Colonel Heeza Liar is the star of the second animated series featuring a recurring character and the first featuring a recurring character created specifically for an animated film. Sidney Smith's Old Doc Yak appeared in 3 lost films in 1913 before Colonel Heeza Liar appeared. Smith's series though was based on his Old Doc Yak comic strip. Smith did 13 additional cartoons in 1914 and 2 in 1915. Colonel Heeza Liar was created by J. R. Bray[1] and is mainly based on Theodore Roosevelt[2] and the general stereotype of the 19th and early 20th century former adventurer and lion hunter. The series ran from 1913 to 1917 and restarted in 1922 until 1924.[3] It was produced by Bray Productions and directed by Vernon Stallings.[4] The series was animated by Walter Lantz from 1922 to 1924 and featured live-action segments interacting with the animation, much like the popular contemporary series Out of the Inkwell.
Filmography
# | Title | Release date |
---|---|---|
1 | Colonel Heeza Liar in Africa | November 23, 1913 |
2 | Colonel Heeza Liar's African Hunt | January 10, 1914 |
3 | Colonel Heeza Liar Shipwrecked | March 14, 1914 |
4 | Colonel Heeza Liar in Mexico | April 18, 1914 |
5 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Farmer | May 18, 1914 |
6 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Explorer | August 15, 1914 |
7 | Colonel Heeza Liar in the Wilderness | September 26, 1914 |
8 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Naturalist | October 24, 1914 |
9 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker | February 6, 1915 |
10 | Colonel Heeza Liar in the Haunted Castle | February 20, 1915 |
11 | Colonel Heeza Liar Runs the Blockade | March 20, 1915 |
12 | Colonel Heeza Liar and the Torpedo | April 3, 1915 |
13 | Colonel Heeza Liar and the Zeppelin | April 10, 1915 |
14 | Colonel Heeza Liar Signs the Pledge | May 8, 1915 |
15 | Colonel Heeza Liar in the Trenches | May 13, 1915 |
16 | Colonel Heeza Liar at the Front | May 16, 1915 |
17 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Aviator | May 22, 1915 |
18 | Colonel Heeza Liar Invents a New Kind of Shell | June 5, 1915 |
19 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Dog Fancier | July 10, 1915 |
20 | Colonel Heeza Liar Foils the Enemy | July 31, 1915 |
21 | Colonel Heeza Liar, War Dog | August 21, 1915 |
22 | Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat | September 4, 1915 |
23 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Nature Faker | December 28, 1915 |
24 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Waterloo | January 6, 1916 |
25 | Colonel Heeza Liar and the Pirates | March 5, 1916 |
26 | Colonel Heeza Liar Wins the Pennant | April 27, 1916 |
27 | Colonel Heeza Liar Captures Villa | May 25, 1916 |
28 | Colonel Heeza Liar and the Bandits | June 22, 1916 |
29 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Courtship | July 20, 1916 |
30 | Colonel Heeza Liar on Strike | August 17, 1916 |
31 | Colonel Heeza Liar Plays Hamlet | August 24, 1916 |
32 | Colonel Heeza Liar Bachelor Quarters | September 14, 1916 |
33 | Colonel Heeza Liar Gets Married | October 11, 1916 |
34 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Hobo | November 15, 1916 |
35 | Colonel Heeza Liar at the Vaudeville Show | December 21, 1916 |
36 | Colonel Heeza Liar on the Jump | February 4, 1917 |
37 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Spy Dodger | March 19, 1917 |
38 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Temperance Lecture | August 20, 1917 |
39 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Treasure Island | December 17, 1922 |
40 | Colonel Heeza Liar and the Ghost | January 14, 1923 |
41 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Detective | February 1, 1923 |
42 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Burglar | March 11, 1923 |
43 | Colonel Heeza Liar in the African Jungles | June 3, 1923 |
44 | Colonel Heeza Liar in Uncle Tom's Cabin | July 8, 1923 |
45 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Vacation | August 5, 1923 |
46 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Forbidden Fruit | November 1, 1923 |
47 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Strikebreaker | December 1, 1923 |
48 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Mysterious Case | February 1, 1924 |
49 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Ancestor | March 1, 1924 |
50 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Knighthood | April 1, 1924 |
51 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Sky Pilot | May 1, 1924 |
52 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Daredevil | June 1, 1924 |
53 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Horseplay | July 1, 1924 |
54 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Cave Man | August 1, 1924 |
55 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Bull Thrower | September 1, 1924 |
56 | Colonel Heeza Liar the Lyin' Tamer | October 1, 1924 |
57 | Colonel Heeza Liar's Romance | November 1, 1924 |
58 | Colonel Heeza Liar, Nature Faker | December 1, 1924 |
Reception
Considering the first film, Colonel Heeza Liar in Africa, Leonard Maltin writes, "Technically, the film is adequate. Bray is true to perspective and proportions; when the character runs in circles, his drawings remain consistent and accurate. Movement is not smooth, but it's more than adequate to put over the simple story and gags."[5]
References
- ^ Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-516729-0.
- ^ Kanfer, Stefan (2000). Serious Business: The Art and Commerce of Animation in America from Betty Boop to Toy Story. Da Capo Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0306809187. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ Markstein, Don. "Col. Heeza Liar". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (1980). Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. McGraw-Hill. p. 7. ISBN 0-07-039835-6.