The Van Beuren cartoons managed to chug along, despite issues over their use of Farmer Al Falfa and Mickey Mouse look-alikes.
During the 1930-31 season, Pathe Exchanges was in a bad way. They had somehow managed to escape the depredations of Joseph P. Kennedy, only to have Wall Street lay its proverbial egg. Eventually, Pathe would become a part of RKO by the next season, with live-action films taking on a new combined logo of the rooster crowing on top of the world. The Van Beuren films, however, still managed to chug along, meeting their quota, despite continuing legal issues over their liberal use of Farmer Al Falfa and Mickey Mouse look-alikes.
Farm Foolery (9/14/30) – Spot gags down on the farm. Animation of farm animals singing in a hayride would be retreaded later for reuse in “The Farmerette” (even continuing to include an original animation error where a character’s head disappears for several frames). Songs: “Way Down On the Farm” sung by a male quartet doing barnyard imitations. I am unaware of any recordings of it outside of this film. “Hi Diddle Diddle” was recorded by George Olsen on Victor, Ted Lewis on Columbia (below), Jack Kaufman on Genett and Silvertone, The Seven Little Polar Bears (a Harry Reser Group) on Cameo, Romeo, and Lincoln, and Charlie Straight and his Rendezvous Orchestra on Brunswick. Phil Harris and the Sportsmen Quartet (possibly billed as “Jack Benny’s Quartet”) revived the piece for RCA Victor. Also reappearances of “The Old Gray Mare”, “Chicken Reel”, “Turkey in the Straw” and “By Heck”.
Midnight (10/12/30) – Farmer Al is being kept awake by the cats serenading on the back fence. Not much else to say. Songs: “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider”, a song associated with famous vaudevillian Eddie Leonard (who never got a chance to record it), possibly dating back to the early 1900’s. Earl Fuller’s Rector Novelty Orchestra recorded an acoustic version for Columbia. Frank Crumit performed a 1924 version for Victor. Am electrical by Red Nichols and His Five Pennies was a good seller for Brunswick in 1927 (below). Frank Winnegar’s Penn. Boys issued an Edison Diamond Disc. Eddie Peabody performed a banjo version for Banner. Al Bernard would sing it on Harmony. Milton Brown and his Brownies also provided a country swing version for Decca. The Hoosier Hot Shots countered on Melotone. Bing Crosby and the Foursome performed it for Decca. The Mills Brothers also gave it their special brand of harmony on Decca. The Benny Goodman Quartet performed it for Victor. Eddie Cantor, whose wife was named Ida, would adopt the song for his own, on another Decca recording, and later in an LP version on X, Tommy Dorsey recorded a version on Victor. Glenn Miller also recorded it for Bluebird, with vocal by Tex Beneke. Frankie Carle would include it on an album set for Columbia, “Frankie Carle and his Girl Friends”. Bernie Holmes and his Orchestra issued a version on 40’s Okeh, which seems to have had little sales. Eddie Condon gave it a jazz feel on Decca. British Dacca’s “Music While You Work” series, to be played at aircraft and munitions production plants, issued a medley of the song (combined with “Is It True What They Sau About Dixie”), recorded by clarinetist/sax player Freddy Gardner and his Messmates, later reissued for American audiences in London’s Music Library series. Merle Travis had a Capitol guitar issue in 1948. Gene Kelly recorded a schmaltzy version with some tap dancing in a studio date for MGM records. Ben Light would revive it on Capitol. Steve Allen would give it a contemporary feel on an instrumental single at 45 RPM on Dot.
The Office Boy (11/23/30) – This cartoon drew the interest of Walt Disney’s attorneys. The two main characters were too close for comfort to Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Pseudo Mickey is working as an office boy at the headquarters of the EXY Railroad, E. P. Dunkwasser, President. He dusts the doors of the various private offices, and keeps out unwanted riff raff. Faux Minnie types letters for the president, including all the boss’s grunts and groans as he decides what he’s going to write, and interpolating liberally with her own extensive typewritten phrases, finishing before he’s said anything amounting to substantive content. The boss gets fresh with her, until pseudo Mickey lets in Mrs. Dunkwasser, who gets busy with the rolling pin. Psuedo Mickey and Faux Minnie make an exit on a train in a picture on the wall, smooching and disappearing into a tunnel, with the feeling it is going to be a tunnel of love. Song: “You’re a Fascinating Baby”, a catchy piece which may be an original song, as I know of no recordings or sheet music, nor is any composer credited on IMDB.
Red Riding Hood (1/18/31) – Follows the bare bones of the familiar fairy tale, except for the addition of a miracle elixir called “Jazz Tonic”, which seems to do wonders for Granny mouse, turning her into a shapely seductive youth. The wolf is about to say his “I dos” with Granny at the altar, when his wife comes in, rolling pin in hand, followed by a litter of wolf cubs. Wolf gets his just desserts, while Red (ersatz Minne Mouse), Granny, and the parson are left crying in the chapel, then change mood to announce the end of the story in song. Songs: “The Old Gray Mare”. Arthur Collins recorded the piece as early as 1917. Instrumental versions included Prince’s Orchestra on Columbia, and Earl Fuller’s Famous Jazz Band with Ted Lewis on clarinet for Victor. There were hillbilly versions by Gid Tanner and his Skillet Likkers on Columbia, and Vernon Dalhart on Banner et al, Perfect, Pathe, and Harmony (3 different sessions in all). Carson Robison used it as melody for a new lyric in wartime, “The Old Gray Mare Is Back Where She Used To Be” on Bluebird.
Cowboy Blues (2/15/31) – Another appearance for the Faux Mickey and Minnie. The bad cat tries to stick up Mickey, then rides off to the Red Dog Saloon, where there is an upright piano. He plays a tune he’s been yodeling all through the picture (title unknown, possibly another original number), The cat makes off with the safe, presuming there’s got to be loot within. He tries to manipulate the combination lock, and instead gets radio static (a gag later used by Tex Avery in Thugs With Dirty Mugs). The cat finally opens the safe, but is kicked into it by Mickey, who locks him in, then receives a kiss from the faux Minnie. Songs: Aside from the yodel, there is also an art song (also title unknown) sung by an obese bird. One recognizable song is present, “Break the News to Mother”, which goes back to about 1898, written by Charles K. Harris, of fame for composing “After the Ball”. J. W. Myers sang it on Columbia records around 1901-02. Henry Burr would replace it in the Columbia catalog. The Shannon Four recorded it for Victor in 1917. The inevitable Vernon Dalgart version would appear on Bell, and probably other labels. Blunf Andy would perform it on Okeh. The Carson Robison Trio recorded it electrically on red shellac Perfect. Maurice H. Gunsky also recorded a 1926 version for Victor. The Old Southern Sacred Singers would issue a version on Brunswick. The Mills Brothers gave it their treatment on Decca.
Radio Racket (3/1/31) – A simple musical broadcast from the jungle, with typical, and somewhat forgettable, hijinks. Songs include “Please Let Me Sleep” and “My Gal Sal” (which we’ve discussed in use by other studios), a return for “San” and “Caro Nome”, an an unidentified rumba which I cannot place – the only new number in the production.
Old Hokum Bucket (3/29/31) – Although the rights to Farmer Al Falfa had by this time passed to Terrytoons, John Foster just couldn’t break from the old ways – and presents his own dead-ringer for the old coot, in a typical script where the city slicker sells him a box of pills branded as “Peppo”, putting new life in the farmer and all the farm animals – even the barnyard bull, who butts the farmer down the well along with “The Old Oaken Bucket”, the featured song of the film. A favorite Scotch song composed by Samuel Woodworth in the early 1800’s, recordings of it include the Haydn Quartet for Victor Monarch in 1901, the Shannon Four for Okeh, the Columbia Stellar Quartette for Columbia, the Peerless Quartet for Victor, Nat Wills in a parody version for Victor, the Knickerbocker Quartet for etched Edison, Sleepy Hall and his Orchestra for Variety in the mid- 1930’s, and Bing Crosby for Decca.
Mad Melody (4/26/31) – A lion pianist is rehearsing, prior to a performance of grand opera. The opera goes on as most cartoon operas go, with morbidly obese soprano, and singing troubadour in the manner of Romeo and Juliet. (Lyrics are presented in a mixture of mock-Italian and gibberish.) An epic staircase sword battle occurs with an endless cycle of dueling cavaliers, and a beheading of the villain (animation that seems to have been reused as reference in Cubby Bear’s Opening Night). The soprano finally causes the stage to collapse for the iris out. Songs: Return engagements for the “Poet and Peasant Overture” and the Sextet from “Lucia Di Lammermoor”, plus the new addition, “Minute Waltz”, by Frederic Chopin, Op. 64 No. 1 in D Flat Major. The latter work would be recorded by Maud Powell (violinist) on red seal Victrola Ignaz Friedman on Columbia, Raphael (World’s Greatest Artist of the Concertina) on Decca red label Personality Series, Alfred Newman and his Orchestra on Majestic, Pauline Alpert (Pianist) on Pilotone, Gaylord Carter (Organ) on Black and White, Jose Iturbi on Red Seal Victor, and in the 1950’s by Liberace, recorded by Columbia but often pressed up in several different labels for local banks sponsoring his syndicated television show. Also recorded in swingtime by the John Kirby Sextet on Columbia, and by Charlie Ventura for Imperial.
NEXT TIME: Continuing into 1931.