One of the “Aesop’s Fables” series of cartoons released by the Van Beuren Corporation, “Jungle Jazz” was originally released on July 6, 1930 and was directed by John Foster and Harry Bailey. The plot of this strange, synchronized sound cartoon is simple: a dog and a cat encounter strange creatures in the jungle and are eventually captured by terrifying cannibals. Fortunately they are able to escape. (Please note: the cannibals shown in the film are caricatures that will offend a modern audience; unfortunately, similar images appeared in many cartoons of this era.)
The Van Beuren Corporation was based in New York City and produced theatrical cartoons as well as live-action short-subjects from the 1920s through 1936. It was founded by Amedee J. Van Beuren, who ran the business, and Paul Terry, who oversaw the animation studio up until 1929. When Terry left the business to form his own Terrytoons studio, John Foster (director of this toon) took over. The Van Beuren studios remained in operation until union labor troubles and a stroke suffered by Amedee Van Beuren led to its closure in 1935. The company’s library changed hands several times and many of the titles eventually made their way onto television in the 1950s.
One interesting aspect of the Van Beuren Studios is that the company released the first sound cartoon in history, Paul Terry’s “Dinner Time”, a month before Disney’s Steamboat Willie debuted in November, 1928. “Dinner Time” wasn’t as sophisticated as “Steamboat Willie”, and didn’t succeed with audiences. Disney’s cartoon on the other hand, was celebrated and — remembered as the first synchronized sound cartoon.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
