Jasper and the Haunted House
Encyclopedia
Jasper and the Haunted House is a 1942 American animated short film in the Puppetoon series
released as a Madcap Model by George Pal
. It is an early entry that features the popular yet controversial Paramount Puppetoon characters Jasper and his friend/nemesis Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird.
Jasper walks with a gooseberry
pie and Professor Scarecrow (aka Mr. Scarecrow) and Blackbird notice the smell. Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird run over to ask Jasper what he's doing with the pie, Jasper says that he's going to deliver it to Deacon Jones. Professor Scarecrow opens Jasper's pie (by unzipping and zipping the crust) and finds out it is gooseberry. Jasper walks away irritated with Professor Scarecrow's and the crow's curiosity. Professor Scarecrow switches the sign to trick and swindle
Jasper later in the film so Professor Scarecrow can get his hands on Jasper's pie. Jasper comes back, then Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird lie about the sign. Jasper doesn't believe him at first and says "There ain't nothin' down that way but a-ha-haunted house". Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird lie again and says the house is no longer haunted and the "haunts" were drafted
for World War II
. Jasper is now gullible and manipulated about it, so he thanks Professor Scarecrow for showing him the right way. After Jasper leaves, Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird laugh maniacally because they tricked Jasper into the haunted house. The next scene transitions to a fade out/fade in, then Jasper knocks on the door. He yells for the Deacon, but instead the door slams shut and locks behind him and he is trapped. Frightened, he walks (with a gag where his shadow walks back), and Professor Scarecrow scares Jasper by surprise into leaving the pie on a chair by the staircase, Jasper then hides in the piano. The plan worked, Professor Scarecrow is pleased that the pie is left for him now. Suddenly the pie is taken by a ghost, Professor Scarecrow accuses Blackbird of taking the pie, but argument ends when they find out the plan has actually backfired. Frightened, Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird hide in the piano with after the pie is eaten and the invisible ghost tosses back the pan and says to Professor Scarecrow that it is his refund. The ghosts walks across to the piano and gets ready to play it. The three characters whisper that they cannot see him. The introduction music is heard, and there's a swing boogie-woogie piece played and every inanimate object dances since it's a haunted house, from the typical bookshelf to the pie pan. Meanwhile, the piano keys hit the main characters as the music plays. Then they jump out of the piano, out through the roof of the haunted house, and they hit a billboard
.
Jasper asks what happened to pie and if he's going to get into trouble, then Professor Scarecrow gives Jasper the empty pie pan. Jasper has revenge on Professor Scarecrow and the crow by hitting the pie pan on their heads. As Jasper hits Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird, the camera zooms out with a controversial advertisement for a fake brand of pie that says "Next Time Try Spook's Gooseberry
Pie". Jasper mysteriously drops it onto the ground revealing the Paramount Pictures
print logo of the time on the pie pan, with the variant "A Paramount Picture".
It was retitled by U.M.&M. T.V. Corp.
and the Paramount pie pan was cut out and was replaced by the same "The End" title used in Little Lulu
films. The only official video release was on the Puppetoon Movie DVD
released by
Image Entertainment
.
Puppetoons
George Pal's Puppetoons were a series of animated puppet films made in Europe in the 1930s and in the U.S. in the 1940s. They are memorable for their use of "replacement" animation: using a series of different hand-carved wooden puppets for each frame in which the puppet moves or changes...
released as a Madcap Model by George Pal
George Pál
George Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
. It is an early entry that features the popular yet controversial Paramount Puppetoon characters Jasper and his friend/nemesis Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird.
Plot
The original Paramount opening titles show the preparation of the pie and the vocal is singing the preparation of the pie.Jasper walks with a gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
pie and Professor Scarecrow (aka Mr. Scarecrow) and Blackbird notice the smell. Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird run over to ask Jasper what he's doing with the pie, Jasper says that he's going to deliver it to Deacon Jones. Professor Scarecrow opens Jasper's pie (by unzipping and zipping the crust) and finds out it is gooseberry. Jasper walks away irritated with Professor Scarecrow's and the crow's curiosity. Professor Scarecrow switches the sign to trick and swindle
Swindle
The term swindle may refer to:* Swindle, a confidence trick* Swindle, a kind of fraud* Swindle , a ruse by which a chess player in a losing position tricks his opponentIn media and popular culture, Swindle can refer to:...
Jasper later in the film so Professor Scarecrow can get his hands on Jasper's pie. Jasper comes back, then Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird lie about the sign. Jasper doesn't believe him at first and says "There ain't nothin' down that way but a-ha-haunted house". Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird lie again and says the house is no longer haunted and the "haunts" were drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Jasper is now gullible and manipulated about it, so he thanks Professor Scarecrow for showing him the right way. After Jasper leaves, Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird laugh maniacally because they tricked Jasper into the haunted house. The next scene transitions to a fade out/fade in, then Jasper knocks on the door. He yells for the Deacon, but instead the door slams shut and locks behind him and he is trapped. Frightened, he walks (with a gag where his shadow walks back), and Professor Scarecrow scares Jasper by surprise into leaving the pie on a chair by the staircase, Jasper then hides in the piano. The plan worked, Professor Scarecrow is pleased that the pie is left for him now. Suddenly the pie is taken by a ghost, Professor Scarecrow accuses Blackbird of taking the pie, but argument ends when they find out the plan has actually backfired. Frightened, Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird hide in the piano with after the pie is eaten and the invisible ghost tosses back the pan and says to Professor Scarecrow that it is his refund. The ghosts walks across to the piano and gets ready to play it. The three characters whisper that they cannot see him. The introduction music is heard, and there's a swing boogie-woogie piece played and every inanimate object dances since it's a haunted house, from the typical bookshelf to the pie pan. Meanwhile, the piano keys hit the main characters as the music plays. Then they jump out of the piano, out through the roof of the haunted house, and they hit a billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
.
Jasper asks what happened to pie and if he's going to get into trouble, then Professor Scarecrow gives Jasper the empty pie pan. Jasper has revenge on Professor Scarecrow and the crow by hitting the pie pan on their heads. As Jasper hits Professor Scarecrow and Blackbird, the camera zooms out with a controversial advertisement for a fake brand of pie that says "Next Time Try Spook's Gooseberry
Gooseberry
The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia...
Pie". Jasper mysteriously drops it onto the ground revealing the Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
print logo of the time on the pie pan, with the variant "A Paramount Picture".
Television
This has not been seen on TV for many years because it was deemed racist.It was retitled by U.M.&M. T.V. Corp.
U.M.&M. T.V. Corp.
U.M.&M. T.V. Corp. is best known as the original purchaser of Paramount Pictures' pre-October 1950 shorts and cartoons...
and the Paramount pie pan was cut out and was replaced by the same "The End" title used in Little Lulu
Little Lulu
"Little Lulu" is the nickname for Lulu Moppett, a comic strip character created in the mid-1930s by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character debuted in The Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935 in a single panel, appearing as a flower girl at a wedding and strewing the aisle with banana peels...
films. The only official video release was on the Puppetoon Movie DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
released by
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
.
External links
- Jasper and the Haunted House at bcdb
- Jasper and the Haunted House video at Like Television