This film is part of Free
The Smoke from Grand-pa's Pipe
I’ll have what he’s smoking! - US import Jesse “Vet” Anderson breathes life (and smoke) into the UK animation industry
Overview
I’m not quite sure what’s in Grand-pa’s pipe, but it certainly fires the imagination. Jesse “Vet” Anderson didn’t come to Britain to animate, but after WWI brought him across the Atlantic he stuck around and brought his experience as a cartoonist, animator and art teacher to the London based Kine Komedy Kartoons. His example was significant in helping British animators move on from cut-out to cel animation. Sadly the surviving print of this film has faded badly, but the later scenes bring more clarity to his technique.
Anderson earned his nickname “Vet” from a spell in the US military during the Spanish-American War. After building experience and reputation as a newspaper cartoonist he set up the Vet Anderson School of Illustrating as a correspondence course. By 1916 he drifted into animating at the Bowers-Barré studio working on Mutt and Jeff cartoons. His time in British animation was short, but after various adventures he was back in the US industry by the 1930s.
Related
John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4 John Bull's Animated Sketchbook No. 4
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1915 5 mins Silent
An animated recreation of the sinking of the Lusitania is the centrepiece of this pioneering mix of comedy, satire and outrage in cartoon propaganda.
Oh'phelia A Cartoon Burlesque Oh'phelia A Cartoon Burlesque
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1919 10 mins Silent
To bob, or not to bob? That is the question for Ophelia in this early animated Hamlet, starring a far from gloomy Dane
The Right Spirit The Right Spirit
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1931 9 mins
Don’t judge a book by its cover but do judge a political party by its garage in this Conservative cartoon from the height of the depression.
Giro the Germ Episode 1 Giro the Germ Episode 1
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1927 8 mins Silent
The germs in this silent 1920s cartoon seem to have caught the Flapper bug
The Latest News The Latest News
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1904 1 mins Silent
The “Bill Bailey” punchline might have lost its meaning over the years, but this comic gag short features some of Britain’s earliest animation
Animated Putty Animated Putty
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1911 4 mins Silent
Long, long before Wallace met Gromit filmmakers performed malleable magic to bring clay to life
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.