Last week's Saturday Morning Cartoon post began with a Betty Boop cartoon which featured the voice of Cab Calloway. Cab Calloway was not the only jazz singer to sing for Betty Boop cartoons however. Another who had this honor was the great Satchmo, Louis Armstrong. A typically great and highly creative Betty Boop short, this film's appeal is only heightened by the work of a music great. The brief live action appearance of Armstrong in the opening was one of the first time the earliest appearances of the jazz legend. So enjoy I'll Be Glad When Your Dead You Rascal You (1932).
The earliest Merrie Melodies cartoons had their own sperate reoccurring staring character from the Looney Tunes. This was Foxy. If Bosko (the first starring Looney Tunes character) was a bit of a knockoff of Mickey Mouse, Foxy was more so. Just take the pointy ends off his ears and get rid of the bush tail and you've got Mickey. Despite any unoriginality though, the character's cartoons are actually excellent films, full of fast paced fun energy. The character would only last for three Merrie Melodies (Lady Play Your Mandolin, Smile Darn Ya Smile and One More Time (all 1931)). My favorite of the three, One More Time is the cartoon we have coming up next. The music here is provided by a very popular jazz band leader of the 1920's, 30's and 40's, Abe Lyman. His music here is extremely fun and adds tons of energy to this film. Abe and his band would also provide the music for other early Merrie Melodies cartoons and those would be just as delightful.
My fellow Bing Crosby fans might like to know that Bing made a great recording of the title song of the previous cartoon in 1931 backed up by Gus Arnheim and his orchestra. As a little bonus here that is.
Next up comes a great early Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey's Follies (1929). This cartoon brought about the first original song written for a Disney cartoon, Minnie's Yoo Hoo and Mickey ends the cartoon singing it himself. An instrumental version of this song would become the main theme for the Mickey Mouse cartoons through 1933. Singing this song would also become a ritual at the various Mickey Mouse clubs that formed in neighborhood theaters starting in 1929. Walt would create a sing along short including just the song number. Film historian and huge influence on me, JB Kaufman wrote about that short here.
The whole internet seems to be obsessed with providing nostalgia for 80's and 90's kids (I'm a 90's kid myself). Here is my conforming to that. Here are various bumpers for the early years of Cartoon Network. Man I wish Cartoon Network was still like it was back then.
Stay tooned for more classic cartoons next week. Until then peace love and cartoons.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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