Tropical Breezes

A British Steamboat Willie? This early British sound cartoon might not have been the first, but it’s a cracker

Is this the British Steamboat Willie? A comic duo are left stranded on an unusual deserted island, where lions roam and the kangaroos play “Swanee River” on their banjos. The adventures of Hite and Mite (named after a competition in the News of the World) are synchronised to the musical soundtrack in variety of ways, and the human characters are a nice change from anthropomorphic animals.

Hite and Mite were caricatures of their creators, perhaps helping explain their engaging personalities, but sadly this appears to be their sole outing. Sid Griffiths had produced the Jerry The Troublesome Tyke series for Pathe in the mid-1920s, assisted by Brian White who went on to create the popular Daily Mail comic strip “The Nipper” which ran between 1933 and 1947.