Product Details

• Format: Animated, Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 70 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302420261
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,759 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Out of the Inkwell" and into your VCR!, August 24, 2000

By 

Andrew Gilmore (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max Fleischer's Koko the Clown [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell" (later changed to "Inkwell Imps") cartoons are overlooked classics of early animation. These were some of the earliest cartoons to mix live-action with animation, thus paving the way for later live-action\animation films like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". This tape contains 10 of the later "Inkwell Imps" cartoons from the late 1920s, which ingeniously combine the live-action and animation. For example, in "Koko's Courtship" (1927), Koko's dog Fritz follows an errand boy to make sure he doesn't waste time on his way to deliver a drawing of Koko. The scene cuts back and forth between the errand boy walking and Fritz following. In "Koko's Hot Ink" (1928), Koko and Fritz swim in a live-action swimming pool.

Out of over 100 Inkwell cartoons that were made between 1919 and 1929, only 23 of them are available on various videos, which is a sorry fate for this overlooked masterpiece.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Classic, but...., August 29, 2001

By 

Bill Camarata "Bill" (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Max Fleischer's Koko the Clown [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I would have liked to have seen this collection with at least a musical score or a little more information on the history of these fine cartoons. As it is, it's an interesting artifact of historical importance to animation buffs, but only really enjoyable when enjoyed in small doses. Maybe I'll try listening to this stuff with some fast techno-dance music playing at about 240 beats per minute, instead of instrumental organ background, which is what you'd expect. Pick your own background - and be warned: this tape is SILENT!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Max Fleischer's first 'star', January 30, 2009

By 

Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Max Fleischer's Koko the Clown [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Koko the Clown was created by Max Fleischer in 1919, by using his rotoscoping device and brother Dave dressed in a clown suit (Rotoscope allowed animators to make drawings from photographs or film). The character was called "the clown" until 1923, when Dick Huemer reworked his appearance and named him Ko-Ko The hyphen was dropped in 1927 after Fleischer affiliated with Paramount Studios. Fleischer's first famous animation was retired and brought back frequently over the decades, the last time being 1960, when 100 color shorts were produced for TV with Larry Storch as Koko's voice.

The ten silent shorts presented on MAX FLEISCHER'S KOKO THE CLOWN were all directed by Dave Fleischer.
Includes pipe organ soundtrack.

CONTENTS--

CHEMICAL KOKO (1929) - A live action black janitor is turned white by a potion. Ko-Ko tries the stuff on various animals.

KOKO THE KID (1927) - Our clown finds the Fountain of Youth and sprays the city with its magical waters.

KOKO's COURTSHIP (1928) - Fleischer's office boy flirts with a girl and the drawings of Ko-Ko and Fitz dog that he's carrying come to life.

KOKO's HAREM SCAREM (1929) - Koko and Fitz emerge from an Arabian emir's ink bottle, and frolic in his harem.

KOKO HOPS OFF (1927) - Clown and dog try to fly around the world.

KOKO's BIG SALE (1929) - Bizarre animation has Koko and Fitz trying to be salesmen.

KOKO's CONQUEST (1929) - Dave F. draws a fair-haired maiden for our hero to rescue.

KOKO'S HOT INK (1929) - Clown and dog sweat under a blazing sun until they jump into a real swimming pool.

Also recommended--
RHINO/WEA's WEIRD CARTOONS 1 has an hour's worth of unusual animation from Disney, Fleischer, Iwerks, Lantz and more!