Genesis 44, 45 Sunday School Notes

Here then are part of my notes for Sunday School, May 11, 2008, following Lifeway’s Explore the Bible Series. This week we focus on Genesis 44 and 45.

Gleaned from these more technical commentaries:

Nahum Sarna, JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis, Jewish Publication Society, 1989 link

Gleason Archer, R. Laird Harris, Bruce Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody, 1980 link

Robert Alter, Genesis:Translation and Commentary, Norton, 1997link

John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament InterVarsity Press, 2000link

Gen 44:1
Joseph commanded- presumably during the night.

Filling the bags to the brim with food, likely more than the brothers had paid for, helps make them look the worse when caught in the “theft”. The return of the money a second time is puzzling, especially since little is made of it after the fact. Nahum Sarna notes that Jewish medieval scholar Ramban thought it was an agreed compensation for the brothers’ trouble (three days in prison, returning to Egypt with Benjamin), while Robert Alter sees the money return as a way to keep the brothers confused and bewildered, trapped in a world of seeming magic.(Sarna, Alter)

Gen 44:2

goblet- Hebrew gavia, a container larger than a regular cup. That it is made of silver is not only a sign of its value but also a literary device, a continuing use of “silver”, kesef in Hebrew, which is repeated twenty times in the chapters (Genesis 42-45) recounting Joseph’s reunion with his brothers. (Sarna)

Gen 44:3

At morning light- this early departure is not only standard procedure for shepherds like the brothers, but also a sign of their desire to get out of Egypt and tangled affairs as soon as possible. It also explains why Joseph is at home when the brothers are brought back, since it is still early in the day.(Sarna)

with their donkeys – mentioned because they carry the packs and because fear they too will be taken by Joseph if he enslaves the brothers. (Gen 43:18 ) (Alter)

Gen 44:4

Had not gone very far from the city- Presumably in the region of Goshen, located in the NE corner of Egypt’s delta, the natural doorway between Egypt and Sinai. “Goshen” presumably comes from the Hebrew gush, “clod”, referring to the soil. Egyptian records record Semitic and Asian residents in the area from the late Sixth Dynasty (2250 BC), increasing by the time of the Hyksos invasion (1700 BC). The Delta was Egyptian cattle country, too. (Sarna)

Gen 44:5

Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination- A doubly valuable item, made of silver and having sacred, magical properties. The mention of divination is also meant to scare the brothers, emphasizing Joseph’s “all-seeing” knowledge.

In this sort of divination, a cup was filled with a liquid (water, oil, wine), then a few more drops (or stones) dropped in to form surface patterns that were read for oracular meaning. And typically, the Babylonians actually had books describing how to interpret the patterns. (Alter, Sarna, Walton Matthews Chavalas)

Gen 44:8

we even brought back…the money… how could we steal- drawing a “heavier” conclusion based upon a “lighter” premise, a traditional rabbinic reasoning method first illustrated here in the Bible. It is called “kal va-homer”.(Sarna)

Gen 44:9

let the thief die, and the rest of us become slaves- an overstated offer of punishment because the brothers are sure they are innocent. The actual penalty for theft in the ANE (Ancient Near East) varied. The Code of Hammurabi and Middle Assyrian laws do have some death penalties for types of theft, but the Codes of King Lipit-Ishtar the Eshunan kingdom are more lenient. Biblical law has no death penalty for theft of personal property. Some scholars suspect the sacred/magical nature of the goblet would increase the penalty for its theft.(Sarna)

 

Gen 44:10

The Hebrew is ambiguous here, so that different translations give different understandings of what the steward actually says. He either agrees the death penalty is proper, or accepts the brothers’ logic that they must be innocent. Whichever, the steward does not hold the whole group responsible, but only the thief

go free- the Hebrew, naki, is a legal term for “acquited, cleared” (Sarna)

Gen 44:11

each one quickly- the speed shows the brothers surety of their innocence, and likely their desire to be away from all this hassle.

Gen 44:12

The steward cleverly opts to search the bags by the brothers’ ages, thus creating an even more crushing blow when he pulls goblet from Benjamin’s bag at the last.

Gen 44:13

tore their clothes- in the standard Middle Eastern expression of grief (Benjamin is in deep trouble, by their own words) and distress (the brothers are also incredibly frustrated by this point).

Gen 44:14

Judah- He takes the lead because it is he who has promised to return Benjamin to their father.

Joseph…was still there- because it is still quite early, as the brothers left at the crack of dawn and were caught by the steward before they got very far. The goblet is supposedly found “missing” when slaves start setting up the house for the day, which would be at dawn or earlier.

They fell to the ground- in obvious sign of supplication to Joseph, because they are apparently in terrible trouble, having sworn themselves to death and slavery, and that after repeated trouble with one of the most powerful men in the known world.

Gen 44:15

An idiomatic translation of Joseph’s first words might be “How dare you?!” or “What were you thinking?!”

Joseph reference to divination has a double meaning:

1. High ranked Egyptians regularly used divination in making decisions, thus he is supernaturally wise

2. Joseph is too knowledgeable to fool as a great man of state as well (Alter)

Joseph implies corporate guilt to all the brothers, to test their unity and also to make his leniency in only enslaving Benjamin seem nobler.

Gen 44:16

Judah’s first three questions are rhetorical, meant to show how helpless the brothers are, angling for mercy.

God has found our guilt-Is this:

1. Simple acceptance of the charge, and trying to protect Benjamin?

2. ANE notion that any suffering was only a just punishment from heaven for man’s sins?

3. A hint of the brothers’ guilt over Joseph’s “death” some twenty-two years before? (Alter)

Notice Judah says “our guilt”. The brothers are unifying to save Benjamin, which means they pass the first stage of Joseph’s test.

slaves- Judah of course skips over the offer of a death penalty for the theft now one of them, and the precious Benjamin at that, is the one likely to be executed.

Gen 44:17

Thief shall be slave, the rest go home- Joseph reveals his ultimate test for the brothers, a seemingly impossible situation:

1) Returning without Benjamin will kill their father Jacob

2) Remaining in Egypt as slaves will starve Jacob and the whole household back in Canaan

Jacob dies whatever they do.

Gen 44:18-34

This is the longest speech in Genesis, divided into three parts:

1. repetition of events

2. states consequences of situation to family

3. offers self sacrifice as only solution to impossible dilemma

The speech as a whole is a wonderful example of rhetoric, appealing to Joseph’s sense of fairness, mercy for aged father, and finally impressing him with self sacrifice. Small wonder commentators consider this a classic speech.

like Pharaoh- This is a bit of flattery but also a reminder that Joseph, as the judge in this case, can show mercy.

(Sarna)

Gen 44:20

his father loves him- Judah accepts for Benjamin what he could not for Joseph: paternal favoritism.

Gen 44:22

Na’ar- youth, lad, boy. This emphasizes Benjamin’s position as youngest of the brothers. It has been twenty-two years since Joseph was sold, and Benjamin was born before then, so he is not actually what anyone would consider a boy, much less ancient culture where men were frequently expected to marry by twenty.

he will die- literal translation of last word, and ambiguous Hebrew. Does it imply that Jacob will die without Benjamin, as most translators say, or that Benjamin will die apart from Jacob? The ambiguity may be Judah’s point. The two men must be together. (Alter)

Gen 44:27

My wife bore me two sons- more acceptance of Jacob’s favoritism. Rachel was the woman he loved, and her sons were always his favorites because of that.

Gen 44:32

Judah prepares his answer to Joseph’s last test by explaining his need to protect Benjamin

Gen 44:33

Judah offers himself in place of Benjamin, the noblest answer to the test and an apparent good bargain for Joseph, since Judah is old enough to be much more skilled and wise than Benjamin, a more valuable slave.

Gen 44:34

Here is apparently Judah’s true motive: he cannot face seeing Jacob die of grief, or worse, live consumed by grief.

Gen 45:1

No one was with him- Joseph will not allow outsiders:

1. To see his emotional outburst, as he is virtual ruler of Egypt and must maintain powerful image

2. To know of his brothers’ guilt in selling him into slavery, a huge scandal for any family

Gen 45:2

He wept loudly – Joseph has three big cries in the reunion story, this is the last and the biggest, not the least because it becomes public

Pharaoh’s household heard- presumably by report, because Joseph was greatly valued by Pharaoh (Gen 45:16-20), and any unusual behavior by him was of great concern to Pharaoh.

I am Joseph- two words, in Hebrew, an indicator of self and his name. But what a huge bunker buster of a bomb to drop on is brothers!

Is my father still alive- the name Jacob has been mentioned fourteen times in this narrative, and the thought of his father has obviously been one of two factors forcing Joseph to reveal himself, the other being Judah’s self sacrifice.

Gen 45:4

Come near- Joseph has been speaking Egyptian through a narrator, and presumably on the opposite side of a room in a chair, rather throne-like. Now he invited the brothers to come near, so they can examine him and speak more intimately. The brothers need the nearness because they are in near shock and confusion at Joseph’s confession, in Hebrew.

Gen 45:5

you sold me, God sent me ahead- The classic Biblical view of causation. Man acts, but God also acts, through man’s own chosen actions. Joseph likely first saw his life like this thinking he was sent to save Egypt, but with his brothers’ appearance he realized his fate was God fulfilling His covenant with Joseph’s family.

Gen 45:8

not you, but God- three times Joseph emphasizes God’s control of his life, continually reassuring brothers that despite all he has put them through, he does not blame them for his hard life, but sees it as God’s way of working a greater good.

father to Pharaoh- not an actual title, but rather a metaphor for someone who advises another.

Gen 45:10

Goshen- see note on Gen 44:4.

Gen 45:11

destitute/poor- the Hebrew can mean “poor” as in KJV, but here the meaning is more like “have nothing”, even being without a place to live, perhaps.

Gen 45:12

you see my mouth is speaking to you: You see it is me, you hear me speaking Hebrew, you can witness to our father that it is really me and I mean what I say.

Best of Walmart’s Dump Bin DVDs

Yes, when you haven’t got anything better to write, or you are avoiding other topics, what better than a top picks list?

Here then is what a quick rummage through the jam- packed DVD bin at the local Walmart turned up as particular bargains. By bargain I mean more viewing for your dollar, pound, kopec, whatever. Which boils down to those public domain DVD collections you see everywhere.

Public domain films are notorious for having poor picture and worse audio.  But they are usually dirt cheap, and are an inexpensive way to watch some oldies to see if you want to buy more expensive versions of the same films, or just to kill some time while watching something different. I don’t know about where you live, but here the days of old movies in the afternoons and late at night are gone, and oldie films and tv shows are now only available on specialized cable channels that often seem to run the same library over and over, and never have things on when you want to see them. Thus I recommend the bargain bins.

Sure, most of what you’ll find is mediocre, but every so often you have the joy of a sweet deal. Like our first collection: 

1. Alfred Hitchcock- The Legend Begins Walmart Amazon 

Includes:

Blackmail (UK-1929) – Anny Ondra/Charles Paton/Cyril Ritchard 
Champagne (silent-UK-1928 ) – Betty Balfour/Gordon Harker/Jean Bradin 
Easy Virtue (silent-UK-1928 ) – Isabel Jeans/Franklin Dyall/Ian Hunter 
The Farmer’s Wife (silent-UK-1928 ) – Jameson Thomas/Lillian Hall-Davis/Gordon Harker 
Jamaica Inn (UK-1939) – Charles Laughton/Maureen O’Hara/Robert Newton 
Juno and the Paycock (UK-1930) – Barry Fitzgerald/Maire O’Neill/Edward Chapman 
The Lady Vanishes (UK-1938 ) – Margaret Lockwood/Michael Redgrave/Paul Lukas/Dame May Whitty 
The Man Who Knew Too Much (UK-1934) – Leslie Banks/Edna Best/Peter Lorre 
The Manxman (silent-UK-1928 )- Carl Brisson/Malcolm Keen/Anny Ondra 
Number Seventeen (UK-1932) – Leon M. Lion/Anne Grey/John Stuart 
Rich and Strange (UK-1931) – Henry Kendall/Joan Barry/Percy Marmot 
The Ring (silent-UK-1927) – Carl Brisson/Lillian Hall-Davis/Ian Hunter 
Sabotage (UK-1936) – Sylvia Sidney/Oskar Homolka/Desmond Tester 
Secret Agent (UK-1936) – John Gielgud/Peter Lorre/Madeleine Carroll/Robert Young/Lilli Palmer 
The Skin Game (UK-1931) – C.V. France/Helen Haye/Edmund Gwenn 
The 39 Steps (UK-1935) – Robert Donat/Madeleine Carroll/Peggy Ashcroft 
Young and Innocent (UK-1937) – Nova Pilbeam/Derrick De Marney/Percy Marmot

ALSO– ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: 
The Cheney Vase - Carolyn Jones Darren McGavin/George Macready/Ruta Lee 
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Diana Dors/Brandon De Wilde/Larry Kert

BONUS: 55 minutes of Hitchcock movie trailers

Hands down, the best value in the Value bins these days. Nine of these films are favorites of mine, and a number of them are not available in better prints than shown here, much to the dismay of Hitch’s fans around the world.  Black and white films made during Hitchcock’s early years in Britain, I usually prefer these films to the remakes and thematic reworkings of Hitchcock’s later years, which seem a little more bland. I also find these films more mature than movies today, for the characters in them are men and women plainly interested in men and women despite the 1930s propriety, and the hero(ine)s don’t often get out of problems by discovering they are natural born warriors and laying waste to rows of villains.   

It’s sad but true that the bonus trailers actually look better than the movies here. They are from Hitch’s later films. If you are a trailer geek, this bonus might make this collection worth buying for them alone.

2. John Wayne- 20 Movies Amazon Walmart

Includes: 

The American West Of John Ford (TV-1971-doc.) – John Ford/John Wayne/Henry Fonda/James Stewart/Andy Devine (cameo) 
Angel And The Badman (1947) – John Wayne/Gail Russell/Harry Carey 
Blue Steel (1934) – John Wayne/George ‘Gabby’ Hayes/Yakima Canutt 
The Dawn Rider (1935) – John Wayne/Marion Burns/Yakima Canutt (in support) 
The Desert Trail (1935) – John Wayne/Mary Kornman/Paul Fix 
Hell Town (“Born To The West”) (1937) – John Wayne/Marsha Hunt 
The Lawless Frontier (1934) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
The Lucky Texan (1934) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
The Man From Utah (1934) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
McLintock! (1963) – John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara/Stefanie Powers 
‘Neath The Arizona Skies (1934) – John Wayne/Sheila Terry/Yakima Canutt (in support) 
Paradise Canyon (1935) – John Wayne/Marion Burns/Yakima Canutt (in support) 
Rainbow Valley (1935) – John Wayne/Lucile Browne/George ‘Gabby’ Hayes 
Randy Rides Alone (1934) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
Riders Of Destiny (1933) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
Sagebrush Trail (1933) – John Wayne/Nancy Shubert/Yakima Canutt 
The Star Packer (1934) – John Wayne, George “Gabby” Hayes 
Texas Terror (1935) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
The Trail Beyond (1934) – John Wayne/Verna Hillie/Noah Beery/Noah Beery Jr. 
West Of The Divide (1934) – John Wayne/George “Gabby” Hayes 
Winds Of The Wasteland (1936) – John Wayne/Phyllis Cerf

Bonus: 80 minutes of trailers

Okay, there are only two really famous films in this set. The rest are pretty much three-reelers made between 1933-6 when John Wayne was learning to be John Wayne. A lot of our fathers and grandfathers grew up on these short films, shot on tiny budgets in the same locations in no time at all, and that shows. Still, these are a piece of Americana, a glimpse at the ideals of the 30s. And as the Western has been all but dead for decades, oldies are the only way to see the old standard movie form.

Once again, a large assortment of bonus trailers that almost make the set worth buying for them alone. 

 

3. Best of Bonanza: 34 episodes   Amazon

One of the things that killed the Western, besides the loss of American innocence (or perhaps fondness for innocence) in the 1960s was the fact that every TV show and its competitor was a Western for about thirty years. Doctor shows, detective shows, Westerns and comedies were the chief fare of American TV. Bonanza was one of the main Westerns, running for fourteen seasons and paving life-long tv careers for its stars and many of the guest stars. See what enthralled Americans for a decade and a half in this DVD set that includes 31 shows from 1960’s first and second seasons:

PROGRAM CONTENTS:
DISC ONE– 
The Gunmen (S.1, #19 – 1/23/60) – Ellen Corby/Dorothy Crehan/King Donovan 
The Fear Merchants (S.1, #20 – 1/30/60) – Philip Ahn/Gregg Barton/Alexander Campbell 
The Spanish Grant (S.1, #21 – 2/6/60) – Salvador Baguez/Holly Bane/Sebastian Cabot 
Blood on the Land (S.1, #22 – 2/13/60) – Ray Daly/Glenn Holtzman/Everett Sloane 
Desert Justice (S.1, #23 – 2/20/60) – Claude Akins/Tom Greenway/Ron Hayes 
The Stranger (S.1, #24 – 2/27/60) – Hal Baylor/Lloyd Nolan/Elizabeth York 
Escape to Ponderosa (S.1, #25 – 3/5/60) – Chris Alcaide/Dayton Lummis/Joe Maross 
The Avenger (S.1, #26 – 3/12/60) – Jean Allison/James Anderson/Vic Morrow

DISC TWO– 
San Francisco Holiday (S.1, #28 – 4/2/60) – Kathleen Crowley/Richard Deacon/Tor Johnson 
Bitter Water (S.1, #29 – 4/9/60) – Clarke Alexander/Merry Anders/Rhys Williams 
Feet of Clay (S.1, #30 – 4/16/60) – John Eldredge/Logan Field/Tom Greenway 
Dark Star (S.1, #31 – 4/23/60) – Arthur Batanides/Argentina Brunetti/Hugo Haas 
Death at Dawn (S.1, #32 – 4/30/60) – Paul Carr/Nancy Deale/Peter Leeds 
Showdown (S.2, #1 – 9/10/60) – Ben Cooper/Jack Lambert/Norman Leavitt 
The Mission (S.2, #2 – 9/17/60) – Robert Adler/Harry Carey Jr./John Dehner 
Badge Without Honor (S.2, #3 – 9/24/60) – Fred Beir/Dan Duryea/Wendell Holmes 
The Mill (S.2, #4 – 10/1/60) – Claude Akins/Dianne Foster/Harry Townes

DISC THREE– 
The Hopefuls (S.2, #5 – 10/8/60) – Patricia Donahue/Larry Gates/Paul Genge 
Denver McKee (S.2, #6 – 10/15/60) – Bob Barker/Stephen Cortleigh/Franchot Tone 
Day of Reckoning (S.2, #7 – 10/22/60) – Gail Bonney/Anthony Caruso/Ricardo Montalban 
The Abduction (S.2, #8 – 10/29/60) – Bob Hopkins/Barbara Lawrence/Robert ‘Big Buck’ Maffei 
Breed of Violence (S.2, #9 – 11/5/80) – Norman Alden/Val Avery/Hal Baylor 
The Last Viking (S.2, #10 – 11/12/60) – Neville Brand/Herbert Lytton/Ric Marlow 
The Trail Gang (S.2, #11 – 11/26/60) – Edgar Buchanan/Harry Antrim/Richard Davalos 
The Savage (S.2, #12 – 12/3/60) – Anna-Lisa/Maurice Jara/Victor Millan

DISC FOUR– 
The Last Trophy (S.1, #27 – 3/26/60) – Edward Ashley/Jimmy Carter/Hazel Court 
Silent Thunder (S.2, #13 – 12/10/60) – James Griffith/Albert Salmi/Stella Stevens 
The Ape (S.2, #14 – 12/17/60) – Leonard Nimoy/Cal Bolder/Rodolfo Hoyos Jr. 
The Blood Line (S.2, #15 – 12/31/60) – Lee Van Cleef/Thomas Brown Henry/Allan Lane 
The Courtship (S.2, #16 – 1/7/61) – Julie Adams/Paul Dubov/Lyle Talbot 
The Spitfire (S.2, #17 – 1/14/61) – Jack Elam/Claude Hall/Don C. Harvey

Bonus:

Alias Bill Hawks (WAGON TRAIN) (S.6, #34 – 5/15/63) – Jeannie Bal/Hal Baylor/Ed Nelson
The Dr. Denker Story (WAGON TRAIN) (S.5, #18 – 1/31/62) – Theodore Bikel
The Malachi Hobart Story (S.5, #17 – 1/24/62) (WAGON TRAIN) – Franchot Tone/Irene Ryan/Wally Brown

4. Adventures of Robin Hood: First Season Walmart Amazon

 If Americans have a hard time leaving Wyatt Earp alone (his life is pretty much the foundation of any Hollywood Western involving a lawman), the English have an equally hard time not producing TV series based on the legend of Robin Hood. This collection is from the 1955-1960 tv series that was also broadcast in America, and which I have vague memories of seeing in syndication as a child. Here are included 39 half hour episodes from the first season of this decidely more family oriented fare: 

The Coming of Robin Hood (9/26/55) – Susan Richards/Norman Macowan/Willoughby Gray
The Money Lender (10/3/55) – Bruce Seton/Leo McKern/Kenneth Edwards
Dead or Alive (10/10/55) – John Rutland/Agnes Bernelle
Friar Tuck (10/17/55) – Leslie Phillips/Douglas Wilmer/Faith Bailey
Maid Marian (10/24/55) – Marie Burke/Shaun Noble/David Edwards
A Guest for the Gallows (10/31/55) – Denis Shaw/Robert Desmond/Jan Miller
The Challenge (11/7/55) – John Drake
Queen Eleanor (11/14/55) – Jill Esmond/Ballard Berkeley/Gerald Cross
Checkmate (11/21/55) – Leslie Phillips/Alastair Hunter/Victor Woolf
The Ordeal (11/28/55) – Dorothy Alison/Alfie Bass
A Husband for Marian (12/5/55) – Brian Worth/Thora Hird/A. J. Brown/Paul Connell
The Highlander (12/12/55) – Hugh McDermott/Willoughby Gray
The Youngest Outlaw (12/19/55) – Bruce Seton/Peter Asher
The Betrothal (12/26/55) – Philip Guard/Jennifer Jayne/Charles Stapley
The Alchemist (1/2/56) – Anthony Sharp/Harriette Johns/Dorothy Blythe/Joyce Blair
The Jongleur (1/9/56) – Peter Hammond/Charles Lamb
The Brothers (1/16/56) – Michael Brill/A. J. Brown
The Intruders (1/23/56) – Michael McKeag/Ian Whittaker/John Longden
The Sheriff’s Boots (1/30/56) – Joan Sims/Kenneth Edwards/Elsie Wagstaff
Errand of Mercy (2/6/56) – Hal Osmond/Paula Byrne/Arthur Skinner
The Vandals (2/13/56) – Ingeborg Wells/Miriam McCormick/Gabriel Toyne
Richard the Lion-Heart (2/20/56) – Patrick Barr/Muriel Young
Ladies of Sherwood (2/27/56) – Walter Hudd/Laurie Main/Simone Lovell
Will Scarlet (3/5/56) – Jennifer Jayne
The Deserted Castle (3/12/56) – Jill Esmond/John Stuart
The Miser (3/19/56) – Larry Naismith/Patricia Marmont/Paul Connell
Trial By Battle (3/26/56) – Hal Osmond/Nicholas Parsons/Barry Shawzin
Children of the Greenwood (4/2/56) – Jane Asher/Peter Asher
The May Queen (4/9/56) – Ian Bannen/Dulcie Bowman
The Wanderer (4/16/56) – Karel Stepanek/Paula Byrne
The Byzantine Treasure (4/23/56) – William Squire/John Stuart/Paul Connell
Secret Mission (4/30/56) – Patrick Barr/Paul Connell
The Inquisitor (5/7/56) – Lloyd Pearson/Wolf Morris/David Edwards/Timothy Brooking
Tables Turned (5/14/56) – Anne Davey/Andrew de la Motte/Nora Gordon/Helen Forrest
The Traitor (5/21/56) – Hugh Latimer/Marie Burke/Helen Forrest
The Thorkil Ghost (5/28/56) – Barbara Mullen/Ian Whittaker/Michael McKeag/Sandy Lyle
The Knight Who Came to Dinner (6/4/56) – Robin Bailey/Frank Royd
The Wager (6/11/56) – Geoffrey Keen/George Rose/Leonard Sharp/John Watson/Ann Gudrun
The Prisoner (7/9/56) – Jack Melford/Valerie Cardew/Doris Nolan

5.  150 Cartoon Classics    Walmart  Amazon

We’ve been going down in recommended viewer age as well as DVD production quality. This set is a nice grab bag for kiddies, but the decent to good range of picture quality and the embedded logo might put off a lot of buyers. On the other hand, there is a lot of Betty Boop, Popeye, and Three Stooges here, along with other less well-known names. And cartoons from this period (1930s-50s) were frequently made to be exhibited in theaters before the main feature, and thus were much less childish than what we think of as cartoons today. There are better produced collections of some of these, but here’s a good trial sampler. 

 Thanks to Amazon Reviewer Annie Van Auken, whose reviews provided the title listing for these collections and saved my aching fingers.

Now get out and hit those bargain bins!