Shamus Culhane Movies
Primarily an ink and paint man who worked independently of the big animation studios, animator Shamus Culhane made major contributions to American animated films. He was the only artist to work on all four of the first feature-length cartoons: Walt Disney's Snow White (1937), Max Fleischer's Gulliver' s Travels (1939), Walt Disney's Pinnochio (1940), and Dave Fleischer's Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941). He began his 60-year career working for Walter Lantz in the 1920s. Culhane was also involved with the creation of numerous characters, including Betty Boop, Popeye, Pluto, Woody Woodpecker, and Krazy Kat. The artist launched his career working under Walter Lantz. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1958
Another delightful entry in the Bell Science Series, The Unchained Goddess represents a felicitious collaboration between legendary Hollywood director Frank Capra and animation geniuses Shamus Culhane and William T. Hurtz. Appearing in live action, Dr. Research (Frank Baxter) and The Fiction Writer (Richard Carlson) set about to explain how weather is created, and how scientists have endeavored to predict and control it. They are aided by several animated character, foremost among them the beautiful but somewhat haughty Meteora, the Goddess of Weather (whose long gown rather resembles the funnel cloud of a tornado) and her subjects: Winds, Clouds and Rain. A copacetic blend of entertainment and education, The Unchained Goddess became standard fare on the high-school classroom circuit after its original 1958 telecast, and is still available on home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dr. Frank Baxter, Richard Carlson, (more)
- 1957
The second in a group of full-color Bell Science Specials produced, written and directed by the legendary Frank Capra, Hemo the Magnificent is an hour-long combination of animation and live action, explaining in the most entertaining manner possible the human circulatory system. Shakesepearean scholar Dr. Frank Baxter again appears as "Dr. Research," with Richard Carlson as "The Fiction Writer." After establishing that "haemo" is the Greek word for blood, Dr. Research introduces The Fiction Writer to Hemo the Magnificent, a muscular animated figure with a transparent body, allowing us to see the entire blood stream from the heart on down. For the amusement of his animal friends (and, incidentally, the home audience), Hemo demonstrates just what makes him tick, with the help of such characters as Professor Anatomy, the Dispatcher, and the Pacemaker. The highlight is a cartoon segment showing how the brain and heart are interchangeable and inextricable, with UPA animation director Bill Hurtz depicting Man's Inner Workings as a huge, high-pressure factory, replete with whistles, warning buzzers and conveyor belts. The winner of an Emmy award for best cinematography, Hemo the Magnificent was rebroadcast several times, and later became a staple on the classroom audio-visual circuit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dr. Frank Baxter, Richard Carlson, (more)
When the gentle woodcarver Geppetto (Christian Rub) builds a marionette to be his substitute son, a benevolent fairy brings the toy to life. The puppet, named Pinocchio (Dick Jones), is not yet a human boy. He must earn the right to be real by proving that he is brave, truthful, and unselfish. But, even with the help of Jiminy (Cliff Edwards), a cricket who the fairy assigns to be Pinocchio's conscience, the marionette goes astray. He joins a puppet show instead of going to school, he lies instead of telling the truth, and he travels to Pleasure Island instead of going straight home. Yet, when Pinocchio discovers that a whale has swallowed Geppetto, the puppet single-mindedly journeys into the ocean and selflessly risks his life to save his father, thereby displaying that he deserves to be a real boy. Based on a series of stories by 19th century Italian author Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio came under fire for being a sugarcoated version of its original tale, but the film's moral did have a strong educational effect on children. Soon enough, a 16 mm excerpt from the picture, titled "Pinocchio: A Lesson in Honesty," was released for teachers to use in schools. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Jones, Cliff Edwards, (more)
