Foofle's Train Ride (Terrytoons)

Foofle's Train Ride is the first in a series of Foofle shorts produced by Terrytoons. It is also one of the final shorts to be made with Gene Deitch as supervising director.

Summary
Foofle goes on a trip to the scenic excursion, but has a load of troubles and things don't go right for him.

Why it Rocks

 * 1) Foofle is likable and the only character in this short. He has plenty of troubles while on a trip to the scenic excursion.
 * 2) * He was a basis for Gene Deitch's later creation in the mid-1960s, right down to the accident-prone visual gags.
 * 3) Good voice acting of the scenic excursion announcer by CBS announcer, Bern Bennett.
 * 4) * He was also the announcer for such shows as "Beat the Clock" and "To Tell the Truth".
 * 5) Jim Tyer's animation can be spotty at best.
 * 6) Funny moments, such as Foofle trying to open a window and causing cracks in each window every time he moves.
 * 7) This short is most notable for originating the bad luck character formula that would later be refined and perfected for Nudnik.
 * 8) Good somber blues music by Philip A. Scheib.
 * 9) Foofle's character design is cute with plain-looking clothes, droopy hat and white/black sneakers.
 * 10) Even though the short was never nominated or earned an award, it was still well remembered by animation historians (notably Jerry Beck).
 * 11) This short sets apart from other television and theatrical cartoons, which were very talky and nearly always dialogue driven.
 * 12) Unlike his earlier works at Fleischer and Famous Studios, Dave Tendlar does a better job at directing slapstick comedies that were actually funny. Much better than the ones with darkness-induced apathetic humor (Herman and Katnip, for example).

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The somber blues music can be pretty depressing, depending on your view.
 * 2) Despite how good the cartoon is, it feels generic and there are no supporting characters to help balance out the humor.
 * 3) Sad Ending: Foofle gets off the train to find his luggage left behind. He sits on the bench to look at his watch, only for it to explode. He sighs miserably as a tear sheds from his eye and the short ends with a further view of the waiting area.

Trivia

 * This is the only short in which Gene Deitch got screen credit. Later shorts removed him altogether after his departure from the Terrytoons studio.
 * This cartoon previously existed with television titles (lacking the opening credits).
 * Thankfully, a 35mm print with original titles came up on August of 2021 on Cartoon Research. People were able to see the original opening credits again in over 60 years since its theatrical release.
 * Jules Feiffer (who later worked on the Academy Award winning film, Munro) was responsible for designing the train and backgrounds in the cartoon.

Full Short
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