User Reviews

During the 1930s, the Dust Bowl and its ruinous effects was constantly on the public mind. It worked its way into art, from high-brow plays to low-brow songs from Woody Guthrie. Even the cartoons got into the subject, with shorts from Van Beuren, Harman-Ising and this one from Paul Terry.

It follows the usual form: Farmer Al Falfa and Puddy are walking around the farm, frustrated by the drought and the dying crops. In comes a huckster, Joe Pluvius, who sells them a rain-making kit -- which works.

There follows a fairly good series of gags under the helm of old-timer Mannie Davis and up-and-coming George Gordon. A couple of years later, Gordon would be grabbed for MGM's burgeoning cartoon department. He would work into the 1980s, including a lot of Smurf cartoons. Here, though, is where he showed what he could do. Pretty good.

The Terrytoons are oddly interesting, mainly for anybody wanting to see (generally) older cartoons made by lesser known and lower-budget studios. They are a mixed bag in quality, with some better than others, often with outstanding music and with some mild amusement and charm and variable in animation, characterisation and content.

1936, like all the other years for Terrytoons, saw a hit and miss batch, more so than the other years even. Of which 'The Hot Spell' is one of the high middle ones ranking it in correlation with the rest of the Terrytoons and one of the high middle 1936 cartoons. It is an unexceptional but above average cartoon that has the same amount of problems as it has the amount of strengths. 'The Hot Spell' is also watchable, completest sake is the main reason to see it but it's not the only reason.

Best asset is the music, which predictably is incredible. It is so beautifully and cleverly orchestrated and arranged, is great fun to listen to and full of lively energy, doing so well with enhancing the action. The ambitious, elaborate detail in the backgrounds is still great to see, as is more fluidity and visual appeal than usual, and some synchronisation is neat.

Enough amusing moments and there is zest and natural charm. The characters, while not terribly distinctive, are not entirely personality deprived and appeal. Farmer Al Falfa and Puddy are an appealing duo and amusing enough as characters.

Some of the character animation is still a bit primitive and crude however.

Likewise, the story is paper thin and formulaic, not much new. Gags could have been more and a few better organised. The cartoon tends to veer towards being too cute and a lot of it is pretty predictable.

Altogether, above average. 6/10 Bethany Cox