NON-TERRIBLE LIZARDS

 

The Animal World is a 1956 documentary directed by 'the Master of Disaster', director and producer Irwin Allen. After a brief look at amoebas and protozoa, there's a ten minute stop-motion sequence about dinosaurs put together by King Kong man Willis O'Brien and all-round special effects genius Ray Harryhausen. 

This kind of animation can look a bit quaint now, but I'm still able to connect to how thrilling it would have been to watch back when I was less jaded and CGI was the stuff of science fiction. The dinosaurs here are menacing, violent,  rheumy eyed and slobbery: they look tired, desperate, hungry and under pressure. 

I'm 57 years old, but I still have a favourite dinosaur, the Triceratops. I really love those guys.

STOP! HAMMER TIME

 

The comic book industry is nothing is not commercial, so the first Marvel tie in's came early. The Marvel Super Heroes was a 1966 syndicated cartoon featuring five of their superheroes, three of which (The Hulk, Iron Man and Thor) had debuted in Kirby & Lee's annus mirabilis, 1962 (Captain America and Namor, the Submariner had been knocking about since the 1940s).

Produced quickly and cheaply by Grantray-Lawrence Animation, the 'animation' took copies of art from the original comics, then added stiffly moving mouths, darting eyes, waving limbs and the odd mobile silhouette. You couldn't get away with it now, but the cartoons are short and bright and noisy and fast moving and must have seemed quite exciting to children at the time. I still like them now, but then, as we have already established, there is something wrong with me.

In 'The Tomorrow Man', the God of Thunder faces Zarrko, a megalomaniac villain from the 23rd century. It does not end well for Zarrko, or for Thor's half-brother, Loki, who, as usual, is stirring the shit behind the scenes with a big wooden spoon.

THREE SHOTS, FOUR SPOCKS

INBETWEENERS

A selection of backdrops, transitions and incidental details from Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-74).

SPOILER

Oh no, it's the Phantom of Vasquez!

'Well, well, well, if it isn't our old friend, Bluestone The Great, an ex-magician wanted in six states'

MISC BOXES

From the short Pierre Hebert film 'Around Perception' (1968).

INBETWEENERS

Transitions, backgrounds and landscapes from Filmation's Aquaman cartoon that ran from 1968 to 1970. Here's Orin / Arthur Curry in action. Doesn't look much like Jason Momoa, does he? That's not important, of course, but I do wish DC made better films from their extraordinary back catalogue.

THOR THING

Contemporary (well, 1966) cartoon adventures of the Norse God of Thunder. It's categorized as animation but, mainly, just the mouths move.

INBETWEENERS

More just before and right after frames from Hanna Barbera, this time from The New Scooby Doo Movies (1972), a pretty average show in which Mystery Inc. team up with such luminaries as The Three Stooges, Laurel & Hardy, Sonny and Cher, Batman and Robin, the Addams Family, the Harlem Globetrotters, Davy Jones from The Monkees and Mama Cass. Yep, really. 

Why is everything so purple? Well, because Scooby Doo adventures mainly take place at night, that's when the fake ghosts come out.