Anybody remember the Matograph cartoons? They seem to be basically wiped from the face of history.
Even the most dedicated cartoon buffs know about Terrytoons but I haven't heard a single one bring up Matograph, which is honestly quite sad.
The Matograph cartoons are really funny, and Hopper Hare is a very overlooked character in the history of animation. Though you may be asking yourself "who..?" believe it or not there was once a time where that name was as beloved and respected as Mickey Mouse or Porky Pig.


I'm not sure why people don't remember them: they weren't terrible. In fact they seemed very much in line with the Warner cartoons of the time.

My personal favorites include THE OLD BRAWL GAME (1937), in which Hopper and Squint are subject to one of the funniest baseball games I've seen shot on film,



and PITCH PERFECT PEST (1943) in which Hopper is "taught" to sing by a Bing Crosby-esque ant.



Heck, Hopper even had his own TV series! THE HOPPER HARE HAPPY HOUR, which was on CBS in 1959 to I believe 1961. One of the earliest primetime cartoons!


These cartoons seem to be completely obscure and virtually unknown except for like...8 people, and that's very unfortunate. If you can find the DVDs I suggest you pick them up--they're very much worth the money.

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I saw a pretty good 1939 entry called KNOCKS TO YOU at one of Tommy’s Cartoon Carnivals from a early TV bootleg. It was about Hopper ringing doorbells, kinda like LET’S RING DOORBELLS but without the weird fairytale motifs. I’ll certainly pick up the DVDs once I can, with that one in mind!

I've heard of them, too! I've also seen a lot of great production art from various cartoons. This wasn't particularly done for a cartoon, but it was done by the series creator, Theodore Smith. I believe it is dated from 1939.



Thank you for sharing this wonderful series of cartoons!

-John

Telling you, Treasure Jest was a riot to watch.

I was in contact once with a relative of one of the layout men during the primetime show (name is lingering me, sadly) and I was gifted layouts from a Zesto spot. I’ll have to pull it out soon

Thanks for this informative thread, Derek et al. In my years here, I've seen a lot of things posted at this time of year, some of them pretty obviously fake, but this is as good as it gets. It's surprising that no one, not even Steve Stanchfield, has ever bothered to write about these on Cartoon Research. The images persuasively demonstrate the veracity of their existence.

Quite timely as well, with all the newbs joining lately to discuss the lesser-known animators they love/hate.

I'll definitely be looking into getting the DVDs. Such lesser-known cartoons are among my favorite things to spend time with. Decided to take a look on eBay and found a record associated with this series. Something Greg Ehrbar might want to check out?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175661529975 

Zachary, I actually think I have that record somewhere. I can upload it if people are interested

Here is the layout for an unproduced Zesto spot for the Happy Hour. The layout man was Grant Gallagher, his son (also a great layout artist) told me that when the show was first pick up, the interstitials and spots originally had a more UPA, stylized look. When the sponsor saw the pilot and noted how inconsistent the cartoons looked from the new material, a new conservative look was overhauled quickly, and further plans for a more stylized look (flat lines with the inside lines done boldly) were dropped. This represents one of those layouts dropped when the new design was brought in. In the end, it was the right decision, as I think it was a rather weak look compared to what was aired

I think I heard something about this. But from what I heard, the negatives to all the cartoons were destroyed. Something regarding on Zesto and CEO Joe Mahma (I won't go into the details, though product placement is one of them).

I just didn't think materials or negatives still existed until now.

I think I heard something about this. But from what I heard, the negatives to all the cartoons were destroyed. Something regarding on Zesto and CEO Joe Mahma (I won't go into the details, though product placement is one of them).

I just didn't think materials or negatives still existed until now.

Happy to say that none of the negatives for the Matograph cartoons--nor the HAPPY HOUR wraparounds and spots--are damaged. Though the Zesto spots are a little tougher to come by than the Hawkins' Cereals (Cocoa Champs, Razzies, etc.) spots. Probably because the Zesto stuff started so late in the series.

Thanks for this informative thread, Derek et al. In my years here, I've seen a lot of things posted at this time of year, some of them pretty obviously fake, but this is as good as it gets. It's surprising that no one, not even Steve Stanchfield, has ever bothered to write about these on Cartoon Research. The images persuasively demonstrate the veracity of their existence.

Quite timely as well, with all the newbs joining lately to discuss the lesser-known animators they love/hate.

I'll definitely be looking into getting the DVDs. Such lesser-known cartoons are among my favorite things to spend time with. Decided to take a look on eBay and found a record associated with this series. Something Greg Ehrbar might want to check out?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175661529975 

Ah yes, that would be one of the records Nick Cyrille (original voice of Hopper Hare from '35 to his death in '87) did for Capitol in the late 1940s! The one you linked, HOPPER AND SQUINT'S PRE-HYSTERICAL DAYS, is perhaps one of the rarer ones. It is a very loose adaptation of CAVE CRETINS (1938). Thing to note: Squint, in many of these records, is voiced by Cyrille rather than animator Milt Brown (who, of course, originally provided the character's voice.)

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Happy to say that none of the negatives for the Matograph cartoons--nor the HAPPY HOUR wraparounds and spots--are damaged. Though the Zesto spots are a little tougher to come by than the Hawkins' Cereals (Cocoa Champs, Razzies, etc.) spots. Probably because the Zesto stuff started so late in the series.

Ah, good to know! Because I read Zesto originally bought the ENTIRE library in order to make those spots. They had a BIG plans for the characters believe it or not. It would've created a SECOND Golden Age of animation.

On the topic of voices, I also read that Ronald Reagan, Dick Van Dyke, Moe Howard, and even Mel Brooks had uncredited voice work, SUPPOSEDLY.

Oh, hey!! I remember these cartoons! I've got a few of the DVDs myself (not to mention the inaugural Happy Hour, "Stuff That Flies" on 16mm) and can definitely concur - these really are are hidden gems of the Golden Age, and the humor is indeed very reminiscent of the best of Warners. If you haven't seen 'em, definitely give them a look if you haven't. The DVDs are easily found on Matograph's own online shop for a very affordable price.

In addition to the two cartoons Derek brought up, I have a special fondness for Every Witch Way and Yeggs Over Medium, released in 1936 and 1945 respectively. In the former, Hopper and Squint, lost in the the woods, come across a witch's house, unaware that the lady of the house needs the foot of a hare and the tail of a mole in her latest brew, while in the latter, Squint drags his lagomorph chum into the booth of the all-knowing Swami River, whose predictions for the two (which Hopper initially dismisses as a load of hooey) come true in ways that our heroes would have never expected.

These two are especially special to me because the writer of these two shorts, a Mr. Harry Allen was a distant relative of mine, as I found out on one of those genealogy sites some years ago. Imagine my thrill when I found out that this young animation geek had a flesh-and-blood cartoon veteran as a great-uncle! And my research after this discovery sort of led me deep into the Matograph rabbit hole (pun definitely not intended!), and suffice to say, I've been hooked ever since. He also wrote the first of the "Dizzy Dog" cartoons, the other big Matograph star, whose cartoons are also a scream. Helps that I'm a big fan of the antics of the Three Stooges, so a canine with the voice of Curly is an utter joy for me to watch.

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Man, I completely forgot about EVERY WITCH WAY! That film's a classic, I'm amazed at how it basically perfected the Hopper and Squint formula so early on--this was only their second cartoon together.

I didn't know you were related to Harold Allen--I think I might be a blood relative to Milt Brown. What Bob McKimson was to Bugs Bunny, or what Fred Moore was to Mickey Mouse, Milt Brown was to Hopper Hare. He perfected the look of the cartoons and animated in a charming and solid style that is on par with Virgil Ross. Here is Hopper, in person, drawn by him.

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Derek, thanks for sharing! My parents remember these cartoons quite fondly - I actually have a Hopper plush my mom grew up with back in the 60s! However, one of my favorite eras is one that’s rarely, if ever, discussed – the early sound cartoons from the late 1920s and early 1930s. Do you know where I can find them? I seem to recall hearing that some of them are lost.

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Do you know where I can find them? I seem to recall hearing that some of them are lost.

Popcorn, in research for a project on the transition to sound in animation, I visited the Matograph collection at LOC to view some of the very early ones when the studio began. Preservation has been active on the ones on nitrate, most of the pre-38 titles are finished with the project still ongoing. Until recently about 9 had masters missing, 3 completely lost. However, 7 of these turned up in one specific archive in a recent shipment, original theatrical negs for that one country. As for the other two, a splicy, headless nitrate surfaced, and a nice 16mm exists in a collector’s collection. Preservation is still ongoing for these specific subjects

I have to be honest, I don't really care for April Fools threads because most of them are too predictable and silly. But this one was so excellently presented that it won me over! Well done!

So, how come no one is adding these titles to the database???

So, how come no one is adding these titles to the database???

Because then we be spreading false information (ya silly!). Save that for IMDB or Wikipedia. 😛

Here's Steve's response  to an inquiry about the subject:

Honestly- I really love how well presented these things were. Lovely frame grabs and drawings too! You all really outdid yourselves!!

I'm sorry I've ignored this series. I apologize to Paramount Cartoons too for ignoring the Charlie the Cheese Boy series too. Perhaps some day we'll release them if we can get the rights.

Sometimes it's the little things that make us all happy-- and that was sucha wonderful tribute to the strangeness of all this stuff. And, by the way, you were right-- it's a conspiracy to keep the true history hidden!