Aesop's Film Fables closing title

Aesop's Film Fables was a series of animated short subjects, created by American cartoonist, Paul Terry. Terry came upon the inspiration for the series by young actor-turned-writer Howard Estabrook, who suggested making a series of cartoons based on Aesop's Fables. Although Terry later claimed he had never heard of Aesop, he felt that Estabrook's idea was something worthwhile. Terry immediately began to set up a new studio called Fables Studios, Inc. and received backing from the Keith-Albee Theatre circuit. Image File history File links Aesop-title. ... Image File history File links Aesop-title. ... Mighty Mouse, the signature character of the studio. ... Aesops Fables or Aesopica refers to a collection of fables credited to Aesop (circa 620 BC – 560 BC), a slave and story-teller living in Ancient Greece. ... Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle. ...

Farmer Al Falfa in "Amateur Night on the Ark" (1923)

The series launched on May 13, 1921 with The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. Only the earliest films were loose adaptations of the actual Fables while later entries usually revolved around cats, mice, and the disgruntled Farmer Al Falfa. Each short concluded with a "moral" that usually had 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." "The fact that they're ambiguous is the thing that made 'em funny," Terry once said. Morals included "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?" Image File history File links Amateurnightontheark. ... Image File history File links Amateurnightontheark. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Farmer Al Falfa in The Iron Man (1930) Farmer Al Falfa (also known as Farmer Alfalfa) is an animated cartoon character created by American cartoonist, Paul Terry. ...

With Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer in 1927, producer Amadee J. Van Beuren realized the potential of sound films and urged Terry to add the new innovation to his films. Terry argued that adding sound would only complicate the production process, but ended up doing so anyway (the series would now be renamed Aesop's Sound Fables). Released in October 1928, Dinner Time became the very first cartoon with a synchronized soundtrack ever released to the public. However, the film gained little momentum and audience favor instead went with Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie released a month later. Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson in Seredzius, Lithuania on May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was an American singer and the son of Jewish immigrants. ... The Jazz Singer is a 1927 U.S. movie musical notable for being the first feature-length motion picture with talking sequences. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Van Beuren Studios was an animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928-1936. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Dinner Time is a 1928 animated short subject produced and directed by Paul Terry and co-directed by John Foster. ... Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966), was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, and animator. ... Steamboat Willie, released on November 18, 1928, is an animated cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse. ...

In 1929, Terry quit and John Foster took over the series under the Van Beuren Corporation, formally Fable Studios, Inc. The series finally came to a close in 1933. 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Van Beuren Studios was an animation studio that produced theatrical cartoons from 1928-1936. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

See also

• Animation Before Hollywood: The Silent Period

Felix the Cat in Felix Woos Whoopee (1930). ...

References

• Crafton, Donald (1993): Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898-1928. University of Chicago Press.
• Gifford, Denis (1990): American Animated Films: The Silent Era, 1897-1929. McFarland and Company.
• Maltin, Leonard (1987): Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. Penguin Books.
• Solomon, Charles (1994): The History of Animation: Enchanted Drawings. Outlet Books Company.

External links

• Paul Terry at the Internet Movie Database
• Terrytoons at the Internet Movie Database
• Aesop's Fables at the Internet Movie Database