"Peace on Earth" (1939) and "Good Will To Men" (1955) MGM Cartoons

I've never seen these cartoons until this year----The first of these, "Peace on Earth", was produced by MGM two years before the United States entered into the war. The setting is Christmas, in a post-apocalyptic world populated only by animals. In the short, two young squirrels ask their grandpa what "Peace on Earth" means. Thanks to Richard who posted this cartoon on his blog, Riku Writes – Mostly About Films. The first time I ever saw this was on his blog. Go to the video on his blog. Thanks Richard! ----------------------------------------------------------------- The second cartoon, "Good Will To Men" is a remake, made 16 years later by the team of Hanna Barbera, who had enjoyed enormous success with the Oscar winning Tom and Jerry series. They loved the original and wanted to remake it. Merry Christmas!

Malibu Beach Party (1940) with Jack Benny and friends

(A Warner Bros. cartoon) Lampooned this time: radio comedian Jack Benny and a few regular players from his program, including his real-life spouse Mary Livingstone, the show's bandleader (and jokester) Phil Harris (called "Pill Harris"), and Jack's "porter" Rochester (Eddie Anderson) (called "Winchester"). Jack is throwing a beach party in Malibu, and among those to show up include fellow radio pals Bob Hope and Baby Snooks. Some movie stars stop by too, including Bette Davis, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, and James Cagney. Oh and you can't have a cartoon loaded with celebrity caricatures without Clark Gable and Greta Garbo. For sure! (Directed by Friz Freleng) l-r: Carole Lombard, Don Ameche, Fred MacMurray, Joan Crawford, Robert Taylor, Charles Boyer, Adolph Menjou, Claudette Colbert Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone, stars of the popular and long-running radio comedy The Jack Benny Show Regular Jack Benny Show players Phil Harris (pictured with his wife Alice Faye) and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Deanna Durbin, and Mickey Rooney. Rik Tod, in his blog post on this cartoon, observed how all of the heads of the celebrities are slightly too large for thier bodies, giving them a bobble-head feel. I've identified no less than 30 stars, and they are listed below. See how many you can recognize. Out of all the celebrities, only Mickey Rooney and Deanna Durbin are still living. Sorry, I couldn't find a version that would allow me to embed it in this page, so you'll have to go to the You Tube site to watch the clip. Watch "Malibu Beach Party" (1940) (opens in a new tab) Caricatures, in order of appearance: Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone Bob Hope Bette Davis (as Queen Elizabeth from Warner Brothers' 1939 "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex") Andy Devine (yelling "Hiya Buck" - a reference to the movie "Buck Benny Rides Again from 1940 which starred Benny and Devine) Spencer Tracy (in his Henry Stanley garb from the 1939 movie "Stanley and Livingstone") Kay Kyser Robert Donat (with a reference to the 1939 movie "Goodbye Mr Chips") Carole Lombard/Don Ameche/Fred MacMurray/Joan Crawford/Robert Taylor George Raft Clark Gable Greta Garbo (surfing!) Caesar Romero and John Barrymore Ned Sparks and Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks Charles Boyer/Adolph Menjou/Claudette Colbert/James Cagney/Alice Faye Eddie "Rochester" Anderson Phil Harris Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Deanna Durbin, singing soprano Mickey Rooney Cary Grant This cartoon is available on DVD; it's one of the extras to the movie "Dance Girl Dance" (1940), which is part of the Lucille Ball Film Collection.