Count Screwloose
Count Screwloose was a character in the comic strip Count Screwloose from Tooloose by Milt Gross, introduced on February 17, 1929 . The count was a mentally ill man who frequently left the insanity asylum where he resided to go out in the real world. There he often met people who acted more crazy than he did and thus he always went back, telling his dog Iggy: "Iggy, keep an eye on me", which became a national catchphrase at the time. The series was discontinued in 1935.[1]
In 1937, despite not being particularly popular, the comic strip was adapted into a short-lived cartoon series by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer of only two cartoons. Both of the two cartoons were released in 1939.[2]
History
MGM brought in established newspaper cartoonist Milt Gross in an attempt to both bolster the Captain and the Kids product and create original properties for MGM, but his tenure at the studio was short-lived. Gross managed to complete two cartoons, Jitterbug Follies and Wanted: No Master, with his characters Count Screwloose of Tooloose and J.R. the Wonder Dog.
- Jitterbug Follies
- Wanted: No Master