MIGHTY MOUSE PLAYHOUSE: A Fight to the Finish (1947)

Here's one of the best Mighty Mouse classics, with the Mouse of Tomorrow saving Pearl Pureheart from Oil Can Harry. Be sure to hiss and cheer at the appropriate moments.

Original art by Art Bartch

VINTAGE HALLOWEEN MASKS (Part 6)

The Mouse of Tomorrow

Mr. Greenjeans

"Fool!"

Fool

Sandwich

Robert Blake

Boris

Darth Jr.

Mr. Fantastic's uncle

The Monk

Huckleberry I

Huckleberry II

Hoss

See 'em all (so far) HERE.

Overlooked Films: SUPER MOUSE (Mighty Mouse) in "He Dood It Again" (1943)

This was the third Super Mouse cartoon. Terrytoons released four more before his name was changed to Mighty. Supposedly this was not due to any hassle from the Superman folks, but because another character was using the name Super Mouse in a comic book.

More Overlooked (but less Super) Films at SWEET FREEDOM.

Terrytoon Ties: Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle

To view those ties that have gone before (Rawhide, The Wild Wild West, James Bond and King Kong) click HERE.

Overlooked Films: FRANKENSTEIN'S CAT and WOLF! WOLF!

Here are just two of the many great films featuring my all-time favorite cartoon star.

In the beginning, with his debut in the 1942 film "The Mouse of Tomorrow," he was billed as Supermouse, wearing a blue suit and red cape just like you-know-who. But after half a dozen films he morphed into the yellow-suit, red-cape guy we know as Mighty Mouse.

Seems to me there were about 60 theatrical cartoon produced between 1942 and 1961. I used to have a list, and in the 80s I taped hundreds of hours of kiddy cartoon shows until I had them all. My favorites are the operettas, in which Mighty must rescue the brave Pearl Trueheart from the dastardly Oil Can Harry while belting out their lines in song.

Mighty battles Oil Can Harry

In 1987, Ralph Bashki produced a short-lived series called The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse. It was stylish, and had a groovy updated version of the stirring theme song, but failed to capture the spirit of the old Terrytoons.

Rumor has it that Nickelodeon is working on a feature film, to be done either in full or partial CGI, and followed by a new CGI TV series. It's also rumored than an officially licensed DVD collection of the Terrytoons films will be available soon. We'll see.

In Frankenstein's Cat (1942), he's still wearing the blue suit, and still lives in a "Super" market, getting his powers by eating super cheese. You'll note the narrator's voice changes when he introduces "Mighty Mouse," because in the original version he said "Supermouse." The picture quality in this YouTube version sucks, but may allow you to imagine what the original film looked like.

Frankenstein's Cat (1942)


"Wolf! Wolf!" is one of the transitional films, where Mighty is trying out a red suit and yellow cape. These soon gave way to the familiar costume shown in the lobby card above. The climactic battle with the wolves is a classic!

Wolf! Wolf! (1944)


Do not fail to visit Todd Mason's Sweet Freedom for links to more of today's Overlooked Films & Whatnot.