John Halas

The Tomfoolery Show is an American cartoon comedy television series made and first broadcast in 1970, based on the works of Edward Lear. The animation was done at the Halas and Batchelor Studios in London and Stroud. Though the works of other writers were also used, notably Lewis Carroll and Ogden Nash, Lear's works were the main source, and characters like The Yongy Bonghy Bo and The Umbrageous Umbrella Maker were all Lear creations. Some original material was also written based on characters created by Lear, although much of the material was a straight recital of poems and limericks or songs using Lear's poems set to music. A recurring joke had a delivery boy running around trying to deliver a large plant and shouting 'Plant for Mrs Discobolus!'. The series was produced by Rankin/Bass, who also made the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.

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An animated cartoon of drawings by young children, who imagine the motor car of today and of the future.

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Cartoon set to songs from The Moody Blues' titular album.

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An animated cartoon on smoking and health. The villain, Old Nick O'Teen, disguises himself as an 18-year-old motorcyclist, the better to lure children into the cigarette habit. Fourteen-year-old Sam falls into the trap, but after awesome visions of his future, expert advice from a doctor, and straight talk from a friendly lorry-driver renounces the habit.

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This satirical animated short by the renowned Halas & Batchelor Studio asks the big Question. Can the meaning of life be found in religion or science? Patriotism or war? Money or self-discovery? Or none of the above?

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A young girl rescues a wild bird. She takes it back to the forest, then finds crystals in the mountain...

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A naïve father makes an embarrassing attempt to explain the facts of life to his son, but he becomes increasingly embarrassed to the point where his explanations are so vague as to be incomprehensible.

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The Maestro brings a world of emotions to life interpreted by the orchestra and the animation.

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DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space was an animated cartoon series that was syndicated to television from 1965-1970. DoDo was a young extraterrestrial from the planet Hena Hydro, who came to Earth in his flying saucer and had numerous adventures. Other cast members included Professor Fingers, an eccentric scientist who somewhat resembled the later Professor Utonium; Compy, DoDo's computer/duck hybrid pet; and Why and How, two Earth children. The characters speak in rhymes, either independently or playing off each other. "DoDo" was created by Lady Stearn Robinson and produced by British animators Halas and Batchelor. A total of 78 five-minute episodes were filmed.

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This a story of a violinist, pianist and cellist as they perform from place-to-place, under very unusual conditions. Every time they play, they remind someone of a lost love, so they are hired immediately hired by nightclub owners, ship captains and even a pirate... wherever circumstances take them.

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Puck is introduced to the twentieth century and is as amused by the contemporary obsession with television as he was by the lovers' antics.

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An animated, dark satire of America's automobile-obsessed, consumerist culture. An anonymous, brilliant scientist toils tirelessly in his ivory tower satisfying the public's ever-increasing demands for novelty and status consciousness, with predictable environmental consequences.

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An animated short based on the cartoons of Gerard Hoffnung.

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Examines in detail Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting, 'Netherlandish Proverbs', which illustrates over 100 proverbs and allegorises a whole world of sin and folly as relevant today as in the 16th century.

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Hamilton the elephant is being trained for the circus when he discovers his amazing musical ability; the ringmaster decides to exploit his new-found talent for jazz.

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Married to your television? This cartoon gives you an opportunity to re-evaluate your relationship with the gogglebox.

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Hamilton the elephant loves playing music with his trunk. When he is fired from the circus he does odd jobs till he gets his big break.

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T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

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An animated film about the history and use of hot water.

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A candlemaker entrusts his young son with the task of making candles for their church on Christmas Eve.

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A humorously semi-factual account of the history of cinema.

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Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.

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A short animation based on the Edward Lear poem

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Cartoon of chicken's adventures while being chased by woodland animal.

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The cartoon is one of the Marshall Plan's most popular films. A clash between a shoemaker and a hat maker illustrates the contrasts between protectionism and free trade. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2003.

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This cartoon propaganda short by Halas & Batchelor sweetens the pill of post-war coal prices by promising jam tomorrow.

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First Line of Defence is a short cartoon recruitment film for the RAF created in 1949 by animation duo Halas and Batchelor. The story follows a trainee pilot dreaming about the history of flight.

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Charley, a mechanic, inherits a half-share in a farm run by his cousin and he soon has his dream of an idyllic country life rudely shattered by hard realities.

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One of a humorous series of films devised to explain in graphic terms the concepts of basic mathematical functions.

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The Baronet of Ruddigore, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, has inherited a family curse which forces him to commit a crime every day — or die in agony. He hates the curse, doing his heinous misdeeds as early as possible and good works for the rest of the day to compensate!

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This satirical animated short by the renowned Halas & Batchelor Studio asks the big Question. Can the meaning of life be found in religion or science? Patriotism or war? Money or self-discovery? Or none of the above?

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A humorous introduction to problem analysis and programming.

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A naïve father makes an embarrassing attempt to explain the facts of life to his son, but he becomes increasingly embarrassed to the point where his explanations are so vague as to be incomprehensible.

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The Maestro brings a world of emotions to life interpreted by the orchestra and the animation.

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A light hearted look at the various instruments of the orchestra, based on the original cartoons of the late Gerard Hoffnung, satirising musical pomposity.

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DoDo, The Kid from Outer Space was an animated cartoon series that was syndicated to television from 1965-1970. DoDo was a young extraterrestrial from the planet Hena Hydro, who came to Earth in his flying saucer and had numerous adventures. Other cast members included Professor Fingers, an eccentric scientist who somewhat resembled the later Professor Utonium; Compy, DoDo's computer/duck hybrid pet; and Why and How, two Earth children. The characters speak in rhymes, either independently or playing off each other. "DoDo" was created by Lady Stearn Robinson and produced by British animators Halas and Batchelor. A total of 78 five-minute episodes were filmed.

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This a story of a violinist, pianist and cellist as they perform from place-to-place, under very unusual conditions. Every time they play, they remind someone of a lost love, so they are hired immediately hired by nightclub owners, ship captains and even a pirate... wherever circumstances take them.

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Puck is introduced to the twentieth century and is as amused by the contemporary obsession with television as he was by the lovers' antics.

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An animated, dark satire of America's automobile-obsessed, consumerist culture. An anonymous, brilliant scientist toils tirelessly in his ivory tower satisfying the public's ever-increasing demands for novelty and status consciousness, with predictable environmental consequences.

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The story of three children who find themselves with a friendly monster that grows at an alarming rate.

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Hamilton the elephant loves playing music with his trunk. When he is fired from the circus he does odd jobs till he gets his big break.

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Snip and Snap was a 1960 British animated series from Halas & Batchelor. It was directed by the Danish paper sculptor Thok Søndergaard and John Halas. It featured the exploits of a dog made of paper and pair of scissors.

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Seville's most successful Matador has a secret, which his rival will use against him when he finds out.

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T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

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A musically talented ape is captured in the jungle and taken back to civilisation. However, civilisation proves too uncouth for the cultured ape so he departs, philosophically pondering that "when the arts are out of date, the artist must withdraw and wait". A colourised version was released in 1980.

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A humorously semi-factual account of the history of cinema.

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Animals on a farm lead a revolution against the farmers to put their destiny in their own hands. However this revolution eats their own children and they cannot avoid corruption.

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A BAFTA award nominated animation tracing the development of the motor car from the original horseless carriage common in the late 19th century to the 1950s streamlined, massed produced, designs.

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A BAFTA award nominated film made for the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company charting the history of aviation from Daedalus to jets.

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A feature length instructional video for the Admiralty on coastal navigation and pilotage.

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A poem of unrequited love: the studio's first puppet production. Based on a poem by Cosbie Garstin, the film tells the story of a carved wooden saint who is painted to look like a soldier and used as a figurehead on a sailing ship. The ship sinks and the figurehead is saved by a beautiful mermaid who falls in love with him. Her love is not returned because despite his dashing looks he has the wooden heart of a saint.

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A short animation based on the Edward Lear poem

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A trip into a surreal winter garden, a voyage on a stormy sea, a grisly homecoming – there is something for everyone in this “experiment in words, music and paintings”. Four films were made in this series for the BFI’s Telekinema at the Festival of Britain, combining some of the best contemporary illustrators and artists with a diverse range of verse. The readers are also of some pedigree, with Michael Redgrave, Stanley Holloway and Eric Portman adding their names to the bill.

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If you haven’t already been diverted by the history of John Gilpin, or would like to venture that way again, you couldn’t find a better accompaniment than the drawings of Ronald Searle. The BFI commissioned four films from Halas & Bactchelor to be screened in the “Telekinema” for the Festival of Britain. Pitched as an experiment in combining verse with illustrations, this fourth and last edition was the only one that contained a single work, with plenty of room to breath.

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Everyone knows that petroleum comes out of the earth, but the question is how did it get there, and what is it made of? The answer to these questions are given simply and accurately in this animated programme.

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This cartoon propaganda short by Halas & Batchelor sweetens the pill of post-war coal prices by promising jam tomorrow.

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A soon-to-be born baby learns about the kinds of schools he will attending in the years following his birth.

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