boblipton
This Mutt and Jeff cartoon was directed by Charley Bowers, shortly before he turned to absurd live-action short films. It shows his typical care, both in the drawings of the characters and a surprisingly elaborate back ground. Mutt and Jeff are out looking for fire wood during a cold snap; the Devil appears and takes them to the Hot Place, where they are put in charge of making sure that the last fire there doesn't go out. Their job is complicated by the imps and demons, as well as the fire insisting on wandering around.This one harks back in look and story line a couple of decades. Had it been done live action, it might have been directed by Georges Melies, although the techniques of editing and story telling are clearly current for 1926. It's still a fairly interesting and inventive cartoon.
