A Close Call

The title card of A Close Call

A Close Call is a 1929 animated short film which is part of the early sound cartoon series entitled Aesop's Sound Fables.[1] It was produced by The Van Beuren Corporation and released by Pathé Exchange.[1]

Copyrighted on December 1, 1929,[2] the film, like other Aesop Sound Fables at that time, featured Milton Mouse and Rita as the main characters.[3] Despite being part of the Aesop series, it is not based on an Aesop fable.

Plot

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Milton Mouse confronts the cat, who is holding Rita captive.

Milton and Rita are seen dancing together. A cat, who is driving a car, sees Rita, and when Milton is not looking, kidnaps her. Milton notices Rita's disappearance, and starts to chase after the car.

The cat takes Rita to a barn, and tries to offer her some pearls. Outraged, Rita throws the pearls back at the cat, causing him to swallow them. She hides in another room.

Milton arrives at the barn and kicks down the doors. He sees Rita and tries to reach her, but the cat kicks him down the stairs. The cat then ties Milton up to a log, and starts up a saw, with the intention of sawing him in half. The police notice the noise, and they circle the house. The cat is killed in the police ambush, freeing Rita. Milton is saved by a police officer, who shuts off the saw.

The mice agree to get married. During the wedding, the pastor sneezes into the book. The pastor ties Milton and Rita's tails in two, which is a pun on tying the knot. The choir sings "You're in the Army Now!". Milton and Rita then kiss.[1]

It then cuts to an scene, which states that "2600 Years Ago Aesop Said, All's Well That Ends Well",[1] which is incorrect, as Aesop was not born 2600 years ago,[4] and the term "All's Well That Ends Well" was written by William Shakespeare,[5] not Aesop.

Reception

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A Close Call was well received by the cinema magazines at that time. The Motion Picture News stated that the cartoon was "right up to standard, and even a little higher than average" and also stating that it "furnishes plenty of laughs for the light spot on your bill".[3] The Film Daily said that the film was a "Fine Animated Film", and that the film "succeeded in creating considerable suspense".[6]

Milton and Rita

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Like many other Sound Fables, Milton and Rita are featured as the main characters in this cartoon.[3] They are featured in a more simple mouse-like fashion, than the more complicated human-like fashion in cartoons like Circus Capers.[1][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Vintage Cartoons Channel (June 18, 2016), A Close Call (1929) Van Bueren, retrieved June 10, 2018
  2. ^ Bradley, Edwin M. (April 27, 2009). The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931. McFarland. ISBN 9781476606842.
  3. ^ a b c Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1929). New York: Motion Picture News. 1929.
  4. ^ "Aesop". Biography. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Martin, Gary. "'All's well that ends well' - the meaning and origin of this phrase". Phrasefinder. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  6. ^ New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks (1929). The Film Daily (Jul-Dec 1929). Media History Digital Library. New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc.
  7. ^ SignOffsGuy (July 11, 2013), Van Beuren Aesop's Fables Cartoon - Circus Capers (1930), retrieved June 10, 2018
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