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 the American animator J. R. Bray and is mainly based on Theodore Roosevelt 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. It was produced by Bray Productions and directed by Vernon Stallings. 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 # 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."
References
External links Colonel Heeza Liar at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. at Big Cartoon DataBase Bray Animation Project