Just Added! Long Lost Betty Boop Cartoon!

We’ve been able to secure a last-minute booking for a Betty Boop cartoon that was considered lost for decades. Discovered in an archive in Russia in 2019, and restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive with funding provided by ASIFA-Hollywood, you’ll now have the opportunity to be one of the first to see it on a big theater screen. This adds another emblematic work to our tribute to Dave Fleischer. With eleven classic cartoons, informative and entertaining introductions by our animation historians, plus free parking and the opportunity to tour the Hollywood Heritage Museum at no charge, it adds up to the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon celebrating the Golden Age of Hollywood.

New Date: Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 2:00 PM

Thanks to a new partnership between the Alex Film Society, the Hollywood Legion Theater and Hollywood Heritage, we’re finally able to present our rescheduled Christmas show, in the heart of Hollywood, at the historic Hollywood Legion Theater, just across the street from the Hollywood Heritage Museum. In addition to enjoying this year’s impressive lineup of classic animation from Hollywood’s Golden Age, you’ll also have the opportunity to visit the Hollywood Heritage Museum. And thanks to the generosity of Hollywood Heritage, you’ll be able to park for free in the lot adjacent to the museum and tour the Lasky-DeMille Barn for free before our show starts at 2:00 PM.

Visit the Hollywood Heritage Museum Before the Show

The Lasky-DeMille Barn, built in 1901 is the oldest remaining motion picture production building in Hollywood, and the companies that it housed evolved to become Paramount Pictures. The museum documents the early days of the motion picture industry in Hollywood and the early Hollywood community through archival photos, historic documents, props and related memorabilia, and features a re-creation of famed director Cecil B. DeMille’s office. Your ticket to Greatest Cartoons Ever! will grant free admission to the museum, starting at 12:00 PM on the day of the show.

General Admission – Online Ticket Sales Available Now

Tickets may be purchased in advance online, then printed at home, or downloaded to your phone.

Ticket Prices

• Adults – $16.00
• Member Groups*  – $12.00
• Students & Seniors – $12.00
• Kids 11 and under – $10.00

Members of AFS, Post 43, Hollywood Heritage, and Hollywood Legion Theater Film Coalition Members: Film Noir Foundation; Secret Movie Club; Retroformat Silent Films.

Tickets are now available at the following link:

Greatest Cartoons Ever! at 2:00 PM

COVID Protocols

The Legion Theater will enforce any COVID protocols required by governmental authorities on the day of the show. We fully support audience members who may feel more comfortable wearing a mask.

Lineup for the 10th Annual Greatest Cartoons Ever!

Please join us for a fun-filled afternoon with family and friends, enjoying the 10th edition of the Alex Film Society’s The Greatest Cartoons Ever!. Featuring tributes to animation pioneers Tex Avery and Dave Fleischer, you’ll also see many of your favorite cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Popeye & Olive Oyl and Woody Woodpecker, plus a special appearance by Superman, curated by animation historians Jerry Beck and Frank Gladstone. It’s a rare treat to see classic animation on a big theater screen, so please join us for fun the entire family can share together.

THE WISE QUACKING DUCK (1943, R. Clampett)

This animated gag fest features the classic, lunatic Daffy Duck (before he became a foil for Bugs Bunny) versus mild mannered Mr. Meek, haplessly trying to provide a duck dinner for Mrs. Meek, aka: “Sweety Puss.”

A TRIBUTE TO DAVE FLEISCHER

HA! HA! HA! (1934, D. Fleischer)

Using the “Out of the Inkwell” format, in this Betty Boop cartoon, Koko gets a toothache and Betty, taking on the role of a dentist, gives KoKo a dose of laughing gas.

SOMEWHERE IN DREAMLAND (1936, D. Fleischer)

Recently restored, this was the Fleischer’s first film in full Technicolor and features a remarkable use of the studio’s stereoscopic “set back” technique for backgrounds.

TERROR ON THE MIDWAY (1942, D. Fleischer)

This short is a terrific entry into the highly influential and ahead-of-its-time Superman series. Great use of animation, camera technique and lighting to tell a “King Kong-esque” story.

A TRIBUTE TO TEX AVERY

THE SHOOTING OF DAN MCGOO (1945, T. Avery)

The second of Avery’s Droopy cartoons, it soon becomes an hilarious Droopy and the Wolf gag fest.

CRACKPOT QUAIL (1941, T. Avery)

Much like his classic Elmer Fudd vs. BugsBunny match ups, director Fred “Tex” Avery’s Willoughby the Dog chases a wise-cracking Quail.

LONESOME LENNY (1946, T. Avery)

The fifth and last of Tex Avery’s outrageous Screwy Squirrel cartoons is a loose parody of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice And Men, with Avery again voicing the title character.

CARTOON STARS OF THE SILVER SCREEN

WOODY WOODPECKER in SKI FOR TWO (1944, J. Culhane)

With great animation, a Christmas theme and a terrific musical number, “The Sleigh a la Russe,” for Woody, this is a real holiday treat.

POPEYE & OLIVE OYL in WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO RIO (1945, J.Tyler / I.Sparber)

Popeye and Bluto, on shore leave, visit Rio and fall in love with Olive Oyl (who else?), a bewitching Samba dancer, in this beautifully produced musical cartoon.

BUGS BUNNY in BULLY FOR BUGS (1953, C. Jones)

Director Chuck Jones said that this cartoon started out as a directive from Warner Bros. management not to do a bullfighting cartoon, which, of course, immediately prompted Chuck and writer Michael Maltese to develop what is often lauded as one of the best entries in the Bugs Bunny canon.

(Lineup is subject to program availability)

Our Onstage Hosts for the Program

Frank Gladstone

Frank Gladstone began his career managing his Emmy award-winning animation studio, Persistence of Vision, and has since held management positions at Disney, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks, among others. Now CEO of Gladstone Film, he directs and consults for both major and independent studios. He currently teaches animation history at CalState Long Beach and lectures on animation, filmmaking and story structure at universities and professional organizations world-wide. A past commissioner for the City of Glendale Arts Council, Frank is ASIFA-Hollywood’s executive director and the executive producer of the industry’s annual Annie Awards.

Jerry Beck

Jerry Beck is a well-known animation historian and cartoon producer. His twelve books on the subject include The Animated Movie Guide; Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide; and The 50 Greatest Cartoons. A former studio exec, he is currently a consulting producer at Warner Bros., Universal and Disney for their classic animation compilations. Beck has programmed retrospectives for the Annecy and Ottawa Animation Festivals, The Museum of Modern Art and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He is currently teaching animation history at Cal Arts and other universities locally and nationally; he is also the editor of two animation blogs, Cartoon Research and Animation Scoop.

Location and Parking

Address: 2035 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068.

Free parking for this event is available across Highland Avenue from the theater in front of the Hollywood Heritage Museum – this is also known as Hollywood Bowl Lot D. Enter the lot from either Odin St. or Milner Rd.

Paid parking is available in the lot behind the theater for $5.00. Parking is free for cars with disabled parking placards.

Public transit: Ride the Metro Red Line to the Hollywood/Highland station. From there it’s a 12 – 15 minute walk up Highland Avenue to the theater and museum.

The Hollywood Legion Theater IS Hollywood History

Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart downed cocktails and shot pool here, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple were Honorary Colonels here, and the American Legion Post 43—our stunning, historic home—had members including Gene Autry, Charlton Heston, and so many more. Our unique ties to the Golden Age of Hollywood make us passionate about giving you classic filmgoing experiences.