As I’m getting a bunch of films ready for broadcast on MeTV and MeTV Toons, I’m enjoying a lot of old favorites. Sometimes they’ve not making it into the final files heading for airing. Galloping Fanny (1933), known for many years as Galloping Hooves, has just about *everything* needed to insure a difficult or impossible broadcast, even 90 years after it was made.
This cartoon, starring Cubby Bear, was one of the first Van Beuren cartoons I ever saw, having purchased a 16mm print from Frank Bueno’s $5 table at the Columbus Cinevent in 1983 or so. All of those prints were pretty beat up, and I bought two prints of it and put them together to make a pretty complete one.
In the 80s, these cartoons were far from being seen beyond people that owned prints.. so nearly every Van Beuren cartoon was a new cartoon to me! I know, I know, I’m a piker for those who saw these cartoons in the 50s and 60s.
Having been born in 1968 kept most black and white cartoons out of my viewing growing up. I think I’ve established a least a little street cred these days for helping more people find these little films just like I did. Then again, I know there’s a bunch of folks reading here that are younger as well.
It’s no wonder that Official Films changed the title for the 16mm release. ‘Fanny Gallop’ was a slang term around in the 20s and 30s referring to female sexual excitement. These days that term is of course not known very well. I have several dirty little 8-pagers (Tijuana Bibles) that use the term…. and I won’t be sharing *those* here!
The cartoon starts off with an excited crown singing about the big race. Within seconds we’re treated to the most New York of New York cartoons, featuring almost equal opportunity ethnic caricatures of Jewish, Italian, Russian and British, as well as a tough horse from the Bowery. Listen carefully!
We meet Cubby Bear’s horse, the favorite, who looks and sings like a horsy Mae West. She also sounds like she was recorded in a bathroom. Moments later, we learn she’s eloped, forcing Cubby to grab two black porters to jump inside a horse suit to run the race. Somehow that solution is his best bet to still run the race.
The Bowery horse and tough cat-rider very publicly dope-up as they’re waiting at the starting line, adding another element of pre-code fun. From there we have a bunch of the usual sorts of racing gags as peppy Van Beuren music carries the action. Cubby and his two porters win the race in the end— and revealing a laughing porter coming out of the horse costume’s mouth.
This film is full of shots that are pretty primitive right next to shots with really great, fun animation. I really like the mix of shots and how this particular film really understands that sometimes a cartoon just needs to be entertaining and not much more. Despite all the stereotypes, it’s still a really enjoyable outing all these decades later. I especially like a section where the Bowery horse and rider spin a one way sign and confuse things.
Right at the end of the film, there is a cameo of sorts: Tom and Jerry, now unemployed, make their last appearance as characters in the crowd. It’s sort of a nice little tip of the hat to a series that just completed.
A Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Steeplechase, was released earlier in the year and has almost the same plot. This cartoon was released at the end of December, with the Mickey cartoon coming out in September. It’s pretty doubtful that the studio saw The Steeplechase and turned around an imitation that quickly; it’s more likely that both films were inspired by this basic idea that shows up in silent comedies as well as comics. I find this cartoon to be a lot more fun, although not as well animated of course.
So, here’s a Cubby you won’t be seeing on MeTV Toons… at least I don’t think so.
Have a good week everyone!
