Little Audrey

Little Audrey (full name: Audrey Smith) is a fictional character, appearing in Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better-known Little Lulu, devised after Paramount decided not to renew the license on Marjorie Henderson Buell's comic strip character. Despite some superficial similarities between the two characters, the Famous animators were at pains to design Audrey in contrast to Lulu, adopting an entirely different color scheme and employing the stylistic conventions common to Famous Studios' later '40s repertoire, as opposed to Buell's individualistic rendering of Little Lulu. Little Audrey was voiced by Mae Questel, who had also voiced Little Lulu, as well as most of Paramount's other major female cartoon characters including Betty Boop and Olive Oyl.

History

Animated cartoons

According to most sources, Audrey first appeared in the Noveltoon Santa's Surprise (1947), where she was the most prominent member of a multicultural child cast, and was briefly seen in the January 1948 Popeye cartoon Olive Oyl for President. Her first starring vehicle was the Noveltoons short Butterscotch and Soda, released July 16, 1948. In common with many animated shorts of the period, child-like fantasy played an important role in Audrey's early cartoons, which often used dream sequences as the basis of the storylines. In this way, Audrey could ride the clouds with Mother Goose (Goofy Goofy Gander, 1950), attend a wedding in Cakeland (Tarts and Flowers, also 1950), or face an underwater tribunal of outraged catfish (The Seapreme Court, 1954). Slapstick humor crept into the series with the release of Surf Bored (1953), which pitted the precocious little girl against a hulking but ultimately brainless life guard. A total of sixteen Noveltoons starring Audrey were produced for theatrical release sets in 1900s, several of which were re-packaged for television from the late 50s on.

She was the only character in the Noveltoons series to have their own theme song with vocals ("Little Audrey Says", by Winston Sharples and Buddy Kaye). Some other characters (and certain one-shots) in the series had their own themes, but were entirely instrumental. Two other Noveltoons spin-offs, Casper the Friendly Ghost and Herman and Katnip had their own vocal themes, but only after leaving the Noveltoons series.

Television era

The pre-October 1950 Little Audrey Noveltoons were sold to television distributor U.M.&M. T.V. Corp. in 1956. Only two Little Audrey cartoons were syndicated with U.M.&M. titles. National Telefilm Associates completed the refilming of the titles to the other Little Audrey cartoons that were sold to U.M.&M. The post-September 1950 cartoons would be sold to Harvey Comics, when they acquired the rights to the character in 1959. Some prints of Little Audrey cartoons survive with their Paramount "spinning star" openings intact.

Meanwhile, Olive Oyl for President would be sold along with the rest of the Popeye series to Associated Artists Productions. In fact, the cartoon's closing music would be used as the theme for the company's closing logo from the Popeye cartoons originally released in Technicolor, just as the cartoon's opening theme (which actually was on most color releases from 1943 to early 1948) would be used on the a.a.p. opening logo for these cartoons.

Comic strip

Animation historian Jerry Beck notes Famous Studios animator Steve Mufatti drew a short-lived "Little Audrey" comic strip in 1951 syndicated by King Features. These strips were also reprinted in 1952-55 Harvey Comics. [1]

Comic books

Little Audrey was never as successful as Famous' best known creation, Casper the Friendly Ghost, but the character had considerable success in printed form. The first Little Audrey comic book series was St. John Publications from April 1948 to May 1952. Featuring stories which depended more on situation comedy than on fantasy, the comics featured artwork done in a style approximating the original Famous character designs (most of them by Steve Muffati). The series met with moderate success on the newsstand, running for approximately twenty-four issues until Little Audrey was licensed by Harvey Comics in 1952.

Initially, Harvey's comic-book version closely followed its animated template, but the character was redesigned during the mid-fifties to conform more closely to the company's in-house style. The general storyline was simultaneously overhauled to provide Audrey with supporting characters such as Melvin Wisenheimer, her ugly, prankish archrival, and Tiny, a young black boy. Domestic comedy gradually took over the scripts, as Audrey was shown in conflict with parents, teachers, and other authority figures.

Harvey purchased the rights to all of Famous' original properties - Little Audrey included - in 1958, also acquiring the rights to the post-1950 Audrey cartoons. It was during this time that the "definitive" Audrey came into being, taking on the signature red dress and appearance most often associated with the character. By 1960, Little Audrey was the best known of Harvey's female characters due to her multi-media presence (comic books, television/theatrical animation and - briefly - newspaper strips), although her popularity was later eclipsed by the company's other female characters, Little Dot, Wendy the Good Little Witch and Little Lotta.

Later comic series were titled Playful Little Audrey and Little Audrey & Melvin. In the latter, Audrey and Melvin become less antagonistic and Audrey demonstrates affections for and jealousy towards him, much like Little Lulu had tone with Tubby Tompkins.

During her most successful period, Audrey starred in at least four of her own titles and was a back-up feature in Richie Rich, Casper, and Dot. The character lasted until 1976, when an industry-wide distribution slump brought an end to most of Harvey's line and most children's comics in general. Since that time, the character has undergone several revivals and made scattered television and video appearances, most notably in The Richie Rich Show (1996) and Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure (1998).

"Little Audrey" jokes

Little Audrey jokes were in circulation in the 1930s, according to B.A. Botkin in his book A Treasury of American Folktales (1944):

Little Audrey is a folk-lore character about whom thousands of nonsensical short tales during the past five or six years — have been told. Sometimes Little Audrey parades as Little Emma or Little Gertrude, but she usually is recognizable by a catch phrase 'she just laughed and laughed'. The amusing incident is typically a catastrophe. Little Audrey sees the humor in any situation.

As the character audrey frequently ends her Noveltoon animations by laughing hysterically, it seems likely she is based on this folklore that precedes the animations.

An interesting aside

Issue #75 of Playful Little Audrey (April, 1968), containing the story "The ETC Sitter," indicates that Little Audrey's last name is Smith. This is confirmed in "Little Audrey and Melvin and The Secret of Silent Island" where Audrey's friend Lucretia (visiting her uncle Bruce Bagley) refers to Audrey's mother as "Mrs. Smith".

The comic "Little Audrey and Melvin and Cousin Suzie's Dance Party" reveals that she has a cousin named Suzie who has a friend named Bubu.

Appearance

Little Audrey has brown hair with ribbons. She wears a little dress with puffed sleeves, white ankle socks, and black Mary Jane shoes.

In the short subjects the dress and ribbons are blue, but by the time of her Harvey comics runs they are red.

Famous Studios filmography

All cartoons listed are entires in the Noveltoons series unless otherwise noted. Credited directors for each short are noted.

Title	Director	Release date	Summary
Santa's Surprise	Seymour Kneitel	December 5, 1947	As Santa delivers presents to Audrey and some other children, they slip into his sleigh to repay him by cleaning up his house, often with a clumsy Dutch boy's antics.
Olive Oyl for President Popeye the Sailor series	Isadore Sparber	January 30, 1948	Audrey appears briefly in a sequence where she's seen pushing a baby carriage, while licking a gigantic ice cream cone nestled inside of it.
Butterscotch and Soda	Seymour Kneitel	July 16, 1948	Audrey is confined to her room by her family's maid for wanting to eat candy instead of a nutritionally balanced lunch. She then dreams about going to a candy land, feasting on every scrumptious confection imaginable, and getting sick to her stomach while candy monsters narrate her painful plight in song, admonishing her for the pig she's made of herself, which eventually puts her off sweets.
The Lost Dream	Bill Tytla	March 18, 1949	Audrey has dreams about how dreams are made and cannot resist the temptation to open the Black Door.
Song of the Birds	Bill Tytla	November 18, 1949	Audrey is enjoying her air rifle, until she shoots down a baby bird and is filled with remorse until she sees it survived. The other birds, however, don't believe she's sincere about her reformation (even after she destroys the rifle), until the baby bird proves it. A remake of a March 1, 1935 Max Fleischer Color Classic of the same name. (Actually The Song of the Birds, the 'the' was dropped)
Tarts and Flowers	Bill Tytla	May 26, 1950	While waiting for her cookies to bake, Audrey dreams about a marriage between the Gingerbread Man and Angel Cake about to terminated by the Devil Cake.
Goofy Goofy Gander	Bill Tytla	August 18, 1950	When Audrey is sitting in the corner for not paying attention, she dreams about the Mother Goose Land about to be threatened by a couple of comic book crooks.
Hold the Lion Please	Isadore Sparber	August 27, 1951	Audrey really wants a pet, but she can't afford one. At the zoo she tries to get a baby kangaroo and seal but their mothers won' let her. Audrey then befriends a lion, who scares away the townspeople.
Audrey the Rainmaker	Isadore Sparber	October 26, 1951	Audrey is so annoyed by the rain, she wishes strongly it wouldn't rain again. She dreams that drought hits the continent hard that she seeks the Rainmaker for help.
Law and Audrey	Isadore Sparber	May 23, 1952	Audrey plays baseball with Pal, but she hurts and angers a police man several times, that he chases her, but Audrey rescues him from drowning in a pond.
The Case of the Cockeyed Canary	Seymour Kneitel	December 19, 1952	Audrey dreams she's a detective (complete with Deerstalker hat) on a case of murdered Cock Robin. She chases the suspect; a cuckoo bird (a caricature of Harpo Marx). Mary Canary confesses that she only shot Robin with a cupid arrow.
Surf Bored	Isadore Sparber	July 17, 1953	Audrey takes Pal to the beach regardless that dogs are not allowed. As Audrey tries to incessantly keep Pal, she has to rescue the life guard from a giant octopus.
The Seapreme Court	Seymour Kneitel	January 29, 1954	While fishing Audrey goes to the seabed and is tried a criminal in a fish court of murder. When she is to be sentenced to the eel-lectric chair, she tries to escape and finds that it was a dream.
Dizzy Dishes	Isadore Sparber	February 4, 1955	While using her contraption to wash dishes for her, Audrey dreams about aliens with the power to disintegrate. Only Audrey with her superweapons can stop them.
Little Audrey Riding Hood	Seymour Kneitel	October 14, 1955	Audrey is sent to take a cake to Grandma. At Grandma's house, a burglar is robbing the place, but has to hide in bed from Audrey. Once uncovered, the burglar chases Audrey until Grandma comes to her rescue.
Fishing Tackler	Isadore Sparber	March 29, 1957	Audrey and her dog Pal try to spend a peaceful day fishing, while avoiding the mean old truant officer.
Dawg Gawn	Seymour Kneitel	December 12, 1958	Pal so much wants to go to school with Audrey, but she shoos him away. Audrey then has to rescue Pal from a sadistic dogcatcher.

These episodes were rebroadcast as The Harveytoons Show (aka Casper and Friends) which currently airs on Teletoon Retro.

External links

• Archive.Org:

• Song of the Birds (1935) (does not have Audrey but inspired the later adaptation)
• Santa's Surprise (1947)
• Butterscotch and Soda (1948)
• The Lost Dream (1949)
• Tarts and Flowers (May 1950)
• Goofy Goofy Gander (August 1950)
• Seapreme Court (1954)

• ClassicMedia.TV Harvey Entertainment Free Cartoons:

• Case of Cockeyed Canary (1952)
• Little Audrey Riding Hood (1955)

• Elmyra Duff's Free Little Audrey Comics
• Toonopedia page on Little Audrey