John Sutherland Productions
Series
About John Sutherland Productions
Coming from a background producing Disney animated films, John Sutherland first partnered with fellow ex-Disney lyricist Larry Morey to produce a series of puppet films for United Artists. When the Daffy Dittys series failed to gain traction, Morey returned to Disney, and Sutherland began focusing on "industrial" films, films financed by large corporate entities to enhance their public image and change public opinion.
One of Sutherland's more important relationships began in the late 1940s, when Alfred P. Sloan- then the head of General Motors- bankrolled a grant through his Sloan Foundation to Harding College. With The Sloan Foundation money, Harding College pushed the production of a series of short films that extolled the virtues of the American way of life. These propaganda films for big business lauded the salutary effects of capitalism and buisiness as the economic drivers of a Utopian future.
John Sutherland Productions was known for the high quality of the animation in their films. The production values rivaled that of his previous employer, Walt Disney. Sutherland had left Disney on good terms, and Walt Disney (as well as Darryl Zanuck) was known to refer clients to Sutherland's studio over the years. Sutherland hired quality artists, and paid his employees well, as the money he made in industrial films was higher than in the entertainment field. Some of the better know people who worked for him over the years included Maurice Noble, Eyvind Earle, William Hanna, Joseph Barbera, Carl Urbano, Emery Hawkins, Abe Levitow, Bob Bemiller, Bill Nolan, Darrell Calker, Eugene Poddany, Paul J. Smith, Bill Melendez, Phil Roman, Art Scott, and Warner Bros. director Frank Tashlin.
Sutherland's biggest claim to fame at Disney was voicing the adult Bambi for the film. Disney archivist and historian Dave Smith found no positive proof that Sutherland in fact voiced the character. This finding does not exclude the claim either; Disney practices at the time was to credit few if any voice actors. Smith conclusively stated, "I don’t find any names or recording dates for an adult Bambi." He did find other dates for Sutherland voicing characters, pointing out that Sutherland definitely performed voice test for Owl on April 3, 1939, for Mr. Hare on May 4, 1939, and for Mouse on February 2, 1940. In an interesting twist of fate, Sutherland married Paula Winslowe- the voice of Bambi’s mother- on September 16, 1939.
Cartoons
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The Traitor Within
Famous animator John Sutherland puts to rest popular myths about the dreaded disease cancer.
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Albert in Blunderland
Animated critique of New Deal–type liberalism. In a dream, "Albert," a worker in a statist economy, is forced to watch a state-sponsored "free movie" on national planning. On awakening, he…
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Living Unlimited
Advertising film illustrating Frigidaire's plans for convenient, high-tech appliances for the "housewife of the future." Animated sequences explain the woman's role as helpmate and how man'…
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The Devil and John Q
In this short about inflation, the Devil appears as a business tycoon and tries to sway John Q. Public at a dinner.
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A Is For Atom
What an atom is, how energy is released from certain kinds of atoms, the peacetime uses of atomic energy, and the byproducts of nuclear fission. The important role of the atom in medicine,…
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It's Everybody's Business
A film about American capitalism.
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Bananas? Si, Señor!
Introduction to the banana industry that blends live action and animation. The short promotes United Fruit's "industrial integration" and contribution to the Central American economy.
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Destination Earth
Science-fiction-influenced cartoon sponsored by petroleum producers to lionize their industry and promote free enterprise. Martian dissidents learn that oil and competition are the two thin…
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The Living Circle
Short sponsored by the United Fruit Company to blunt "communist propaganda claims" in the American and Latin American press. Using animation and live action, the short describes the benefit…
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Working Dollars
A cartoon for grownups explaining how the stock market works, told through the story of an everyman named Mr. Finchley. It suggests that the best place for those extra dollars is the New Yo…
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The Mighty Atom
Featuring Reddy Kilowatt
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Rhapsody of Steel
Big-budget film about iron and steel that was produced as part of U.S. Steel's campaign against competing steel imports and alternative materials like aluminum. Told with animation and few…
