I've only seen a worn 16mm print of It's a Grand Old Nag, but even with that handicap the cartoon still shines. It's a very funny satire on Hollywood, about a horse named Charlie who dreams of meeting his dream girl (horse), Heddy La Mare.
One can't help but compare this cartoon, which was produced for Republic Pictures, with the great work Clampett did while at Warner Brothers. (Clampett used a pseudonym instead of his real name in the credits; he is listed as Kilroy.) Surprisingly, the Republic cartoon is on par, in terms of pacing, timing, humor and quality of animation, with most of Clampett's Looney Tunes cartoons. While not quite up to masterpieces like The Great Piggy Bank Robbery or Baby Bottleneck, it is nevertheless still a very good cartoon. I was surprised at how good the animation was since Clampett did not have his great team of animators from Warners. Deprived of the excellent talents of Rod Scribner, Manny Gould and Robert McKimson, Clampett still managed to turn out animation that was strong and exaggerated.
The cartoon is not in circulation on television or on home video, so it is difficult to see. However, if a rare opportunity does arise to view the cartoon, I recommend it highly.
One can't help but compare this cartoon, which was produced for Republic Pictures, with the great work Clampett did while at Warner Brothers. (Clampett used a pseudonym instead of his real name in the credits; he is listed as Kilroy.) Surprisingly, the Republic cartoon is on par, in terms of pacing, timing, humor and quality of animation, with most of Clampett's Looney Tunes cartoons. While not quite up to masterpieces like The Great Piggy Bank Robbery or Baby Bottleneck, it is nevertheless still a very good cartoon. I was surprised at how good the animation was since Clampett did not have his great team of animators from Warners. Deprived of the excellent talents of Rod Scribner, Manny Gould and Robert McKimson, Clampett still managed to turn out animation that was strong and exaggerated.
The cartoon is not in circulation on television or on home video, so it is difficult to see. However, if a rare opportunity does arise to view the cartoon, I recommend it highly.