Orphan Toon Spotlight 1 Happy Days Ub Iwerks

For this first installment of the Orphan Toon Spotlight, we take a look at an Ub Iwerks cartoon that has--unfairly--faded into obscurity. Based on the equally obscure Gene Byrnes comic strip "Reg'lar Fellers," it was intended to be the first in a regular series of cartoons. Financial difficulties and the lack of a distributor forced Iwerks to abandon that idea, however. Two cartoons were made in all, but only this one made its way into theaters.

Iwerks was not the only cartoon producer to attempt to adapt the characters: Just two years after Iwerks, Walter Lantz, better known for Woody Woodpecker, did his own version of "Reg'lar Fellers." It's unlikely that a regular series would have developed, as the Lantz cartoon was produced to promote Ipana toothpaste, and was not intended for general distribution.

Ub's version actually comes closest to capturing the gentle, nostalgic tone of the comic strip, though in the last two minutes it ventures into territory that's pure Iwerks, as you'll soon see.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Ub Iwerks
• Reg'lar Fellers
• 1930s cartoons
• Orphan Toon Spotlight