Long-lost 1930s John Carter of Mars animation
Dwiff sez, "Here's an article - with color CLIPS!!! - on the aborted 1930's Bob Clampett animated adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs's John Carter of Mars. Looks like it would have given the Fleischer Superman a real run for its money."
Link (Thanks, Dwiff!)
Burroughs and Clampett wanted to make a serious since fiction adventure while the studios (in typical studio fashion that foreshadowed decades of missteps) wanted to make a sci-fi slapstick comedy. One is left wondering how Clampett's John Carter of Mars would have shaped the science fiction films to come. But take heart, Carter fans, for Pixar is picking up that torch!
the latest
latest episodes
I hope you asked Mrs. Clampett for permission. She's very nice.
This was shown at San Diego Comic Con every year by Bob when he was alive.
IT WAS NEVER LOST.
It is on the "Beany and Cecil" DVD, as an extra. Very not lost...
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Just FYI: ManyBooks.net has pretty much the complete Burroughs works, including the Mars (or is it Barsoom?) series, Tarzan, Lost Continent, The Land that Time Forgot, and more.
http://manybooks.net/datesort/burroughse.html
If you've an interest in science fiction (or science, or fiction), allow yourself a few afternoons with Edgar.
I was going to point out as well that this is on the Beany and Cecil DVD. Not lost.
I agree with Brownlee...Pixar will dumb down and sanitize this for the sake of their primary audience, soccer moms. I can't wait to see Tars Tarkas as a cuddly wise-cracking buffoon...ugh.
Supposedly the director of Sky Captain was working on the Princess of Mars project. Given the comments above about the availability of the video would not make for a sexier headline, how much you wanna bet that the "long lost" part of this posting won't be updated?
Long lost or not, this is new to me. I appreciate the link. Even the pencil-test animation is very nice.
I'm not optimistic about Pixar's version. Though following Burrough's original description of Dejah Thoris would certainly make for some interesting animation. ("She was as destitute of clothes as the green Martians who accompanied her; indeed, save for her highly wrought ornaments she was entirely naked, nor could any apparel have enhanced the beauty of her perfect and symmetrical figure.")
The Beany and Cecil disk is worth having for several other reasons, by the way. There are several live-action B&C puppet shows, for instance, among other Clampett rarities.