy and Roxy from an early Merrie Melodie.  Anyone looking at the characters could tell you that they are foxes, not mice.  Did Silver Screen think kids were that dumb, or were THEY that dumb?  Then finally is Circus Capers.  This is a Milton the Mouse cartoon by Van Beuren, the one cartoon that not only ripped off of Disney but one where Disney actually sued Van Beuren for.  One could easily confuse this as Mickey, but the main difference is the more rough animation, rougher than any early Mickeys, and pre-code jokes galore from sexual harassment to panties to an over sexuallized "Minnie Mouse" (I think her real name was Millie; could ber Mary).  You know.....for kids.

The more infamous tape is probably their most popular.  It's more popular as this was probably their only profitable if any profit was to be made.  They tried recouping funds by compiling 50 cartoons that they released and sell it on home shopping networks like QVC.  Hence why on the box art it said "As Seen on TV"......and we all know what those mean, if it sounds too good to be true and it's "As Seen on TV", it probably is.  Oh yeah....the box art.....well the first version of the box in 1989, well.............

Yeah......not very attractive.  This probably caused very few sales for this product, so in 1990, they

Much better art cover used
a year later

revised it, but not with original artwork.  Instead using artwork from UAV's VHS line called Kidd Video, which in all actuality is much better artwork, though some still slightly off.  So this would sell more copies of the product since it would easily target the demographic wanting some nostalgia, but by then it was already too late.  Silver Screen Video would fold not long after.  Gone and forgotten.  Besides, those 50 Cartoon tapes were also being put out around the same time by UAV, Burbank Video, and Starmaker, with better artwork (for the most part) and better quality.

So how was the quality of the cartoons on these tapes?  Well the good news is that Silver Screen did very little tinkering (if any) on some of their cartoons unlike Vidtape and Meta Video, but you still get what you paid for.  Since the 50 of Your Favorite Classic Cartoon tape was the most comprehensive, this will be the basis of the overall experience.

Though the tape itself I believe would be combined two smaller half versions called 25 of Your Favorite Classic Cartoons.  I won't review every cartoon on here, but there are some notible moments I want to point out, especially the Warner Bros. Cartoons.  We start with the first half with Popeye.  Sinbad the Sailor had a slight edit to remove the AAP titles, but removing such titles never happened on any of the other Popeye cartoons.  We then get a first glimps of the Warner Bros. Cartoons.  The quality seems fair for the most part, but there were issues.  Transitions for most of the cartoons are a little rough with some slight VHS damage.  Trust me, it's not due to age of the tape.  The WB shield zooming in on Fresh Hare has a weird audio glitch sounding more like a 70's disco sound effect.  The Superman cartoon seem to look fair.  As do some more cartoons, though Boo Moon had badly recreated time compressed titles for some reason.  The black and white Porky Pig cartoons are redrawn, obviously, and were prints from Kit Parker with edited on badly recreated titles.  These edits were done by Kit Parker, not Silver Screen.  Again, they put the cartoons out as is.  A Tale of Two Kitties seems to be the only low pitched Warner Bros. Cartoon on here.  It seems like the AAP titles on the Warner Bros. Cartoons were edited out except for The Wabbit Who Came to Supper.

The Unruly Hare as seen on Silver Screen
and probably other public domain VHS tapes

The second half......off to a bad start.  You see, none of these tapes have an FBI Warning, tracking, or company logo at the begining of the tape.  So the cartoons just start after ominous black.  For this tape, The Wacky Wabbit, a faded print by the way, starts us off suddenly.  As a result, a jumpscare occurs.  The next cartoon is Yankee Doodle Daffy.  Picture quality is fair, but oh my gosh the audio quality.......it's the worse I've ever heard.  It sounds like it's coming from a telephone it's that bad.  The tape continues with fair quality (Case of the Missing Hare looked faded though), but then comes a mystery I've been wanting to see, how The Unruly Hare looks on a PD tape.....it's actually not too bad.  Not as great as on MGM tapes at the time, but for PD tapes, not bad.  The one WB cartoon that has been messed with is the last one on the tape.  Have You Got Any Castles lost its opening titles.  I recall seeing that on other tapes though.  Not a Silver Screen issue as far as I know.

So what's the verdict....bleh.  Many of the fair prints ended up on better VHS tapes such as Starmaker.  The only impact may have been the 50 Cartoon Classics since it appeared on many home shopping networks, but that's about it.  Once it shut down, it was gone.  Just another cheap company with varying quality tapes and film prints.

The recent Really Loud House controversy proves one thing........

 

For those that have been following the recent updates, you may have heard about the leaked plots coming for the live action series for The Loud House.  There were statements of a girl (or boy, or non-binary....you never know in this day and age) named Charlie that's supposed to be in it and it's been suggested that this character or some other significant other is Lincoln's crush.  Immediately the backlash happened especially on Twitter.  "Who is this crush?  It should be Ronnie Anne!  This better say Ronnie Anne is his crush or I'll get furious!"  The tweets go on and on and on..........

Now, I don't know what is going to happen to the series, and if it has bad writing, I'm not going to defend that, but if fans start throwing fits sending death and harassment threats to the writers, producers, directors, and heaven forbid the actors, then yeah, I'm going to defend the people involved in the series.  This controversy brought to light an argument I've been making for a while now and that argument is this:

CARTOON SHIPPING IS TOXIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I was a kid, I never worried about what cartoon character is sleeping/dating with whom.  It didn't matter.  I wanted to see what the Rugrats were up to, I wanted to see what the Ed Boys are up to, I wanted to see the Powerpuff Girls win, the antics of Dee-Dee and Dexter, and trying to figure out just how old some of these theatrical cartoons were.  Once in a while there were set ups for a good dating episode, but that's all they were.

Today.....everything involves around shipping.  If you show one brief instance of sexual attraction regardless of what series it is, the fans will take to it and make it their life's mission to make sure that ship stays afloat.  And with the acceptance of the LGBT community growing this past decade or so, it got worse to fans wanting same sex relationships, and if you disagree with their ships, they will make sure that you get cancelled by calling you a homophobe and a racist.  

I'm not sure when shipping began, but it has to have originated somewhere in the 80's and 90's with anime, especially those involving romance.  As anime grew popular in the western world, some elements would transfer over into western cartoons.  Some were great such as art style, some not so great.  

Now, don't get me wrong.  I don't mind a good ship every once in a while.  Most of them are when I can picture myself having a relationship with someone that I could have a crush on.  For example, I rooted for Charlie Brown to get to know the Little Red Haired Girl.  I always rooted for the underdog to get the girl.  And I didn't mind a good episode about dating and/or crushes every now and then.  Even with girls, because there is nothing like a young girl in love.  But to assign every character with a boy or a girl counterpart and make it their life's mission is ridiculous.  This past decade has been all about that in cartoons.

The Loud House by no means is not the biggest offender in this case (Steven Universe and Adventure Time equally got that going), but it certainly has its share due to the nature of the show being a slice of life animated comedy.  Many of the kids are at their coming of age time in their lives, so of course at times dates would be brought up.  Not every episode, but a handful.

Again, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the early moments when Clyde had a crush on Lori as I pictured myself in a situation of unrequited love.  The episode with Lucy and Rocky is among my favorites.  And I never had a problem with Luna dating Sam, ever.  But there were episodes that hinted some potential ships such as when Lincoln made Ronnie Anne cry so he is forced to date her to make up for it.  Immediately fans saw the two as a couple.  It should also be noted that there are moments throughout the series where there is potential for a love interest for Lincoln, but nothing truly became of it other than become good friends such as Stella and Ronnie Anne.  It's not to devalue the characters in any way, but there are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed in a kids cartoon.  There were also ships based around side characters such as Maggie and Luan simply because of one scene, one very brief frame where Luan made her smile.  Even though the point of it was to show a bonding between Lincoln and Luan making her birthday party happy.  And the less we talk about Loudcest, the better.  

It also appears that they were playing with the shipping fans throughout the series.  Whether it was intentional or accidental is debatable.  L is for Love has ALL the Loud siblings having a love interest including Lynn, but a couple seasons in she says, "I thought I had a crush once, turns out I was dehydrated".  Thus ticking off potential shippers.  Things get even weirder in the spin off series, The Casagrandes where Ronnie Anne becomes best friends with Sid Chang.  Now full disclosure, Sid's my favorite character in the Casagrandes, and any episode that revolves around Sid is pure joy.  That said, shippers went nuts over the friendship making it a gay relationship then even further with Lincoln having it a threesome bi relationship called Sidonnielincoln....or something like that.  Hints of these relationships may have been accidental, but they didn't feel so subtle.  In one episode, Ronnie Anne got two free tickets to Dairyland but has to choose between Sid and Lincoln.  Fans immediately saw it as "who will she choose?????"  In another episode where both Sid and Ronnie finally make it to a Twelve is Midnight concert, the following quotes were said: "We finally made it!"  "And we made it together!"  They then start hugging as chanting "Twelve is Midnight!  Twelve is Midnight!"  Now the scene itself is innocent enough except they sound like dog whistles for Sidonnie shippers, and that's exactly what they did next.    

Any criticisms of The Really Loud House regarding the series as a whole whether it's acting, casting, or writing should be welcomed, and you don't have to like it or watch it.  (And as a disclaimer to please leave the actors alone, they are having a grand time making the series and building strong relationships outside of filming).  But to get upset of the series simply because they're not going along with your ship is very immature, and you should stop obsessing over it.

30 years of Cartoon Network: a Retrospective

 

30 years ago this month, Cartoon Network celebrated a big anniversary.....30 years.  It was launched due to Turner's acquisition of Hanna-Barbera, not just the old library, but the studio itself, which meant that new content could be made for Turner.  With all of those resources as well as Turner owned cartoons prior to Hanna-Barbera (MGM, pre-1948 Warner Bros. Cartoons, and the theatrical Popeye cartoons), it was enough to launch an all cartoon channel.

Now Cartoon Network has fully acknowledged the big anniversary with many tributes, look backs, and other cool stuff.  Some of it, I do fear, is to convince their new owners, Discovery, that they are relevant.  If you have been reading the news, you know what I'm talking about.  Many animated shows are being canceled and deleted off of HBO Max.  These shows include Infinity Train, OK KO, and more recently Final Space.  And in the case of Final Space, all copies are being destroyed.  Now I have heard conflicting information about Discovery that they care about Warner Bros and its library, and maybe these shows were not that good to keep around, but these are someone's work.  Animators, writers, directors, and voice actors all worked on paid time to create these works, so to just throw them away as tax write offs, that's not good business practice.  So perhaps the celebration is more to scream "we are the network of the best shows, please don't delete our shows."  Or maybe they are being legit about celebrating their anniversary.

Regardless, they are doing a great job; I was able to look back on some memories that I had from so long ago.  While they and other people have been celebrating really well, here is my perspective on Cartoon Network's 30th.

Let me throw my bias out there: 1998-2004 were the best years of Cartoon Network.  Period, the end.  Now I know Dexter and Johnny Bravo came before then, but new episodes and reruns were still very constant at that time.  So why 1998?  That was the Powerhouse era, where a true balance between new, contemporary, classic, and weird.  Coming out of that era were Powerpuff Girls, Ed Edd n Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and Codename: Kids Next Door.  During the Checkerboard era, the What a Cartoon Show was the biggest new show with many different shows from different creators.  This is where Dexter's Lab, Johnny Bravo, Courage the Cowardly Dog, and Powerpuff Girls came from.  All would get full series.  Here are my top moments from Cartoon Network's history:

1. the launch

At Turner, Ted Turner launched Cartoon Network with smiling Hanna-Barbera characters standing by his side as he pushed the plunger exploding the future to come for animation.  On the network itself, Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network was the very first show at launch, and within that show aired its first cartoon.....Rhapsody Rabbit.  It was the Vid-Y-Oh for kids master, but it was still the very first cartoon to air on Cartoon Network.

2. Bugs and Daffy Tonight

Now, imagine seeing Looney Tunes in prime time where they belong, something that hasn't happened since the 60's.  Well, that's exactly what happened in 1992 at launch.  An hour and a half of the AAP pre-48 cartoons.  This was the place to be for this content in 1992 and lasted until 1995 when it was rebranded as Bugs and Daffy.  

3. What a Cartoon Show

I pretty much already cover this, but this is where we were first introduced to series and characters that would be a part of the brand for many years.  Dexter had many episodes from the series, Powerpuff Girls had a couple, and Courage would actually get nominated for an Academy Award that year.  While most would come from Hanna-Barbera, some such as Courage would come from other studios as well.  This allowed a variety of art styles similar to Nickelodeon.  That would be the competing strategy.  

4.  Dexter's Laboratory

This is one of my favorite Cartoon Network shows.  I really loved the antics between Dee-Dee and Dexter.  Dexter being the smartest boy on the planet, but meh.....not so much street smarts, while his oldest sister Dee-Dee always interfering with Dexter's work in his secret lab just to have some fun with Dexter, a word that's not in Dexter's vocabulary.  The original era with Genndy Tartakosky at the wheel being the creator was the best era, but looking back at the later era, despite all the changes, it wasn't too bad either.  The characters were still well designed.  Dexter was the first merchandisable series for Cartoon Network, but it would be shadowed over with Powerpuff Girls.

5. Toonami

As a kid, I never watched that much, but looking back, this was the introduction to many of anime.  Sailor Moon was rescued and new episodes newly dubbed would debut there.  The Dragonball franchise would also take off here in America because of Toonami.  And many more shows would follow over the years now airing on adult swim.  Shows like Inuyasha, Kill la Kill, Akame ga Kill, and My Hero Academia have all aired there, many continue to air to this day.

6. The Powerpuff Girls

I was a fan of The Powerpuff Girls because it was a fun show with some great action to compliment it.  This was Cartoon Network's biggest hit at the time and it is still fondly remembered.  It since had many reboots including an anime version which was....weird.  But the original series was the best, no question about it.  Girls merchandise of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were through the roof.  And I also enjoyed the movie.  Here's hoping for a bright future with these girls.

7.  Toonheads

This show educated you on the history of animation usually set to a theme just like today with Me TV's Toon In With Me.  I have stated my love of Toonheads in prior posts, but this was the show that got me into animation history.  Topics include Before They Were Stars, Norman McCabe, early works episode, and the Three Faces of Tom and Jerry.  Some of these cartoons were exclusive to Toonheads only, so these were must watch and must record.  

8.  Ed Edd n Eddy

Ah my favorite Cartoon Network series.  I have expressed my love of the show on other posts, but this show was awesome.  No other show makes me laugh the same way as the Eds did.  With its unique art style, memorable characters, and fun stories, this series lasted a very long time ending in the late 2000's.

9.  Courage the Cowardly Dog

Now, you want to talk about a series that was closest to the Warner Bros. Cartoons, look no further than Courage even though the premise was different: a dog living with an elderly couple who is a scaredy cat, but always would save Eustace and Murial from any creepy danger from curses (Return the Slab......."What's yer offer?!"), ghouls, ghosts, zombies, and other strange creatures they embark.

10.  Cartoon Cartoon Fridays

Every Friday night, this was appointment television as the latest episodes of Cartoon Network originals would air during that time.  Once in a great while, so would Cartoon Cartoon Weekends, where fans could vote what series should be picked up next.  This is where we got The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and Codename: Kids Next Door.  Both shows are honorable mentions as I don't have the room to mention everything, but this should be a nice way to pay tribute to these two shows at the moment.

11.  The Popeye Show

For years on Turner networks, Popeye cartoons, especially the more classic Fleischer era cartoons aired in redrawn colorized forms.  Rare black and white airings were on Toonheads (sometimes) and Late Night in Black and White.  But the Popeye Show changed the game.  Black and white originals aired frequently with information about Popeye, Fleischer, and Famous Studios throughout.  As a bonus, Cartoon Network tried restoring the original Paramount titles back on the cartoons.  Most were recreations, but revolutionary at the time.  Today the black and whites look better with authentic original titles back on the cartoons and restored in HD, but back then this was a must watch for animation enthusiasts.

12.  The Looney Tunes Treatment and June Bugs

Finally, the wrap up the whole thing, from 2001-2020, this along with Boomerang was the exclusive home of Looney Tunes, and years 1992-2003 were the best years for them on Cartoon Network.  Longer blocks were made for more cartoons, longer shows like The Looney Tunes Show accommodated for more Looney time.  If that wasn't enough, there was The Bob Clampett Show, the Chuck Jones Show, and annual June Bugs marathon, with 2001 being the biggest and best June Bugs yet.  It was originally supposed to include the Toonheads episode, the 12 Missing Hares, but was pulled at the last minute.  It was the largest Looney Tunes package ever aired until 2021 when Me-TV's package was bigger with even more rare cartoons appearing on there.  I've talked about this many times on this blog how big of a deal this was.  Too bad Looney Tunes Back in Action killed the momentum.

These are just my personal favorite memories and I'm sure you have some other fond memories of Cartoon Network as well.  Let me know what they are in the comments section below.

Public Domain Highlights: Vidtape Inc

 Hooo boy, Public Domain Highlights is back with a big topic today.  This one may be by far one of the most infamous companies out there that operated.  I'm talking of course about Vidtape Inc.  

The origins of the company came about around 1989 as Home Video Syndications Ltd.  Somewhere along the lines either it became Vidtape Inc or these were two separate companies and Vidtape bought them out.  It's hard to tell since hardly any records of the said company exists.  There also were claims that HVS used 35mm prints for the cartoons, but I highly doubt it to be true.  What I do know is true is that their most popular VHS series was Cartoons R Fun which we'll talk about the most on here.

First, however, go with me on a journey back in time when I was a lad.  The only tape I ever owned from the company was a Casper one and was their later Wonder Toons brand.  We'll get to that later.  Meanwhile, the VHS rental shop, first Broadway Video then Movie Gallery, had tons of cartoon tapes.  A good number of which were the infamous Cartoons R Fun tapes as well as the Star Classics tapes.  I will talk in detail about the art covers, but each one almost had a cartoon I'd recognize given that I was watching tons of Looney Tunes at that time.  However, I was hesitant to pick them up.  I don't know why.  Perhaps I feared that the cartoons may look dupey on VHS as opposed to on TV.  I did see a lot of PD cartoons growing up in elementary school, and seeing something so old and so dupey and scratchy could be off-putting to a child.  At the end of the day, here's what I ended up renting: Road Runner Golden Jubilee, Tom and Jerry Cartoon Festival, Mickey Mouse Disney Classic Cartoon Favorites, Mickey and Minnie's Sweetheart Stories, and Bugs Bunny Superstar.  With the exception of Tom and Jerry since it was a first ever VHS release of those cartoons, all of these official releases were good quality.  Looking back at these Cartoon R Fun tapes, I'm pleased to say, I dodged a big bullet not renting these.

The cover art for each of the Cartoon R Fun tapes, in my opinion, are actually really detailed.  Sure there are flaws here and there, but it gives a sensation of you buying the tapes as if they came out the year the cartoon being sold on VHS was released.  As I said, some of the cover art were recreated from the actual cartoons on tape.  I automatically recognized A Corny Concerto and To Duck or Not to Duck.  Many of these covers you'll see along the way.  However, one really bad cover stands out above the rest.....the collector's edition Great Eight Pack

There were three volumes of the Great Eight Pack: Library A, Library B, and Library C.  But all three contained the same box art cover, so you would have to guess based one what the side of the box said.  The box art it crap, let's not misuse words.  The images looked cut and paste from various magazines.  Only Felix represented the actual era of his cartoons.  Meanwhile, Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, and Porky looked as they did in the 50's and 60's, Superman was taken from the Filmation cartoon, and Little Lulu was an enhanced version of her from the anime Little Lulu series.  Obviously, none of those era of cartoons are represented here.  So anyone expecting the cartoons as you would see on Merrie Melodies and Bugs Bunny and Tweety are sadly mistaken.  The collection came out in 1993, so I would assume the real reason for this release is to get rid of as many units as possible.  Still, 3 boxed sets of 8 tapes seem like an excellent collection of great golden age cartoons right?????  Oh what tangled webs they weaved..........

Like I said, on the individual tapes, it looked as though the box art cover looked pretty good making them represent the actual cartoons.  Up to a point where one might assume these would bare resemblance to Disney's Cartoon Classics tapes or MGM's Cartoon Moviestars tapes.  However, it would be far from it.  For the most part, the cartoons would be severely edited especially with the opening and end titles usually chopped off and/or replaced with something generic.  This is especially noticing with the Warner Bros. cartoons.  Possibly to get rid of any reference to Looney Tunes or Merrie Melodies as these trademarks, obviously, were still copyrighted.  The end titles seemed to have been generic made, but after further research, we found out where it came from....there were some Columbia Krazy Kat cartoons that were redrawn colorized and had these title cards.  That was the source of this card.  And since these Krazy Kat cartoons hardly if ever had any air time, well, that would explain why it was a mystery.  

For the black and white cartoons, at least for the most part, you couldn't really say they were in black and white BUUUT you couldn't say they were colorized either.  There may have been one or two redrawn colorized cartoons, but the rest appeared to be in sepa-tone.  This gives off a fake feeling of being in color.  These faded red cartoons looked and sounded awful.  Because they were this way as opposed to the redrawn colorized cartoons, these Cartoons R Fun tapes actually ended up being sought out by collectors as Warner Bros. had not yet even released these black and white cartoons on home video.

This hunt, however, would be buy at your own risk.  The contents listed on the box would sometimes NOT be on the tape itself.  This problem was a tape by tape basis.  For example, one tape of Scrap Happy Daffy would be correct, another Scrap Happy Daffy tape may have different cartoons.  Some copies may start right away at the beginning of the tape, a good number of copies would have the tape just end right before the cartoon would end.  And in some cases when another cartoon was starting, Flippo!!!!  The tape would end.  This could easily be the case of not determining how much videotape is needed well.  Content issues become even weirder as a copy of a Casper tape played The Friendly Ghost followed by A Haunting We Will Go 3 TIMES!!!!!  

Things could only go further down from here folks, we haven't even gotten into what tapes were used for the Cartoons R Fun Collection.  This issue of tapes beginning and ending early may come down to the problem of Vidtape reusing tapes (even if it means one of their own).  I don't know how they did  this, but perhaps to cut costs of actually manufacturing new tapes, they just bought and sought after any tape they could get a hold of and try to erases them the best they could (but not really the best). One copy of a Casper tape uses a strange white tape instead of black with no label.  Red flag warnings there. This means anything and everything could show up on these tapes at any time.  Sometimes, even NOTHING shows up; either it's a blank tape or the tape had so bad tracking that it would not work (possibly causing PERMANINT damage to your VCR....Yikes).  Perhaps the most innocent examples of other unusual stuff showing up would be a copy of a Superman tape.  At the end of the tape there's some black but then quietly appearing is what appears to be a Thomas the Tank Engine tape.  Oddly enough, Shining Time Station was just starting, and US copies of Thomas would not appear until the following year after the Cartoons R Fun line started up which means that Vidtape got a hold of a UK original VHS release of Thomas.  

Thomas the Tank Engine was just the tip of the iceberg however.  As I said, anything could show up on these tapes.  One person claimed that a copy of their Cartoons R Fun tape had someone's graduation ceremony at the end.  At least two Cartoons R Fun tapes, one Bugs Bunny one and Porky's Garden, contained pornography.  For Porky's Garden, the unfortunate buyer witnessed 15 minutes worth of hardcore porn, so bad that states ended up urging Vidtape to recall Porky's Garden.  Yes, my Movie Gallery had that exact tape for rental........I think you know what I am thinking........wow. 

By the early 90's, two more cartoon series of tapes came out from Vidtape Inc.  The first bare very similar resemblance to Cartoons R Fun.  Now called Wonder Toons, it was the same ordeal as Cartoons R Fun: bad quality tapes, bad quality prints, same issues.  I once owned a Casper tape from the Wonder Toons series.  It was a hand me down, no where near the tapes I would get as a child.  It was 3 cartoons, all bad prints.  The NTA logo appeared to have disappeared on the cartoons.  

One thing that has gotten worse however was the box art for the tapes.  The characters now look off model.  What's interesting is that this appears to be the same artist used for the Cartoons R Fun tapes.  I could tell by the eyes of some of the characters, specifically Porky.  The art

cover issue gets even weirder.  There is only one Woody Woodpecker cartoon in the public domain, Pantry Panic, yet the artwork makes it look like to be Niagara Fools.  The most infamous cover has to be for Droopy.  The cover makes it appear that that Senior Droopy was the star attraction, but it isn't on here.  In fact, no MGM Droopy cartoon is in the public domain.  What shows up instead is the Famous Studios cartoon Hector's Hectic Life.  And, like many Vidtape releases, the cartoons just starts.  No opening titles nor any indication as to who this character is.  This could confuse anyone to thinking it's a Droopy cartoon.....maybe.  This is....bizarre.....to say the least.  Why would they do that knowing darn well that's not Droopy?  Sales?  Who knows.

Another series of tapes began called Wonderworld Cartoons.  This time cashing in on the Disney VHS craze.  The cartoons here are all foreign produced dubbed into English, many of which are unknown.  These cartoons suck for lack of better description.  Once again the drawings of the art cover was done by the same artist for Cartoons R Fun.  Again, look at the Three Little Pigs, they look like their version of Porky.  Which begs the question.....could some of these fairy tales come from PD cartoons?  I don't know.  What I do know is that it's the same song and dance just like the other two Vidtape series: reused tapes, not enough room, tapes suddenly start or end.  

So why did Vidtape have all these issues with reused not enough room tapes?  The answer, while not definitive, may be more shadier than you thought.  This was brought about in a 1998 lawsuit filed by former US Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao stating that Vidtape made tons of work violations.  Here are some of the details of the case:

"At trial, 21 former Vidtape employees testified [...] as to the hours they worked and the pay they received.  These employees testified in English, Spanish, and Punjabi."

"The employees testified that they typically worked from 8:30am to 7:00pm Monday through Saturday.  They took 30 minute lunch breaks and had one or two short breaks as well.  Some employees also worked on Sundays.  This consistent testimony indicates that employees worked an average of 60 hours per week[.]"  And might I add, without paid overtime.  Vidtape kept NO pay records.

Wilber Amaya testified to the court stating that he was 14 years old when hired.  "Vidtape hired him to pack videos and move boxes using a 'hand truck'. [.....] Amaya worked ten hour days, six days a week, during the months when school was in session."  YIKES!  "Amaya worked at Vidtape in 1997 for approximately one year. [....] [He was fired] when the Department of Labor's investigation began."  The lawsuit, which I am quoting from courtesy of Steve the Animation Historian, stated that Amaya was one of those employees that worked the crazy 8:30-7 work hours Monday through Saturday.  This obviously meant that Vidtape violated child labor laws.  Fortunately, the court ruled in favor of Chao, but by then, Vidtape Inc was pretty much defunct.  Wilber Amaya, if you are out there reading this, please comment below about your working conditions and some other inside scoop about Vidtape Inc.  Were they really as shady as we thought?

A Vidtape copy of Scrap Happy Daffy airs on
Cartoon Network's Toonheads

But that's not the end of Vidtape's reign...their copies, somehow, ended up on TV.  When Cartoon Network aired Toonheads The Wartime Cartoons, Scrap Happy Daffy was among the cartoons.  Remember when I said WB fans actually sought out these tapes?  This is why....Warner Bros. must not have provided Cartoon Network with a copy of that cartoon since it's a heavy duty wartime cartoon not seen in nearly 40 years, so they used Vidtape's copy.  Thanks to Jerry Beck's involvement with this special, however, the colortone was turned off bringing it back to its black and white glory, the "The End" title card was carefully edited out, and opening and closing titles from that era were placed back on used from a different cartoon which they had an official copy from.  This was the last time Scrap Happy Daffy would appear on TV, but has since been restored for DVD and Blu-ray from the original masters.

There was allegedly one more Vidtape master that aired on Cartoon Network.  Rumor has it that Porky's Pastry Pirates was the Vidtape master for a brief time.  There is no proof of this happening, just word of mouth.  But if true,  I don't think it was an accident.  My guess is that Cartoon Network may not have been provided of this cartoon yet when it was becoming the exclusive home for Looney Tunes.  Again, being the necessary evil Vidtape was and that one of the tapes in the Cartoons R Fun series was literally Porky's Pastry Pirates, it seemed like an obvious and temporary solution.  Once Cartoon Network got official copies of the cartoon, the Vidtape version no longer aired.  But, of course, this is all speculation of something that may not be true.

The Bugs Bunny Video Guide said it best: "the less said about Vidtape Inc's sprawling Cartoons R Fun line launched in 1989, the better."  Diving into the company's past.....I can see why they would say that.  I see without a reasonable doubt that this was a shady company.  You think you are getting that awesome cartoon collection, but in the end, it's all crap.  Nothing but crap.  I can't believe I dodged a bullet not renting these tapes, and considering what I've read, sometimes I wonder.....what would have happened if I DID rent one of these tapes.  Would I have ended up seeing someone's family memories, some porn, or perhaps something much worse??????????????

Looney Fun this week (July 24-30th)

 

This will be a quick update on everything happening for Bugs Bunny's Birthday this upcoming week.

First up on Me TV is a special episode of Collector's Call.  This time we look at a collector of all things Bugs Bunny.  You may see something you had as a kid as we look at this guy's collection.  Special guest star Jeff Bergman who voiced Bugs Bunny on The Looney Tunes Show, New Looney Tunes, and Space Jam a New Legacy.  That's Sunday 6:30pm ET on Me TV.  Check your local listings.  Otherwise, Frndly if where you can live stream it.

Next up is Bugs Bunny Builders.  The latest Looney Tunes series is the first for Cartoonito on Cartoon Network and of the few eductaional Looney Tunes series.  Bugs, Lola, Tweety, and friends run a construction crew and learn how to work together and teamwork helps make the dream work.  This series promises to be faithful to the original classic cartoons while still meeting the educational requirements.  So far from the clips I'm seeing, so good.  Much better than Baby Looney Tunes.  The show premieres on Monday (I'm not sure what time) on Cartoon Network, but will debut on HBO Max a day later.  

Finally, Toon in with Me will be doing a Birthday Bash Week to celebrate the Wabbit.  From some of his earliest appearences to some of his most popular.  Toon in With Me airs weekday mornings on Me TV 7am ET.  Again, check local listings.

2022 NCAA Cartoon Tournaments pt 3 (The Final Four)

 

It comes down to this.....The Final Four!!!!  Here are the statistics.  

Only 1 #1 seed remains...Elmer Fudd

Half of the four are #2 seeds: Sylvester and Sailor Saturn

Of the Final Four, 2 are Looney Tunes characters, one Disney, and one anime (more specifically Sailor Moon).  This now means that Looney Tunes are dominant in the tournaments.  We we last left, anime was the dominant one and The Loud House was strong.  Only 1 anime character now remains with The Loud House knocked off entirly.  The same two Looney Tunes characters that were in the Sweet 16 remains.

That said, let's talk about our Final Four

Sylvester

While his next season may be a little rocky with the new Looney Tunes movie, King Tweety, Sylvester was able to pull it off this year with his own success in Space Jam a New Legacy and Looney Tunes Cartoons.  Not to mention his strong presence on Me-TV.  Sylvester has defeated Ronnie Anne, Tom and Jerry, Lynn Loud, and Zim.

Donald Duck

Donald still remains a Disney favorite all over the world and like the rest of the Disney crew looks forward to regular meet and greets at Disney parks next season.  Donald has defeated Gabby Gator, Popeye, Lola Loud, and Chuck E Cheese

Sailor Saturn

Being the last anime character represented, Saturn is coming in strong.  With her sythe that when she drops it could destroy an entire planet, she's not one to mess with.  Saturn comes in as Sailor Moon celebrates its 30th anniversary and has high hopes to remain relevant for another 30 years.  Saturn has defeated Buzz Buzzard, Pink Panther, Flip the Frog, and Bart Simpson.

Elmer Fudd

Elmer had a terrific comeback after a year of not being allowed to carry a gun.  The rifle was awarded back to him without any blowback by any parent group.  But it was his personality that sold the public since day one, and it was personality that gave him a top spot in the Final Four.  Elmer has defeated Andy Panda, Sourpuss, Pikachu, and Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club (yes....Doki Doki characters were qualified to be in this tournament).

Who will our winner be?  You'll have to watch the teams they represent in the actual NCAA Final Four tonight and the final game on Monday.  

Toony leaves Toon in with Me for Sventoonie; New Replacement Announced

 

We've just received breaking news about some major changes happening to Toon in With Me.  With the success of last Saturday night's Sventoonie, Toony the Tuna has left Toon in with Me to pursue his horror hosting career.  As a result of this, Bill Leff also had been let go due to management changes over at Me TV.

For the past year, Bill and Toony had hosted Toon in with Me every weekday morning at 7am ET.  The show is filled with cartoons from the Warner Bros., MGM, Paramount, and Sony theatrical cartoon library with favorites such as Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, and Popeye.  It provided entertaining segments as well as background information on some of the greatest cartoons ever made.  But now that Toony is moving to Sventoonie for his new show, fans may be wondering, who and what will be replacing Bill and Toony.  Fortunately, Me TV decided to skew a younger audience for its cartoons, and with clearance from a major kids network, they were able to announce their next hosts..............................

Luan Loud and Mr. Coconuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 That's right....with special permission from Nickelodeon (a first for Me TV) and with the success of A Loud House Christmas, the live action versions of The Loud House's Luan Loud and Mr. Coconuts (played by Catherine Bradley) will be the new hosts for Toon In With Me.  The show will continue to have the cartoons and historical facts, but now with even funnier jokes and pranking lessons.  Plus, get an opportunity to sit in on a comedy workshop to perfect your own pranks.  More information on the changes can be found via this press release from metv.com.  This news comes as Nickelodeon already announced the live action cast's return as The Loud House characters in an upcoming Loud House live action series.  

So do we have a video or a sneak peak of Luan and Mr. Coconuts taking over hosting duties on Toon In With Me??  Actually we do.  It's just farther down this blog post.  Just keep scrolling down

Little more

You're getting warmer.........

Almost there........

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotchya!!!!!!!!!!!

You've just been pranked with slime!  Merry Pranksmas!!!!!!

- Luan Loud