Max Fleischer
Birthday: 1883-07-19 Place of Birth: Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]
Synopsis
Max Fleischer (July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an Polish Jewish American animator, inventor, film director and producer. Fleischer was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios. He brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations including the Rotoscope. (Wikipedia)
Acting
More Pep
In a return to the Out of the Inkwell format, Betty Boop invents a pep formula to speed up lazy Pudgy, but it escapes into the real world with rapid results.
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
A reporter interviews Max Fleischer about his creation, and Betty illustrates with excerpts from three prior cartoons.
Koko Needles the Boss
Artist Max Fleischer draws a spool of thread and a needle. The needle then penetrates a blank canvas and, stitch by stitch, we see Koko the Clown being "drawn." Very clever. There is always a new and innovative and method of introducing Koko in these old Fleischer brother Koko The Clown "Out of the Inkwell' silent animated shorts.
Fadeaway
This fascinating series features Max himself, filmed in live action, sitting at a drawing board and concocting adventures for his star performer Ko-Ko the Clown. Max is supposedly the guy in charge, and he takes sadistic glee in putting Ko-Ko through various forms of hell, but the clown usually fights back and sometimes gets the best of his Uncle Max. FADEAWAY elevates this charged relationship to new heights (or depths?) of nightmarish surrealism; it's also one of the most enjoyable Inkwell cartoons I've seen to date, packing lots of imaginative, unpredictable twists and turns into an eight minute running time.
Koko Trains 'Em
Max Fleischer and his wife or girlfriend have a cute little dog with them at the studio. Max decides to draw the dog but every time he does, the drawing changes into Koko the Clown. Finally, Max decides to give Koko a whip and an assignment: "Here's a dog (of your own) to train," he says.
The Cure
Max has a toothache, and it's up to The Clown and a bespectacled rabbit to pull out the aching tooth.
Cartoon Factory
Koko the Clown discovers a machine that can make cartoons. Note that there's a re-released version of this short from the 1930s with added music and voice-work.
Bed Time
First, Max, in his pyjamas, gets back up and draws an isolated mountain area and puts Koko on top of a steep mountain. "That will keep you busy for the night," says the real-life somewhat nasty cartoonist to his subject. The cartoon really gets wild from that point with guest appearances from Mutt and Jeff, and other "stars" of the day as Koko experiences one adventure after another from the "Cave Of The Winds" to Goliath chasing him all over.
The Dresden Doll
In this one, Max has run low on ink, so Ko-Ko finishes drawing himself and then heads over to the camera room, where he creates his own characters, a mechanical dancing Dresden doll with whom he falls in love and a couple of automaton musicians. He gets rid of the musicians, but, alas, the projectionist gets oil onto Ko-Ko's soon-to-be bride, melting her.
Jumping Beans
Max tricks Koko with a jumping bean. Koko finds a way to duplicate himself to get his revenge.
Modeling
A man with a huge hooked nose enters the Fleischer studios to have his bust sculpted. Meanwhile, across the studio, Max is animating Koko. When he's called over to consult on the too-accurate bust, Koko gets mischievous and creates his own drawings. He then escapes and crawls inside the clay bust, eventually wriggling off like an inchworm. He gets into a fight with the man being modelled, both of them flinging wads of clay.
Invisible Ink
Koko The Clown continually interrupts an animator, who turns his attention to trapping the clown.
The Clown's Little Brother
Koko the Clown's little brother comes to visit and wreaks havoc in Max Fleischer's studio.
The Ouija Board
Max Fleischer draws Koko and a haunted house, while his colleague and the janitor mess around with a Ouija board. When Max goes over to take a look, Koko is haunted by ghosts and inanimate objects, and escapes into the real-world studio.
