10 -The Michigan Daily --Wednesday,July 26,_1995 Pre-code cartoons not all that racy, By Ted Watts Daily Arts Writer Ah, the late '20s and early '30s, when the film studios could do what- ever most people would allow before censorship began to be enforced in 1934. And that freedom went for cartoons, too. This collection of pre-code car- toons is hardly a black and white primer for Fritz the Cat, however. The cartoons aren't even really as racy as some of the Cartoon Network's new material. What is un- mu verve's ~nurrnern uou rnIs ai. MNU[reWs Broken ankles, broken hands, heat exhaustion and voice loss have not kept Lollapalooza veterans/Oasis Students: faves the Verve from bringing you "A "If your hair isn't becoming to Northern Soul", the follow-up to their you, you should be debut LP, "A Storm in Heaven"; nor in u " will such obstacles prevent Wigan, f f England's dark knights of mood-rock from bringing down the house on Monday, August 31, as they play Detroit's St. Andrew's Hall. Call 313- of-Stylists *No Waiting 961-MELT for more information. Liberty off State 668-9329 A The University of Michigan School of Music Wednesday, July 26 Digital Music Ensemble Stephen Rush, director UM students present synthesizer performances and computer- generated graphics: music of Frank Zappa, Internet file performances, musical chairs, and more 8 p.m., Mctrosh Theatre, School of Music, free Monday, July 31 Faculty Carillon Recital Margo Halsted, University carillonist 7 p.m., outside Burton Memorial Tower, free Sunday, August 6 Summer Digital Music Ensemble Bart Polot, director Synthesizer pieces arranged and performed by music educa- tion graduate students 7 p.m., pond outside the School of Music, free All events are free and wheelchair accessible unless specified otherwise. For weekly events listings, call the Music Hotline, 763-4726. The School of Music is located at 1100 Baits Drive, North Campus. Bosko is taking a bath, as is his honey, Honey (not together, unfortu- nately). Relying largely on sight gags and music (and a whole lotta sight gags having to do with music), the cartoon seems fairly innocuous. Sure, you see Bosko and Honey na- ked, but they have that smooth genitalessness that allows Porky to run around without pants or fur. One particularly interesting part of the short that wouldn't have made it past the code is the bellicose cow. It both spits some chaw at our hero and has a big swinging udder. Udders gave people at the Hays office hives be- cause they look like big scrotums with lots of penises sprouting from them. Look at Disney's early cows with udders, and then look at later Clarabell cartoons. Alas, she has lost her female mammalian inheritance, perhaps in a shaving accident. But the cow in "Sinkin"' has a particu- larly inflammatory udder, as it swings in the breeze as if it had something moderately heavy inside it. Nothing quite like making the morality squad squirm. The Bosko short sets the tone for the rest of the cartoons. The minor infractions against code regulations seem pretty innocuous today. There is the occasional outburst of blatant lechery, however. The Little King is featured in two cartoons with won- derfully rendered backgrounds and highly stylized figures, and he tries acceptable has changed quite a bit, although what's funny hasn't mu- tated all that much. The bill begins with "Sinkin' in the Bathtub," a Looney Tune from 1930 starring the infamous Bosko. One of the characters that "Animaniacs" has based the look of Yakko, Wakko and Dot upon, Bosko was one of the earliest Warner Bros. stars. In this particular piece of cin- ematic history - the first of two Bosko shorts in this compilation - to have sex in both of them. In the first, "Jest of Honor," the king suc- ceeds in mating with a mermaid un- derwater, shown only by several air bubbles rising to the surface. The deed is confirmed, however, when she shows up with a brood of mereboys wearing little versions of the king's crown. Today this coul be shown as a cautionary tale to e- ementary school students to rein- force the importance of birth con- trol. The Betty Boop cartoons in this collection have much more to do with skin than sex. Betty's legs are renowned for the amount of them that are shown (might I remind you that garter belts were not designed to be seen by the general public.) How- ever, these cartoons seem especialle sexual. The shifty ringmaster in "Boop Oop A Doop" actually rubs her leg after saying "Do you like your job?" And Betty herself rubs between her legs when she's been saved by Koko the clown. In "My Palm Read," Betty's naked chest (are those nipples?) and bottom can be seen clearly, although she is only a baby at the time. Another scene in- volves seeing Betty's legs under ho skirt when a light shines behind her. In yet another part, Betty's bottom gets patted by a wave and she takes off her wet clothing and puts on some dry coconuts and a grass skirt. All these parts of the cartoon have been removed from some public do- main copies of the film, leaving those copies extremely difficult to understand. This big-screen version really shows that it's better to have little gratuitous skin than a chopped up movie. This cartoon fest has it all: sex, udders and stars the likes of Bosko, Flip the Frog, Cubby Bear and Betty Boop. It's a heapin' helpin' of en- joyable historic animation that isn't even shown on TV when it's sani- tized. Sure, the screen aspect ratio is the same one as TV (so the parts that get chopped off on the small sere@ because of size get chopped here too), but unless you have access to an original print, you don't have much choice. See it now so you don't have to wait another 65 years. 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