Series of animated films produced by J. R. Bray Studios
Colonel Heeza Liar is the star of the second animated series featuring a recurring character and the first featuring a recurring character created specifically for an animated film. Sidney Smith's Old Doc Yak appeared in 3 lost films in 1913 before Colonel Heeza Liar appeared. Smith's series though was based on his Old Doc Yak comic strip. Smith did 13 additional cartoons in 1914 and 2 in 1915. Colonel Heeza Liar was created by J. R. Bray[1] and is mainly based on Theodore Roosevelt[2] and the general stereotype of the 19th and early 20th century former adventurer and lion hunter. The series ran from 1913 to 1917 and restarted in 1922 until 1924.[3] It was produced by Bray Productions and directed by Vernon Stallings.[4] The series was animated by Walter Lantz from 1922 to 1924 and featured live-action segments interacting with the animation, much like the popular contemporary series Out of the Inkwell.
Filmography
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Title
Release date
1
Colonel Heeza Liar in Africa
November 23, 1913
2
Colonel Heeza Liar's African Hunt
January 10, 1914
3
Colonel Heeza Liar Shipwrecked
March 14, 1914
4
Colonel Heeza Liar in Mexico
April 18, 1914
5
Colonel Heeza Liar, Farmer
May 18, 1914
6
Colonel Heeza Liar, Explorer
August 15, 1914
7
Colonel Heeza Liar in the Wilderness
September 26, 1914
8
Colonel Heeza Liar, Naturalist
October 24, 1914
9
Colonel Heeza Liar, Ghost Breaker
February 6, 1915
10
Colonel Heeza Liar in the Haunted Castle
February 20, 1915
11
Colonel Heeza Liar Runs the Blockade
March 20, 1915
12
Colonel Heeza Liar and the Torpedo
April 3, 1915
13
Colonel Heeza Liar and the Zeppelin
April 10, 1915
14
Colonel Heeza Liar Signs the Pledge
May 8, 1915
15
Colonel Heeza Liar in the Trenches
May 13, 1915
16
Colonel Heeza Liar at the Front
May 16, 1915
17
Colonel Heeza Liar, Aviator
May 22, 1915
18
Colonel Heeza Liar Invents a New Kind of Shell
June 5, 1915
19
Colonel Heeza Liar, Dog Fancier
July 10, 1915
20
Colonel Heeza Liar Foils the Enemy
July 31, 1915
21
Colonel Heeza Liar, War Dog
August 21, 1915
22
Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat
September 4, 1915
23
Colonel Heeza Liar, Nature Faker
December 28, 1915
24
Colonel Heeza Liar's Waterloo
January 6, 1916
25
Colonel Heeza Liar and the Pirates
March 5, 1916
26
Colonel Heeza Liar Wins the Pennant
April 27, 1916
27
Colonel Heeza Liar Captures Villa
May 25, 1916
28
Colonel Heeza Liar and the Bandits
June 22, 1916
29
Colonel Heeza Liar's Courtship
July 20, 1916
30
Colonel Heeza Liar on Strike
August 17, 1916
31
Colonel Heeza Liar Plays Hamlet
August 24, 1916
32
Colonel Heeza Liar Bachelor Quarters
September 14, 1916
33
Colonel Heeza Liar Gets Married
October 11, 1916
34
Colonel Heeza Liar, Hobo
November 15, 1916
35
Colonel Heeza Liar at the Vaudeville Show
December 21, 1916
36
Colonel Heeza Liar on the Jump
February 4, 1917
37
Colonel Heeza Liar, Spy Dodger
March 19, 1917
38
Colonel Heeza Liar's Temperance Lecture
August 20, 1917
39
Colonel Heeza Liar's Treasure Island
December 17, 1922
40
Colonel Heeza Liar and the Ghost
January 14, 1923
41
Colonel Heeza Liar, Detective
February 1, 1923
42
Colonel Heeza Liar's Burglar
March 11, 1923
43
Colonel Heeza Liar in the African Jungles
June 3, 1923
44
Colonel Heeza Liar in Uncle Tom's Cabin
July 8, 1923
45
Colonel Heeza Liar's Vacation
August 5, 1923
46
Colonel Heeza Liar's Forbidden Fruit
November 1, 1923
47
Colonel Heeza Liar, Strikebreaker
December 1, 1923
48
Colonel Heeza Liar's Mysterious Case
February 1, 1924
49
Colonel Heeza Liar's Ancestor
March 1, 1924
50
Colonel Heeza Liar's Knighthood
April 1, 1924
51
Colonel Heeza Liar, Sky Pilot
May 1, 1924
52
Colonel Heeza Liar, Daredevil
June 1, 1924
53
Colonel Heeza Liar's Horseplay
July 1, 1924
54
Colonel Heeza Liar, Cave Man
August 1, 1924
55
Colonel Heeza Liar, Bull Thrower
September 1, 1924
56
Colonel Heeza Liar the Lyin' Tamer
October 1, 1924
57
Colonel Heeza Liar's Romance
November 1, 1924
58
Colonel Heeza Liar, Nature Faker
December 1, 1924
Reception
Considering the first film, Colonel Heeza Liar in Africa, Leonard Maltin writes, "Technically, the film is adequate. Bray is true to perspective and proportions; when the character runs in circles, his drawings remain consistent and accurate. Movement is not smooth, but it's more than adequate to put over the simple story and gags."[5]
References
^Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-516729-0.