There was a record version preceding this cartoon by about a year. It was on Capitol, with Harold Peary as "The Great Gildersleeve" narrating it. On first-pressing copies, the label misspelled its author's name as "Dr. Suess."
I'm 56 and my mom used to call me Gerald McBoingboing when I'd make noises when I was little. I didn't really know what she was talking about until today, half a century later.
As a little boy growing up in the 1960s, I used a variety of different sounds when I played. I even provided background music when words and noises weren't needed. My father used to call me Gerald McBoing Boing because of this. I never understood the name until a few years later when this cartoon was shown in school. Years later, a parent myself, I found a copy of this wonderful Dr Seuss book and read it to my kids when they were little. I would, of course, make all the necessary noises as we shared our time together. My eldest has said he needs a copy of the book for when he has kids. I look forward to reading it to my future grandkids, sounds and all. ♥
This pretty much represents my relationship with my parents. They couldn't deal with me, my creativity, my sound effects until I ended up on one of the most popular animated shows of all time.
Holy smokes ... Seth's M's early pal/partner? You are legend, sir. I'm a musician/writer/VO/SFX guy who watched the early Gerald McB's cartoons as a kid (yeah, I'm that old). Congrats on your career, best of luck in whatever you're doing now.
The animation wasn't expensive, but still great for being hand-drawn. I like the use of color - I can see why people thought red-orange and mustard yellow were cool colors back then (and for 30 years afterwards).
FYI: This film's producer, Stephen Bosustow, was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, all but one in the Short Subject, Cartoon category. This one was his second nom and first win (in 1950). He also won for "When Magoo Flew" (1954) and "Mister Magoo's Puddle Jumper" (1956). Another Gerald film, "Gerald McBoing-Boing on Planet Moo", was nominated in 1956. Thanks for sharing this slice of history!
This was me, back in the mid '50s. I had the record of the song and went around imitating every sound I could find. "Tucked in his bed and sound asleep is little Gerald McCoy, drifting off to the land of dreams is this very unusual boy, though he looks like other boys, sleeping there in bed, he doesn't talk like other boys, he says: `Boing Boing', instead." Takes me back . . . way too far back. Heh heh. Thanks for posting.
Thank you, for uploading this since I read about U.P.A. cartoons and their influence on many animation studios and independent animaters but had not seen the theatrical cartoon shorts until You Tube! The simplicity of the art can misslead some to think that it is easier then it really was to make! Anyway these cartoons here lead me to buy online U.P.A. JOLLY FROLICS dvds from TCM shop! The shorts are beautifully remastered with a lighter, brighter image andblow away the commercial junk of today!
Interesting , huh? Most of the old media aimed at kids presented parental and societal approval as the highest achievement possible for children. The fact that parental figures couldn't fully love their children unless they achieved material success was never viewed as a flaw.
These UPA cartoons certainly influenced a lot of the other studios! For example, some of the LT cartoons started to use nice UPA-styled backgrounds in the mid-50s.
Grew up with this on VHS. My father was friends with the man who wrote the music, the late Gail Kubick. I will forever think it is devastating that Gerald's parents were all right with him only when he became a success...
Gerald McBoing-Boing played Tiny Tim Crachit opposite Mr. Magoo as Ebenezer Scrooge in UPA's "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" with Jack Cassidy as the voice of Bob Crachit.
This is my first time watching "Gerald McBoing-Boing" and it's already a favourite of mine. While the story does end on a bit of a Deus Ex Machina, it is an uplifting way to conclude an otherwise downer of a tale about a boy who struggles to fit in for not being like his surroundings. The animation is lovely, colourful, varied, and unique, and the stylised visuals help to bring it all to life. The music isn't as polished as the rest, but it's still good in places. Overall, a masterwork of animation that has stood the test of time. I can see why these UPA cartoons were so beloved. As much as I love the slapstick chaos of the MGM and Warner Bros. cartoons, the stronger emphasis on clever down-to-earth human stories with relatable issues and multiple interpretations was a step in the right direction for the animation industry. It's a shame that "limited animation" ended up gaining a bad rap during the dark age.
Don't know if anyone else even caught it, but there was an animation mistake when the Dr. opened his bag. He took our the bottle and the scissors and everything, but the last thing he took out was a little stick that disappeared as soon as he put it on the table.
How to say NBC without saying NBC: Just play the three notes, even in a different musical key. On a side note, when played in the original key of C, the notes are G-E-C = General Electric Corporation, NBC's original owner.
Funny thing, I was first introduced to this video from the Hellboy dvd where it's a special feature. And it's still one of my favorite shorts of all time.
Wow...so many negative comments. I happen to be old enough to remember watching Gerald's adventures when they first came out. My take is that it's supposed to show you that no matter what cards you're dealt, you can still end up with a winning hand. I've always looked on the bright side of things. I saw nothing offensive in this at all.
I usually just save these to my animation playlist but I might also put this one in my old time radio list too. Gerald sounds like the Gunsmoke sound effects.
"we cannot accept him for we have a rule that pupils must not go 'phEEhoo!' in our school." That rule could've helped so many guys from getting slapped by girls
I hate how it's always the most ignorant and wannabe-elitist comments that get upvoted. why make a cartoon if your visuals look like shit? if you expect your work in an AUDIOVISUAL MEDIUM to be carried solely by writing, why not write a book? plus this DOESN'T look like shit. it's well drawn, and you don't need money to draw well. there's way more appeal to these designs than a lot of modern cartoons because they're simple yet solid and decently thoght out. money isn't relevant in art skill.
Oh, Boing Boing, how you inspire me… lol. I really enjoyed this short and the other one I found. I found out about this from the show Community - Season 1 Episode 8. 8)
Before Hanna-Barbera, there was UPA - THE pioneer of lower-budget cartoons with limited animation. And from the ones I watched, it's less a cost-cutting measure and more a stylistic choice.
Why all classic cartoons look so great even today, 60 or 70 years after? Because they were made for the Big Screen- they had to be funny and witty and full of rythm (without much talking!), so that the audience would get excited and not bored. TV screwed everything: TV cartoons are generaly flat, repeating, full of talking. The reason is the medium itself: you're more relaxed in front of telly, less focused, doing other things at the same time,not paying much attention anyway...
Alas, even by the time this cartoon was made, radio dramas that required sound effects were already dying, having been replaced by TV. So Gerald would be put out of a job and his fabulous income would end within a few years. Not a happy ending after all.
I'm imagining the time period that this cartoon was released in. Disney's majestically expensive cartoons were all the rage, and yet through simple creativity, this tale was better than half of them. Simply put, this animation is just a lot of fun to look at. It's simple, non-realistic, and highlights the simplicity of the story. Proof that you don't need a lot of money to make a good piece of animation. Pure creativity. So basic and yet so well executed. RIP Dr. Seuss, we miss you a lot.
Most important artwork of the 20th century? I'd certainly say so- at least it's up there with Joyce's "Ulysses", Stravinsky's "Rites of Spring", Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon". (I'm not joking btw)
