Blackboard Jumble

Blackboard Jumble (1957)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Hilarious spoof of Blackboard Jungle has a wolf with a Southern accent taking over for a teacher who had a nervous breakdown due to his mean spirited kids, clones of Droopy. Many wonderful gags and plenty of nice action.

Blackboard Jungle (1956)

**** (out of 4)

Explosive drama about a teacher (Glen Ford) trying to reach some troubled students (including Vic Morrow and Sidney Poitier). I've always loved these "teacher" films and this one here is certainly the best of the bunch. While the events are a little over the top in how much actually happens, the message and heart of the film is right on target. Ford is in my opinion one of the most under appreciated actors from his day and he's wonderful here as are Morrow and Poitier. The first rock and roll soundtrack doesn't hurt matters either.

Michael Lah diirects this cartoon about a wolf who takes over a classroom full of voiceless Droopy clones in this late MGM cartoon.

I don't know why Lah's former boss, Tex Avery, left MGM and went to Lantz for a couple of movies; he then quit the big-screen animation business for advertising work (remember the cartoon bugs in the "Raid" insecticide ads? They were Avery's). Maybe it was budget, maybe MGM was about to shut down its animation department and wanted to scrimp on the last few releases. This left Lah in charge of Avery's unit, and while this is certainly not up to the standards of say, 1945, it's quite decent for the funds-starved period.

After about 35 years of originally seeing this on an afternoon Tom and Jerry show, I watched this cartoon again as an extra on the Blackboard Jungle DVD. It has the voice of Daws Butler-employing the one he would eventually use for Huckleberry Hound-as a wolf who ends up taking a teaching job after the previous one runs out of the schoolhouse all crazy-like. This wolf finds three kids-all resembling Droopy (It seems Bill Thompson wasn't available as none of them talk here)-who cause all kinds of mischief. This wolf's reactions are quite funny especially when put in all kinds of situations. I suppose modern viewers may pause laughing when one scene involves a Confederate flag but since I found out the song he whistles was an anti-slavery song, that may even things out. Besides, I liked how those "stars" appeared on it! Anyway, that's a recommendation of Blackboard Jumble.

This "Droopy cartoon" takeoff on the hit movie "Blackboard Jungle" was very disappointing. First, it didn't star Droopy, just three little kids who all looked like him, and the wolf," who appeared in a handful of these 'toons. Mainly, it just wasn't that funny.

Basically, it was just a collection of pranks by the three little monsters (no one else at this school?) perpetrated against the wolf, a substitute teacher. The latter takes over for the real teacher when the latter runs out of the school a raving lunatic, saying he can't handle this "modern education."

Our stereotypical southern drawl wolf with poor grammar takes over espousing a Liberal attitude about kids and education. However, he finds that the softer, liberal approach doesn't work, either, as the kids absolutely demolish him in every way.

Okay, but not the normal entertaining fare with "Droopy" in the lead.

It's a 6 minute Droopy cartoon short. A wolf passing a school sees a teacher go mad and runaway. The wolf decides to take over the job. It's a ruckus class in the one-room school with three Droopy clones except that they are much more energetic. The wolf asks them to draw a Confederate flag and then fitting blocks into shapes. It's a battle of will between the wolf and his three charges.

I don't think I've ever seen the three little Droopies before. They seem to be modeled after Donald Duck's nephews. In this case, the Wolf is closer to Droopy which is why I would want Droopy instead of the Wolf. I guess that they're trying to install a new character at the expense of the cartoon.