Max Fleischer
1883 - 1972Fleischer was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios. He brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations including the Rotoscope.
(Wikipedia)
Fadeaway
Dave Fleischer
Max Fleischer
This fascinating series features Max himself, filmed in live action, sitting at a drawing board and concocting adventures for his star performer Ko-Ko the Clown. Max is supposedly the guy in charge, and he takes sadistic glee in putting Ko-Ko through various forms of hell, but the clown usually fights back and sometimes gets the best of his Uncle Max. FADEAWAY elevates this charged relationship to new heights (or depths?) of nightmarish surrealism; it's also one of the most enjoyable Inkwell cartoons I've seen to date, packing lots of imaginative, unpredictable twists and turns into an eight minute running time.
Fadeaway
Koko the Barber
Dave Fleischer
Max Fleischer
In this 1925 Out of the Inkwell short, Ko-Ko the Clown becomes a barber. As usual, he eventually escapes the animated world for the "real." He hides in a shaving mug and when Max tries to lather up, he inadvertently blacks up, making literal the implicit minstrelsy of the Ko-Ko series.
Ko-Ko the Barber
