Yelp Wanted (1931) watch online HD

I recently discovered the Scrappy cartoons from Columbia Pictures. Some (especially the early ones) are GREAT--very violent and funny. Some have been a bit on the cutesy side. I think the reason for the change is that in 1934, the tougher Production Code was finally in place and enforced. In the earlier 30s, having Scrappy be seriously abusive towards a baby (Oogie) was all in fun--but something they just wouldn't allow after mid-1934. Instead of violence, the cartoons then tended to have more singing....yuck!

I don't know about you, but as a kid I HATED singing cartoons and liked all the mindless violence! The 'toon begins with Scrappy noticing that his dog Yippy is feeling sick. In a panic, Scrappy raids his piggy bank and runs to buy medicine. However, on the way he needs to contend with a bad neighborhood and a gang of little jerks.

This is the first Scrappy cartoon and while it's not as good as "The Little Pest" (which was made soon after), it's still amazing for 1931. Part of it is the animation. Not surprisingly, it's in black & white (typical for the time) but not so typical are the wonderfully drawn backgrounds and nice animation. The rest of what impressed me was the plot--which was violent but not so much that you need to shield your little ones from it! I especially liked it when Scrappy went to 'Rough House Alley'--now THAT is one nasty neighborhood that you just need to see to believe. Funny and enjoyable EXCEPT for the first tiny portion where Scrappy sings and acts a bit adorable (yuck!). Well worth seeing.

I'd forgotten the character of Scrappy. This is a pretty prescriptive story. Scrappy's little dog is quite ill. Scrappy sees a billboard advertising a dog tonic. He then attempts throughout the cartoon to get his hands on this stuff. Unfortunately, he has to face off against a series of tough, immoral characters. No matter what he does, there is some obstacle in his path. But it is a good, though simple, story that children could relate to.

Since the plot summary tells you everything about Yelp Wanted, I'll just say this is as good a beginning for the Scrappy series for Charles Mintz with distribution by Columbia as I've seen for any character that is now obscure here in the 21st century. Both amusing and heartwarming, Scrappy the little boy goes through a lot, including going through Rough House Alley, in order to cure his sick little dog Yippy. But if you're familiar with this story then you'll probably not be surprised by the ending that happens here though at the time this was made in 1931, it was probably pretty fresh. Still, for anyone interested in any early animation efforts made in the early talkie era, I highly recommended Yelp Wanted.