# Colonel Heeza Liar

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 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."