Felix in Hollywood is an American silent short film featuring Felix the Cat,[1] released on July 15, 1923. The short was named number 50 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time in a 1994 survey of animators and cartoon historians.
| Felix in Hollywood | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Otto Messmer |
| Produced by | Pat Sullivan |
| Animation by | Bill Nolan Otto Messmer |
| Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Pat Sullivan Studios |
| Distributed by | Margaret J. Winkler |
Release date | July 15, 1923 |
Running time | 9:17 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot edit
Felix and his owner want to go to Hollywood, but they are penniless, so his owner sends him out to get a job. He stumbles upon a shoe store needing help, where he plans on bringing in customers by forcing them to step in bubble gum. His scheme is successful and he earns $500, which he hands over to his owner.
When they arrive in Hollywood, Felix dumps his owner to pursue his own career in acting at Static Studio, where he is more than happy to display his acting skills, showing both joy and sorrow for the studio boss. Soon after, he hears someone yelling for help, and to his surprise, finds Douglas Fairbanks being attacked by giant mosquitoes. Also standing nearby is William S. Hart, whom he grabs a gun from and shoots the mosquitoes. This act of bravery amuses Cecil B. DeMille, who then signs him to a contract.
Felix also runs into Charlie Chaplin, Will Hays, Snub Pollard, Ben Turpin and Gloria Swanson by peeping through the keyhole of her dressing room. This short film is the first animated cartoon to feature caricatures of Hollywood celebrities. In the film, when Felix performs an accurate impression of Charlie Chaplin's walk, where he turns his tail into a walking cane to mimic Chaplin, Felix is accused by Chaplin of "stealing my stuff". This short sequence was an inside joke inserted into the cartoon by Otto Messmer.[2] Chaplin reportedly told Pat Sullivan: "I have only one rival - Felix".[3]
Reception and legacy edit
The short was named number 50 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time in a 1994 survey of animators and cartoon historians by Jerry Beck,[2] making it the only Felix the Cat cartoon on the list.
Felix in Hollywood was partly responsible for the creative idea of placing Hollywood celebrity cameos into cartoons, which can be seen in later films from other animation studios including Disney and Warner Bros.[4]
Felix in Hollywood, along with other classic cartoons, were featured on Cartoon Network on March 14, 1998, as part of "The 50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time" marathon.[5]
Gallery edit
-
Felix arriving in Hollywood -
Felix peeping through the keyhole at Gloria Swanson -
Charlie Chapin chastising Felix -
William Hart's cameo appearance -
Snub Pollard's cameo appearance -
Feilix with Cecil DeMille and Douglas Fairbanks
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-8160-6600-1.
- ^ a b Beck, Jerry, ed. (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected By 1,000 Animation Professionals. foreword by Chuck Jones (1st ed.). Atlanta, Georgia: Turner Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 1-878685-49-X.
- ^ Callaway, Anita (2020). "Felix the Catalyst: An Antipodean Who Animated Modernism". Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 20 (2): 1–14.
- ^ Ashe, Brandie (April 5, 2014). "Saturday Morning Cartoons: Felix in Hollywood (1923)". The Retro Set.
- ^ Jefferson, Graham (March 12, 1998). "Minus Mouse, Cartoon Network airs 'greatest'". USA Today. p. 3D.
Further reading edit
- Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-503759-3.
- Furniss, Maureen (2016). A New History of Animation. New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-29209-9.
- Solomon, Charles (1989). Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-54684-1.
External links edit
- Felix in Hollywood at IMDb
- Felix in Hollywood at the Internet Archive
- Felix in Hollywood[dead link] at The Big Cartoon Database
