Thank You Mask Man (1971)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Directors:

Lenny Bruce
John Magnuson

Writers:

Lenny Bruce (story)
Jeff Hale (writer)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy

Plot:

Tells how the Lone Ranger hooks up with Tonto. With Lenny Bruce doing all the voices, this animation...

Plot Keywords:

Mask | Cult Favorite | Adult Animation | Gay Interest | Homosexual

Cast

Lenny Bruce

...

The Lone Ranger / Various (voice)

Runtime:

8 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Columbus Productions

Quotes:

The Lone Ranger: I'm not a fag! But I've heard a lot about it and read exposes. I want to try it now to see how bad it is. Just once.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940)

Pity he didn't do more of these

This eight-minute cartoon is essentially some crude animation over a recording of Lenny Bruce's live comic bit about the Lone Ranger, with a few very basic sound effects & music.

What's surprising is how well it works. The animation is timed perfectly with the live recording, & actually enhances the comedy. It's a very simple cartoon, but the characters look just right. Although you can hear the audience laughing their heads off at the show, now I can't imagine it being funny without the pictures.

It's not Lenny's most savagely satirical or scandalous bit by a long shot, but it was pretty out there for its day, & the cartoon is definitely not for children.

Today, we're becoming used to seeing swearing, sex, extreme violence & clever social commentary in animation. It's a pity that Lenny isn't around - I can see him producing a show called 'The Sick Cartoons Of Lenny Bruce' & becoming a millionaire.

Or he'd just become a writer for The Simpsons.