The Ski's the Limit

Just to make things clear, not all the Famous Studios Screen Song cartoons are bad. Actually think there are enough that are quite decent, particularly the earlier ones ('The Little Brown Jug' being a primary example). Like the studio's output in general, the series is very hit and miss and when it missed the cartoons in general were very weak (one primary example being 'Spring Song'). Plus Switzerland is such a wonderful place and is deserving of a travelogue-like cartoon.

It did deserve a much better one though than 'The Ski's the Limit'. While there are worse Screen Song cartoons, such as 'The Stork Market' and 'Spring Song', 'The Ski's the Limit' leans towards being in the weaker end. It is not quite my definition of a terrible cartoon thanks to good execution of the redeeming factors, but it is a very mediocre one with too many quite badly executed elements that sadly outweigh what stops it from being worse.

Am going to mention the good things about 'The Ski's the Limit' first. Coming off best is the music, it is very lively in rhythm and sumptuously orchestrated. There is a beautiful and quite clever arrangement too of "I Miss My Swiss, My Swiss Miss Misses Me", one of the better singalong songs at this stage of that respective year (the singalong songs for the series in 1949 were pretty mixed). The animation also fares well, especially the vibrant colours and the backgrounds are also lovingly detailed and colourful.

'The Ski's the Limit' has a couple of amusing moments in the first half, especially the Jimmy Durante caricature. Jackson Beck narrates warmly and with enthusiasm.

Sadly, 'The Ski's the Limit' is let down by a number of things, and these flaws were common problems in Famous Studios' Screen Song cartoons. The story is flimsy to the point of being non-existent and is crippled by a mostly dull pace and excessive predictability in both halves but especially the second. Like some Screen Song cartoons, this did feel like two different cartoons that don't connect with each together that well.

Despite the song being great, the energy it has isn't matched by what goes on in the action. Where the humour is too far and between and what there is is uninspired and ones seen before. The Jimmy Durante caricature fares best, but is still hardly innovative. The characters are pretty bland here and while the travelogue element of the cartoon is affectionate there is nothing new to it. It was like picking out what things are typically associated by you when thinking of Switzerland, short listing them and including them in some shape and form.

Overall, pretty lacklustre. 4/10.

This Famous Studios Screen Song is a rather poor effort from the usually reliable Izzy Sparber. Part of it is the structure of the piece, which is a series of black-out gags narrated by Jackson Beck. The other is an experiment in the sing-along section. Instead of it being an animated sequence, it is a series of still shots of "typically Swiss" items, including chocolates, watches and so forth.

It is a bit more interesting aurally, given Mr. Beck's competent narration -- he is best remembered for voicing Bluto in the Popeye cartoons, but worked regularly for the Fleischers and Famous Studios -- and the orchestration of the short's song, "I Miss My Swiss". It is a two-part chorale work, with some of the singers voicing the words and the other doing a yodeling back-up. However, that is not enough to overcome the shortcomings of the cartoon.