The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1939

"Soup to Mutts" Release Date: 1/9/39 Direction: Les Kline Story: Victor McLeod Animation: George Nicholas and Dick Marion Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 959

"I'm Just a Jitterbug" Release Date: 1/23/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod Animation: Merle Gilson and Hicks Lokey Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 968 Hidden Gag: Look for a sketch of Baby-Face Mouse in the background of this cartoon.

"The Magic Beans" Release Date: 2/13/39 Direction: Les Kline Story: Victor McLeod Animation: Fred Kopietz and George Dane Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 966 The first "Nertsery Rhyme" cartoon We only have the original opening and closing titles of this cartoon. If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"The Birth of a Toothpick" Release Date: 2/27/39 Direction: Burt Gillett Story: Victor McLeod Animation: Ed Benedict and Laverne Harding Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Burt Gillett's directorial debut at Lantz We only have the original opening and closing titles of this cartoon. If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"Little Tough Mice" Release Date: 3/13/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod Animation: Dick Marion and Ralph Somerville Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 965 Featuring Baby-Face Mouse Working title: "Dead End Mice" Reissued as "Crime Buster" by Castle Films We only have the original opening and closing titles of this cartoon. If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"The One-Armed Bandit" Release Date: 3/27/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod and James Miele Animation: George Grandpre and Hicks Lokey Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 964

"Crackpot Cruise" Release Date: 4/10/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Cal Howard Animation: George Grandpre and Frank Tipper Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 963 We only have the opening and closing titles of this cartoon. The images below came from a 16mm print (not owned by us). If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"Charlie Cuckoo" Release Date: 4/24/39 Direction: Elmer Perkins Story: Elviry Perkins Animators: Hank Perkins and Si Perkins Musical Direction: Zeke Perkins Notes: Production Number: 970 Obviously, all the credits listed (with the exception of the director) are gag credits

"Nellie of the Circus" Release Date: 6/19/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod and James Miele Animation: Ray Fahringer and George Grandpre Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 971 The first "Mello-Drama" cartoon Working title: "Under the Big Top" We only have the original opening and closing titles of this cartoon. If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"Bolo-Mola Land" Release Date: 5/28/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod and James Miele Animation: Frank Tipper and Dick Marion Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 973 The first "Crackpot Cruise" cartoon We only have the original opening and closing titles of this cartoon. If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"The Bird on Nellie's Hat" Release Date: 6/19/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod and James Miele Animation: Ray Fahringer and George Grandpre Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 975 The final "Mello-Drama" cartoon Reissued as "The Runaway Choo-Choo" by Castle Films Working Title: "The Bird on Nellie's Cap" We only have the opening and closing titles of this cartoon. The images below came from a 16mm print (not owned by us). If you have a complete print, please contact us.

"The Stubborn Mule" Release Date: 7/3/39 Direction: Burt Gillett (uncredited) Musical Direction: Frank Marsales (uncredited) Notes: Production Number: 979 The first "Lil' Eightball" cartoon

"Arabs with Dirty Fezzes" Release Date: 7/31/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod and James Miele Animation: Uncredited Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 977 The final appearance of Baby-Face Mouse Reissued as "The Arabs with Dirty Fezzes" by Guild/Firelight The title of this cartoon is a satire of the Warner Bros. feature, "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938). Our only copy of this cartoon is a Guild/Firelight reissue. If you have a print with original opening and closing titles, please contact us.

"Snuffy's Party" Release Date: 8/7/39 Direction: Elmer Perkins Story: Victor McLeod and Hicks Lokey Animation: Frank Tipper and Al Coe Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 972 Working title: "Snuffy Skunk's Party" Reissued as "The Snuffy Skunk's Party" by Guild/Firelight Many sources incorrectly list "Snuffy Skunk's Party" as the real title of this cartoon. The second appearance of Snuffy Skunk (his first being the Oswald cartoon, "Yokel Boy Makes Good"). Snuffy would appear one last time in "Life Begins for Andy Panda" and then he would make a cameo appearance in "$21 a Day (Once a Month)" (1941). The first appearance of Mr. Whippletree [see "Andy Panda Goes Fishing" (1940) for more details].

"Slaphappy Valley" Release Date: 8/21/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Victor McLeod Animation: George Dane and Laverne Harding Musical Direction: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 980 The first appearance of Punchy The final "Crackpot Cruise" cartoon

"Silly Superstition" Release Date: 8/28/39 Direction: Burt Gillett (uncredited) Musical Direction: Frank Marsales (uncredited) Notes: Production Number: 981 A "Lil' Eightball" cartoon The last Walter Lantz cartoon filmed in black and white

"A-Haunting We Will Go" Release Date: 9/4/39 Direction: Burt Gillett Story: Kin Platt and Gil Burton Animation: Lester Kline and Fred Kopietz Music: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 969 Thanks to Richard Jebe for providing us with better images from this cartoon. The first Walter Lantz cartoon made in three-strip Technicolor. From this point onward, all of the Walter Lantz cartoons would be produced in color. The final "Lil' Eightball" cartoon

"Life Begins for Andy Panda" Release Date: 9/9/39 Direction: Alex Lovy (uncredited) Music: Frank Marsales (uncredited) Notes: Production Number: 974 The first appearance of Andy Panda Includes reused animation from "Snuffy's Party" Many sources (including Joe Adamson) erroneously state that the title of this cartoon was inspired by the Mickey Rooney feature, "Life Begins for Andy Hardy". This is impossible because the Rooney feature premiered in 1941, two years after the release of the Lantz cartoon. The title of this short is actually a direct reference to the birth of Andy Panda.

"Scrambled Eggs" Release Date: 11/20/39 Direction: Alex Lovy Story: Elaine Pogany Animation: Frank Tipper and Hicks Lokey Music: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 984

"The Sleeping Princess" Release Date: 12/4/39 Direction: Burt Gillett Story: Kin Platt and Gil Burton Animation: Lester Kline and Fred Kopietz Music: Frank Marsales Notes: Production Number: 976 The final "Nertsery Rhyme" cartoon