Columbia cartoons in 1938-39 begin to attempt to do their best to captire the style of Warner Brothers. Interestingly, quite a few of Columbia’s animators and stoty artists would eventually work at Warners – so, the Krazy Kat, Scrappy, and Color Rhapsody series would go along unimpeded, but with an infusion of Warner style. (If Screen Gems could have figured out an excuse to syndicate these cartoons in the late 1950’s and on, some of them might have become as familiar as contemporary Warner cartoons of the period.)
Poor Little Butterfly (7/4/38) – A cartoon set in old Japan, inspired by the basic plot of the Puccini opera, “Madame Butterfly”. There’s the usual amount of Japanese business going on, with parasols, etc. – and for once, the sailor comes back to his little butterfly. Song: “You Do the Darndest Things, Baby”, played while a Japanese moth leads one of the sailors in a flight in close proximity to a flame inside a Japanese lantern. The song is another culled from Fox musicals, this time from “Pigskin Parade”, an early feature for Judy Garland on loan from MGM. Joe Sanders recorded a version for Decca. Charlie Barnet got a Bluebird issue. Victor gave it to Guy Lombardo. Across the pond, Harry Roy recorded it for Parlophine, and Roy Fox on HMV.
The Frog Pond (8/12/38) – A tough guy frog muscles himself in on a peaceful frog community. He immediately bullies them into building him a nice house, with bars on the windows and locks on the doors to keep out the riff raff. He spends his tine enjoying wune, women, and song, until one brave frog slips him a Mickey – allowing the Iwerks ink and paint department to show off their stuff in Technicolor effects. The bully is locked in his own house, the house is dislodged from its moorings, and sent floating down the river to Croak Croak Prison, where he is quickly set to busting up large rocks into small pebbles, forming the words “Crime Does Not Pay”. Song: “Flippity Floppety (We’re Having Fun)”, an original heard at the beginning of the film.
Midnight Frolics (11/24/38) – Let’s see – what are the requisites for a Halloween cartoon? Violent thunderstorm? Check. Big old mansion? Check. Spooky accoutrements? Check. A flock of ghosts, looking like bulbous cucumbers? Triple check. Pipe Organ. Check. And a clock striking midnight. Also check. This cartoon meets all tests for a good moody holiday epic. A lonesome ghost, imitating Al Pierce’s Elmer Blurp, a salesman character popular in the day, comes to the old mansion looking for a place to haunt. The ghosts who are alteady there do not want any competition or company. The Blurp ghost mirrors Pierce’s shave-and-a-haircut door knock, and catch phrase, “Nobody home, I hope, I hope, I hope.” He even tries a variation on one of Joe Penner’s lines, asking the resident ghosts if they want to but a cannon, as he turns one of their own tricks upon them. Songs: “We’re the Ghosts of the Gang That Danced and Sang With the Floradora Girls”, a catchy original piece referencing a successful musical play of 1900, long remembered afterwards (including by Marion Davies in the MGM picture, “The Floradora Girl”, and even by the Our Gang kids in “Out Gang Gollies of 1936”).
The Lone Mountie (12/10/38) – Stories of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were still quite popular at this time, and cartoons were discovering them to be fertile ground for parody, without running the risk of offending very many Canadians. Waiter Krazy Kat enlists as a Mountie to obtain respect, and goes out to get his man (even with a Lone Ranger reference), returning to the saloon in uniform un search of his prey. A lot of gunshots, a musical number with Kitty, and Krazy finally gets his man. Songs: “My Gal Sal”, which goes back to the 1900’s at least. Buron G. Harlan recorded a vocal for Victor in 1907. Ted Weems performed an acoustic Victor in 1924. The Charleston Chasers (basically Red Nichols and his Five Pennies) moonlighted for a version at Columbia in 1927. Miff Mole and his Little Molers (probably Nichols again with one or two personnel changes) also issued an Okeh electrical the same year. Tom Gerunovich performed a version on Brunswick in 1928. Danny Altier recorded a 1928 Vocalion version in Chicago, desirable for the presence of Muggsy Spanier. Fletcher Henderson issued a 1931 Columbia that stayed in catalog long enough to enter the royal blue series. The Mills Brothers issued a Decca side around 1934. Claude Hopkins, a Harlem band that replaced Fletcher Henderson at Connie’s Inn, recorded another 1934 version for Brunswick. Chick Bullock and his Levee Loungers got one on Melotone, Perfect, et al. Disk Robertson likewise got a Decca side, which probably went straight to the juke boxes. A Vocalion from 1937 featured Frank Novak and his Rootin’ Tootin’ Boys, marketed as country though more novelty. Harlan Leonard and his Rockets, a black band out of Kansas City, got it for Bluebird circa 1941. Jerry Murad’s Harmonicats issued a 40’s rendition on Universal in the wake of their hit on “Peg O’ My Heart”. Johnny Guarnieri issued a piano version on Majestic. The Sportsmen, fresh from the Benny show, issued a Capitol vocal. Fred Waring issued a Decca side in the early 1950’s. The Globe Trotters (a sort of honky tonk combo) issued a King side about the same time. Ben Light of course issued a version on Tempo.
A second song is contributed by Kitty, known by an English title, “It’s delightful to be Married”, but actually a French song, “La Petite Tonkinnoise” (the Vietnamese Girl”, written about 1906, but popularized in 1930 when Josephine Baker picked it up and recorded it for Columbia. The melody spread all over Europe, and was known in various countries by names that could translate as “Coquette Polka”. An instrumental version was cut in New York in 1932, as a mandolin solo by Jewish-American theater personality Joseph Davidenko, who recorded it for Victor. The American lyric goes back to at least 1936, and appears to have been interpolated by Louise Rainer into the feature “The Great Ziegfield”. In 1956, Gisele MacKenzie performed it for Vic, which became a modest[e] hit.
The Gorilla Hunt (2/24/39) – C. Aubrey Smith has a lot for which he must answer. He set the template for the windbag of a usually-British military man whose tales of derring-do among animals of the wild must be taken with a large quantity of salt. This time, the former military man tells us of his Gorilla hunt in darkest Africa. Surprisingly restrained in its portrayal of the continent, with the natives not going all Harlem. The Major (or whatever rank he may hold) winds up in his rightful place, inside the cage reserved for his prey. Song: “The Feuders Aren’t a-Feudin’ Any More” an original song of the kind that might have been given to the Hoosier Hot Shots or the Korn Kobblers, sung unexpectedly by the African natives. This gag, complete with some unexpected pauses in holding notes, is basically a lift from Tex Avery’s “The Isle of Pingo Pongo” (where natives sing “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”). The track of the vocal would be lifted entirely for re-use in a more appropriate setting, in a later 1939 Columbia short, “Mountain Ears”.
The Happy Tots (3/31/39) – A king of elf-like creatures orders his subjects to frolic, swing, and have a good time. They oblige their monarch. No particular gags – as much a mood piece as anything. Songs: Several originals, including “Hot and Happy” (a rhythm number for the Rhythmettes), and “Sprinkle Stardust”, plus another couple of numbers for which titles do not suggest themselves from the lyric, including a brief interlude for the three court jesters (who do not resemble the Three Stooges).
Golf Chumps (4/6/39) – Gags set on a golf course. Three self-appointed “spirits of golfing” act as the world’s worst golfers, driving poor Krazy Kat to distraction on the links. A repeated gag has Krazy attempting to drive the ball, only to wind up with the club wrapped around his neck. Eventually, he gets frustrated enough that Kitty has to restrain him in a straight-jacket. Song: “Donald the Dub”, with a new set of lyrics. The novelty number had been introduced by Frank Crumit, with lyrics set to a melody that more or less tracks “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” Crumit recorded his version twice – a Victor in 1930, and a Decca in 1934. Also, an original by the interfering trio, entitled “Poor Little Golf Ball.”
The House That Jack Built (4/14/39) – Jack Beaver is building himself a new house, and explains his philosophy to a lazy bear – who would like the beaver to build a house around where he lays, as he is tired of both work and the great outdoors. Jack refuses, but once his own home is built, the Bear forces his way in, and invites an equally shiftless Ostrich for a house warming. They engage in destructive antics in Jack’s home, and the Ostrich also proceeds to swallow everything in sight. Jack finally gains entry and tries to call the police, but the Ostrich swallows most of the phone, resulting in disconnected calls every time the Ostrich hiccups. The bear finally retrieves the phone for himself, and for vengeance, places a call to the Termite Wrecking Co. to come over and help themselves. The termites demolish the place, but Jack gets the Ostrich and Bear at gunpoint, utilizing them as forced labor to rebuild his home and sing his philosophy. Song: “You Don’t Get Nothin’ Doin’ Nothin’”, an original sung by Pinto Colvig as the beaver, in his best practical pig talk-sing, and later by the Bear and Ostrich.
NEXT: More 1939.
