Charlie Chaplin dreams of Turkey -- the country, not the bird -- and of escaping with a harem girl in this cartoon from the Pat Sullivan Studio.
Sullivan is best remembered for Felix the Cat, but he had been producing cartoons for two years -- with time off for jail -- before he began to evolve Felix. In 1917, he got in touch with Chaplin, who was agreeable to the idea of a cartoon version; today we'd say he thought the brand extension would strengthen his main product. Originally Sullivan planned a feature cartoon, but by the time it was released, it was a series of cartoons. In the end Sullivan produced nine cartoons starring his cartoon version of Chaplin, plus at least one cameo in FELIX IN HOLLYWOOD.
Although Sullivan and his staff -- principally Otto Messmer -- took great care in replicating Chaplin's shuffling waddle, this is a standard sort of slapstick comedy for the era. The cartooning technique is admirable, with clear, simple images -- a decision based on economy, doubtless, but carried out handsomely -- and the animation, while not full animation, is used to make the sort of clever gangs about itself that would be a mark of the Felix cartoons. They were a-coming. The next cartoon from Sullivan would be FELINE FOLLIES, now considered the first of the Felix cartoons.
Sullivan is best remembered for Felix the Cat, but he had been producing cartoons for two years -- with time off for jail -- before he began to evolve Felix. In 1917, he got in touch with Chaplin, who was agreeable to the idea of a cartoon version; today we'd say he thought the brand extension would strengthen his main product. Originally Sullivan planned a feature cartoon, but by the time it was released, it was a series of cartoons. In the end Sullivan produced nine cartoons starring his cartoon version of Chaplin, plus at least one cameo in FELIX IN HOLLYWOOD.
Although Sullivan and his staff -- principally Otto Messmer -- took great care in replicating Chaplin's shuffling waddle, this is a standard sort of slapstick comedy for the era. The cartooning technique is admirable, with clear, simple images -- a decision based on economy, doubtless, but carried out handsomely -- and the animation, while not full animation, is used to make the sort of clever gangs about itself that would be a mark of the Felix cartoons. They were a-coming. The next cartoon from Sullivan would be FELINE FOLLIES, now considered the first of the Felix cartoons.
