Cartoon Alley facts for kids

Cartoon Alley was a fun TV show that brought classic animated cartoons back to the screen. It aired on the TCM channel every Saturday morning from 2004 to 2007. The show was like a special collection of old cartoons that families could enjoy together!

Each episode of Cartoon Alley was hosted by Ben Mankiewicz. He would introduce three classic cartoon shorts, usually from the 1930s to the 1950s. These cartoons were often from what's called the Golden Age of American animation. All three shorts in an episode usually shared a common theme.

Many of the cartoons came from famous studios like Warner Bros., MGM, and Paramount. This meant you could see popular characters like Bugs Bunny, Popeye, Porky Pig, Tom and Jerry, Droopy, and many others. Sometimes, even less famous characters like Goopy Geer and The Captain and the Kids appeared. A cool thing about Cartoon Alley was that the cartoons were often shown exactly as they were made, without any cuts.

How Cartoon Alley Became Popular

When Cartoon Alley first started in November 2004, it only aired once a month. But people loved it so much that the show became a weekly feature in September 2005!

The show usually took a break in February. This was because TCM had a special event called "31 Days of Oscar," where they showed many movies that had won or were nominated for Academy Awards. Cartoon Alley finished its run in the autumn of 2007.

Featured Cartoon Directors

Many talented people directed the original cartoon shorts shown on Cartoon Alley. Here are some of the famous directors whose work was featured:

• Tex Avery
• Joseph Barbera
• Robert Clampett
• Arthur Davis
• Earl Duvall
• David Hand
• Max Fleischer
• Dave Fleischer
• Friz Freleng
• William Hanna
• Hugh Harman
• Rudolph Ising
• Chuck Jones
• Seymour Kneitel
• Dick Lundy
• Robert McKimson
• Isadore Sparber

See also

• The Tex Avery Show
• ToonHeads
• The Bob Clampett Show
• The Popeye Show