C&C - Pete Smith Day 2023 [9/21]

[[classic swim]]

12:30AM - 1:30AM

Puberty, a few Brak Shows, Cartoon Planet again hopefully, old promos from a better time, and maybe some new stuff sprinkled in.

*tonight!*

 

[Daikun]

Wait... Cartoon Planet airs on Pete Smith Day? That's news to me. I thought it was just Brak and Bob's Burgers.

 

[[classic swim]]

Wait... Cartoon Planet airs on Pete Smith Day?

Yep. Segments are usually played in very small doses leading up to commercial break.

Years ago they had a Pete Smith Day stream for the site/app that would play some Cartoon Planet with relatively good masters.

 

[[classic swim]]

[Puberty]

“Johnny often imagines his own genitals projected next to his naked body. It excites him.”


Bruce Taylor was one enchanting, crucial voice for Adult Swim as I knew it. That’s something evident with a lot of Pete Smith’s own genius work, this special even more so.

Adult Swim was always a victim of mass generalization. Too many times, I’ve heard “stoner” by someone either desperately trying *and failing* to be funny, or someone who’s just not smart or clever enough to explain why he thinks The Brak Show sucks.


[as] has ribbed those moronic and never funny comments by viewers in the past, but I know some beloved creatives I’ll leave nameless who were also a bit snobby about their work being labeled “insane.” At that point it’s like, well, what do you call it then?


This special in its few minutes gives a rundown of what feels like the heart of the programming just in execution.

The absurdity wasn’t always some wolf monster popping out of no where with some sugar pills and a taste for computer blood carnage.

All it would take with these guys was the right idea along with the right line delivery, like just about everything else.


You can bear in mind also that this special’s a specific knock on 1950s Sex Ed, but the even larger takeaway, like usual is how they curate and dissect the footage they’re given. It’s a unique practice that used to extend with all of their ad work.


In their prime, even the promos for Adult Swim had their own identity to maintain. We wouldn’t still be celebrating the man behind them if that wasn’t the case.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Goldfish/Leave It to Brak]

Three hams will fill him!
Three hams will thrill him!
Why don’t you feed him...three HAMMMMMMMS!


Even if not so successful in the end, I’d say Brak Show started with its head on right.

Sure, the program’s a lot more fun during its “screw it, we’re getting cancelled” stage. But having that phony sitcom angle wasn’t the worst thing to weigh it down. If that, even.

The comedy in the first two episodes still happens to be really good.

If it took a bit for George Lowe to fully sink into the Dad character, you still have Zorak, Brak and Thundercleese who all help get the ball rolling as well.

Thundercleese only reminds you how amazing Carey Means is besides voicing Frylock. They couldn’t have chosen a better neighbor for Brak’s family to have.

Oh and, Mr. Tickles is the most charming one-time character.


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Time Machine/Diff’rent Braks]

Yeah, I’m about to go back on a point I just made about the later Brak episodes.

This is my all-time favorite out of the entire series, and it’s only the third episode.

I remember seeing it on TV for the first time, and I remember the earliest I saw it on Adult Swim dot com Video.

It’s nothing mind shattering, it’s just a really good time.

Brak wanting Fish Pockets, “yeah Buddy,” Zorak’s fear of Grandma Prison, Thundercleese enjoying vacation, the prevention of homework being invented; HEADKICKER. An infinitely memorable episode.

I also could never forget the late, great Don Kennedy as Marlon (sometimes Merlin).


_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Brak Street: Men in The Band]

This party needed good old Dad to come in and surprise it!

I’m gonna break it down so that its mom won’t recognize it!



There’s no real forgetting that showdown.

Brak Show really committed to the gift of song throughout its run, and I think this was one of the many times where they just went nuts with it.

Also: Meatwad cameo!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

[Anything else]

The event had a few new spots, with some Bruce Taylor goodies!

Other than that... underwhelming. There was no Cartoon Planet segments this year that I saw. I might’ve missed a bit from the feed but I doubt it.

The only reason the short timeframe didn’t bother me so much at first was because I only like Brak Show from this event. I don’t really watch Bob’s Burgers.

I guess I should be grateful they put something together at all. Clearly a lot less interest for it this time around which is saddening.

I can’t remember if last year also had 7 total timeslots for American Dad. If so.... yeesh.