Tex Avery Day 2-22-14

I just came across this article from the famed animation site, Cartoon Brew. It's an article about an upcoming celebration to Tex Avery later this month in Taylor, Texas. You can read about it HERE. The event is called Tex Avery Day and it'll be held on February 22, 2014. The article has a publish date of January 31, 2014 and so it's just a couple days old. The article also gives specifics about the venue, etc. etc.

Tex Avery's name is associated with some of the biggest characters in animation history: Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, BUGS BUNNY, and later on, Droopy. His career has been much ritten about through the years and you owe it to yourselves to look up his cartoons and be entertained in his unique style. His legend is rooted in the Warner Brothers theatrical cartoons but many have argued that his lasting legacy are the zany, wild, and exaggerated cartoons he directed for MGM. The cartoons he did for MGM include dozens of Droopy adventures...also there happened to be a series of cartoons starring a character named Screwy Squirrel and then there are the George and Lenny spoofs (titled George and Junior) that appeared in several of his MGM cartoons. In addition to those recurring characters Tex also brought us one shot cartoons that parodied or spoofed pop culture and fads and featured no recurring character at all. One of those kinds of cartoons is below...

Crazy Mixed-Up Pup comes from Tex's days at the Walter Lantz studio. It features vocal work from the legendary Daws Butler. The story is a funny scenario of a man and a dog changing personalities and the chaos that comes along as a result. The dog looks a little like the future Doggy Daddy of Hanna-Barbera fame.



One Ham's Family is a Christmas cartoon starring a pig family and it parodies a couple of things. The focal point, Junior, is a spoof of the Red Skelton radio character of the same name (note the crop of red hair on the pig's head). Meanwhile, the father's voice could very well be Andy Devine or an impression. Third, a wolf (dressed as Santa Claus) comes complete with a vocal that spoofs The Great Gildersleeve's famed giggle/laughter. The title of the cartoon is a pun of a real series, One Man's Family.



Don't forget...if you're in the area on February 22 go and experience the Tex Avery festivities taking place in Taylor, Texas. The link is in the first paragraph of the blog entry.

Fred "Tex" Avery: February 26, 1908 - August 26, 1980.