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Mel-O-Toons

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Mel-O-Toons
Opening sequence
Voices of
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes104
Production
Running timeAround 5–7 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkSyndication
Release1959 (1959) –
October 1960 (1960-10)

Mel-O-Toons (sometimes erroneously spelled Mello Toons) was a series of six-minute animated cartoons, using limited animation. The cartoons were produced starting in 1959 by New World Productions, and syndicated by United Artists.[1]

The stories featured various folk tales, Greco-Roman myths, Biblical stories, classic literary adaptations, and adaptations of classical music and ballet, as well as stories about animals written by Thornton Burgess.[2] The soundtracks were often taken from existing children's records, licensed from the original labels, including RCA Records and Capitol Records. 104 cartoons were produced.[3]

In October 1960, United Artists bought time on a station in Toledo, Ohio, to test the Mel-O-Toons for audience response; they showed two of the films, "Rumplestiltskin" and "Waltz of the Flowers". Variety reported that the viewer response was entirely positive, saying, "Many parents compared the Mel-O-Toons favorable to what they called the usual violence in kiddie programming."[4] A week later, UA bought a full-page ad in Variety, announcing: "We passed the test in Toledo!" The ad described the test: "Here's what happened: Two of these new cartoons were shown in a fifteen-minute on-the-air audition over WSPD-TV. Viewers were asked to send in their opinions, with no prizes or incentives of any kind. In less than a week, over 400 replies arrived. All except five individuals were wildly enthusiastic."[5]

After many years out of circulation, public domain prints have turned up on videotape and DVD.

Partial episode list

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Footage from the Christopher Columbus episode was used in Last Week Tonight's "How Is This Still a Thing" segment on Columbus Day, which aired on October 12, 2014.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Salda, Michael N. (2013-07-30). Arthurian Animation. ISBN 9781476606149. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  2. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 385. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  3. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 539. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  4. ^ "UAA Mel-O-Toon Gets Toledo Test". Variety: 24. November 9, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  5. ^ "We passed the test in Toledo!". Variety: 53. November 16, 1960. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  6. ^ "John Oliver Asks: How is Columbus Day Still a Thing?".
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