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Reviews

First and foremost, my kids love this album. Second, my wife and I love this album. 23 Skidoo has done with hip-hop what They Might Be Giants did with alternative rock and the result is an album that my kids request by name and I hum at work. He has a feel like LL Cool J, older Dr. Dre, and the great Run DMC. Buy this if you like your ears to defend yourself from the Wiggles or Barney.

I got this after hearing a couple songs on XM radio. This CD is not your typical farmer-in-the-dell kids' songs. It's original and fun and has good lessons for kids(eating fruit, loving your family, having self-esteem). I do not mind putting this on in the car. Plus, little MC Fireworks (his daughter) is so cute!!

My Kids really loved it. It rocked bigtime they especially loved I Like Fruit, Gotta be me, Luck and Family tree.

Hey, if you like hip-hop but you don't wanna play Immortal Technique or Ice Cube at your kids' dance party, try this Agent 23 Skidoo album! Advertised as positive hip-hop for kids, it is absolutely the most fun CD I've bought for my kids in a while. You will not be disappointed!

First heard this music on XM radio on a flight by United Airlines---and was really happy to find it available. Great music, spunky fun for all ages. Recommend YES!

Reviews

On the advice of another reviewer here i chose the British BMG Entertainment International UK & Ireland Ltd. pressing of 2000, supposedly the best sound available. Unlike many reviewers here I bought it for the Skidoo soundtrack, a classic humdinger of a movie unavailable in video. Like many who have seen the film I felt Carol Channing singing the title song was not only unforgetable, but a standout. In fact to hear a clear unedited version was the reason I bought this CD. Unfortunately about half way through her song the master started to go pop...pop...pop... for almost 30 seconds. This is certainly a factory flaw. I tried playing my flawless brand new CD right out of shrink wrap on various high end CD players in different systems; the pops were still there! Maybe they used the master they did due to its otherwise crisp clean sound, but for me it was a heartbreaking disapointment i spent top dollar on and waited weeks for! I decided to give an extra 2 stars for the 2 splendid versions of I will take You There, and of course the wonderful story The Point, but try to buy the NON british version if there is one for the sake of what may be the best song on here; especially if you have seen the movie.

In 2006, after painstakingly purchasing and comparing all the Nilsson domestic, European and Japanese CD versions, I posted a review on the best-audio edition of each title. That was split between four UK, one domestic and six Japan CD's, and this CD was one of those titles. However, time and technology have marched on. In Q307, the entire Nilsson pre-1978 catalog (except "The Son Of Dracula", announced but subsequently canceled), were remastered anew and released in mini-sleeve format by BMG Japan. So, what was slightly confusing before, with all the different international and domestic versions, has now been simply resolved: In terms of the best audio available, the fifteen new BMG remasters are head-and-shoulders superior to any pre-existing Nilsson CD. While the older versions were no slouches, these new BMG's are absolutely GLORIOUS. And, finally, there's complete, matched-mastered sound through the entire catalog, in contrast to the dynamic range variations in the older releases from varying remastering schemes. In A/B comparisons between the new and older versions, it is also obvious different masters were availed of, because there are snippets of additional audio on the BMG's that never appeared elsewhere. In addition, there are now approximately seventy bonus tracks spread out through the new BMG set; demos, alternate takes, singles and non-album tracks. Only one previously-available track is not in residence on the BMG set: "Waiting", which is found only on the "Harry/Nilsson Sings Newman" UK 2-fer. If you are a true Nilsson fan, then don't delay in getting these, as all mini-sleeve releases are limited edition. It is possible, of course, that BMG will release these as less expensive jewel-case releases down the road. However, as the original Nilsson LP jackets were often wonderfully imaginative affairs, having these exact replicas only heightens the joy of ownership. Amazon only allows 10 product links per review, so below are the first ten titles. The remainder, you'll have to find on your own (TIP: look for the 2007 release date when searching): Pandemonium Shadow Show Aerial Ballet Skidoo Harry Nilsson Sings Newman The Point! Nilsson Schmilsson Aerial Pandemonium Ballet Son Of Schmilsson A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night P*ssy Cats Duit It On Mon Dei Sandman That's The Way It Is Knnillssonn Just in case you find this review after the `sleeve versions have sold out, here is a list of the previous best-in-audio jewel-case CD versions. I will re-post this review on each of the previous editions: Pandemonium Shadow Show/Aerial Ballet/Aerial Pandemonium Ballet (2CD) (2000) UK BMG/Camden Deluxe (catalog number) 74321 757422 The Point (2000) UK BMG/Camden Deluxe 74321 757432 Harry/Nilsson Sings Newman (2000) UK BMG/Camden Deluxe 74321 757442 Schmilsson (2004) RCA 82876 572652 Son Of Schmilsson (2000) UK BMG/Camden Deluxe 74321 757462 A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37249 P*ssy Cats (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37251 (the UK has one extra track not on the K2) Duit On Mon Dei (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37252 Sandman (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37253 That's The Way It Is (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37254 Knnillssonn (2002) Japan K2 BVCM-37255 WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD? Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you. Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics. Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere. Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded. All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

I can vouch for Greg Cleary's opinion of SKIDOO. It's utter crap. With the stunning exception of I CAN TAKE YOU THERE, which benefits enormously from George Tipton's brilliant orchestration. Tipton's harpsichord usage is far superior to, say, Brian Wilson's harpsichord usage in CAROLINE NO.

This is awesome!! When I was younger (I'm 19), my mother played The Point for my sisters and me all the time. Still to this day we sing the songs to each other. It's excellent that I could find this, as the original and everything....I'm totally impressed and overjoyed...:)

"Skidoo" is mostly filler, i.e., instrumental soundtrack music. It's brassy, sort of like the filler music on the "Graduate" soundtrack. But the album does contain one great song ("I Will Take You There") and one good one ("Garbage Can Ballet") plus Nilsson's awe-inspiring rendition of the film credits, which is not something you will want to listen to every day but is an astounding feat of--for lack of a better term--musical athleticism. "The Point" is the real reason to buy this CD. It's a charming, whimsical children's story with several songs that wisely focus more on melody than on plot development. The alternating of narrative passages with songs does take some getting used to, but is worth it. I don't listen to "The Point" as often as my other Nilsson albums, because the story line makes it more like watching a movie or reading a book. Still, it is an impressive album that is historically significant because it closed out the first part of Nilsson's career, just before he moved into the more adult themes of the Schmilsson albums. Nilsson's narration of "The Point" reveals him to be a gifted comedian, and also provides some insight into his personality, particularly his love of the absurd. Now for the bonus tracks: "I Will Take You There" sounds quite similar to the original. (Unless you are a connoisseur of "alternate" versions of songs, which I am not.) "Girlfriend" is a bouncy, good-natured tune that I am glad to have here. "Down to the Valley" is a very good song that would have fit in well on "The Point." "Buy My Album" is incredibly annoying--a noisy joke that gets old very quickly. Be ready to leap for the controls before it comes on. The CD booklet, by the way, is thin and contains some brief but memorable liner notes. To sum up: This disc is a good value as long as it costs less than one-and-a-half of either of the originals. I would not want to waste my money buying "Skidoo" for its own sake, but it makes an interesting add-on to "The Point."

Reviews

A previous reviewer thinks that this is bootlegged material, but I don't know, and without a cite for the original source I won't know. It's enough for me to have these films on DVD in my collection, because for those who enjoy obscurities like these films, the DVD is a treasure. Many of us have seen snips from these films as part of various documentaries, but not very often do we see these short (2-3 minutes, mostly) films in their entirety, as they were seen in various motion-picture venues when they were new. Looking at a collection like this one is revelatory: for the first time in human history, we're at a place where we can look back at over a century of human life in motion. This disc is chock full of material that taken together provides an enlightening view of what New York was like -- how it looked, how people dressed, moved, acted and reacted -- around the turn of the last century. Then too, I find it fascinating to remember that these films were made to be viewed (in nickelodeons and so on) by the very people who were in them, in some cases; in other cases to be seen in similar venues by people in small towns who'd never see the big city themselves, but who could get, for the first time, a visual idea of the big city -- in motion! A century later, looking at these short films in a collection like this can give an interesting perspective view of technology and culture. Whatever your purposes are, if you've come this far, you'll probably find this a worthwhile purchase. A few things that might make it an even better purchase: For an additional 40 cents per unit, the seller could put the DVD-R in a clamshell and xer*x a cover of some sort; because as it's shipped now, in a disc envelope, the buyer has to provide a clamshell for it, or store it in a file cabinet. This isn't the most important issue though -- the availability of the films, at all, in any form, is the most important thing, and I think yumheart's done a commendable job.

First of all-- VERY EARLY NEW YORK NY FILMS (the correct title) is NOT a bootleg DVD. It is clearly a privately manufactured item that contains some historically significant public domain film clips. The DVD is nicely packaged in a slimline case that includes three pages of notes (reproduced here under yumheart's review). The quality of the recording is fine. There's menus for easy access to all 45 movies and professional-looking title cards that identify each film. This isn't scripted cinema as we've come to know it. The primary attraction of these one and two minute vignettes for contemporary viewers was the photographed MOTION itself-- still a novelty at the turn of the 20th century. But for us, here's a wonderful way to see life as it existed over a hundred years ago. Viewing condition (unless otherwise noted in the following list) is good to fine. That alone is quite remarkable for such ancient and perishible silver nitrate stock. Most importantly, these are all shown in real time-- movement seems natural, not hurried as silents so often appear. No jangly and meandering piano is overdubbed-- in fact, there's no sound at all. Another plus. PROGRAM NOTES-- ARRIVAL OF EMIGRANTS - ELLIS ISLAND (1906) Powerful, if limited in action. Hopeful newcomers to America carry in arms and on backs as much as they could manage to bring with them from Europe. They are directed into lines by Immigration officials. Their sheer numbers would change the face of NYC forever. AT THE FOOT OF THE FLATIRON (1903) Pedestrians buffeted by wind grasp hats to heads. One jaunty man doffs his derby for the camera as he passes by. An excellent vignette. AUTOMOBILE PARADE (1900) Taken from a paper reference print, this short suffers from the grainy blurriness caused by the deterioration of that medium over time. The unique vehicles are compelling, nonetheless. BARGAIN DAY, 14th ST. NYC (1905) An indistinguishable throng slowly shuffles in front of Rothschild's five-and-dime. Not much to see here. BEGINNING OF A SKYSCRAPER (1902) Workmen in a pit that will one day be a tall building. Steam rises in the background, while closer to the camera, men with giant hammers break rock. BROADWAY & UNION SQUARE NYC (1903) Electric streetcars stop opposite each other. Passengers disembark or board. BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST PARADE (1902) Disappointing blurry paper print. Lots of feathered Indians and cops on horseback. A stagecoach hurries by. More Indians and uniformed men on white horses parade, but where is Bill? Young boys run excitedly alongside. DELIVERING NEWSPAPERS (1903) Newsboys await the arrival of a NEW YORK WORLD delivery truck. As the horse-drawn vehicle pulls into view, pushing and shoving ensues. Two boys fistfight in foreground as clip ends. DEPARTURE OF PEARY (and the) "ROOSEVELT" FROM NY (1905) Film is sharp, but boring. Ladies in ornate headwear and shirt-sleeved men in straw hats board ship. Clearly a hot day. ELEVATED RAILROAD NY (1903) Watery images filled with blots and flaws reveal little of city skyline. EMIGRANTS LANDING AT ELLIS ISLAND (1903) A double-decked "MYER'S EXCURSIONS" boat teeming with humanity docks. The passengers are a mixture of middle-class and peasant. EXCAVATING FOR A NEW YORK FOUNDATION (1903) Day laborers shovel dirt into a nearby cart. A fully loaded canvas-covered wagon is hoisted out of the pit by a crane. FIREBOAT "NEW YORKER" IN ACTION (1903) Water-throwing demonstration by a newly acquired weapon against fire. FUNERAL OF HIRAM CRONK (1905) A remarkable but somber procession includes some Spansh-American and Civil War veterans, all in full uniform. The latter are the most interesting of all. Great film clip. INTERIOR OF NY SUBWAY (1905) Rear of a moving train as seen from a closely following one. The newly opened subway was a turn-of-the-century engineering marvel. LOWER BROADWAY (1903) Horse-drawn carts cross paths with electric trollys (the old vs. the new). An enormous crowd fills the sidewalks. Highly evocative film. MOVE ON (1903) Fruit & vegetable sellers conduct sidewalk business, while pushcart peddlers of all variety pass by. A cop comes along and sternly lectures the two produce men to "keep moving." The officer's demeanor suggests that this was probably not the first time he'd told them that. NY FIRE DEPT. RETURNING (1903) Teams of spirited horses pull ladder wagons and steaming engines as "New York's Bravest" return from a conflagration. NYC "GHETTO" FISH MARKET (1903) Save for the clothing, this could be an open-air market of any era. Graffiti, not a modern invention, may be seen on a far wall. NYC DUMPING WHARF (1903) Several men armed with rakes stand atop a heaping garbage scow, while cartloads of refuse are dumped almost on top of them. Clouds of foulness rise up around these poor creatures. NY HARBOR POLICE CAPTURING PIRATES (1903) Slow-moving, considering the event. A rowboat overtaken by authorities. The rowers surrender peaceably. NY POLICE PARADE June 1st, 1899 Officers in tall, rounded helmets that are topped with decorative knobs march in double-rows, ten across. When a large gap between paraders occurs, jaywalkers scurry across the street from both directions. None of the cops pay them any mind. OPENING OF NEW EAST RIVER BRIDGE NY (1903) The mayor trails a flag bearer carrying a banner that proclaims his presence. He is accompanied and followed by dozens of city officials, all in top hat or bowler and great coats. OPENING THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE (1904) It looks like the same procession! Here's His Honor again, traipsing behind that "MAYOR" flag, along with political cronies. The older men look very much like the cartoon millionaire from the MONOPOLY board game, with their 19th century mustaches and top hats. PANORAMA FROM A BROOKLYN BRIDGE TOWER (1903) Pans quickly and is too blurry to really see anything beyond motion and the bridge's supporting columns, which appear halfway through the clip. PANORAMA FROM TIMES BUILDING (1905) Much better film. We can clearly make out the old Hippodrome, Times Square and rowhouse buildings within view of the newly-opened Times offices. PANORAMA OF BLACKWELL'S ISLAND (1903) Panning reveals waterfront homes, construction sites and undeveloped lots. PANORAMA OF FLATIRON BUILDING (1903) These sweeping shots were apparently a popular film topic. Street traffic dominates, then a view of the unusually thin skyscraper. PANORAMA OF RIKER'S ISLAND (1903) Filmed prior to the prison's construction. Panoramic films tend to be a bit dull ("Hey... I can see my great-grandfather's house from here!") PANORAMA: WATERFRONT AND BROOKLYN BRIDGE FROM EAST RIVER (1903) See above. (At least there's more here to look at as it quickly passes by.) PARADE OF "EXEMPT" FIREMEN (1903) Or, "The Parade of the Wooden Firemen." Retired firefighters totter along. PARADE OF HORSES ON SPEEDWAY (1903) Slow crawling "speedway" procession of horse-drawn open carriages. PENNSYLVANIA TUNNEL EXCAVATION (1905) Too-dark film of trains passing a construction site. All the excitement of a hole in the ground. A PERILOUS PROCEEDING (1902) Almost a dozen men ride a small crane platform from on-high and down to the street. PILOT BOATS IN NY HARBOR (1899) Sloops and steamers pass by. Film has spot damage. SKATING ON LAKE, CENTRAL PARK (1902) Grainy footage of the timeless pursuit of wintertime fun-- frolicking on ice. SKYSCRAPERS OF NY (Parts 1 - 3) (1906/1903/1903) By modern standards, mostly modest-sized buildings. Bricklayers and ironworkers perform jobs little-changed over 100 years. Part 2 is a fictional account of "Dago Pete's" firing, revenge and just rewards. Pete fights with his boss and is sacked. He plants stolen goods in the foreman's home. Later, Pete grapples with a contractor on open beams. His opponent slips over the edge but is rescued. In the last scene, Pete is in court testifying against the wrongfully accused foreman. Pete's duplicity is ultimately revealed by a young girl who witnessed his attempt to frame the man. Following this is another stultified cityscape panorama which may be of some interest to architectural historians. SLEIGHING SCENE (1898) A blurry Christmas card of sleighs moving away from the camera on a snow-covered path. SORTING REFUSE AT AN INCINERATING PLANT NYC (1903) Ragpickers cull through castoff clothing destined for burning. STAR THEATRE (1902) Engaging time lapse photography of a multistory building's disassembly by hand. Well done! STATUE OF LIBERTY (1898) A clear copy of an Edison studios film of the Lady in the Harbor has uncharacteristically little movement to it. A STREET ARAB (1898) Amazing footage of a young boy who performs back-breaking twists and turns. WHAT HAPPENED ON 23rd ST. NYC (1901) A lady's ground-length skirt blows up in the air, revealing her well-turned ankles. Scandalous! WHITE WINGS ON REVIEW (1903) Hundreds of street sweepers in spotless white uniforms march past litter and horse doovers.

As someone else noted this is a very poor quality bootleg dvd with no soundtrack and no sub titles. Although I truly enjoyed some of the historic images, however, if this dvd cost an extra 5or6 bucks and had some sort of ryme or reason it would've made a big difference. I'm into vintage films so quite a few images I've seen before (the lady who has her dress blow up for example) but on the whole I'm glad I've got it in my collection for the automobile parade alone, showing all these way out designs that people were experementing with. The 3 stars are due to the fact that there is a poor quality and NO EXPLANATION OF ANYTHING! QUITE WILLY NILLY! But oh do I love the era so. If your a true fan of old films you too can overlook this.

Interesting film footage,but with problems.First off this is not a factory manufactured dvd,it is a bootleg dvd-r(This may be why the picture quality is so poor)There is also no music.

1 Arrival of emigrants [i.e. immigrants], Ellis Island /1906 Depicts scenes at the Immigration Depot and a nearby dock on Ellis Island. Appears to show, first, a group of immigrants lined up to board a vessel leaving the island, then another group arriving at the island and being directed off of the dock and into the Depot by a uniformed official. 2 At the foot of the Flatiron /1903 This street level view is of the Broadway side of the Flatiron, or Fuller Building, near the narrow north corner. Filmed on a very windy day, pedestrians of various descriptions are seen passing by the camera, clutching hats and skirts against the wind. According to some New York City historians, this corner was known as the windiest corner of the city, and in the era of the long skirt, standing on it was considered a good vantage point for a glimpse of a lady's ankle. Policemen would chase away such loungers from the 23rd Street corner, giving rise to the expression "twenty-three skidoo." 3 Automobile parade /1900 This may be the first annual automobile parade, held on November 4, 1899 in downtown Manhattan. At least ten different makes and models are seen, including electric and steam powered machines. Only three years earlier, in 1896, Henry Ford, Charles Brady King, Alexander Winton and Ransom Eli Olds had each introduced their gasoline cars. In 1900, the first National Auto Show was held at Madison Square Garden and the favorites were the electrics and the steamers. In 1901, new oil fields in Texas made gasoline affordable. That same year, mass production techniques were introduced into car manufacturing. These two factors would prove to be key developments in the rapid growth of the American automobile industry. 4 Bargain day, 14th Street, New York /1905 The film shows hundreds of tightly packed people crowding into the front door of the Rothschild Co. 5 and 10 cent store. They are so closely packed it is difficult to tell one from another. The view is from across the street, looking down from the 2nd floor. 5 Beginning of a skyscraper /1902 The scene is an excavation site in New York City. A large group of workmen with picks and shovels are digging. Carts drawn by pairs of horses can be seen emerging from the smoke in the background. from a contemporary American Mutoscope and Biograph Company catalog: Starting a Skyscraper--New York--26 feet. Taken in the immense excavation for the foundation of the new Macy Building at the corner of Broadway and 34th Street, New York. An excellent study of modern American push and enterprise. 6 Broadway & Union Square, New York /1903 This short film shows two horse-drawn streetcars, one approaching the camera and the other heading away. Passengers can be seen boarding and getting off of the crowded cars. 7 Buffalo Bill's wild west parade /1902 The film shows a parade down Fifth Avenue, New York. In the foreground many children, both black and white, can be seen following alongside the parade. The participants in the parade include cowboys, Indians, and soldiers in the uniform of the United States Cavalry on horseback and riding horse-drawn coaches. Buffalo Bill can be seen on horseback, lifting his hat to the crowd [Frame: 1397]. 8 Delivering newspapers /1903 The film shows a group of about fifty preadolescent boys running and crowding around a one-horse paneled newspaper van that pulls up in the foreground of the picture. On the side of the van is a sign reading "New York World." As they gather around the rear of the vehicle, a fight breaks out between two of the boys. The film ends as the crowd forms around the two fighters. Probably filmed at Union Square. 9 Departure of Peary [and the] "Roosevelt" from New York /1905 The camera pans to show the schooner "Roosevelt" docked at a covered pier on the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side. Then, from a camera position on board, men in straw hats and fashionably dressed ladies are seen boarding the ship. Next, the famous polar explorer Robert Peary appears on the gangway in a dark jacket, mustache and straw hat [Frame: 4552]. He tips his hat, consults his watch, then, just before the film ends, motions to order the departure. On this expedition he achieved the "farthest north" record, but failed to reach the North Pole. Completed only four months prior to this film, the "Roosevelt" was specially designed to withstand Arctic ice. She was 184 feet long, 35 and a half feet wide, with a hull over two and a half feet thick. Fully loaded the ship weighed 1,500 tons while drawing only 16.2 feet. In addition to sail power, the ship was driven by a 1000 horsepower steam engine, which could produce short bursts of even greater power to get the ship through thick ice. The "Roosevelt" served Peary on this expedition as well as the following one in 1908-1909. Sold numerous times to a variety of commercial concerns, the "Roosevelt" was abandoned to the elements on a mud flat in Cristobal, Panama in 1937, where she eventually rotted away. 10 Elevated railroad, New York /1903 The film was photographed from the front platform of a train traveling over elevated tracks in New York City. Although many of the buildings alongside the tracks can be seen, it is difficult to determine the exact location of the scene. 11 Emigrants [i.e. immigrants] landing at Ellis Island /1903 The film opens with a view of the steam ferryboat "William Myers," laden with passengers, approaching a dock at the Ellis Island Immigration Station. The vessel is docked, the gangway is placed, and the immigrant passengers are seen coming up the gangway and onto the dock, where they cross in front of the camera. 12 Excavating for a New York foundation /1903 The scene is an excavation pit at an unidentified New York City construction site. A crew of six men can be seen shoveling dirt into a four-wheeled wooden cart. Then a full cart is slowly lifted out of the pit to street level by a steam-powered crane. These carts are similar in design to those shown dumping rubble at the end of the film New York City Dumping Wharf. Advertisements and campaign posters can be seen on the exposed wall of the building in the background. 13 [Fireboat "New Yorker" in action--excerpts] /1903 This excerpt shows a demonstration by the famous fireboat "New Yorker." The picture shows the fireboat with all its nozzles spurting water as it goes back and forth in front of the camera. Put in service on February 1, 1891 as Engine Company 57, the "New Yorker" was stationed at the Battery near Castle Garden, where her crew lived aboard. She was 125 feet long, 25 feet abeam, with a tonnage of 243. The 800 horsepower triple expansion engine turned a single screw. With a total capacity of 13,000 gallons per minute from its Clapp & Jones and La France fire pumps, the "New Yorker" was the most powerful fireboat in the world. When Admiral Dewey came to New York with the flagship "Olympia" after the battle of Manilla Bay, the "New Yorker" led the water parade of hundreds of craft. Built at a cost of $98,250, the "New Yorker" remained in service until 1931. 14 Funeral of Hiram Cronk /1905 The film shows a city thoroughfare lined with crowds of people watching a military parade. The first group to come into view is a marching band [Frame: 0120], then a large formation of soldiers in the uniform of Rough Riders [0720]. Following them is a hearse drawn by four black horses, escorted by veterans of the Civil War [2742], and horse-drawn open carriages. The camera position shifts and most of the paraders can be seen for a second time: the band [3692], the hearse [5610], and the Civil War veterans [6000]. Hiram Cronk, a veteran of the War of 1812, died at the age of 105. He was thought to be the last surviving veteran of that war. 15 Interior N.Y. subway, 14th St. to 42nd St. /1905 The camera platform was on the front of a New York subway train following another train on the same track. Lighting is provided by a specially constructed work car on a parallel track. At the time of filming, the subway was only seven months old, having opened on October 27, 1904. The ride begins at 14th Street (Union Square) following the route of today's east side IRT, and ends at the old Grand Central Station, built by Cornelius Vanderbuilt in 1869. The Grand Central Station in use today was not completed until 1913. 16 Lower Broadway /1903 The film shows a view which appears to be looking north on Broadway at the intersection of either Wall Street, in front of Trinity Church, or Vesey Street at St. Paul's Chapel. The sidewalk along Broadway is crowded with people, and the traffic in both streets is very heavy. A horse-drawn streetcar passes in front of the camera [Frame: 2814], with a sign giving its destination as the "Courtland and Fulton Street Ferry." 17 Move on /1903 Filmed in New York's Lower East Side, the scene is a street where several pushcart vendors have gathered to sell their goods. In the foreground are fruit and vegetable carts. An elevated railroad track crosses over the street in the background. As the film progresses, two policemen can be seen heading up the street toward the camera and ordering all of the vendors to move. One of the policemen approaches the camera waving his nightstick, and the cart in the foreground begins moving. The film ends with a closeup of the policeman scolding the vendor. 18 N.Y. Fire Department returning /1903 Shot at an unidentified location in New York City, the film shows several pieces of horse-drawn fire vehicles in motion: two hook-and-ladders [Frame: 0114, 0905]; two steam pumpers [0373, 1111]; a rescue wagon [0549]. Note the kids hanging on the back of some of the vehicle 19 New York City "ghetto" fish market /1903 The view, photographed from an elevated camera position, looks down on a very crowded New York City street market. Rows of pushcarts and street vendors' vehicles can be seen. The precise location is difficult to ascertain, but it is certainly on the Lower East Side, probably on or near Hester Street, which at the turn of the century was the center of commerce for New York's Jewish ghetto. Located south of Houston Street and east of the Bowery, the ghetto population was predominantly Russian, but included immigrants from Austria, Germany, Rumania and Turkey. According to a description in a 1901 newspaper, an estimated 1,500 pushcart peddlers were licensed to sell wares (primarily fish) in the vicinity of Hester Street. At one point the film seems to follow three official looking men (one in a uniform) as they walk among the crowd. They may be New York City health inspectors, who apparently monitored the fish vendors closely. 20 New York City dumping wharf /1903 The film shows a wharf where a barge is being loaded with trash from two-wheeled, horse-drawn wagons. The trash is dumped off the edge of the pier onto the barge, where men with shovels are spreading the piles of debris. The camera pans left to the next barge, where four-wheeled carts are shown dumping excavation rubble. Probably filmed on the East River, this is one of several New York City Sanitation Department dumping wharves in operation at the time. 21 New York Harbor Police boat Patrol capturing pirates /1903 This was probably filmed in the southern part of the Upper New York Bay looking towards the Narrows, with Fort Lafayette partly visible in the far background. The subject is a simulated capture by the police gunboat "Patrol" of three "pirates" in a rowboat. Puffs of smoke appear as the gunboat fires several rounds from the bow cannon, which can be clearly seen later in a side view of the boat [Frame: 3642]. The "Patrol" was a steel, twin screw, 135 foot, 118 ton police boat, built in 1893 at Sparrow's Point, Maryland. 22 New York police parade, June 1st, 1899 The film shows members of "New York's Finest" parading at a crowded Union Square. There are members of the Bicycle Squad [Frame: 0396], mounted horses [0612], and two regimental marching bands [2518, 3456]. At the time of filming, the New York City Police Department was still recovering from the corruption scandals of the early 1890's that had severely tarnished the reputation of the department. A State Senate appointed group known as the Lexow Committee investigated the department and issued a scathing report that detailed serious criminal activity within the department. In 1895, public opinion was so low that the annual parade wasn't held. That same year, Theodore Roosevelt was appointed president of the Police Board, and he is credited with initiating strict and effective reform measures that helped restore the public's confidence in the police. 23 Opening of new East River bridge, New York /1903 The first view is from the roadway of the Williamsburg Bridge on the day of the opening. Close-ups of the parading dignitaries and members of the press [Frame: 0345] are seen. From another camera position, taken over the heads of the crowd, buildings around the waterfront are seen, and the dignitaries, led by a standard bearer again pass the camera. The banner reads "MAYOR." Next, a covered platform, draped in flag bunting is shown, where the people previously seen have gone to begin the ceremonies. There is a brass band playing in front of the platform [4910]. Next, an unidentified speaker, probably Mayor Seth Low, can be seen addressing the crowd. 24 Opening the Williamsburg Bridge /1904 The film was shot on the roadway of the newly constructed Williamsburg Bridge. The first people to come into view are press photographers carrying large wooden "box" cameras [Frame: 0690]. Next, a parade of dignitaries and military representatives, accompanied by members of the press [1310], is photographed passing the camera position led by a standard bearer whose banner reads "MAYOR" [0902]. The mayor of New York was Seth Low, a lame-duck at the time of filming, having been defeated in November, 1903 by George B. McClellan. The Williamsburg Bridge, a combined cantilever and suspension bridge, crosses the East River from Delancey and Clinton Streets, Manhattan, to Roebling and S. 5th Streets, Williamsburg. Built at a cost of twelve million dollars, it held two lanes of roadway, two "L" tracks, four trolley tracks, and two promenades. It was the largest suspension bridge in the world at the time. 25 Panorama from the tower of Brooklyn Bridge /1903 The view was taken from the tower on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. As the film begins, the camera is looking southwest, towards the southern tip of Manhattan (the Battery). The camera pans very rapidly north following Manhattan's East River shoreline, across the bridge span itself and the bridge's New York side tower, following the shoreline further north towards Corlear's Hook, where the film ends. Some visible landmarks include the Fulton Fish Market buildings at Fulton and South Streets [Frame: 0420] (currently the site of the South Street Seaport Museum); north of the bridge tower is the Catherine Slip, where a Catherine Street Ferry is docked 26 Panorama from Times Building, New York /1905 The view is from the top of the then newly-erected Times Building, at a height of approximately twenty stories. The film opens with a vertical pan, going from the street below up to the sky. The photographer then makes a pan to the north over the tops of the buildings from Bryant Park, south of 42nd Street (behind the New York Public Library) [Frame: 1078] up 6th Avenue to the Hippodrome Theatre at 43rd Street [1866]. A marquee on the theater reads "A Yankee Circus On Mars." The camera continues to rotate toward 44th and 45th Streets between 6th and 7th Avenues, until coming to rest looking directly north up Times Square to 46th Street, where Broadway (left) and 7th Avenue (right) diverge again 27 Panorama of Blackwell's Island, N.Y. /1903 This film was photographed from a boat heading south along the eastern shore of Blackwell's Island (known today as Roosevelt Island). The island lies in the East River, between Manhattan (which can be seen in the background) and Long Island City, Queens. It is approximately one and three-quarters of a mile long, extending from 51st Street to 88th, and at the time of the filming was the location for a number of New York City's charitable and penal institutions. The film opens showing the lighthouse at the north end of the island (Hallet's Cove) [Frame: 0186]. As the boat enters the east channel of the river, the stacks of a large brewery on Manhattan are visible in the distance [0542]. The camera pans along the island's granite seawall (built by inmates of the Penitentiary and Workhouse) and the following buildings, in order of appearance, are shown: the New York City Lunatic Asylum [0956]; the Workhouse [1274]; the Almshouse [1524]; piers for the Queensborough (or 59th Street) Bridge, which upon completion in 1908 will span 135 feet above the island [2388]; the Almshouse Keeper's House (originally the home of the Blackwell family, who had once owned the island) [2730]; the Penitentiary [3646]; Charity Hospital [4140]. The film ends before reaching the southern tip of the island. 28 Panorama of Flatiron Building /1903 This shows a view looking south from Madison Square, across the intersection of Broadway, Fifth Avenue, and Twenty-third Street, to the famous Fuller (or "Flatiron") Building. The cameraman elevates his camera, going from street level to the roof. Designed by D.H. Burnham and Company, the Fuller Building is an important early skyscraper and a New York City landmark. Known as the first great steel-framed building, the exterior of the lower three stories is stone, with the remainder clad in terra cotta. Twenty-one stories high, it is considered the first tall building erected north of city hall. Its completion in 1902 marked the beginning of New York City's first skyscraper era. 29 Panorama of Riker's Island, N.Y. /1903 The film was photographed from a boat going around Riker's Island. Located on the East River north of Hell Gate between the Bronx and Queens, Riker's Island was the site of a massive New York City landfill operation at the time of the filming (originally eighty-seven acres, by 1939 the size of the island had increased to four hundred acres). The film includes scenes of heavy equipment at work, including pile drivers constructing the seawall and steam shovels unloading rubbish from barges. On one of the steam shovels, a sign reading "Water Front Improvement Co., 220 Broadway, New York" can be distinguished [Frame: 3502]. Near the end of the film, a narrow-gauge steam engine with five open cars loaded with landfill, comes into view [3826]. The island is currently the site of a New York City penitentiary. 30 Panorama water front and Brooklyn Bridge from East River /1903 This film depicts the East River shoreline and the piers of lower Manhattan starting at about Pier 5 (the New York Central Pier) opposite Broad Street, and extending to the Mallory Line steamship piers just south of Fulton Street and the Brooklyn Bridge. The film begins with shots of canal boats or barges (from the Erie Canal via the Hudson River) docked at and around Coenties Slip [Frame: 0106]. As the film progresses, the New York Produce Exchange located at Bowling Green, Manhattan, with its distinct tower, comes into view in the background [0346]. Between here and the Wall Street ferry, there follows in order of appearance: steam tugs [0308 and 0422], a wooden hull barkentine [1032] with box barges alongside, a docked iron hull sailing ship, probably British [1448], an ocean steamer with yards on the foremast [1748], a derrick lighter laden with barrels docked at the end of a pier [2134], and a fruit steamer [2612]. In the Wall Street Ferry slip (between Piers 15 and 16) there is a Wall St., Manhattan-to-Montague St., Brooklyn, double-ended steam commuter boat [2896]. The ferry is visible immediately before a shot of the large advertising billboards on Pier 16. The film next shows the Ward Line piers (J.E. Ward & Co., New York and Cuba Steamship Co.) [3040], a Pennsylvania Railroad tug [3190], a derrick lighter [3320], and the Mallory Line piers [3692]. A Mallory Line steamer can be seen on the south side of one of the Mallory Piers [3736]. The camera begins panning out into the East River after passing pier 20, catching the fog bell at the end of pier 21 [3922]. A car float is visible passing under the Brooklyn Bridge [4202]. The pan follows the line of the Brooklyn Bridge eastward to Brooklyn Heights, where the Hotel Margaret (tall building in background) is visible just before the end of the film [4464]. This film continues the view begun in the film Sky Scrapers of New York City From the North River. Together they comprise a sweep around the southern tip of Manhattan, from Fulton Street on the Hudson to the Brooklyn Bridge. 31 Parade of "exempt" firemen /1903 The film shows a large group of people watching the approach of a color guard followed by a number of elderly marching firemen [Frame: 1734] pulling antique fire equipment [2486]. In the background is the white marble Washington Arch [0116], designed by Stanford White and completed in 1895 to commemorate the first inauguration of George Washington. 32 Parade of horses on Speedway /1903 The film is of a parade of fine horses and fashionable carriages taken along what is now the Harlem River Drive, in the Highbridge section of northern Manhattan. The view is from the Manhattan side of the river looking north. On the right is the Harlem River and on the opposite bank, the Bronx. Prominent in the background is the High Bridge at 175th Street, an important landmark completed in 1842 as part of the Croton aqueduct system. Beyond the High Bridge is the Washington Bridge at 181st Street. The "Speedway" was built in 1900 at a cost of over three million dollars. 33 Pennsylvania Tunnel excavation /1905 This film employs a 180-degree pan shot of the excavation site of New York's Pennsylvania Station, and includes shots of the narrow-gauge train used to haul debris from the tunnels under construction. Work began in 1904, and when completed in September of 1910 the station would span from 31st to 33rd Streets, and from 7th to 8th Avenue, an area of approximately 300,000 square feet. It would connect a massive rail tunnel system, bringing the Pennsylvania and Lehigh Railroads under the Hudson River and the Long Island Railroad under the East River to a terminal in the center of Manhattan, accommodating a network of twenty-seven tracks. 34 A perilous proceeding /1902 The film follows a group of approximately ten men who are suspended on the cable of a large crane atop a building under construction. As the men are lifted over the site and gradually lowered, they wave to the camera. 35 Pilot boats in New York harbor /1899 A New York harbor pilot boat passes close enough for four members of the crew to be seen [Frame: 0471]. Following the sailing vessel is a steamship [0780]. 36 Skating on lake, Central Park /1902 The view is of a frozen lake in Central Park crowded with ice skaters. The film is of such poor quality that it is difficult to tell if the apparent "snow" is real or just scratches on the film 37 The skyscrapers of New York /1906 This melodrama was filmed during the actual construction of a skyscraper in New York City, and includes several scenes of real work crews: a line of bricklayers [Frame: 1773 (part 1)], a man heating rivets in a forge [2459 (part 1)], riveters assembling steel girders [2859 (part 1)], men astride the steel framework maneuvering and setting a girder in place [3930 (part 1)], and a group of men descending on a crane line [5912 (part 1)]. The story involves a construction foreman who fires one of his crew for fighting, which leads the disgruntled employee to steal. He causes the blame to be put on the foreman, who is finally exonerated when the thief is exposed. All of this conflict is woven in and around the actual construction of the building as the work is in progress. There is even one scene of a hand-to-hand fight between the foreman and the villain that takes place on the unprotected ledge of the steel framework of the building. Some New York City landmarks seen in the film include Union Square (between Broadway and 4th Avenue, 14th-17th Street), and the Everett House, opposite the northeast corner of the square at 17th St. and 4th Avenue [1056 (part 1)]. The film includes the original AM&B title frames at head of film 38 Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River /1903 Filmed from a moving boat, the film depicts the Hudson River (i.e., North River) shoreline and the piers of lower Manhattan beginning around Fulton Street and extending to Castle Garden and Battery Park. It begins at one of the American Line piers (Pier 14 or 15, opposite Fulton Street) where an American Line steamer, either the "New York" or "Paris," is seen docked [Frame: 0120]. The camera passes one of the Manhattan-to-New Jersey commuter ferries to Jersey City or Communipaw [0860]. Proceeding south, the distinct double towers of the Park Row, or Syndicate Building, erected in 1897-98, can be seen in the background [0866]. A coastal freighter is next [1560], then Trinity Church appears, to the left of which can be seen the Surety Building, as a tug with a "C" on the stack passes in foreground [2032]. Several small steamboats come into view [2136], and the B.T. Babbitt Soap factory at Pier 6 is seen [2300], followed by the Pennsylvania Railroad piers (#5 & #4), with a group of docked railroad car floats [2556], and the Lehigh Valley Railroad piers (#3 & #2), also with car floats [3030]. Next are the Bowling Green Building (rectangular, with facade to camera) [3208], the Whitehall Building (vertical, thin side to camera) [3388], followed by Pennsylvania Railroad Pier #1 [3630]. Pier A (with a clock tower) is seen with the New York Harbor Police steam boat "Patrol" at its end [4654]. The Bowling Green Offices and the Produce Exchange at Bowling Green are visible in the background. The breakwater (sheltered landing) and the New York City Fireboat House appears [5270] and the distinctive round structure, Castle Garden, once a fort and immigrant station, but at the time of filming the City Aquarium, comes into view [5438]. The camera then pans east along the Battery Park promenade: the Barge Office (with tower) is visible in the distance [5804], and further out the Brooklyn shoreline with the grain elevators at Atlantic Avenue can be seen [6088]. This view is continued, with only a minor break in continuity, in the film Panorama of Sky Scrapers and Brooklyn Bridge From the East River. Together they comprise a sweep around the southern tip of Manhattan, from Fulton Street on the Hudson to the Brooklyn Bridge. 39 Sleighing scene /1898 A view of a snow-covered road in Central Park. A variety of horse-drawn sleighs ride by the camera from both directions. Only two pedestrians appear. 40 Sorting refuse at incinerating plant, New York City /1903 The subject is a group of about thirty men and boys who are sorting combustible refuse, mostly paper, and stuffing it into large sacks. In the background a man in a hat with an emblem on it can be seen unloading trash from a large wagon. Location may be the New York City Sanitation Department's East 17th Street facility, or possibly the incinerator at West 47th Street on the Hudson River. 41 Star Theatre /1902 Using time-lapse photography, the film shows the demolition of the famous Star Theatre. Judging from the various exposures, the work must have gone on for a period of approximately thirty days. The theater opened in 1861 as "Wallack's Theatre," and was re-christened the "Star" in 1883. It was well known for it's excellent productions, and a number of celebrated actors and actresses worked there, among them Ellen Terry. The celebrated English actor Henry Irving made his first stage appearance in America at the Star. 42 Statue of Liberty /1898 A three-quarter front view of the Statue of Liberty. The statue was erected twelve years earlier, in 1886. 43 A street Arab /1898 A preadolescent boy, dressed like a street urchin, performs acrobatic stunts for the camera. 44 What happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City /1901 A street level view from the sidewalk, looking along the length of 23rd Street. Following actuality footage of pedestrians and street traffic, the actors, a man in summer attire and a woman in an ankle-length dress, walk toward the camera. As they cross a grate on the sidewalk they pause, and the escaping air blows the woman's dress to her knees. 45 White Wings on review /1903 Filmed on an unidentified street in New York City, probably Fifth Avenue. Rows of men wearing the white uniforms of New York City street sweepers (known as White Wings) march by the camera. Each row has a police escort. The parade of uniformed men continues until several hundred pass. Immediately following the marching men come approximately a hundred horse-drawn two-wheel carts of the kind used for hauling garbage [Frame: 3394]. One four wheeled cart is seen near the end of the film. In 1895, under the reform administration of Mayor William L. Strong, New York City's Department of Street Cleaning was headed by Colonel George Waring. It was he who garbed his workers in the white duck suits (earning them the name "White Wings") seen in the film. He is also recognized as a brilliant sanitary engineer who marshalled the two thousand man force to clean four hundred and fifty miles of streets each day. According to Jacob Riis, "his broom saved more lives in the crowded tenements than a squad of doctors." By 1903, the date of the filming, a new city administration was in power and Waring had been replaced.

Reviews

All but two of the shorts in PRESENTING FELIX THE CAT, Vol. 1 and 2 were created by PAT SULLIVAN STUDIOS. The exceptions are "Their Master's Voice" (PARAMOUNT) and "Down the Mississippi" (BRAY PRODUCTIONS). This IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT disc is a reissue of BOSKO VIDEO's two-tape set of Felix cartoons. Felix the Cat was a genuine phenomenon of the silent movie era. By simply offering Felix cartoons, theater owners were guaranteed to have full houses. At the height of his popularity there were dozens of Felix-related products available, such as toys, stuffed dolls, games, ceramics, cigars and postcards. Songs about Felix were broadcast on early radio and he starred in his own comic strip. All this came to an abrupt end in the late 1920s, when producer Pat Sullivan and animator Otto Messmer refused to add sound to their Felix animations. Two later attempts to modernize and revive the franchise ended in quick failures, and by 1936 Felix the Cat was only a fond memory. For more historically significant animation, check out UNCENSORED BOSKO #1. (Bosko was the first "star" of VITAPHONE Warner Bros.) cartoons.) PROGRAM LIST (includes years of release and synopses)-- FELINE FOLLIES (1919) - Felix the Cat's screen debut is rather dark. When Master Tom (Felix) learns that his girlfriend (Miss Kitty) already has a litter of kittens, he decides to end it all. THEIR MASTER'S VOICE (1921) - One of PARAMOUNT's "Bobby Bumps" series. Bobby and Fido are based on Buster Brown and Tige. DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI (1920) - Features "Bud" and his overbearing wife, "Susie." FELIX SAVES THE DAY (1922) - Felix the Cat's official debut. Felix is mascot for Willie Brown's baseball team. FELIX IN THE SWIM (1922) - The wily cat helps Willie avoid music practice by getting some mice to dance on the piano keys. FELIX TURNS THE TIDE (1922) - When Felix Cat returns from victorious war service, he finds his girlfriend is married and has a litter of kittens. FELIX LENDS A HAND (1922) - The brave cat flies a magic carpet to Egypt and rescues the girlfriend of his rug merchant. FELIX MINDS THE KID (1922) - Babysitting becomes a nightmare when the child Felix Cat is minding ends up in an orphanage. FELIX IN THE STONE AGE (1922) - A visit to a museum's dinosaur exhibit leads to Felix being hunted for his fur by a caveman. FELIX THE GHOST BREAKER (1923) - A house's "spook" is a realtor trying to lower the property's value by making it undesirable. FELIX WINS OUT (1923) - Felix the Cat gets fired from the circus, so he sets all the caged animals free. FELIX REVOLTS (1923) - The crusading cat organizes a feline strike when the city officially declares all cats to be a nuisance. FELIX GETS BROADCASTED (1923) - When Felix Cat is tossed on some power lines he is transported via radio waves to ancient Egypt. FELIX IN HOLLYWOOD (1923) - Felix the Cat auditions for a movie role. FELIX IN FAIRYLAND (1923) - In Fairyland, Felix Cat outwits the "beanstalk" giant and gives his castle to the Old Woman in the Shoe. FELIX OUT OF LUCK (1924) - Felix sets a mouse free, thinking he has a huge meal waiting for him at home. FELIX GOES A-HUNTING (1923) - The cat and his master hunt rabbits to make a lady a fur coat. FELIX FINDS 'EM FICKLE (1924) Felix Cat tries to retrieve a four-leaf clover from a mountaintop for Miss Kitty.

First off, let me say, that if I had to choose a favorite classic animated character it would be Felix. He captures the wonder of a child and the world weariness and cynicism of a bitter old man. However, I must say I was disappointed with this collection. It tended to stay away from the episodes which featured Felix at his best, staying to the safer, tamer, and earlier episodes, since most of them feature him acting more like a cat and less like a human that looks like a cat. These lack the signature debauchery, violence and surrealism that make Felix so enjoyable to watch. Also, I found the soundtrack to be unfortunate. While definetley competentley played, organ music simply does not fit the tone of Felix. Organ music always ends up sounding gloomy to me. Additionally, a bit of trivia I couldn't find on Amazon (and for which I don't feel like looking all over the goddamn internet for the minutiae of minor DVDs) the organ soundtrack is not original (I'm not sure if any of them are), but composed and performed by one Dave Wickerham. Overall, as a collection of classic cartoons this is top notch, however as enjoyable entertainment it is slightly sub par. A much better and cheaper bet is Digiview's Cartoon Craze featuring Felix.

It's very interesting to see the most classic cartoon character of the silent era, and these cartoons are an excellent introduction to pre-sound humor in animation. But do not expect fast paced jokes or excellent animation. Everything is more primitive than even the earliest Mickey Mouse. Therefore I would not recommend these films to anyone who is NOT interested in animation history. Nevertheless, the cartoons are okay enough to watch with joy and wonder when you're a cartoon buff (like me). However, the films deserve a much better treatment than they got on this DVD. Transfer from the original films is usually pretty okay, but the films are obviously cut off on the sides, which is quite annoying since you often have to read half visible text balloons. Even worse, the films seem to have been transferred from the VHS version, rendering fuzzy images even in single 'frames' (typical for video). Serious cartoon fans should consider waiting for a higher quality introduction to these interesting films.

While I always loved cartoons as a kid, I did have one major bone of contention to pick with all of those vintage cartoonists and sounds effect men and directors over at MGM and Warner Brothers and Disney. You see, I was a regular ailurophile, meaning I always liked the company of a good rough-and-tumble tom cat as a kid. Well, you begin to see the problem: Tom gets hit by an anvil about 500 times and Sylvester takes electrical shorts about 700 times in the average 8-minute cartoon. Even early Mickey Mouse cartoons show the usually bland character being rather sadistic to black-and-white thuggish felines. Why so much animus towards the cats, Mr. Disney? I didn't understand until much later that it had probably been a competitive response--against the most popular other cartoon character in 1928(when "Steamboat Willie, " the First Mickey cartoon hit theatres),one Felix the Cat. Now, at last, I find myself with a copy of Image Entertainment's DVD reissue of Bosko Video's just plain marvelous 2-hour compilation of silent Felix cartoons, mostly from 1922-1924, and entitled "Presenting Felix the Cat: the Otto Messmer Classics--1919-1924." I think Mr. Disney had good reason to feel insecure: the animator Otto Messmer must be one of the greatest unsung geniuses of cartooning--wild, endlessly inventive, not at all sentimental, artistically creative and unique. I never thought much of Felix before: also in my childhood, I recall a bland, latter-day, watered-down version of the "Wonderful,Wonderful Cat," a Mickey Mouse-voiced little simpleton who was painfully nice to everyone. He carried some large gimmick bag around with him and giggled like an idiot constantly. Even worse, he even *sang* inane songs in an attempt to break up the tedium of his unimaginative cartoons. It really made for painful viewing! Now, at last I see Felix in all his glory, in the days of silents, before the Mouse clobbered him commercially and Felix's production company couldn't successfully transition the poor cat to sound. He's everything you wouldn't expect him to be: a wise guy, somewhat mischievous but basically well intentioned, and a cat who takes no undeserved grief from anyone--man, mouse, or even ghost. While he started out in 1919 as a second or third banana character in something known as "The Paramount Magazine" weekly film short series that was distributed for free to theatres along with Paramount filmreleases, he quickly eclipsed the other cartoons, graduated into his own features, and the rest were forgotten quickly. The very best of the lot of the cartoons in this compilation, "Felix Turns the Tide," "Felix Lends a Hand," "Felix the Ghostbreaker," "Felix Revolts," "Felix in Hollywood," & "Felix Finds 'Em Fickle" show a strange, surreal world where literally anything can and will happen. In one, Felix bravely joins in a World War 1 1/2 between opposing armies of cats and mice, before commandeering a relief platoon of hot dogs to conquer the evil little rodents entrenched across No Man's Land. In another, Felix finds himself up against manic ghosts who turn off the lights in order to ambush him and who throw a whole squadron of cops the cat's called through the roof of a haunted farm house. Later, Felix tries to break into the pictures, but soon antagonizes Charlie Chaplin after the pilfering feline tries to swipe his routines. Next, after being maltreated by indifferent townspeople, Felix unionizes his fellow cats and encourages the mice to attack as the felines sit idly by! Finally, in a real triumph of clever cartoon design, Felix must stave off attacking bears, mountain lions and other beasts as he tries to retrieve wild flowers for a sexy lady cat who's giving him the cold shoulder. This cartoon really shows some of Messmer's strengths, as your eye gets fooled again and again. For example, at one point, Felix has reached the summit of the mountain, breathes a sigh of relief, then starts to pick the nearest flower. Two seconds later, he discovers he was grabbing the ear of a hostile bear who had been asleep behind the boulder from which the flower grew! One neat trick is how Felix will use the "emotives," the question marks, exclamation points and the like that pop up next to his head whenever he gets confused or excited, as ladders, weapons, or as tools! When he and a mouse "stare daggers" at each other in hate, they will inevitablygrab the daggers and commence a spirited sword battle... Folks, this one's well worth your ten dollars and should open a whole new world of both cartoons and silent films up to you. In closing, I might also mention that the organ music accompaniment and sound effects by Dave Wickerham add considerably to the fun and thrills. This one definitely rates the full five stars, despite a few rough prints in the batch.

How great can Felix be on DVD?! Pretty great. This collection starts with the very first Felix cartoon "Feline Follies" (before he was officially Felix), and includes the other 2 shorts that shared the reel(these help show just how Felix slid into contemporary ideas behind animation). "Feline Follies" is the last, so you don't actually see Felix for about 5 minutes into the DVD. A very good sampling of Felix follows; right up to almost the end (when sound had a hand in slapping Felix's glory to dust). Another great thing is the preservation of the cartoons in their entirety. The other Felix DVD collection currently available hacks off some of the titles, which are just as interesting as the 'toons themselves. What makes these Felix cartoons so interesting to watch is how they make the limitation of no sound into a plus. First timers may be initailly disorientated, but little by little the discovery of what made these animations work - and what keeps them working today - is the clever use of visuals and morphing of shapes. They work without sound, though the organ track definitely adds color. Try turning the sound off while watching nearly any contemporary cartoon and see how entertaining it is. In fact, don't try it; it isn't a great experience.Another interesting facet of seeing silent animation is the discovery that animation (particuarily the short form) has not changed incredibly over the last century. You see jokes you've seen before, familiar themes, situations, and even familiar characterizations. The groundwork for a lot of twentieth century animation was laid pretty solid during the silent era. This collection can be appreciated both as animation itself and as history. Too bad Pat Sullivan gets all of the credit on the original reels.When I show silent and early animation to friends, I almost always get the response "They don't make cartoons like this anymore."That's a sad fact.

Reviews

I have the running version, and i do love it. I agree that reading the displays can be difficult while running, but it's been a really nice toy for me. GPS does take a couple minutes to sync sometimes, but usually that gives me enough time to stretch and walk up out of my condo complex's hill. Doing laps/splits isn't that difficult, you just need to sit somewhere and fiddle with it for a bit. Probably the best investment i have ever made for running; right up there with good shoes. However, if you are not technically inclined, buying any gadget like this or similar with lots of bells and whistles is not recommended, as it is likely to confuse (co-worker is bringing her Garmin heart/ped tracker in tomorrow for me to fix) unless you have someone to help you with it.

These things aren't inexpensive, especially for a college student, but I run a lot and wanted something to help chart my progress. The first thing I noticed was the poor reception. It takes about 5-6 minutes of clear skies to sync with your local satellites, but that isn't as much of a hassle as it might seem. Just turn on the unit when you leave the house, do your stretches outside, and it should be ready by the time you are. The other issue is that it loses the signal often; if you live in an area with tall buildings, mountains, wooded areas, telephone poles, or flocks of geese flying overhead, you can expect to hear the "Sync Lost" beep at least a few times whenever you go out. This isn't a huge issue unless you're running around the block in an urban area as the device is smart enough to "connect the dots" between where you were when it lost the signal and where you are when it regains the signal. If you're running in more or less a straight line the results will come out within 10% of true distance. If you're the type of person who cares whether you've gone 8 miles in the last hour or 9, invest in a map. Despite the signal issues, I would have given the unit 3 or even 4 stars. You can account for the syncing time by stretching outside, and you can adjust for the distance errors by adding 5-10% at the end of your run. The reason it gets two stars is that my LCD display started failing after about a month and less than 100 miles. It was still usable for another month or so (in that I could figure "Ok this is either a 6 or an 8, and I know I ran more than 6...), and then the display failed completely and the device became a GPS paperweight. I realize this is almost certainly a QC issue and you aren't likely to get a bum unit like I did, so it gets 2 stars instead of 1. It's useless to me, though.

We been using this GPS unit to measure our horse rides. The display is a bit difficult to read while riding. The documentation clarifies very little and is not in depth at all. Scrolling through the various modes can be tedious. It does keep track of avg speed and max speed. We've yet to figure out how to easily start a new lap. They could do a lot more to make the interface and documentation more user friendly.

Folks, if there's anybody out there thinking of getting fit, breathing in some good air and maybe lose a pound or two, one of the best ways is to get out on your 2 pins. The problem i've always had is a little lack of motivation. With this gadget, everything changes. Knowing down to the exact yard what kind of progress you're making does wonders for your motivation.....you'll even be getting those training shoes on when it's minus 2 and snowing a blizzard! I can't recommend this device enough, go out and get one.

FOR - Lightweight, attractive to look at and without the numerous unnecessary functions that many gadgets come with. AGAINST - miscalculates urban times and distances due to loss of GPS signal -screen difficult to read -controls awkward when worn -Navman do not reply to requests for advice/information not included in the manual

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I bought this as part of a grooms cake topper and it looks awesome! My husband is an avid snowmobiler and he was very excited about this model! I would recommend it to anyone!Bombardier Ski-Doo MXZ Rev 2003 1:12 Scale Diecast Snowmobile Model

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This is a great book for someone looking for repair or maintenance information. It's devided by brand and categories. The book contains wiring diagrams, instructions to part and install everything & tuning instructions. The more complicated procedures are illustrated in black & white with photos or illustrations. For the amount of information, it's well worth the money.

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My four year old space nut was not interested in this book. We lost some of the colorforms too. :( I thought it was great, but he doesn't enjoy it. Not enough action maybe? I'm hoping he'll like it when he's a little older........

Very fun, educational book. We love it when Blue Skidoos! This book lets you learn about the Solar System in a fun way. Blue and Steve are so cute in their capes!

My father turned 51 this September, a month and a half before his first grandchild, my daughter, turned 2. When I was a child, he spent hours with my sister and I star-gazing, taking us to the planetarium, talking, thinking, breathing astronomy. I was 8 when the Right Stuff came out in theaters, and yet my 6 year old sister and I saw it on the big screen, even so young. So, this birthday, what better gift to give him than a copy of that movie on DVD and a not-so-subtle invitation for him to help make my daughter as starry-eyed as I am. My daughter already loved Blues Clues, and this book is fantastic in its simplicity. She identifies easily with the characters, the text is simple enough for her to remember and it may even be among the first books she actually reads herself, plus my father gets so much joy from reading it with her, helping her to pronounce the planets' names. It IS simple, and might, if it weren't for the Colorforms stickers, but TOO simple for a 3 or 4 year old, but it is absolutely perfect for my 2 year old. She and my father give it a two thumbs up. Also, for the record, as near as I can tell, Colorforms have never been out of production. I could be wrong, but I'm sure that colorforms were available all through the 80's, since many popular 80's cartoons have special Colorforms sets. There may have been a dryspell in the 90's, but I also know that as long ago as 1999 or 2000 new character sets of colorforms were popping up all over the place, and dozens are now available.

I avoided this book for some time. I wasn't interested in anything with "stickers" for my young son. (I could just see them being attached to the wood furniture.) At some point we ended up with the book. I was shocked that the "stickers" were actually "colorforms", something that I had been looking for. The "stickers" are made of a thin plastic with the pictures printed on them. The "pages" of the book are made of a stiff board material. Ironically I was looking for colorforms for my son. When I inquired at the local toy stores they all told me that Colorforms were no longer in production.

This is a simple, not too many details book about the planets. It is a good place to get kids wondering what is up there with a catchy little song from the Steve era of the show.

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my daughter loves these but we don't use the bows. i have had these in smaller sizes for two years.