Mr. Hook

Last updated

Mr. Hook is the title character of a series of American animated cartoon shorts produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II for the US Navy. The series included for 4 shorts with the first by Walter Lantz Productions being produced in full color and the remaining three produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons in black and white. The character was designed by Hank Ketcham. Unlike the earlier Private Snafu series, which was created as an instructional film series, Mr. Hook was created exclusively as propaganda to encourage Navy personnel to purchase war bonds.

Contents

Films

Take Heed Mr. Tojo

Directed by James Culhane and the only Hook cartoon by Walter Lantz Productions, Take Heed Mr. Tojo takes place in 1953, and we see Mr. Hook talking to his son about his time in the Navy, and how war bonds saved him from Japanese airplanes. Hook was voiced by Dick Nelson, and it was the only time he voiced him for the series. [1]

The Return of Mr. Hook

The Return of Mr. Hook
Directed by Robert McKimson (uncredited)
Written by Hank Ketcham (uncredited)
Starring Mel Blanc
Sara Berner
Arthur Lake
Tedd Pierce (all uncredited) [1]
Edited by Treg Brown (uncredited)
Music by Carl W. Stalling (uncredited)
Animation by Cal Dalton
Don Williams (both uncredited)
Distributed by United States Navy
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Release date
  • 1945 (1945)
Running time
3:52
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The first short produced by Warner Bros. and directed by Robert McKimson. Hook tells his fellow sailors his plans for the money he will get when he redeems his bonds after the war, such as new clothes, a home and a wedding. From this point forward, Mr. Hook is voice by Arthur Lake.

Tokyo Woes

Tokyo Woes
Directed by Bob Clampett (uncredited)
Written by Hank Ketcham (uncredited)
Starring Mel Blanc
Sara Berner
Arthur Lake (all uncredited)
Narrated by Frank Graham (uncredited)
Edited by Treg Brown (uncredited)
Music by Carl W. Stalling (uncredited)
Animation by Manny Gould
Rod Scribner
Robert McKimson (all uncredited)
Distributed by United States Navy
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Release date
  • 1945 (1945)
Running time
4:13
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Directed by Bob Clampett, the short parodies the Tokyo Rose radio broadcasts in Japan, and it shows Mr. Hook shooting a naval gun round to Japan after Tokyo Rose criticized the usefulness of war bonds. The anthropomorphic war bond from the projectile later returns to Mr. Hook after the war to pay him for his bonds.

The Good Egg

The Good Egg
Directed by Chuck Jones (uncredited)
Written by Hank Ketcham (uncredited)
Starring Mel Blanc
Arthur Lake (both uncredited)
Edited by Treg Brown (uncredited)
Music by Carl W. Stalling (uncredited)
Animation by Ken Harris
Ben Washam
Lloyd Vaughan (all uncredited)
Layouts by Maurice Noble (uncredited)
Distributed by United States Navy
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Release date
  • 1945 (1945)
Running time
3:07
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Directed by Chuck Jones, Mr. Hook is woken up while a little angel and devil of himself argue whether he should spend or save his war bonds before he returns home. The angel soon wins the argument and tells Hook to save his bonds until he climbs back into civvies.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tex Avery</span> American animator and director (1908–1980)

Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior.

The golden age of American animation was a period in the history of U.S. animation that began with the popularization of sound cartoons in 1928 and gradually ended from 1957 to 1969, where theatrical animated shorts began losing popularity to the newer medium of television animation since in 1957, produced on cheaper budgets and in a more limited animation style by companies such as Terrytoons, UPA, Paramount Cartoon Studios, Jay Ward Productions, Hanna-Barbera, DePatie-Freleng, Rankin/Bass and Filmation. In artefact, the history of animation became very important in the United States.

Private Snafu Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Private Snafu is the title character of a series of black-and-white American instructional adult animated shorts, ironic and humorous in tone, that were produced between 1943 and 1945 during World War II. The films were designed to instruct service personnel about security, proper sanitation habits, booby traps and other military subjects, and to improve troop morale. Primarily, they demonstrate the negative consequences of doing things wrong. The main character's name is a play on the military slang acronym SNAFU, "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up". The cleaned-up version of that phrase, usually used on radio and in print, was "Situation Normal: All Fouled Up".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert McKimson</span> American animator

Robert Porter McKimson Sr. was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. He wrote and directed many animated cartoon shorts starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Foghorn Leghorn, Hippety Hopper, Speedy Gonzales, and the Tasmanian Devil, among other characters. He also developed Bugs Bunny's design in the 1943 short Tortoise Wins by a Hare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Woodpecker</span> Fictional cartoon character bird

Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Pictures between 1940 and 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Lantz</span> Italian American animator

Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.

Tom and Jerry is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the rivalry between the titular characters of a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. Many shorts also feature several recurring characters.

Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Robert Clampett, Arthur Davis, and Frank Tashlin, are considered major figures in the art and history of traditional animation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Rogers</span> American actor

Kent Byron Rogers was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and a voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons and Walter Lantz Productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio</span> Division of MGM film studio responsible for producing animated shorts

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to accompany MGM feature films in Loew's Theaters, which included popular cartoon characters Tom, Jerry, Droopy, Butch, Spike, Tyke, and Barney Bear.

<i>The Ducktators</i> 1942 American film

The Ducktators is a 1942 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Norman McCabe. The short was released on August 1, 1942, and satirizes events of World War II. The title is a pun on dictator.

<i>Snafuperman</i> 1944 film

Snafuperman is a 1944 animated short comedy produced by Warner Bros. and directed by Friz Freleng. It is one of a series of black and white "Private Snafu" cartoons created for the Army-Navy Screen Magazine and shown only to American soldiers. The "Private Snafu" cartoons were not released commercially, until December 2010. The cartoon's title is a play on "Superman" and parodies the popular Superman cartoons of the 1940s.

<i>Popeye the Sailor</i> (film series) 1933 American film

Popeye the Sailor is an American animated series of short films based on the Popeye comic strip character created by E. C. Segar. In 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer's Fleischer Studios, based in New York City, adapted Segar's characters into a series of theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. The plotlines in the animated cartoons tended to be simpler than those presented in the comic strips, and the characters slightly different. A villain, usually Bluto, makes a move on Popeye's "sweetie", Olive Oyl. The villain clobbers Popeye until he eats spinach, giving him superhuman strength. Thus empowered, Popeye makes short work of the villain.

Alexander Lovy was an American animator. He spent the majority of his career as an animator and director at Walter Lantz Productions. He was later a producer at Hanna-Barbera, and also supervised the cartoon unit at Warner Bros. during its final days.

<i>Three Brothers</i> (1944 film) 1944 American film

Three Brothers is part of the Private Snafu series of animated shorts produced by Warner Bros. during World War II. Screened for troops in September 1944, the cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng and features the familiar voice of Mel Blanc.

Take Heed Mr. Tojo is a 1943 American animated short film directed by Shamus Culhane. It is an American World War II propaganda film featuring the character Hook, who was a character similar to Private Snafu at the Warner Brothers' animation department.

Events in 1941 in animation.

<i>Toon In with Me</i> American live-action/animated anthology comedy television series

Toon In with Me is an American live-action/animated anthology television series created by Neal Sabin for MeTV and MeTV Plus. A special preview episode aired on January 1, 2021, with the main series officially debuting on January 4, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.