Where's My Hasenpfeffer?

Here of course is the one and only reason anyone knows what Hasenpfeffer actually is. Thanks to Friz Freleng for expanding our cultural vocabulary.

Godspeed, Ned Sparks

Who is this man, you may ask. Why do you force upon me his grim visage? Why doesn't he go away and leave us alone?!



Well, here he is as a hermit crab in Tex Avery's Fresh Fish (1939)...




Here he is again at The CooCoo Nut Grove (1936) courtesy of Friz Freleng...




Here he spends a lovely day at Friz's Malibu Beach Party (1940)...




And here he provides grins and gaiety for Old King Cole in Disney's Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938)...


So... who is this wearer of many hats, this man with the smiling eyes?



Why, it's none other than 1930's character actor, Ned Sparks!

I think we owe it to this forgotten thespian for providing us years of laughs with no understandable context. Let us all take a moment to reflect on Ned. Because, even after all these years, there's a little bit of Ned in you and me.

For more information on Ned Sparks, visit Ned Sparks on IMDB.

Public Domain Daffy

Daffy the Commando
1943

Here's a wartime short by Friz Freleng that's still in the Public Domain. I actually have a copy on VHS - one of those two dollar compilations with an unbelievably off-model Daffy on the cover. It's clear that these hodgepodge video production companies had no art department to speak of, but that's no reason to delegate package design to Aunt Dorothy the bookkeeper, despite the fine craftsmanship of the googley-eyed pine cone critters she makes for the local craft shows.


It's a great cartoon, and probably would have been shown regularly on the Turner programs were it not for the subject matter.