A Musical Up-Roar: 1945-47

During the period covered by these cartoons, the Second World War came to an end. This did not stop the writers from finding new situations for Tom, Jerry, Droopy, et al. Barney Bear was on hiatus, but would return in the near future. The Oscar nominations and victories were coming to the studio thick and fast, including wins for “Quiet Please” and “The Cat Concerto” (neither of which contribute new melodies for this post). The award that had been exclusively Disney’s was for a short time becoming exclusively MGM’s.

Backtracking slightly from last week, we first take a detour from the short subjects, to supply much deserved recognition for Hanna and Barbera’s contribution to the first MGM musical to integrate live action and in-house animation – Anchors Aweigh (7/19/45). (The first MGM picture to incorporate animation was “Hollywood Party”, but the animation was not a produced by the studio, but licensed, prominently displayed on the credits, from Walt Disney. “The Wizard of Oz” was planned to be first, but its “Jitterbug” number was cut before animation was filmed, so far as we know. One can only wonder who would have drawn this assignment – Hugh Harman? Rudolf Ising? Friz Freleng? Or would they again have farmed out the work to Disney, as some studio execs are rumored to have considered doing in the case of Gene Kelly’s number here?) The film features Gene narrating to school children a fantastic tale as to how he received a medal on his uniform. He attributes it to his days serving in the Pomeranian navy, where, during a shore leave, he wanders into a painted kingdom, singing and playing a flute. Animated woodland creatures all repeatedly shush him, and Gene learns from a wise owl that this kingdom has a law forbidding singing and dancing. Gene finds this to be a terrible law, and demands to see the king. He is directed to a castle on the horizon, where the king resides in seclusion.

In sped-up action, Gene races to the palace up a winding road in a matter of a few seconds. Peering in a tower window, he discovers of all people, monarch Jerry Mouse, sitting on a real-life plush royal throne, and wearing a small crown. Jerry sits despondent ad sulking, while royal servant Tom the cat provides a walk-on cameo, offering Jerry a regal dinner o n a tray, which Jerry dismisses without appetite, shooing the not-surprised Tom away. Gene surprises Jerry, and brings up the subject of the terrible law. “I hadda”, explains Jerry, noting that a king has to be able to do anything his subjects do, only better – posing a problem, as he can neither sing nor dance. Gene insists that anyone can perform these talents, provided they’re not cranky, grumpy and gloomy. He offers to teach Jerry if the mouse promises to try being happy. The result is a now-legendary duet dance between the unlikely toe-tapping partners, with remarkable choreography, effects, and eye-catching, laugh-getting tricks, set to the original tune “The Worry Song.” The song received only one commercial recording, on a release by Gene in the children’s catalog of Columbia records entitled “The King Who Couldn’t Dance”. A soundtrack version would eventually surface in the CD days. Needless to say, Gene receives his medal, pinned on his chest by Jerry himself. It is notable that the release date of this feature suggests its appearance right on the heels of the release of “Mouse in Manhattan”, suggesting not only that it may have played with such short in some houses, providing audiences with a double-dose of Jerry dancing in the same program, but suggesting that the short was produced in the wake of the longer-planned feature project, and probably directly inspired by the feature’s effort to present Jerry as a self-standing musical star.

Springtime For Thomas (3/30/46) – In the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to love – and it’s just the same for a cat. Tom sees Toodles on a lounge chair, and Cupid forgets about a bow and arrow, instead clunking Tom on the head with a mallet. Jerry is at first non-committal, but is goaded on by a green shoulder devil (the spirit of envy and jealousy?) to break up the romance. Jerry accomplishes this with the use of Butch as an intervenor, tossing a fake love note into Butch’s ash can. Butch horns in on Tom’s action, and proves to be a talented singer in Spanish. Butch thinks he’s feeling Cupid’s dart, though it is a needle from Jerry in the gluteus maximus. He takes out his wrath on Tom, ousting him from Toodles’ estate with a home-run swat from Butch’s guitar. Tom is finally happy to revert back to his old chasing friendship with Jerry, and happily pursues him around a corner – only to find that Jerry is now smitten with a female of his own species, and too preoccupied to be bothered with Tom. Songs: a return for “Quiereme Mucho (Yours)”, such by Butch, and two newcomers: “Here Comes the Sun”, a 1930 copyright recorded by Bert Lown and his Hotel Biltmore Orchestra on Victor, Ted Wallace and his Campus Boys on Columbia, and Buddy Blue and his Orchestra (actually Smith Ballew) on Crown. Also, “Lovely Lady”, which seems to have been ignored by most record companies, the only recording I am aware of being on Decca Champion by Dick Roberston and his Orchestra.

The Milky Waif (5/18/46) – Jerry is lost in dreams (of being chased by Tom) until there is a knock at his door. A foundling mouse has been left on his doorstep for upbringing, with a note identifying the waif as Nibbles, and instructing that he’s always hungry, needing plenty of milk. Who has such commodity? Why, Tom, of course. The chase goes on, with Tom’s attentions divided between two targets. A controversial scene has Jerry pose with shoe polish as a miniature Mammy Two Shoes, and refer in a rare speaking role to Nibbles as “Honey Chile.” Jerry’s temper reaches the breaking point when Tom delivers a painful blow to Nibbles’ behind that turns it blushing red. You can’t do that to a kid in front of Jerry, and the mouse turns into a roaring lion, developing super strength to swing Tom around like a top, deliver him a resounding beating, and finally force him to play nursemaid, feeding Nibbles all his protruding belly can hold. Songs: “I’ll See You In My Dreams”, a 1925 Isham Jones song, very typical of what Jones liked to write, very economic in its way by building a whole song around a particular lick. Jones would record it for Brunswick (though directing Ray Miller’s Band for the side). Ford and Glenn did a vocal for Columbia. Earl and Bell similarly performed it for Vocalion. Fletcher Henderson got it for Banner, Domino, Regal, etc., with a solo by Louis Armstrong Marion Harris performed a vocal on Brunswick. Dan Yates issued a Perfect side. Salt and Pepper, a vaudeville duet, performed a Lincoln issue. Paul Whiteman got the Victor version. Mario “Harp” Lorenzi and his Rhythmics recorded an interesting rhythmic arrangement in the 1930’s on British Columbia. Tommy Dorsey revived it for Victor. Jan Garber performed a Vocalion. Django Reinhardt swung it for Swing. Victor Sylvester strctly-tempoed it for British Columbia. Ella Fitzgerald performed in an all-star session on V-Disc. Mary Martin issued a studio date on Decca in 1944. Tony Martin got a Mercury side during 1945-47 season. Isham Jones re-recorded the piece on Coast, in one of his last sessions. Carmen Cavallero used it as the title tune for a 78 album set on Decca. Doris Day performed it in a movie, and issued a studio release on Columbia. Monica Lewis did it on Signature. Vaughn Monroe included it in a set of “dream” songs for Victor. Buddy Clark got a Columbia side in 1946. The Pied Pipers performed it for Capitol in 1948. Merle Travis issued a Capitol transcription. Bing Crosby got around to it in 1949. Hugo Winterhalter got an RCA Victor side in 1951. Curt Massey, formerly of the Westerners, recorded a vocal for Coral. Mario Lanza would belt it out operatically for RCA Victor. The Beverley Sisters did a 1957 rendition for English Decca. Pat Boone revived it once again for Dot. Geoff Love recorded it in 1976 for a Music for Pleasure LP.

Trap Happy (6/29/46) – Realizing the futility of his usual efforts to catch Jerry, Tom calls in professional help – Butch, who is now working for the Ajax Mouse Exterminator company. Butch is armed with assorted bric-a-brac that he uses in his trade, with special concentration on sticks of dynamite. Butch gets well lit up when Jerry disguises an electrical socket for his mousehole. Jerry plays both cats against each other when they each try to reach for him from opposite sides of a wall (an idea which would recur again in “Casanova Cat”, and in Chuck Jones’ “Catty Cornered”). Butch finally decides to change trades, scratching out the word “Mouse” on his tool satchel, and replacing it with “Cat”, then taking after Tom with a rifle. Song: “Ja-Da”, Bob Carleton’s only real hit, from 1918. In the trades of the day, the tune was considered a “nut song”. A vocal version appeared by Arthur Fields, and a dance version by Wilbur Sweatman’s Jazz Band, both on Columbia. Fields also moonlighted with a competing version on Victor, and on vertical Paramount. In the 30’s, Vocalion would issue two versions, one by a sweet black band led by Ovie Alston, and a vocal version by Nan Wynn. Leo Watson issued a version under his own name on Decca, departing from his usual vocal chores with Artie Shaw. An all-star session billed as “Ten Cats and a Mouse” appeared on Capitol, with the personnel all playing instruments they were not known for (Red Norvo on piano? Peggy Lee on Drums?) Lisa Kirk revived it for RCA Victor. The Firehouse Five Plus Two performed a live version on their “At Disneyland” LP on Good Time Jazz. Muggsy Spanier would also perform an album version on Everest.

Solid Serenade (8/31/46) – Tom is a hipster cat who plays a mean string bass, much to the consternation of Jerry Mouse, who finds his sleep disturbed and his flat flattened. Tom courts Toodles, and dodges Killer the Bulldog. Both Killer and Jerry get their revenge, with Tom strung up to his own string bass, plunked by Killer, and his whiskers bowed by Jerry for a coda. Songs: “Milkman, Keep Those Bottle Quiet”, introduced in the 1944 MGM Musical, Broadway Rhythm sung by Nancy Walker (embed below). The tune did not receive wide recording because of the Petrillo Ban, but appeared on Decca due to early settlement of accounts with the union, by Woody Herman and his Orchestra. Capitol, also early on settlement, released a version by Ella Mae Morse. Boyd Raeburn issued a radio version on World Transcriptions. Tommy Dorsey would issue a late version on Victor just after the ban.

Also featured in the cartoon as Tom’s production number solo is “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby”. The biggest seller seems to have been Louis Jordan and the Timpany Five on Decca. Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters seem to have issued the only competing version, also on Decca.

Henpecked Hoboes (10/26/46) – The first appearance of George and Junior, a pair of characters heavily inspired by Avery’s affection for John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”. Walking the rails, out heroes decide to capture themselves a free chicken dinner, still strutting in the feathers. The local rooster is a problem, until George masquerades in a rooster suit, and convinces the hen to blast her old hubby to the North Pole on a skyrocket. However, Junior’s blunders and buffoonery constantly foil George’s plans, and set up the running gag of “I’m bent over, George”, at which Junior receives repeated kicks in the pants (though he does not wear any). By the end of the cartoon, everybody is kicking everybody, especially the returned rooster, who kicks his flirtatious wife all the way back to the chicken coop. Song: “On The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe”, introduced in Judy Garland’s The Harvey Girls. Two versions were issued by Decca, one part of a set following the movie arrangement but with not that much of Judy, while the second (assisted by the Merry Macs) features a specialty arrangement giving Judy more microphone time. Bing Crosby and Six Hits and a Miss recorded another Decca version. Major sales went to the song’s lyricist, Johnny Mercer, accompanied by the Pied Pipers on Capitol, producing a million seller. Competing versions included Tommy Dorsey on Victor, Kate Smith on Columbia, Bob Crosby on ARA (channeling his brother on vocal, with a surprise assist by Peggy Lee, somewhere between her stint with Benny Goodman and her Capitol contract), and Ambrose and his Orchestra on British Decca, with vocal by Anne Shelton. Aircheck performances also exist of the Andrews Sisters, and of the Four King Sisters, the latter featuring considerable specialty arrangement material unique to their performance. The Four Freshmen and Billy May would revive the tune for their “Voices In Fun” LP on Capitol.

Red Hot Rangers (5/31/47) – George and Junior make a return as forest rangers, to battle an anthropomorphic flame, a hot little sprite set on settin’ the woods on fire. At the close of the cartoon, Avery comes as close as he ever would to doing a public service announcement – allowing for a neat reversal of one of the running gags of the George and Junior shorts. George demonstrates what not to do by carelessly throwing away a cigarette. Junior snuffs it out, then calls out, “Okay, George, bend over” administering a butt-reddening paddy whacking to George for the finish. Song: “America the Beautiful”, a well-known song though not widely recorded at the time of its writing. The Shannon Quartet made a version for Victor in the very late acoustic era. Frank Sinatra did a version in the ‘40’s for red-label Columbia. It appeared on an EP 45 on Decca by the Goldman Band. Ray Charles would issue a 45 on ABC, and Elvis Presley on RCA. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir also issued an album version on an unknown label.

Salt Water Tabby (7/12/47) – An invigorating day at the beach and a seaside flirtation with Toodles are spoiled for Tom when Jerry turns up, munching celery in Toodles’ picnic basket. Lots of chase action, with notable appearances by am interfering crab (borrowing a design from Harman and Ising’s The Little Goldfish, which was already borrowing a character design from Disney’s Hawaiian Holiday, presumably with the good graces of Disney, for whom the Goldfish cartoon was being produced on speculation of distributing it as a Disney product). Tom is eventually dispatched by causing him to swallow an inflatable sea horse, while Jerry sails away into the sunset atop the picnic basket, in a last shot that would grace any Fitzpatrick Traveltalk. Songs: a brief return for “Aloha Oe”, and a new original which seems to have received no commercial recordings: “Bring On the Girls”, from the enterprising MGM Musical, Ziegfield Follies. The number was presented in lavish fashion at the feature’s opening, with introductory verse by Fred Astaire, a parade of beauties who ride a merry-go-round and then are “tamed” in big-cat manner by Lucielle Ball holding a lion-tamer’s whip, and finally by Virginia O’Brien, who performs her own parody of the piece, more interested in having someone bring on the men – for her.

Next Time: ‘47 and ‘48.