Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
...and welcome to 'Day Twenty-Three' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku - so let's dim those lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O :-)
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published twenty-three days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Twenty-Two' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall that it featured a flying witch or "sorceress", if you will, who taught 'Betty' and 'Bimbo' a lesson for running away from home. Well, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic also includes a witch character who takes to the skies - in a spooky short called "The Flying Sorceress" - and she, too, has a lesson to teach the foolish creature who steals a ride on her broomstick! :-O ;-) :-D
Released on 27th January 1956, having been co-produced as well as co-directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, "The Flying Sorceress" was presented as part of the "Tom and Jerry" film series. Featuring the vocal characterisations of June Foray for both "The Witch" (i.e. 'The Flying Sorceress') and "Tom's Mistress", along with the musical direction of Scott Bradley, both film and sound editing were handled by Jim Faris - although he remains "uncredited" for either one in the title sequence. As for the animation duties... Ed Barge was at the helm, ably assisted by Irven "Irv" Spence (although he was credited as "Irvin Spence" for this short) together with Lewis Marshall and Kenneth "Ken" Muse, while the background artist was Robert Gentle and layouts were done by Richard "Dick" Bickenbach.
The story begins with 'Tom' (the cat) chasing 'Jerry' (the mouse) around the house, as per usual, and we see their progress from room-to-room (courtesy of Tom's silhouette) as they pass by the windows until everything comes crashing to a halt... with the sound of crockery being broken. At this point, we see another light come on, to the right of the house, and the silhouette of Tom's mistress racing to see what has happened. It's then that we "go inside" to see her scolding 'Tom' and hear the first lines:
This, as you can tell just from the dialogue, is a routine occurrence... and one that both 'Tom' and his mistress could do without. Having been handed a broom, and told: "Here… clean it up!", Tom starts to sweep-up the broken crockery. When he reaches the chair, he catches sight of a newspaper ad and stops to read it. The advertisement is for an "intelligent cat" who is to act as a travelling companion to an "elderly lady" with instructions to "Apply in person" at "13 SUNNYDALE ROAD" and, sensing an opportunity to improve his lot, 'Tom' rolls-up the newspaper and swiftly heads out the front door!
You might think, with an address like "Sunnydale Road", that the home of the "elderly lady" would be located in quite pleasant surroundings... and, at first glance, it certainly seems that way. However, as 'Tom' surveys the scene - looking for "lucky" number thirteen - his eyes come to rest upon a creepy looking old mansion which just happens to be the only building in the neighbourhood with it's own thunderstorm permanently situated above it. Needless to say, this was the address he sought! :-O :-(
The whole place gives 'Tom' the jitters but, summoning-up some much needed courage, he rings on the doorbell (which chimes liked a graveyard bell) and then opens the door to take a peek inside. It looks like an old, abandoned haunted house - full of cobwebs, and such like - but 'Tom' decides to go inside anyway, proceeding with caution, and looking anxiously around him as he steps forward...
No sooner has he crossed the threshold, do we hear the "elderly lady" call down from upstairs saying: "Just a minute! I'll be right down..." and, in a flash, she comes flying down the stairs on a broomstick - doing a quick "fly-past" of the ground floor - before screeching to a halt beside where 'Tom' is stood, to then greet him with the words: "So, you want to be my travelling companion, eh?", amidst cackles of laughter. Taking a good look at 'Tom', to see if he fits the bill as her "travelling companion", she surmises: "Well… you don't look much like a wicked cat to me!". However, presumably seeing some sort of potential in 'Tom', she decides to startle him - causing his fur to stand on end... at which point, she observes: "That's better!" and then promptly takes 'Tom' for a "test flight" on her broomstick! :-O
Having survived the "test flight", the witch shows 'Tom' to his sleeping quarters (a candle-lit coffin) by pointing a finger and saying: "You sleep over there… goodnight!" but, for obvious reasons, 'Tom' isn't too keen on those arrangements. Then, noticing the witch's broom propped-up against the wall outside her door, he decides to steal a ride on it to go pay a visit to his old neighbourhood haunts! :-D
However, rather than reveal any more of the storyline at this point, I thought I'd leave it for you to discover what 'Tom' gets up to when he takes the witch's broom out for a spin. Suffice it to say that he puts the magic broom to good use... but, in order to learn what happens next, you'll need to press the "Play" button on the video below so you can enjoy today's creepy cartoon classic in it's entirety! ;-)
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published twenty-three days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Twenty-Two' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall that it featured a flying witch or "sorceress", if you will, who taught 'Betty' and 'Bimbo' a lesson for running away from home. Well, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic also includes a witch character who takes to the skies - in a spooky short called "The Flying Sorceress" - and she, too, has a lesson to teach the foolish creature who steals a ride on her broomstick! :-O ;-) :-D
Released on 27th January 1956, having been co-produced as well as co-directed by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna, "The Flying Sorceress" was presented as part of the "Tom and Jerry" film series. Featuring the vocal characterisations of June Foray for both "The Witch" (i.e. 'The Flying Sorceress') and "Tom's Mistress", along with the musical direction of Scott Bradley, both film and sound editing were handled by Jim Faris - although he remains "uncredited" for either one in the title sequence. As for the animation duties... Ed Barge was at the helm, ably assisted by Irven "Irv" Spence (although he was credited as "Irvin Spence" for this short) together with Lewis Marshall and Kenneth "Ken" Muse, while the background artist was Robert Gentle and layouts were done by Richard "Dick" Bickenbach.
The story begins with 'Tom' (the cat) chasing 'Jerry' (the mouse) around the house, as per usual, and we see their progress from room-to-room (courtesy of Tom's silhouette) as they pass by the windows until everything comes crashing to a halt... with the sound of crockery being broken. At this point, we see another light come on, to the right of the house, and the silhouette of Tom's mistress racing to see what has happened. It's then that we "go inside" to see her scolding 'Tom' and hear the first lines:
"Well, Mr. Clumsy… every time you chase that mouse, you break something!"
This, as you can tell just from the dialogue, is a routine occurrence... and one that both 'Tom' and his mistress could do without. Having been handed a broom, and told: "Here… clean it up!", Tom starts to sweep-up the broken crockery. When he reaches the chair, he catches sight of a newspaper ad and stops to read it. The advertisement is for an "intelligent cat" who is to act as a travelling companion to an "elderly lady" with instructions to "Apply in person" at "13 SUNNYDALE ROAD" and, sensing an opportunity to improve his lot, 'Tom' rolls-up the newspaper and swiftly heads out the front door!
Tom's Mistress Hands Him The Broom, And Says: "Here… clean it up!"
As He Sweeps-Up The Mess, 'Tom' Spots An Ad In The Newspaper...
...And It Looks Like Something To Which He Would Be Ideally Suited !!
You might think, with an address like "Sunnydale Road", that the home of the "elderly lady" would be located in quite pleasant surroundings... and, at first glance, it certainly seems that way. However, as 'Tom' surveys the scene - looking for "lucky" number thirteen - his eyes come to rest upon a creepy looking old mansion which just happens to be the only building in the neighbourhood with it's own thunderstorm permanently situated above it. Needless to say, this was the address he sought! :-O :-(
On Arriving At 'Sunnydale Road', Tom Seemed Pleased With His Surroundings...
Until He Spotted A Creepy-Looking Mansion, With A Thundercloud Above...
And, Needless To Say, That Was Where The "Elderly Lady" Lived !!
Feeling More Than A Little Nervous, 'Tom' Summons-Up The Courage To Ring The Doorbell...
Then He Pushes The Door Open, And Takes A Look Inside The Creepy Old Mansion...
All The While Looking Anxiously Around Him, 'Tom' Steps Into The House...
No sooner has he crossed the threshold, do we hear the "elderly lady" call down from upstairs saying: "Just a minute! I'll be right down..." and, in a flash, she comes flying down the stairs on a broomstick - doing a quick "fly-past" of the ground floor - before screeching to a halt beside where 'Tom' is stood, to then greet him with the words: "So, you want to be my travelling companion, eh?", amidst cackles of laughter. Taking a good look at 'Tom', to see if he fits the bill as her "travelling companion", she surmises: "Well… you don't look much like a wicked cat to me!". However, presumably seeing some sort of potential in 'Tom', she decides to startle him - causing his fur to stand on end... at which point, she observes: "That's better!" and then promptly takes 'Tom' for a "test flight" on her broomstick! :-O
"Just a minute! I'll be right down...", Says The Witch, As She Jumps On Her Broomstick !!
Stopping Beside 'Tom', She Says: "So, you want to be my travelling companion, eh?"
Before Observing: "Well… you don't look much like a wicked cat to me!"
But, After Giving 'Tom' A Fright To Make His Hair Stand On End, Decides: "That's better!"
Having survived the "test flight", the witch shows 'Tom' to his sleeping quarters (a candle-lit coffin) by pointing a finger and saying: "You sleep over there… goodnight!" but, for obvious reasons, 'Tom' isn't too keen on those arrangements. Then, noticing the witch's broom propped-up against the wall outside her door, he decides to steal a ride on it to go pay a visit to his old neighbourhood haunts! :-D
After An Exhausting Flight On The Broom, The Witch Says: "You sleep over there… goodnight!"
But 'Tom' Doesn't Think Much Of The Designer Bed, Or The Lighting...
So He Decides To Steal A Ride On The Witch's Broom... And Fly Solo Into The Night !!
However, rather than reveal any more of the storyline at this point, I thought I'd leave it for you to discover what 'Tom' gets up to when he takes the witch's broom out for a spin. Suffice it to say that he puts the magic broom to good use... but, in order to learn what happens next, you'll need to press the "Play" button on the video below so you can enjoy today's creepy cartoon classic in it's entirety! ;-)
Unlike many of the previous videos that I've shared in this series of posts, "The Flying Sorceress" did not seem to be available via 'YouTube' or 'Vimeo' and, as a result, the version that I'm sharing with you today is hosted on the 'Dailymotion' website. Of course, in addition to watching the embedded video of this cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your phone or tablet by using the 'Dailymotion' app(s) for both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms on your mobile devices. For those who prefer to watch on their big screen television, there is also a private channel for 'Daily Motion' which is available using the "Add channel with a code" option, that can be found in the 'Manage Account' section of the Roku website. Just use ACCESS CODE: dailymotion to install it
DAILY MOTION PRIVATE CHANNEL..........................................ACCESS CODE: dailymotion
*** N.B. this channel can not be found within the built-in channel store on Roku devices !! ***
HINT: If you are uncertain as to how you go about installing a private channel on your Roku device, you will find full instructions in my "SPECIAL MONTH-LONG BLOGATHON PREVIEW" post as to what needs to be done. For those who may be worried about things being too "tech-y", there's not really much to it... and, once you have signed-in to your Roku account via a desktop web browser, it is quite a simple procedure to type in the (above) access code and have the app automatically added to the selection of channels found under the 'Home' screen of your Roku device(s). Should you have any difficulty, and are unable to finish the process with the instructions from my blogathon preview, just leave a comment below - saying what stage of the process you are stuck on - and I'll do my best to offer some further suggestions as to where you may be going wrong. If you're unable to install the 'Daily Motion' private channel, for whatever reason, you can always just watch the cartoon here! :-D
EXTRA TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the private channel for 'Daily Motion' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "peterweibo12", also known as "Tom and Jerry Cartoon" - or the unique identifier (which is "x62ozmp" for the video above) - so your best hope of finding "The Flying Sorceress" within the 'Daily Motion' private app on your Roku device is to use the title provided by the uploader... so, in this case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "Tom and Jerry Classic Episode 98 - The Flying Sorceress" which is shown (in full) across the centre of the embedded video included in this post. Experience has taught me not all the video titles will be included within the 'Daily Motion' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed and that you should be able to stream it on Roku device(s) in it's entirety, without issues! :-)
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, be sure to look-out for the scene where the witch stops (briefly) by the window of her house - just ahead of putting 'Tom' through his paces as a potential "travelling companion" on her broomstick - and points to some graves (the last one empty) before saying: "Look out there, Sonny… Heh, you'll be number eight, if you don't hang on tight!" :-O
Meanwhile, before I sign-off on this post, I'd just like to share a few items of memorabilia that I came across while researching today's spooky short. While there was no original film poster, specific to this title, I did manage to find a generic poster from the time period. It's significant, because they had only just switched to making these animated films in "CinemaScope" - as you might have noticed from some of the images I shared - and this poster for the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon series highlights that:-
Other interesting images, that relate to "The Flying Sorceress" (1956) animated short, include studio photostat model sheets (in both "black on white", and "white on black" formats) for the character of the 'Witch' - i.e. the titular "Flying Sorceress" from this cartoon - in addition to an original production drawing of the same character, plus a production cel / background image (from an unverified source)!
I'd also like to remind readers of this blog that there are now just eight days to go until Halloween !!
DAILY MOTION PRIVATE CHANNEL..........................................ACCESS CODE: dailymotion
*** N.B. this channel can not be found within the built-in channel store on Roku devices !! ***
HINT: If you are uncertain as to how you go about installing a private channel on your Roku device, you will find full instructions in my "SPECIAL MONTH-LONG BLOGATHON PREVIEW" post as to what needs to be done. For those who may be worried about things being too "tech-y", there's not really much to it... and, once you have signed-in to your Roku account via a desktop web browser, it is quite a simple procedure to type in the (above) access code and have the app automatically added to the selection of channels found under the 'Home' screen of your Roku device(s). Should you have any difficulty, and are unable to finish the process with the instructions from my blogathon preview, just leave a comment below - saying what stage of the process you are stuck on - and I'll do my best to offer some further suggestions as to where you may be going wrong. If you're unable to install the 'Daily Motion' private channel, for whatever reason, you can always just watch the cartoon here! :-D
EXTRA TIP: The built-in 'Search' function within the private channel for 'Daily Motion' is a fairly basic affair and does not permit you to search easily by 'Username' - in this case: "peterweibo12", also known as "Tom and Jerry Cartoon" - or the unique identifier (which is "x62ozmp" for the video above) - so your best hope of finding "The Flying Sorceress" within the 'Daily Motion' private app on your Roku device is to use the title provided by the uploader... so, in this case, you would need to type in all (or part) of the following text: "Tom and Jerry Classic Episode 98 - The Flying Sorceress" which is shown (in full) across the centre of the embedded video included in this post. Experience has taught me not all the video titles will be included within the 'Daily Motion' search results so, if you adopt the same method when searching for another video from their website, your chosen title may not show-up at all. That said, having personally tested this one myself, I can confirm that you will see it listed and that you should be able to stream it on Roku device(s) in it's entirety, without issues! :-)
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, be sure to look-out for the scene where the witch stops (briefly) by the window of her house - just ahead of putting 'Tom' through his paces as a potential "travelling companion" on her broomstick - and points to some graves (the last one empty) before saying: "Look out there, Sonny… Heh, you'll be number eight, if you don't hang on tight!" :-O
Just Before They Start Their "Test Flight", The Witch Says: ""Look out there, Sonny…"
Before Adding: "Heh, you'll be number eight, if you don't hang on tight!"
Meanwhile, before I sign-off on this post, I'd just like to share a few items of memorabilia that I came across while researching today's spooky short. While there was no original film poster, specific to this title, I did manage to find a generic poster from the time period. It's significant, because they had only just switched to making these animated films in "CinemaScope" - as you might have noticed from some of the images I shared - and this poster for the "Tom and Jerry" cartoon series highlights that:-
Other interesting images, that relate to "The Flying Sorceress" (1956) animated short, include studio photostat model sheets (in both "black on white", and "white on black" formats) for the character of the 'Witch' - i.e. the titular "Flying Sorceress" from this cartoon - in addition to an original production drawing of the same character, plus a production cel / background image (from an unverified source)!
The Flying Sorceress (1956) [Studio Photostat Model Sheet - Black On White - 'Witch' Character]
The Flying Sorceress (1956) [Studio Photostat Model Sheet - White On Black - 'Witch' Character]
The Flying Sorceress (1956) [Original Production Drawing - 'Witch' Character]
The Flying Sorceress (1956) [Production Cel And Background Drawing] (Unverified Source)
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of film history, when I share a slightly longer MIDWEEK MEGATOON for 'Day 24' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" that you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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