September

SEPTEMBER 2ND
1919 - Pat Sullivan's "Feline Follies" cartoon staring Felix the Cat. Felix is the first true animated star, not depended on a previous newspaper strip. His body prototype, a black peanutshape with four fingers, will be the standard for years to come and copied for characters like Oswald and Mickey Mouse. Lindbergh had a Felix doll in his plane and it has been speculated that Groucho Marx copied his famous strut. The first television image broadcast by scientists in 1926 was of a Felix doll. By 1926 he was the most popular star in Hollywood after Chaplin and Valentino.
1928 - Paul Terry premiered his sound cartoon RCA Photophone system for a short called "Dinner Time". Young studio head Walt Disney came by train out from Los Angeles to see it. He telephoned his studio back in L.A." My gosh, terrible!" reported Walt, " A lot of racket and nothing else!" He said they could continue to complete their first sound cartoon "Steamboat Willie".
1939 - THE FIRST CANNES FILM FESTIVAL- The premiere film event in Europe had been the Venice film festival but western democracies tired of the bias of the judges for Fascist and Nazi films. ( for example Walt Disney was annoyed his "Snow White", the box office and critical champ of 1938, lost out to Leni Reifenstahl's "Olympia" ). So the little French Riviera city was chosen as the site for a new festival. Two days after opening World War Two was declared and the festival shut down until 1946.

SEPTEMBER 3RD
1939 - British Prime Minister Chamberlain's War announcement interrupts a Disney Cartoon "Mickey's Gala Premiere" showing on the fledgling BBC television service. Television shuts down for the duration.
1946 - After the War, the BBC television service resumes and an announcer says:"Well now, where were we?" They continue the Mickey cartoon from where it was interrupted in 1939.
1960 - The Hanna-Barbera show "Lippy the Lion and Hardy-Harr-Harr" premiered.

SEPTEMBER 7TH
1911 - Fred Moore- master Disney animator born.
1963 - Japanese cartoon "Astro Boy" premiered in the U.S.

SEPTEMBER 9TH
1908 - Thomas Edison, Charles Pathe and other bigshots form the Motion Picture Patents Company, called 'the Trust'. Their attempt to monopolize film production became a major factor in driving filmmakers from the east coast to Hollywood.
1967 - Jay Ward's "George of the Jungle" 'toon hits the airwaves.

SEPTEMBER 10TH
1968 - Hanna Barbera's "Space Ghost" and "Dino-Boy" premiered.

SEPTEMBER 11TH
1971 - The "Jackson Five" Saturday morning cartoon show premieres.

SEPTEMBER 12TH
1941 - The Disney animation strike ended by federal mediators.

SEPTEMBER13TH
1979 - Animator Don Bluth leads one third of the young Disney artists in mass resignation to set up their own studio.

SEPTEMBER 14TH
1912 - Disney master animator Frank Thomas born.

SEPTEMBER 16TH
1949 - Chuck Jones' "Fast and Furry-ous" released. It was the first Roadrunner vs. Wile E. Coyote cartoon.

SEPTEMBER 21ST
1912 - Chuck Jones born.
1920 - Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward born.

SEPTEMBER 26TH
1983 - Filmation's "He Man and the Masters of the Universe" premiered.

SEPTEMBER 29TH
1988 - Cartoonist Charles Addams, creator of "The Addams Family", died of a heart attack.

SEPTEMBER 30TH
1960 - Hanna Barbera's "The Flintstones" debuts in prime time.