''Aesop's Fables'' (later renamed ''Aesop's Sound Fables'') is a series of animated short subjects, created by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cartoonist Paul Terry. Produced from 1921 to 1933, the series includes '' Closer than a Brother'' (1925), ''

The Window Washers ''The Window Washers'' is a 1925 silent animated short subject produced by Fables Studios, and one of the ''Aesop's Fables'' cartoons started by animator Paul Terry. When released for television in the 1950s, musical tracks were added. Summary ...

'' (1925), '' Small Town Sheriff'' (1927), '' Dinner Time'' (1928), and ''

Gypped in Egypt ''Gypped in Egypt'' is a 1930 animated short film directed by John Foster (cartoonist), John Foster and Mannie Davis. The film was also produced by The Van Beuren Corporation and released by Pathé, a film distributor with a newsreel titled Pat ...

'' (1930). ''Dinner Time'' is the first cartoon with a synchronized soundtrack ever released to the public. The series provided inspiration to

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

to found the

Laugh-O-Gram Studio The Laugh-O-Gram Studio (also called Laugh-O-Gram Studios) was a short-lived film studio located on the second floor of the McConahay Building at 1127 East 31st in Kansas City, Missouri that operated from June 28, 1921 to November 20, 1923. ...

in Kansas City, Missouri, where he created Mickey Mouse.

History

Terry was inspired to make the series by young actor-turned-writer

Howard Estabrook Howard Estabrook (born Howard Bolles, July 11, 1884 – July 16, 1978) was an American actor, film director and producer, and screenwriter. Biography Born Howard Bolles in Detroit, Michigan, Howard Estabrook began his career in 1904 as a stag ...

, who suggested making a series of cartoons based on ''

Aesop's Fables Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

''. Although Terry later claimed he had never heard of

Aesop Aesop ( or ; , ; c. 620–564 BCE) was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a number of fables now collectively known as ''Aesop's Fables''. Although his existence remains unclear and no writings by him survive, numerous tales c ...

, he said that Estabrook's idea was worthwhile. Terry immediately began to set up a new studio called Fables Studios, Inc. and received backing from the

Keith-Albee Theatre Keith-Albee Theatre is a performing arts center located along Fourth Avenue in downtown Huntington, West Virginia in the United States of America. The Keith-Albee was named after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation, one of the leading vaudeville ...

circuit. The series launched on June 19, 1921, with ''The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs''. On that same day, Van Beuren announced that the pictures would be distributed exclusively by

Pathe Pathe or Pathé may refer to: * Pathé, a French company established in 1896 * Pathé Exchange, U.S. division of the French film company that was spun off into an independent entity * Pathé News, a French and British distributor of cinema news ...

. Only the earliest films are loose adaptations of the actual fables and later entries usually revolve around cats, mice, and the disgruntled

Farmer Al Falfa Farmer Al Falfa (also known as Farmer Alfalfa),
at

moral that usually has nothing to do with the actual cartoon itself. Terry staffer Mannie Davis once remarked that the morals were even "funnier than the whole picture itself" and Terry said "The fact that they're ambiguous is the thing that made 'em funny". Morals include "Go around with a chip on your shoulder and someone will knock your block off" or "Marriage is a good institution, but who wants to live in an institution?" The series proved to be enormously popular with the public during the 1920s.

admitted that his earliest ambition was to produce cartoons of comparable quality to Paul Terry. With the popularity of

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

's part-talkie ''

The Jazz Singer ''The Jazz Singer'' is a 1927 American musical drama film directed by Alan Crosland. It is the first feature-length motion picture with both synchronized recorded music score as well as lip-synchronous singing and speech (in several isolate ...

'' in 1927, as well as the huge success of the first all-talkie '' Lights of New York'' in 1928, producer Amadee J. Van Beuren realized the potential of sound films and bought Fables Studios to produce sound animation films. Van Beuren, now owner of the newly-named

Van Beuren Studios The Van Beuren Corporation was a New York City-based animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-action short-subjects from the 1920s to 1936. History In 1920, the Keith-Albee organization formed Fables Pictures for the ...

, urged Terry to add the innovation to his films. Terry argued that adding sound would only complicate the production process, but ended up doing so anyway, and the series would now be renamed ''Aesop's Sound Fables''. Released in October 1928, '' Dinner Time'' is the first cartoon with a synchronized soundtrack ever released to the public.From May 1924 to September 1926,

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 25, 1972) was an American animator, inventor, film director and producer, and studio founder and owner. Born in Kraków, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became ...

had released the series ''

Song Car-Tunes '' Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes'', ''Song Car-Tunes'', or (some sources erroneously say) ''Sound Car-Tunes'', is a series of short three-minute animated films produced by Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer between May 1924 and September 1927, pioneering t ...

'' made in DeForest

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

but only the music, not dialogue, is synched to the bouncing ball gimmick. However, the film was overshadowed by the release of Disney's ''

Steamboat Willie ''Steamboat Willie'' is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black and white by Walt Disney Studios and was released by Pat Powers, under the name of Celebrity Productions. The cartoon ...

'' on November 18, 1928. Fable Studios did not cease production of silent cartoons until the release of ''Presto-Chango'' on April 14, 1929. The series also includes '' Closer than a Brother'' (1925), ''

'' (1925), '' Small Town Sheriff'' (1927), ''

Good Old Schooldays ''Good Old Schooldays'' is a 1930 American film produced by The Van Beuren Corporation The Van Beuren Corporation was a New York City-based animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-action short-subjects from the 1 ...

'' (1930), ''

Cinderella Blues ''Cinderella Blues'' is an animated short subject produced by the Van Beuren Studio and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It retells the Cinderella story by Charles Perrault. Unlike most adaptations, the cartoon features a fabled version of the ...

'' (1931), ''

The Wild Goose Chase ''The Wild Goose Chase'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher, first performed in 1621. It is often classed among Fletcher's most effective and best-constructed plays; Edmund Gosse called it "one of the brightest a ...

'' (1932), and '' Silvery Moon'' (1933). In 1929 Terry quit, starting his own TerryToons Studios, and John Foster took over the series under the Van Beuren Corporation, formerly Fable Studios, Inc. The series finally came to a close in 1933. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) lists 447 titles from 1920 to 1929 under the production company name of Aesop Fables Studio, and 279 titles under Van Beuren Studios from 1928 to 1936.

Legacy

''Aesop's Fables'' provided inspiration to

to found the

in Kansas City, Missouri, where he and

Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert Iwwerks (March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), known as Ub Iwerks ( ), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentiou ...

co-created the Laugh-O-Grams and the

Alice Comedies The ''Alice Comedies'' are a series of animated/live-action shorts created by Walt Disney in the 1920s, in which a live action little girl named Alice (originally played by Virginia Davis) and an animated cat named Julius have adventures in an ...

. Even into 1930, Disney wanted his cartoons to be funny as the series.

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links