Wonderland Burlesque's Down The Rabbit Hole: The Alice Comedies - Part Three

Wonderland Burlesque's

Down The Rabbit Hole:

The Alice Comedies

Part Three

Down The Rabbit Hole merely places a spotlight on something slightly unusual that's caught my interest. With the help of Wikipedia, YouTube, and other sites, I gather information and learn something new.

Today, we take a look at more Walt Disney's The Alice Comedies!

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The Alice Comedies are a series of live-action animated shorts created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live-action little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an animated landscape. The shorts were the first work by what ultimately became The Walt Disney Company.

Disney, Ub Iwerks, and their staff at the failing Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City, Missouri, made the first Alice Comedy, a one-reel 1923 short subject titled Alice's Wonderland. After completing the film, the studio went bankrupt and was forced to shut down. After raising money by working as a freelance photographer, Disney bought a one-way train ticket to Los Angeles, California to live with his uncle Robert and his brother Roy. 

In California, Disney continued to send out proposals for the Alice series, in hopes of obtaining a distribution agreement. A deal was finally arranged through Winkler Pictures, run by Margaret Winkler and her fiancé, Charles Mintz. Due to a recent falling out with Pat Sullivan, the studio needed a quick replacement for their centerpiece Felix the Cat animated series. Disney convinced Virginia Davis's family to bring her from Missouri to Los Angeles to star in the series.

Disney both directed and produced all 57 films in this series. Over the course of the series, four actresses played Alice: Virginia Davis (15), Margie Gay (31), Dawn O'Day (1) and Lois Hardwick (10). The film Alice in the Jungle contains only archival footage of Virginia Davis.

The shorts in this series are now all in the public domain in the United States.

About Virginia Davis:

Virginia Davis was an American child actress in films. She is best known for working with Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks on the animated short series Alice Comedies. Over the next 20 years, she went on to work at other Hollywood studios as a child actress and, later, as a supporting actress.

Recalling her work on the Alice Comedies, Davis said, "It was a great time – full of fun, adventure, and 'let's pretend.' I adored and idolized Walt, as any child would. He would direct me in a large manner with great sweeping gestures. One of my favorite pictures was Alice's Wild West Show. I was always the kid with the curls, but I was really a tomboy, and that picture allowed me to act tough. I took great joy in that."

About Ub Iwerks:

Ubbe Ert Iwerks, known as Ub Iwerks, was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician, known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios in general, and for having worked on the development of the design of the character of Mickey Mouse, among others. Disney and Iwerks ventured into animation together. Iwerks joined Disney as chief animator on the Laugh-O-Gram shorts series beginning in 1922. Iwerks would spend most of his career with Disney. The first few Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons were animated almost entirely by Iwerks,

Iwerks quickly felt he was not getting the credit he deserved for drawing all of Disney's successful cartoons. Eventually, Iwerks and Disney had a falling out; their friendship and working partnership were severed in January 1930. According to an unconfirmed account, a child approached Disney and Iwerks at a party and asked for a picture of Mickey to be drawn on a napkin, to which Disney handed the pen and paper to Iwerks and stated, "Draw it." Iwerks became furious and threw the pen and paper, storming out. Iwerks accepted a contract with Disney's former distributor, Pat Powers (with whom Disney also had a falling out) to leave Disney and start an animation studio under his own name. The Iwerks Studio was never a major commercial success and though he did help develop Chuck Jones as a talent. Iwerks eventually returned to Disney and contributed to the success of such classics as Sound Of The South (1946) and 101 Dalmatians (1961), as well as the design of some of the theme park attractions.

Outside of Disney, he is responsible for the birds in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). He also contributed the animation sequences in Mary Poppins (1964).

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I'd never heard of these before. And, I must say, they strike me as a little strange. Some of the humor certainly suffers in these more empathetic days. But it is interesting to see where it all began. Here's the next five.

Alice The Piper - 1924

Alice Comedy #11

feat. Virginia Davis

Alice Cans The Cannibals - 1925

Alice Comedy #12

feat. Virginia Davis

Alice The Toreador - 1925

Alice Comedy #13

feat. Virginia Davis

Alice Gets Stung - 1925

Alice Comedy #14

feat. Virginia Davis

Alice Solves The Puzzle - 1925

Alice Comedy #15

feat. Margie Gay

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That's all for now.

Next week: five more great vintage Alice Comedies!

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Turdscooter Of The Week: This Guy

 

Turdscooter Of The Week: This Guy

Hmmm...

Weekend Onesie: Up To Their Necks In It

 

Weekend Onesie:

Up To Their Necks In It

Whitewash must be in short supply in D.C. these days.

Though that is obviously not the case when it comes to bullshit.

This week. 

The Republicans. 

McCarthy and McConnell. 

They just keep talking. 

All those hearings on Benghazi. (7 million dollars worth!)

But, when it comes to the January 6th insurrection and the storming of the Capitol Building?

They feel it would be a waste of time and resources. 

And that anti-Asian hate crime bill Biden just signed?

According to them? So unnecessary.

Yet, Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene are out on tour together...

(Imagine those groupies! *shiver*)

...spreading the manure which fertilizes all those conspiracy theories.

Josh Hawley continues to howl.

Madison Cawthorn opens his mouth and stupid falls out.

(Along with racist.)

Cruz. DeSantis, Boebert, Rubio, Graham.

They just keep singing their greatest hits.

Fox News' Peter Doocy keeps getting schooled by Jen Psaki. 

As the orange ogre proclaims "All Riots Matter". 

Oh, and we're just starting to get to the good stuff about the DOJ under Barr, Giuliani's fact-finding mission to the Ukraine, and the orange ogre's criminal empire, I mean... 'family business'.

There's no coming back from this.

I just hope they all keep talking. 

As I see it, they are all up to their necks in lies and bullshit.

 So, if they just keep on talking...

...soon it will be up, over their lips. 

Me?

I'd welcome that silence.

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Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

I need me some blue skies and sunlight.

And silence.

-uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Up The Neck - The Pretenders

Lie To Me - The Pretenders

Invasion of the Turdscooters

Invasion of the Turdscooters

I admit defeat. 

I have done my best recently, combing through the likes of Huffington Post, PolitiFact, RawStory, On Top Magazine, and The Advocate, searching for a single Turdscooter each week – one that floats above the rest. 

But, I have failed.

There are simply too many, given all the Republicans announcing their ridiculous, Quixote presidential aspirations, and the usual suspects grasping desperately for their final fifteen minutes of fame as the Supreme Court hears arguments regarding the constitutionality of state gay marriage bans. All their nonsense pours from their lips like so much spoiled milk, curdling this nation’s brains while encasing pure truth in a block of fetid news-fed cheese.

As their desperation for attention grows, so, too, does the audacity and ridiculousness of their claims and pronouncements. 

We have extremists everywhere – elected officials creating ludicrous legislation in our nation’s governmental halls, the small-minded and unenlightened acting out their fear of people different than themselves in deed and word in various states and on our television sets, and those misguided souls who feel deprived and mistreated, who choose to act out in anger while missing their intended target completely.

And then there are those predatory sorts who take advantage of all the chaos created by all the above.

It is about hate.  It is about fear.  It is about ignorance. 

It is about greed.  It is about the usefulness of poverty.

It is about the need to dominate.  The need to win.  The need to feel superior to others.

I throw my hands up. 

The tide is too strong this spring. 

Let them fight each other for airtime and ratings as they jockey for position, prestige, and renown.  They are empty princes and princesses; the kings and queens of nothing.

Let their rage fill the void their lack of vision and education has left in its wake.  And though their howl may appear to take up that space, it is ultimately without substance, sustaining nothing but the egos of those who bay.  For once it dissipates, the emptiness returns, its walls now swollen, the ache and hollow all the more apparent.

Let them all feast on each other until, injured and weakened, one by one, they retreat to their caves where their seething can begin anew.

It’s a mad circus. 

A relentless invasion whose onslaught shall boil, recoil, and surge forth until November 8^th, 2016.  At which time it will merely be momentarily abated before beginning the whole process over.

 

You see, there is no resolution to this revolution.

But, rest assured… it will be televised! 

Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week: Governor Rick Scott

Wonderland Burlesque’s 

Turdscooter of the Week: 

Governor Rick Scott

I always knew that Rick Scott would eventually shoot himself in the foot… and then turn to the Federal government demanding they pay his medical bills. 

Quite frankly, that foot should have been firmly wedged in his mouth (though I can think of another orifice of his I’d like to see a foot up as well).

But enough about my fantasy life…

Let’s take a look at the fantasy Governor Scott is trying to sell the courts of this nation and the citizens of Florida!

After opting out of Obamacare and the expansion of Medicaid (and being very vocal about it) and fighting it tooth and nail by passing numerous laws to make it difficult to impossible to implement any portion of The Affordable Care Act, Rick and Floridians find themselves coming up a little short this year.

You see, there used to be something called LIP (Lower Income Pool) that took care of all the healthcare that hospitals provide to the uninsured.  Well, that Federally-funded program is due to go away soon.  Rick Scott was well aware of this, yet chose to put together a state budget which pretended that was not the case.

But, it so is the case.

Now, he and Florida are looking at a bit of a short-fall.

And rather than admit he has been a total tool and fiscally irresponsible, Rick the Prick has  the nerve to file suit against the Federal Government claiming that by taking away LIP the government is effectively trying to coerce him and the state of Florida into participating in The Affordable Care Act. 

Huh?

Just what kind of reality does Governor Scott live in? 

As a Republican, is he saying that it is better to take a Federal Government handout – health care welfare - rather than participate in a program meant to reform the health care system by giving people their own health insurance?  And when that Federal welfare goes away… rather than plan for that inevitability, you ignore reality and then turn around and sue?

Wow. 

That is some convoluted thinking there. 

Or…

Rick Scott is sly as a fox and knows exactly what he is doing: by doing an end around in order to get a court to proclaim The Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.

Either way…

… the man is a total asshat.

So, let’s all unsheathe our feet and point them in the direction of Florida as a means of saluting Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week: Governor Rick Scott.

Rick? 

That hole in your foot? 

That’s all on you, buddy.

 

Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week: Rudy Giuliani

Wonderland Burlesque’s 

Turdscooter of the Week

Rudy Giuliani

Oh, Rudy…

This honor is long overdue.  Mr. Giuliani (Who is, what? A former Mayor, occasional cross-dresser, and, now, marginal celebrity wannabe?) shoots off his mouth and Fox News is only too happy to lick the toe of his suede, thigh-high, fuchsia boots. 

Rudy routinely makes the kind of headlines that make me sick to my stomach: sensational, narrow-minded sound bites broadcasting absolute garbage.  Simply google this man and his habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time blazes forth with an obliviousness that is as calculated as it is idiotic.  In terms of political stupidity, only Donald Trump rivals this man.

Last week, he questioned President Obama’s Christianity and his love of America. Is it just me, or would you agree that since a black man became President, the proverbial white gloves have come off in relation to treating that office with dignity and respect?  It’s like open season.

Previously, Rudy ignited a shit storm when sharing his views about black on black crime and the racial make-up of police forces. He then accused President Obama and other black leaders of stoking the anti-police sentiment that has hit code red since the uprising in Ferguson, MO.  He also intimated that teacher unions are to blame for violence in the black community.

The thing is: who the hell is Rudy Giuliani?  How is he relevant? 

Why should I care what comes out of his mouth?

Because news/talk shows need fodder and Rudy can be counted on to deliver something that pricks up the ears of liberals and reasonable, logical people.  And – most importantly - he’s an easy guest to book. 

Because the man has nothing else going on. 

This is why I think he should consider, given his cross-dressing past, giving J. Edgar Hoover a run for his money, and take up drag full-time.  Who knows?  Maybe there would be a spot for him on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’? 

Although, Ru tends to not take clowns seriously…

And, oh, yeah… Rudy boy is definitely that.

So, let’s all wrap a beaten feathered boa around our necks, put on a pair of hilariously oversized shoes, and paint our faces with a smile as a means of saluting Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week, royal ass-clown, Rudy Giuliani.

Rudy?

STFU! 

Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week: Scott Walker

(I hear voices in my head.)

Wonderland Burlesque’s 

Turdscooter of the Week: 

Scott Walker

Though it was another week filled with ripe candidates:

Taking on our education system last week, Mississippi State Representative Gene Alday (GOP) declared there was no need for school funding because all the “blacks” in his district receive “welfare crazy checks” and don’t work (but he’s not a racist!).

Carrying that torch, Virginia’s Representative Dave Brat (GOP) also felt no need to fund public schools because all those fancy ancient Greek philosophers needed to get the job done was a rock (really!).

And… in an effort to keep discrimination in America alive and strong as ever, Arkansas state Senator Bart Hester (GOP) introduced an emergency bill to undo all LGBT protections, telling folks, “I do not want for them to have special rights” (that’s an actual quote!) (say it in a hillbilly accent and it sounds about right).

Jumping on that hate-wagon, Alabama Chief Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore continued to embarrass himself with all his foolishness about how the only laws we need to follow come from “God” and how allowing gay folks to marry in Alabama is simply the worst thing to ever happen in that state(ever)(you know, except for that lynching stuff… maybe). 

Keeping the “God” thing alive, Tennessee State Representative James VanHuss (GOP) introduced a bill that would add references to “God” and “our Savior” to that state’s constitution.   Of course, this is the same state where they are considering selecting ‘The Bible’ as the state book (umm, but which one?).

Given that…

Given all that (and Fox News)…

As despicable as all those other tools are, the biggest, brightest tool in the whole GOP chest is Wisconsin’s nearly-recalled Governor, Koch Brothers’ sock puppet, and 2016 presidential  hopeful, Scott Walker, who, while being interviewed at Britain’s international affairs think tank, Chatham House, was asked if he believed in the scientific concept of evolution.

Demurring, Walker said, “I’m going to punt on that one.”

To which the host burst out laughing, saying, “Any British politician, right or left, would laugh at that question and say, ‘Of course evolution is real.’

But not our Scotty boy… oh, no.

Undaunted, Scott went on to say that it was a question “that a politician should not be involved in, one way or another.”

WTF?

So, I’ve decided I will believe in Scott Walker once the polls are in and enough people believe in Scott Walker, because that is apparently how Scott Walker decides what he does or does not believe.

Or… maybe “God” really is his advisor, for he claims to only run for office when “God” calls upon him to.  Recently he said to a group of bankers, “Any major decision I’ve made in my life – politics or otherwise – I’ve tried to discern God’s calling on.”   

Hmm. 

Listening to voices in his head, huh? 

Are you sure he’s not simply the creamy peanut butter middle in a Koch Brother’s shit sandwich?  Can you imagine those two soft tubs of lard squeezing in on you, their hot, moist breath in your ear 24/7?

Yeah… we all know exactly who Scott Walker is listening to these days: the conservative, greedy, soulless bastards funding his bid for the White House.

So, let’s all put our fingers in our ears and listen to our own inner voices (which, when it comes to Scotty boy, are whispering ‘bullshit artist’), as a means of saluting Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooter of the Week: spineless Scott Walker.

Scott? 

Here’s a hint: if you want to appear ‘presidential’?  Then answer the damn question.  Skirting simply makes you appear coy and flirtatious.

Which sorta gives a whole new meaning to that Koch Brother’s shit sandwich, am I right?

P.S. - You seem to like to point a lot.  What is that about?