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A so-so Felix the Cat cartoon which is primarily of interest for the parodies of stars of the day such as Charlie Chaplin and Ben Turpin rather than its humour.

Felix is watching an actor rehearse his lines: "A ham, A ham! My kingdom for a ham sandwich!!!" The dramatic guy that tells Felix he'll "have to sacrifice my art and go into the movies." He's in tears. Felix just looks at him like he's nuts, and shrugs his shoulders. The old guy tells Felix to "go ye forth" and find money to finance a trip to Hollywood. Felix thinks, "How does he expect me to get the money?"

In minutes, of course (this is a cartoon), he spots a shoe business owner putting up a "bankrupt" sale on his store. Felix comes up with a plan to bail him out and the man promises the cat $500 if it works.

Well, it does but the man wants to go alone and leave Felix at home. In an outrageous scene, Felix transforms himself into a briefcase and that's how he gets to Hollywood, transforming himself back to cat when they get there.

We then witness Felix's attempts at getting into show business. His audition scenes are very funny, especially with his imitation of Charlie Chaplin. In addition there are caricatures of some famous silent film stars and executives. In all, quite a bit of material is in this 9.5- minute cartoon. It's amazing how much more you can get in an extra 2.5 minutes, assuming most animated shorts are seven minutes in length.

At any rate, there were a number of laughs in here and more zany things you could only see in a cartoon, like Felix have a sword duel with giant mosquitoes! Crazy stuff.

Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat was the first widely popular cartoon character in film history. In this one, there's a gag involving gum and shoes at the beginning, and Felix transforms himself into the likeness of a handbag to travel to Hollywood, which is rather representative of the fantastic nature of the Felix cartoons. In Hollywood, Felix meets his peers, including Charlie Chaplin, who some say is the basis for much of Felix, and whom Messmer caricatured in another animation series. Felix also meets caricatures of Ben Turpin, William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille and President of the Motion Picture Association of America, Will Hays, who others say was the basis for the next big cartoon star, Mickey Mouse. "Felix in Hollywood" is one of the earliest screen efforts at caricaturing live-action movie stars, something Looney Tunes later became famous for. Additionally, as Disney would similarly capitalize on later creations, the image of Felix was marketed extensively, appearing on merchandise and in newspaper comic strips.

This short is one of the best of all time and is proof (just like most of Charlie Chaplin's work) that sound and color are not requirements for quality work. In fact, this cartoon uses (and may have started) some of the gags and devices that became standard in animation in later years, like caricatures of celebrities (including the afore-mentioned Chaplin. While the characters are silent, they do "speak", by use of word balloons, just like in the comics. Given that Felix started out in newspapers as a comic strip, this device is a natural. The atmosphere and style of the short is completely harmonious with that of the comic strip while adding another dimension (literally and figuratively) and makes this short a delight to watch. Well worth taking the time and effort to get. Most highly recommended.

A gem of a cartoon from the silent era---it was re-discovered by CARTOON NETWORK, and was broadcast for likely the first time in decades, if ever.

What makes this so enjoyable are the varied cameos...Douglas Fairbanks is attacked by giant mosquitos; Will Hays pays a visit as 'boss' of Static Studios; as well as appearances by Chaplin, Keaton, and William S. Hart. The image of chewing gum decimating the shoes of the populace (a money-making idea for Felix's near-bankrupt shoe-=salesman boss) cannot be described--it must be viewed. A terrific cultural gem.

Felix in Hollywood is a great film. The version I viewed was very well restored, which is sometimes a problem with these silent era animated films. It has some of Hollywood's most famous stars making cameo animated appearances. A must for any silent film or animation enthusiast.

Felix in Hollywood (1923)

** (out of 4)

Felix and his owner need to get to Hollywood but without any money the cat must get a job first. He starts working at a shoe store where he plans on bringing people in by making them step in bubble gum. This here is certainly a step up from some of the shorts I've seen in the series but I still wouldn't go all the way and call it a good movie. The best gag comes when Felix must disguise himself in order to travel with his owner. The rest of the film doesn't contain too many laughs but Felix's personality at least shines through some rather poor writing.

The ever-mischievous Felix the Cat connives his way to Hollywood where his quick thinking, marksmanship and skill with a sword earns him a contract from none other than Cecil B. DeMille. This early, slightly surreal silent cartoon features one of the biggest animated stars of the era as well as caricatures of some of the era's biggest 'real-life' stars including Charlie Chaplin, William S. Hart, Ben Turpin, and Gloria Swanson. This fun little short was the first of a long line of cartoons featuring caricatures of 'Hollywood Royality' and the antics of the rubbery little black-and-white cat with the detachable tail are always amusing. #50 in the '50 Greatest Cartoons'

When Leonard Maltin's book, "Of Mice and Magic" which was about the production of theatrical movie cartoons from the silent era to around the '60s, came out, during the chapter on silent cartoons, he especially wrote about the first animated star, Felix the Cat, and especially about this very short I'm reviewing right now. In this one, he helps an actor friend to go to Hollywood by trying to make money selling shoes for a bankrupt proprietor of such a store. Once they're there, Felix goes on his own encountering caricatures of various Hollywood celebs of which one of whom is Charlie Chaplin who says something amusing to Felix. I'll just now say that Felix in Hollywood is quite a funny cartoon that I recommend to any animation fans out there.

A clever black and white Felix the Cat cartoon from 1923. While things are minimalist, the drawing is excellent. Felix is a versatile character. He is able to adapt to anything. He is with a movie director who is broke. Felix uses his wit to help ad depressed shoe store owner get his shop back. Later, in Hollywood, he works like crazy to get a role in the movies. We meet some of the stars of the silent screen at the time. Felix generally finds himself in a world that is unfair. When he tries to do good, he isn't respected. Here, he does battle with mosquitos. Once again, his ingenuity and self reliance reign supreme. I think the pen and ink drawing here is really startlingly bright and works quite well. Being a black and white cat helps Felix pull it off.

Celebrity cameo formats were becoming so popular in 1923 that Felix The Cat couldn't help going to Hollywood and meeting the stars. Producer Pat Sullivan, with the help of Otto Messmer, created the first animated cartoon featuring famous drawn filmmakers, in their July 1923's "Felix In Hollywood." The ten-minute film began a long list of animated shorts where caricatures of big screen performers popped in to interact with featured cartoon personalities.

"Felix in Hollywood" has Felix as the pet cat of a jobless actor who thinks a trip to the California film capital could change his luck. A lack of funds for the trip gets Felix on a scheme to sell shoes by a local store owner who's offering him gobs of cash if he can get customers lined up outside his door. Scattering fresh gum all over the city streets, Felix accomplishes his goal before he heads out to Hollywood. There he encounters the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin and Douglas Fairbanks, while Cecil B. DeMille and even chief movie censor Will Hays encounters the mischievous feline.

Much acclaimed by animated critics, "Felix In Hollywood" was named #50 in Jerry Beck's Fifty of The Greatest Cartoons of all time, Felix's only appearance on the list.