Rare Terrytoon Draft for “Indian Pudding”

Here’s one for the historians.

Colleagues like Hans Perk have long celebrated and studied rare animators drafts (aka “dope sheets”) from Disney films. With these documents, one can trace who-animated-what in classic Disney features and shorts. Such records were also kept at Warner Bros., Fleischer and other studios (I posted a sample Fleischer draft here) but, outside of Disney, these were rarely saved or archived.

The Museum of Modern Art’s Film Study Center has some incredible Terrytoon files dating from the early 30s. From there comes this draft from one of the first (the fifth, to be exact) of Paul Terry’s sound cartoons: Indian Pudding (released April 6th, 1930). As noted on the draft below (click thumbnails to enlarge) the animation began January 10th and was finished January 28th – three weeks – and the final film was in theaters ten weeks later.

The animators here include Frank Moser, John Terry, Hugh (Jerry) Shields, Sarka (?), Cy Young and Paul Terry himself(!). Watch the film above (You Tube embed above is an edited TV print, scenes 2 & 3 are cut, with replaced front titles) and compare each shot to the draft transcribed below.

1. Frank Moser – Boy and Horse singing “Oh Susanna”
2. Frank Moser – Vulture plays Xylaphone and Skeleton
3. John Terry – Skeleton dancing
4. Frank Moser – Boy on horse.
5. John Terry – Horse enters, snake scene
6. Frank Moser – In close-up circle: snake shakes tail
7. Frank Moser – Horse and snake dance
8. Frank Moser – Indian in coal scuttle
9. Frank Moser – Boy on horse sees Indian
10. Jerry Shields – Indian whipping dog.
11. Frank Moser – In close-up circle, the boy pasts dog.
12. Sarka – Dog goes right, Indian sneaks up.
12a. John Terry – Teepee, Indian enters, Buffalo
12b. Cy Young – Goat on mountain tops.
12c. John Terry – Buffalo running, bird enters
12d. Frank Moser – Bird lands on the ground.
12e. John Terry – Indian shoots arrows.
12f. Frank Moser – arrows form tail of bird.
13. Paul Terry – Girl mouse churning
14. Cy Young – Boy on horse goes up mountain top
15. Frank Moser – closer shot – horse jumps up and down.
16. Paul Terry – Girl mouse happy, throws kiss.
17. Frank Moser – kiss hits boy on horse.
18. John Terry – In close-up circle cow plays flute
19. Frank Moser – Full scene, cows dancing.
19a. John Terry – Pig drumming.
20. John Terry – Cow plays trumpet
21. John Terry – Cows come running out of barn.
22. Frank Moser – Cows line up.
23. Frank Moser – Right dress, etc.
24. Jerry Shields – Girl with milk buckets.
25. John Terry – Indian war dance.
26. Jerry Shields – Moose on pan flies away.
27. Sarka (?) – Indians come from behind rocks
28. Frank Moser – Pans of Indians bouncing along
29. Jerry Shields – Girls sees them and runs.
30. Jerry Shields – Long shot of Indians after her.
31. John Terry – Into cabins. Also Indians.
32. John Terry – “Help!” knocks off horse – horse kicks him.
33. Frank Moser – Pan of boy sailing thro’ sky.
34. John Terry – He crashes through roof; Indians exit; fight
35. Frank Moser – close-up of fight.
36. Jerry Shields – In close-up circle: Dog takes off sweaters.
37. Frank Moser – fight continues.
38. Frank Moser – In close-up circle, dog bites Indian
39. Frank Moser – fight continues in final scene.