Here's another great one from from the TIAH Archives - seen here for the first time - while we catch up on other matters. Favorite Barks and Gottfredson posts are coming ...uh, soon?
No matter how well you think you know these comics, every now and then you have an unexpected "laugh-out-loud moment", as in DELL FOUR COLOR # 791 JIMINY CRICKET (1957).
In the story "The Meandering Mole", a mole... er, "meanders" up from beneath the ground. Tired of his subterranean life, he decides to try living on the surface.
Problem is that, from living underground and in darkness, moles have notoriously POOR EYESIGHT! Jiminy, ever the good-intentioned, well-meaning busybody, takes it upon himself to discourage the mole from transitioning to surface life, lest he inadvertently imperil himself when encountering the many dangers of the forest!
Among the tricks our Cricket Conscience tries is to scare the mole into thinking a WOLF is lurking nearby!
But, to Jiminy's surprise, and my involuntary outburst of hilarity, the mole is prepared for such an eventuality...
What REALLY SELLS IT is the mole "blowing on his gun barrel" after the shot...
...Not unlike the many times James Cagney (of all folks) did the same - over and over again, actually playing to the audience, in "The Oklahoma Kid", an unlikely western starring New York tough guys Cagney and Humphrey Bogart! ...Imagine that!
Perhaps our "Meandering Mole" could star in the sequel... "The Okla-MOLE-a Kid"!
Art is by the great Al Hubbard, who was so perfectly suited for this type of story, and written by the great - and very prolific - Carl Fallberg! ...Who, uncharacteristically, borrows Vic Lockman's trademark "EEK!" for the occasion!
Glad to see they both survived the encounter... and that it was JIMINY who "learned a lesson" for a change!
In the story "The Meandering Mole", a mole... er, "meanders" up from beneath the ground. Tired of his subterranean life, he decides to try living on the surface.
Click to Enlarge, but you can get the gist even at this size!
Among the tricks our Cricket Conscience tries is to scare the mole into thinking a WOLF is lurking nearby!
But, to Jiminy's surprise, and my involuntary outburst of hilarity, the mole is prepared for such an eventuality...
EEK! is right, Jiminy!
"PHOOF"? Gotta LOVE IT!
Yeah, let's not think about THAT, eh, "Jimbo"!
...Not unlike the many times James Cagney (of all folks) did the same - over and over again, actually playing to the audience, in "The Oklahoma Kid", an unlikely western starring New York tough guys Cagney and Humphrey Bogart! ...Imagine that!
Perhaps our "Meandering Mole" could star in the sequel... "The Okla-MOLE-a Kid"!
Art is by the great Al Hubbard, who was so perfectly suited for this type of story, and written by the great - and very prolific - Carl Fallberg! ...Who, uncharacteristically, borrows Vic Lockman's trademark "EEK!" for the occasion!
Glad to see they both survived the encounter... and that it was JIMINY who "learned a lesson" for a change!
8 comments:
Jiminy Cricket! (Sorry, couldn't help myself). Didn't he see that that mole has *glasses*? Looks like Jiminy may be in need of corrective lenses himself...
The mole has some characteristics in common with his Wind in the Willows counterpart. They both live underground and have a hard time seeing, and they both crave excitement that can only be found in the upper world.. In fact, there's no good reason I can think of why the mole couldn't have been THAT mole since Disney had a ready-made version of him. It might have made for a more memorable story--and it would have been an unexpected twist for peace-loving Moley suddenly to break out with a gun! Here's another thought--it's pretty amazing that the character could have gotten his hands on a mole-sized gun! I wonder how many were manufactured in that particular size, and who were the main purchasers of said item?
One more consideration--I cannot imagine either Cagney or Bogart ever uttering the word "Eek!" And come to think of it, I don't recall hearing Cliff Edwards utter it, either! He didn't say it in "Gone with the Wind" or in "Hollywood Revue of 1929" or during his guest appearance on the Mickey Mouse Club. Just a little "eek" for thought.
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Greg:
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Everyone go there… He has some great news for Tale Spin fans that even I was unaware of!
Sergio:
You write: “Jiminy Cricket! (Sorry, couldn't help myself). Didn't he see that that mole has *glasses*? Looks like Jiminy may be in need of corrective lenses himself...”
Come now, Sergio… You’re asking “The Corrector” to correct himself? Perhaps his vanity to avoid getting glasses is his one… (ready for it?) …blind spot!
Jiminy, being an all-around do-gooder and occasional busybody, is occasionally oblivious to his surroundings (…as are many real-life all-around do-gooders and occasional busybodies). Sometimes his drive to do good can get him into trouble… but, much more often than not, he succeeds.
He’s kind of the insect version of the comics Casper the Friendly Ghost, or even “Ze Good Wolf” Loopy De Loop. And we appreciate his dedication to what he does, even in the face of being felled by a tiny mole-sized gun!
That’s a very good point, Scarecrow! Why *wasn’t* it the Wind in the Willows character? As you say, he’s “ready-made” for the part. Maybe, even back in 1957, Disney objected to his packing heat!
Oh, and clearly the mole-sized gun was purchased from the same concern that provided his mole-sized carpet bag, and his jaunty mole-sized traveling attire! A mail-order (1957, remember) house called A-MOLE-ZON!
Cagney and Bogart never uttered the word "Eek!", and you can take it from this Golden Age Hollywood Warner-phile!
But, if ANYONE wants to watch a movie where its two big stars are so egregiously miscast, you must see “The Oklahoma Kid”! Or, you can just read my “Looong DVD Review” of it HERE with lots of background info and stuff, as only a Golden Age Hollywood Warner-phile Blogger can deliver!
I wish I had the time and ability to do more “Looong DVD Reviews”, especially since I’m watching more DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4Ks than ever! …Take THAT, streaming! Physical Media Rules!!!
"Oh, and clearly the mole-sized gun was purchased from the same concern that provided his mole-sized carpet bag, and his jaunty mole-sized traveling attire! A mail-order (1957, remember) house called A-MOLE-ZON!"
Being 1957, wouldn't it have been Mole-gomery Ward's? :)
Sergio:
Well, I could propose that time moves differently on Earth-Disney, or mumble something about Eega Beeva, Uma, Doctors Marlin and Zapotec, or any combination thereof... but yeah... 1957... Mole-gomery Ward's it is! Good work!
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