Bad Bill Bunion

Will admit to not being the mightiest of fans of Mighty Mouse, pleasant enough if limited and not always used very well. His cartoons, 80 between 1942 and 1961 (though he was first named Super Mouse for the first seven, until 'The Lion and the Mouse'), were quite mixed and followed a formula that tended to be on the repetitive side. Some were pretty good, others were very weak. Most of them were in between of those, mostly of the watchable but average distinction.

1945's Mighty Mouse batch was a good example of most of that. None of the cartoons were weak (not like with 1944 featuring two of the series' worst in 'The Two Barbers' and 'At the Circus'), with only 'Raiding the Raiders' underwhelming somewhat. Almost all of the 1945 Mighty Mouse cartoons were above average and a few were pretty good and among the best of the series. 'Bad Bill Bunion' is one of them, and one of the best of Terrytoons' variable but more consistent actually than most of previous years' batches.

Sure, 'Bad Bill Bunion' is less than perfect. Story-wise it is not particularly surprising, having seen elements of what happens before a good deal, and the ending can be smelt from miles off being a typical sort of Mighty Mouse cartoon ending. The final third may have some excitement but not all the gags come off, being quite corny, and it felt a little disconnected from the rest of the cartoon.

It did feel that Bad Bill Bunion was the lead character here and Mighty Mouse was plot-device supporting when really it should have been the other way around in my view, at least he feels necessary though here. That was something that quite a fair few Mighty Mouse cartoons made the mistake of doing. Mighty Mouse's character design can be a little inconsistent in size.

On the other viewpoint, there are many good things with 'Bad Bill Bunion'. Best asset as ever is the music, which is its usual lush and characterful self. Also excelling in enhancing everything going on between the cats and mice. The animation is equally great in quality, especially the backgrounds and landscapes, though the colours are also very attractive and never drab or garish. Mighty Mouse and Bad Bill work well together and it is interesting seeing him interact with humans in alternative to cats and mice, why not a change in the formula once in a while.

While nothing is completely hilarious, there are gags that are amusing with the best being the one saloon singer and her skirt making bell sounds. There is a good deal of energy here and the conflict has tension, thanks to Bad Bill himself being a suitably formidable opponent though with good comic timing, and the first half generates some suspense. The saloon singer is a nice character and sticks in the mind, thanks to namely that she has the best gag.

Altogether, pretty decent. 6/10

ALTHOUGH THE VARIOUS cartoons and characters that came out of the cartoon of pioneer animator Paul Terry's Cartoon Studio were never seen as artistic as that of Walt Disney, nor as funny as Warner Brothers' output, they have been a TV favourite of the Baby Boomer generation for years. Somehow they had always managed to fill an intermediate niche and hence make their mark in the world.

THERE IS A CERTAIN characteristic nonchalance about the stories that featured FARMER AL FALFA, DINKY DUCK, HECKLE & JECKLE, THE TERRY BEARS and LITTLE ROQUEFORT. The humor was always basic, down to Earth and non-pretentious. These were elements commonly shared by all previously mentioned; but even more so were basic tenets of the MIGHTY MOUSE Series.

REMEMBERED AS ONE of our favourite MM shorts was this 1945 entry, BAD BILL BUNION aka THE JAIL BREAK. Mr. Terry and company take many elements and successfully mix them, coming up with a satisfying and chuckle filled cartoon. Reality, represented in mention of the United States' Federal Prison at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco and the all important annual Army-Navy Football Game are blended side by side with the outrageous and the fantastic elements of the screen cartoon.

SO IT IS that one "Bad Bill" Bunion, an outlaw in the tradition of "the Old West" finds himself as a 'guest' of Uncle Sam's on "the Rock"; as Alcatraz has been called. Among the other desperado inmates are the Frankenstein Monster and Dracula (himself)! Bunion, with aid of his channel-swimming equine accomplice, manages his escape.

EMBARKING ON WHAT was truly a nationwide crime wave, "Bad Bill" manages to rob the now defunct Chicago Stock Yards of a steer and hold up a baby at gunpoint; relieving him of the contents of his piggy bank! His ultimate felonious misdeed is stealing the game-ball at the Army-Navy College Football Game! THIS, OF COURSE, is totally unacceptable to the American people and calls for the ultimate solution, Mighty Mouse! The rest of the under 8 minutes is occupied with MM's struggle to recapture the escaped felon (and his criminally predisposed horse)!

THE ORIGIN OF the character Mighty Mouse was a predictable and inevitable outgrowth of the Golden Age of the Comic Book Super Heroes. Starting with Superman in Action Comics #1, dated June, 1938, what started as a trickle the proliferation of costumed and super-powered characters became a great and overpowering tidal wave of characters in titles from various publishers. Hence, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, the Spirit, Plastic Man, Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, the Human Torch, Sub-mariner, Captain America and hundreds of others became household words. Soon, Mighty Mouse joined the parade, albeit in a slightly different mode.

ALTHOUGH THIS CARTOON is one of our best remembered example of the totality of the series, it is not typical in some respects.

MOST MIGHTY MOUSE top shelf cartoons were done in a sort of Operetta-style; with MM, the hapless heroine, the villain and others doing their best imitations of Nelson Eddy & Janette McDonald. Some good examples of this sub-genre are THE GYPSY LIFE and THE GIRL OF THEV GOLDEN WEST.

THIS FORM WAS not applied to the production of BAD BILL BUNION.

CHALK IT UP to the Star's desire to appear in a straight dramatic part.