Batty Baseball (1944)

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made by anybody. 'Batty Baseball' may not be one of Avery's best from his finest period, but it has all of his trademarks and has a huge amount going for it. Even though it can get corny at times and the portrayal of baseball here is very interesting and lots of fun but baseball fans today will have a field day pointing out its lack of accuracy. It is a very well made, very funny, very wild and very clever and inventive cartoon, even if other Avery cartoons did all that even better and took more risks.It is no surprise that, as with a vast majority of Avery's cartoons regardless of the period, the animation is excellent. Very rich in colour, the backgrounds have meticulously good detail and the character designs are distinctively Avery in style and are fluid in movement. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is typically lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed, even enhancing the action.'Batty Baseball' is never less than very funny and even hilarious frequently, managing to make baseball entertaining regardless of whether one is a fan of the sport or not. The timing is immaculate, coming thick and fast, and there are plenty of sight gags in classic Avery fashion, all hitting their mark.Avery's directing can't be faulted. Likewise with the voice acting and the engaging characters.In summary, very well made and wonderfully batty. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A wonderful little toon brought to us by Tex Avery and Fred Quimby. Basically it's an extended sequence of a cartoon pitcher pitching to various over sized cartoon batsmen, complete with wry narrations. Each pitch comes with a visual gag (love that curve ball), while the names of the teams and the name of the stadium also bring mirth to the party. You don't have to be a fan of baseball to enjoy this splendid piece of animation.Music is by Scott Bradley, animation by Ray Abrams, Preston Blair, Ed Love and Claude Smith, and voices are provided by Wally Maher and Pinto Colvig. Batty Baseball can be found as an extra on the Region One DVD release of James Stewart's The Stratton Story. 8/10

Being a Tex Avery cartoon, I wasn't surprised this was clever and had some laughs. Tex was one of the best.This baseball story is played at "W.C. Field." (We then see a disclaimer stating "The guy who thought of this corny gag isn't with us any more.")The game pits "The Yankee Doodlers" versus "The Draft Dodgers." As you can tell, this one is REALLY corny....but it sure is fun to watch. It's another of those baseball cartoons that mainly feature the pitcher, his assortment of pitches, and problems with the batter and umpire. This one also has a strange, "sad" ending!This animated short was one of the features in the Jimmy Stewart baseball movie, "The Stratton Story" DVD.

This short is full of sight gags and is much more entertaining than the typical major-league game today, which is all about home runs. Tex Avery was in full form here and the ending is typical Avery. I love it and think it's hilarious, myself. Some of the gags are a bit dated, but it's great fun and I'm glad that this is in print. Well worth watching. Recommended.