Saluting Our Veterans

First of all, Happy Veteran's Day to all our troops, those who have fought for our country, and those who still are. This includes my biological father Bruce Redmer, my good friend Jen Waters, and my brother Keefe Jackman.

I awoke to a much nicer day. Sunshine and 65-degree temperatures replaced yesterday's clouds, and the air remained windless. I made French Toast with my remaining Cornmeal Baguettes while listening to the Brunch With the Beatles show. After breakfast, I switched to more Armed Services/war-related cartoons.

The brash, noisy World War II era made several screwy characters into major stars, starting with Donald Duck. He'd already been a favorite from the mid-30s onward, but the war years certified his status as Disney's number one short subject favorite. His brassy personality was a natural for wartime satire like The Vanishing Private and Commando Duck, and he worked exceedingly well in the surreal Oscar-winner Der Fuerher's Face. Huey, Dewey, and Louie even jumped on board the Army bandwagon for Home Defense. In this short from the later war years, they and Donald are civilian aircraft spotter. Donald kicks them out after they play a trick on him, but Don's the one feeling embarrassed when he mistakes an insect for an invasion.

Mickey wasn't used much during World War II, but he did do a war-themed short in the late 20s, a year after his debut. The Barnyard Battle spoofs the first World War with a fight between mice and cats, the latter in German helmets. After barely making it through the examinations, Mickey proceeds to take on the cat army single-handedly...and win.

Other nutty toons also rose to prominence during the early 40s. Woody Woodpecker became Walter Lanz' biggest star in shorts like Ace In the Hole. (Lanz also did several one-off patriotic shorts, including Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, Hysterical Highpoints In American History, and Pigeon Patrol.) Tom and Jerry were the top favorites at MGM from the early 40s through the 60s; their one and only wartime short The Yankee Doodle Mouse won their first Oscar. Bugs became Termite Terrace's most popular star in shorts like Falling Hare and Super Rabbit, while Daffy confirmed his status as their number one loon in Draftee Daffy.

The controversy surrounding Vietnam and the now-much-younger audience for animation made most animation studios shy away from war-related theatrical shorts in the 60s. The Pink Panther was an exception. He joined the Army in GI Pink, swayed by the glamour of recruiting posters, and wound up dodging land mines, cranky drill sergeants, and even crankier mascots.

Switched to the Three Stooges later in the afternoon. While they were popular well before the war  years, the violence-loving wartime audiences made them even bigger than before....and ensured that the violence quota in their shorts would be higher than before or afterwards. Back From the Front has them taking on an entire ship of Nazis after blowing up their own ship. They discover a room filled with Nazi spies while dressed as Japanese soldiers in No Dough, Boys. Boobs In Arms has them up against a drill sergeant who thought they were flirting with his wife. And in Higher Than a Kite, they're military mechanics on the run from their sergeant who find themselves in enemy territory when they stow away in a missile.

After the Stooges, I switched to my America The Beautiful patriotic records, then to the Eagles vs Cowboys game. The game started out pretty well, with the Eagles sacking the Cowboys' QB Tony Romo several times. Even losing Michael Vick and putting in a rookie quarterback didn't hurt. Nick Foles actually played quite well, but not enough to overcome a lot of key defensive mistakes in the second half. The Cowboys finally won, 31-23.

I spent most of the afternoon while the shorts were on working on crocheting. I've decided that most of my presents for my friends Amanda and Lauren are going to be hand-made. I'd rather buy things for my little nephews, and my sister Jessa is an excellent crafter who is perfectly capable of making things for herself. Amanda and Lauren aren't heavily into crafts and probably don't have a lot of hand-made items. I'm not good enough to make anything fancy yet, but they'll get small things, like hats, small purses, CD holders, and Christmas ornaments. I started a scarf this afternoon and worked on it throughout the day.

Got a couple of phone calls as well. Heard from Mom late in the afternoon. She'd had a long week. Boat repairs and bad weather has had Dad-Bill at home and underfoot for two weeks. He'd only just gone out today. My nephew Skylar hasn't been feeling well, and Mom's been watching him while his mother Anny works. Anny's birthday was yesterday. According to Mom and to Anny on Facebook, the day didn't go well. Things went better today when they went out to eat. Mom also took them out to see Wreck It Ralph, the newest Disney animated film, which I heard is really cute.

Jodie called shortly after half-time. She was going to the Acme tomorrow. Did I want to come along? Did I ever! I really, really need to make a grocery trip. I  have a huge list. She asked me if I needed to do laundry. Yes, I do. It's not a huge pile, but getting it done wouldn't hurt.