TUESDAY in LA: “Tex Avery vs. Jay Ward”

My Animation Tuesday screening this month is the first in a new series of semi-regular face-offs: The Heavyweights of Cartoon Comedy. We will periodically pit two titans of animation anarchy against each other — and this month we’ll be comparing and contrasting the work of Tex Avery and Jay Ward.

Who was funnier: Avery or Ward? Does it matter? Avery was the “King of Cartoons” with his series of MGM theatrical shorts of the ‘40s and ‘50s. His animated masterpieces practically invented the language of cartoons, and are rife with exploding bombs, eye-popping doubletakes and girl-hungry Hollywood wolves. Jay Ward, the prize-winning Bay Area producer, revolutionized TV toons in the ‘60s with witty dialogue, funny artwork and zany characters like Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right and Super Chicken. This big-screen contest will screen some of the best of the best (in rare 35mm film prints) – and the audience will be the real winner! The showdown begins at 8pm on Tuesday July 5th at The Cinefamily (aka The Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax) in Hollywood. Advance tickets on sale now!