Vintage Cartoons "n" Vintage Movies

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Directed by: George A. Romero
Release Date: October 1, 1968
Genre: Horror

Plot Overview

The film follows a group of strangers trapped in a rural farmhouse, struggling to survive against an onslaught of flesh-eating zombies. As panic and paranoia escalate, the survivors' trust in each other begins to fray, leading to internal conflict that proves as deadly as the monsters outside.

Cast & Characters

Although the cast was mostly composed of unknown or local actors, their performances contributed to the film’s raw, realistic feel.

• Duane Jones as Ben

  • A resourceful and determined man who takes charge of the group. Jones' performance was groundbreaking, as he was one of the first Black actors cast in a heroic leading role in a horror film, during a time when racial tensions in America were high.

• Judith O’Dea as Barbra

  • A woman traumatized after witnessing her brother’s death, struggling with fear and shock throughout the film.

• Karl Hardman as Harry Cooper

  • The stubborn and confrontational patriarch of the Cooper family, who believes hiding in the basement is the best survival strategy.

• Marilyn Eastman as Helen Cooper

  • Harry's wife, who becomes increasingly disillusioned with her husband’s domineering behavior.

• Keith Wayne as Tom

  • A young man trying to help others, despite the chaos.

• Judith Ridley as Judy

  • Tom's girlfriend, caught up in the nightmare.

• Kyra Schon as Karen Cooper

  • The Coopers' young daughter, who falls victim to the zombie infection — resulting in one of the film’s most shocking scenes.

Production Problems & Challenges

Budget Constraints

• The film’s budget was incredibly low — around $114,000 — which forced Romero and his team to get creative.
• Many of the crew members doubled as actors, makeup artists, and set designers.
• Cost-cutting decisions, such as shooting in black and white, ended up enhancing the film’s eerie, documentary-like atmosphere.

Independent and Guerrilla Filmmaking

• Filmed around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, using friends’ properties and local talent.
• The cast and crew were mostly amateurs, some coming from Romero’s commercial film work.
• The special effects were improvised — for example, the "flesh" the zombies ate was mostly roasted ham and chocolate syrup for blood.

Distribution Issues

• The film was initially released without copyright protection (a clerical error removed the copyright notice), which allowed it to fall into the public domain immediately.
• This led to widespread, unauthorized screenings — helping the movie gain a cult following, but also meaning Romero and his team never saw the profits they deserved.

Racial and Social Commentary

• Duane Jones’ casting was not originally intended to be political — Romero has said Jones was simply the best actor they found — but the choice had profound implications.
• The sight of a Black hero being gunned down by a white posse at the end resonated deeply in 1968, a year marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, as well as heightened racial unrest.

Legacy & Impact

• Night of the Living Dead redefined horror films, effectively creating the modern zombie genre.
• Its unflinching violence and bleak ending broke taboos, paving the way for more graphic and socially conscious horror films.
• Despite the low budget and lack of professional polish, it is now considered one of the most influential horror films ever made.
• It inspired countless sequels, remakes, and spin-offs, and its commentary on human nature under pressure still resonates today. Full movie classic...

 Both " Aesop and Son" and "Fractured Fairy Tales" were animated segments featured on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (originally Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show), produced by Jay Ward Productions. While both segments were humorous takes on classic stories, they had different themes, writers, and storytelling styles.

Aesop and Son

• Concept:
•  A comedic retelling of Aesop's Fables, featuring Aesop and his son, Junior, who often misinterpreted the morals of the stories.
• Writer:
• The main writer was Chris Jenkyns, along with contributions from other Jay Ward Productions writers.
• Tone & Style:
• The stories had satirical, often pun-heavy humor, with exaggerated morals that twisted the original lesson into something absurd.
• Notable Stories:
• Adaptations of classic fables like The Tortoise and the Hare or The Boy Who Cried Wolf, but with humorous and unexpected twists.
• 
  
                              Hansel and Gretel
  
  
  
  ___________________________

Fractured Fairy Tales

• Concept:
• Classic fairy tales rewritten with absurd, ironic, or modernized elements, often changing the plot and message entirely.
• Writer: Primarily written by Bill Scott, who was also the voice of Bullwinkle and a key creative force behind the show.
• Tone & Style:
• More satirical and socially aware than Aesop and Son, often mocking cultural tropes, bureaucracy, and clichés.
• Notable Stories:
• Spoofs of stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Jack and the Beanstalk, often with ridiculous logic and unexpected outcomes.
• 
  
                            Porcupine and Tigers
  
  
  
  
  

Which Was Better?

• Fractured Fairy Tales is generally considered the superior segment in terms of humor, writing, and cultural impact. It had sharper satire, wittier writing, and broader appeal beyond just reinterpreting a set of fables.
• Aesop and Son, while fun, tended to follow a more predictable formula and had a narrower comedic range.

Overall, Fractured Fairy Tales is better remembered and more influential in the history of animated comedy, while Aesop and Son remains a charming but lesser-known part of Jay Ward’s legacy.

 Which one is better? Leave a comment!

                                  Bj 🙈🙉🙊😏

Early Life & Rise to Fame

Perry was born in Key West, Florida, to West Indian immigrants. As a young man, he initially pursued a career in vaudeville, where he developed his stage persona, “Stepin Fetchit,” a name reportedly derived from a winning racehorse. His comedic style—slow-talking, shuffling, and seemingly dim-witted—was exaggerated for entertainment purposes, but it would later become his signature in Hollywood.

In the late 1920s, he transitioned to film and quickly gained recognition, becoming Hollywood’s first Black movie star. His portrayal of the “lazy” Black servant became widely popular among white audiences, making him one of the highest-paid Black actors of his era. By the 1930s, he had contracts with major studios and was reportedly the first Black actor to earn a million dollars. He lived a lavish lifestyle, owning expensive cars, multiple homes, and even hiring white servants—an ironic reversal of his on-screen roles.

Struggles and Controversy

While Fetchit was undeniably successful, his career was built on racial stereotypes that many in the Black community found offensive. His character reinforced negative tropes of Black men as lazy and unintelligent, which led to criticism, especially during the Civil Rights Movement. As the fight for racial equality intensified, Fetchit’s roles were seen as outdated and harmful, leading to a decline in his career opportunities.

Additionally, mismanagement of his finances contributed to his downfall. Despite earning significant wealth, he struggled with money later in life. His career dwindled as Hollywood moved away from the type of roles he had once been famous for. By the 1950s, he had faded into obscurity, and by the 1970s, he faced financial difficulties.

Later Years & Legacy

Though largely forgotten by Hollywood, some in the entertainment industry later reassessed his legacy. Filmmaker Ossie Davis and others argued that Fetchit’s portrayal, while controversial, was also a form of subversive resistance—using exaggerated behavior to outwit his white counterparts.

In the 1970s, he was awarded an NAACP Image Award for his contributions to film, signaling a reassessment of his place in history. He was later recognized by Black Hollywood for being a trailblazer, as he helped open doors for future Black actors.

Stepin Fetchit passed away in 1985, leaving behind a complicated but significant legacy. He was a man who broke barriers as the first Black Hollywood millionaire but also became a symbol of the painful racial stereotypes of early American cinema. His career remains a topic of debate—was he a victim of his time, or did he knowingly use the system to his advantage? Either way, he remains an important figure in film history....Short movie clip: Stepin Fetchit and Moms Mabley 1945