Scotch Highball (1917) - A very shaky, very drunk cartoon

You should only watch Scotch Highball if you have a deep love for the history of animation or if you just like seeing how people used to draw before they really understood how bones work. It is perfect for anyone who finds the scratchy, vibrating look of 100-year-old film oddly relaxing. If you’re looking for a plot that makes sense or a high-def experience, you are going to absolutely hate this. 🥃

This is one of those early Paul Terry cartoons featuring Farmer Al Falfa. If you don't know who that is, he’s basically just a grumpy old man made of shaky ink lines who gets into trouble with animals or, in this case, a glass of scotch.

The whole thing feels like it was drawn on the back of a napkin while someone was riding a very bumpy horse. The lines don't stay still for even a second. It gives the movie this weird energy, like the characters are constantly shivering from a cold breeze we can't see.

Frank Moser did the animation here, and you can tell he was just figuring things out as he went. There is a moment where the farmer’s arm stretches out to grab the bottle, and it looks like a piece of gray spaghetti. It’s not smooth, and it definitely isn't realistic, but there is something so human about the mistakes.

I noticed that the background doesn't always line up with where the characters are standing. Sometimes the farmer looks like he is floating a few inches above the grass. It doesn't really matter, though, because the whole point is just to see him get drunk and act silly.

The way they portrayed drinking in 1917 was always so exaggerated. Once the highball hits his system, the farmer's face starts doing things that should be medically impossible. His nose seems to grow and shrink, and his beard has a mind of its own.

It reminded me a bit of The Breath of a Nation which also went heavy on the 'drinking is funny' trope. I guess back then, with Prohibition looming, everyone was just obsessed with the idea of a good stiff drink causing total chaos.

There is a dog in this short that is genuinely unsettling. He doesn't move like a dog; he moves like a series of circles that are trying very hard to stay connected to each other. His tail just sort of flickers in and out of existence depending on the frame.

One specific moment that made me laugh was when the farmer tries to walk in a straight line. The animators didn't really use enough frames, so he kind of just teleports from one position to the next. It’s unintentional comedy, but it works better than some of the actual jokes.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Scotch Highball (1930) through its definitive frames.

The 'highball' itself is just a black blob in a glass. There are these little white dots that are supposed to be bubbles, but they stay perfectly still while the glass moves. It’s such a small detail, but once you see it, you can't look at anything else.

I wonder if Paul Terry knew he’d be doing this kind of thing for the next few decades. You can see the DNA of his later, more famous stuff here, but it’s so raw and unpolished. It feels like looking at a rough draft of someone's childhood dream.

Compared to a drama like Freckles from the same year, this feels like it belongs to a completely different planet. One is trying so hard to be serious, and this one is just trying to make a line drawing look like it’s having a stroke.

The film stock is in pretty rough shape, too. There are black vertical lines running through the middle of the screen for half the runtime. It adds to the charm, I think. It feels like you’re looking through a dusty window into the past.

I noticed a weird glitch where the farmer's hat disappears for exactly two frames during a transition. It’s the kind of thing that would be a huge 'error' today, but in 1917, they probably just said 'close enough' and went to lunch. I respect that.

There isn't any sound, obviously, so you’re left with just the visual rhythm of the ink. It’s fast. Almost too fast. Everything happens at 100 miles per hour, and then it’s just over.

If you watch it, pay attention to the way the trees in the background are drawn. They look like lollipops that someone gave up on halfway through. There is no detail, just a circle and a stick, but in the context of this shaky world, it makes total sense.

Is it a masterpiece? No way. But it’s a fascinating mess. It’s like a five-minute window into how people used to entertain themselves before the world got so complicated. 📽️

Didja notice?

• The way the farmer’s beard moves independently of his chin.
• The Scotch bottle has no label, it’s just a menacing black shape.
• The grass is just three little lines repeated over and over.
• The dog’s ears seem to switch sides at one point.
• There is one frame where the farmer's eyes are just empty white circles. Scary.

I think the best way to enjoy this is to not think about it too much. Just let the flickering lights wash over you and appreciate the fact that someone sat down and hand-drew every single one of those wobbling lines. It’s human work, even if the characters don't look very human at all.