That looks like John Kricfalusi drawing, ie Ren and Stimpy.
Eh, I'd say more along the lines of the current Cartoon Network crop (perhaps REGULAR SHOW is what I'm thinking of?).
Here's John K (and fellow Spumco co-founder/master cartoonist Jim Smith)'s take on our boys, from Sept 2008:
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/09/stooges-studies-for-toys.htmlAlso has John's opinion on the films and the remasters (again, from Sept 2008):
I think the 3 Stooges made the funniest films in history. They are the perfect combination of comedic acting, timing, slapstick and cartoon gags. They never cheat you with filler and insincere pathos either. It's the most honest comedy you'lll [sic] find anywhere. They give your money's worth.
They have rereleased all their films (plus some lost ones!) in chronological order.
That's good news and bad news. The picture looks great, but the sound has been "remastered" till it's hardly there any more. You have to turn up the volume on your set all the way and still you are straining to hear the voices and sound effects that were perfectly clear on TV and video tapes just a few years ago. Why do they do this? The old cartoons have lousy sound on DVDs too. Each new release has thinner and thinner sound. Does anyone have an explanation for what they are doing? And why they hire deaf people to remix sound?
[Amazon links]
This volume (3) has one of the craziest, fastest Stooges films of all time! "Cactus Makes Perfect". It's more cartoony than most cartoons and has the funniest shaving scene ever.
I thought his opinion on CACTUS MAKES PERFECT - clearly from from a cartoonist's standpoint - was quite fascinating. Especially after reading
metaldam's review of CACTUS and how he feels the "unbelievable" aspect of it is something of a detriment.
So, what's wrong with CACTUS MAKES PERFECT? I am coming to the conclusion that part of the joy of watching the Stooges is watching their insane characters act with relatively normal and/or unlikeable people. Throw the boys at a high society party, with wives, trying to work a blue collar job, doing something normal people do, and the hilarity ensues. Throw them in a world of unbelievable characters, and it plays overly ham fisted.
CACTUS MAKES PERFECT is a good example of the latter. Monty Collins, who also co wrote this thing, dresses in drag to play the mother, who in turn does a poor man's Curly impersonation. They run into con man Eddie Laughton who is an exaggerated cliche in this short. The competitor prospectors are over the top, definitely not a better Vernon Dent role. Everything about this short screams cartoon, there's very little humanity in it.
[in a later post] Too much cartoony like humor without a hint of realism is too over the top for my tastes while too much sap and humanity like in the MGM Our Gangs [ThumpTheShoes speaks] of can be boring, I agree.
