Hollywood Capers

Jack King's "Hollywood Capers" came out during the first year in which Warner Bros. animation really had the recognition that it has had ever since. Featuring many of the characters from "I Haven't Got a Hat", it portrays simple-minded feline Beans getting to Warmer (yes, in this case it's Warmer, not Warner) Bros. studios, only to cause a series of problems, culminating in Frankenstein's monster coming to life.

The cartoon has a very simple story - as did most of their cartoons during the animation department's early years - but comes up with some really crazy sight gags, namely Frankie's meal; no live action film, no matter how silly, could ever show that! So, it's far from a great cartoon, but an eye-opening look into the early days of what would soon be the domain of Bugs, Daffy, etc. And it's a neat jab at Hollywood. Speaking of which, why does no one rip at Hollywood more than Hollywood itself?

Jack King's 'Hollywood Capers' is a very early Looney Tune which stars several of the characters who were introduced as potential new stars in earlier short 'I Haven't Got a Hat'. The character that finally became a star from that cartoon was Porky Pig but he does not feature here. Instead, 'Hollywood Capers' gives top billing to Beans, a mischievous cat. It also features cameos from Oliver Owl, Little Kitty and teacher Miss Cud. 'Hollywood Capers' is convincing evidence as to why none of these characters caught on with audiences. They are cute but largely devoid of personality and the times when 'Hollywood Capers' comes to life are when they are not on screen. There are a couple of fun but ever-so brief skits with caricatures of W.C. Fields and Charlie Chaplin at the beginning of the short and when Frankenstein's monster enters the narrative he gets to perform a camera-eating and self-repairing routine which is the highlight of the cartoon. Unfortunately, Beans keeps coming back with limp antics which give the cartoon a stilted feel. Conceived as a possible replacement for the lacklustre Buddy (Warner Bros' previous attempt at creating a star, many of whose cartoons were also directed by King), Beans was not much of an improvement. While it's not especially funny, 'Hollywood Capers' is a fascinating artefact in which some early characters are auditioned but ultimately lose out to a stuttering pig who had the good sense to opt out of this particular film!

While the Looney Tunes unit at Warner Brothers made the best and most enjoyable shorts of the 1940s and 50s, during the 1930s they were in search of an identity and tried out many different forgettable characters. Bosco came and went as did Beans, the cat star of "Hollywood Capers". The biggest reason these characters didn't do very well was that they were very forgettable and lacked the edge characters like Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny had. When you see "Hollywood Capers", you'll see what I mean in regard to Beans.

The story starts off much like the brilliant "Autograph Hound" from Disney (starring Donald Duck). Both he and Beans are trying to sneak into a film studio to get some autographs. But unlike Donald, Beans does make it into the lot...but once he's there, he totally forgets why he came there in the first place. And, there's a gruesome battle with a robotic Frankenstein at the end that just seemed out of place. Overall, a big disappointment as you only see three stars of the day parodied (four if you count when Beans dresses like Oliver Hardy)...including Chaplin and W.C. Fields.

By the way, in some of the Beans cartoons (such as this one), Beans was voiced by Tommy Bond...the kid who played the bully in the Little Rascals shorts of the late 1930s. When it wasn't Bond, Billy Bletcher (who voiced Pete in Disney films and Barney Bear for MGM) was Beans' voice.

Hollywood Capers (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Warner animation has Beans trying to sneak into their studio but he keeps getting kick out until he decides to dress as Oliver Hardy. Once inside he can't stay out of trouble when he accidentally brings to life Frankenstein's monster. This Looney Tunes short manages to be quite funny from start to finish and the nice pace makes it one of the better shorts I've seen from Beans. His character certainly isn't the greatest thing the company ever made but he has enough innocent charm to make you care for him. The monster here looks pretty good and that includes that square head and it's good to see what those bolts in the side of his neck are really used for. One of the best scenes in the movie has the monster coming towards the camera and screaming right before eating it. The way the animation has this play out is very well done and it's clearly the highlight.

Was expecting something mediocre considering the rating and the general indifference towards Beans. After watching it, 'Hollywood Capers' surprisingly was a good cartoon, though not a classic and there are more compelling and interesting characters out there than Beans.

Beans himself is not a bad character and neither are his friends. Their personalities are not as memorable as Looney Tunes' later more iconic characters, that are also more interesting, more layered and less cutesy. However, they all are very charming, amusing, quite likable and have an appealing innocence.

There are more consistently funny cartoons before and especially since. There are some great moments, especially the nods to WC Fields, Charlie Chaplin and the cartoon's highlight Frankenstein's monster, the part with the camera-eating being the funniest part and the most inventive one visually. Beans' antics are cute and amusing, but other parts are a tad limp at the same time. Story is also thin and not much more of an excuse to string scenes/skits together.

'Hollywood Capers' animation is remarkably pristine, detailed and fluid for an early black and white cartoon, with the characters being well drawn and with imaginative range of expressions.

Its music is lushly orchestrated and rich in energy and character, not just being dynamic with the action but also enhancing it. Pacing is solid, and while scenes fare better than others there is a sense of fun and charm throughout. The voice acting is strong and fit the characters well.

All in all, was expecting a mediocre cartoon in 'Hollywood Capers', instead got a good if not great one. 7/10 Bethany Cox