This the the third of the four John Doormat cartoons done by the Terry organization and the first under the revamped design scheme mandated by Gene Deitch. This scheme, which carried the UPA simplifications to their furthest standard were partially aesthetics -- they certainly made Terrytoons stand out from the neater work still favored by the other studios -- and partially economic. In an era of shrinking demand for theatrical cartoons and while the idea of new American-made cartoons for television was just being tried out, cheaper was better.
In this one, the hag-ridden John (voiced by Lionel Wilson, best known for voicing Terrytoon's Tom Terrific) is harangued by neighbor Alan Swift (doing a Frank Nelson imitation) to stand up for himself and not do unmanly housework. It's all pretty standard, but the startling new style of graphics make it more than animated radio. You may not care for the look -- I know I don't -- but it certainly looks like itself and not the knock-off Disney work that Terry's studio had aspired to for many a year.
In this one, the hag-ridden John (voiced by Lionel Wilson, best known for voicing Terrytoon's Tom Terrific) is harangued by neighbor Alan Swift (doing a Frank Nelson imitation) to stand up for himself and not do unmanly housework. It's all pretty standard, but the startling new style of graphics make it more than animated radio. You may not care for the look -- I know I don't -- but it certainly looks like itself and not the knock-off Disney work that Terry's studio had aspired to for many a year.
