No Mutton fer Nuttin'

Over 25 years, Famous Studios were responsible for a large body of work, of which the Noveltoons series was the most prolific of their theatrical series (which also included the Popeye, Casper, Little Lulu and Herman and Katnip cartoons). Some were better than others, with the 40s output generally being better than the late-50s and 60s cartoons, with lower budgets, fatigue and tighter deadlines contributing towards a decline in quality, but on the most part it was a watchable series of cartoons.

'No Mutton for Nuttin' is not only the first of the four Blackie vs. wolf cartoons, it also signals the beginning of the Noveltoons series. It is a very good start, with it already having the series' best components and what is so good about their best cartoons, and as far as the series goes it is towards the better half without being one of the very best. It is a strong contender too for the best of the Blackie vs. wolf cartoons, coming from somebody who doesn't really dislike either of them.

Story-wise 'No Mutton for Nuttin' is expectedly flimsy and predictable and any other characters have nothing to do really.

However, the lush and lively music score, that not only doesn't jar but enhances, more than compensates. As does the animation, some of the backgrounds are just gorgeous and the colours practically pop out at you. Despite the flimsiness, that doesn't stop 'No Mutton for Nuttin' from never being dull.

It, 'No Mutton for Nuttin' that is, is hardly devoid of humour, and what there is is genuinely funny. Regardless of any predictability there are some genuinely rib-tickling moments and the timing is crisp throughout. And yes the wartime rationing reference is pretty subtly handled thankfully. The chemistry between Blackie and the wolf really drives 'No Mutton for Nuttin' and has a lot of energy and tension. Both are also interesting and amusing characters, Blackie here getting the slight edge with Arnold Stang giving a typically sharp vocalisation.

On the whole, very well done and so impressive for starting off a series which is a point where one often sees an air of uncertainty. 8/10

Arnold Stang has a voice credit in this, the first Noveltoon. This was the series title for any of Famous Studios' one-off cartoons. If it wasn't a Popeye, a Little Lulu or Audrey, neither Caspar nor a Screen Song, it was a Noveltoon, at least at first.

And it's a pretty good cartoon, as Arnold voices a sharp little lamb who fleeces the wolf. It's largely a slapstick production and, at this stage, the people had not lost their knack for such tomfoolery. A lot of the gags are strengthened by acknowledging their mechanical methodologies and ringing the changes on those and by burying a lot of references -- the lamb plays with dice, which a couple of thousand years ago were sheep's knucklebones, and there is even a reference to wartime rationing that is not played on too heavily.

The result is a well-nuanced cartoon. Recommended.