A Musical Up-Roar 1954-57

By 1955/56, MGM finally realized they could make money off television, which they had been treating as the enemy all these years. Their pre-1948 library of feature films was now showing up as your local “Million Dollar Movie”, or your Podunk TV movie premiere. And the studio also began producing shows for television, first with “The MGM Parade”, hosted by George Murphy. And MGM had loads of intellectual properties they could adapt to TV series. (The Thin Man, Northwest Passage, National Velvet, Dr. Kildare, and Father of the Bride, to name a few). So, they eventually began to feel they didn’t need an animation unit to support the waning theatrical format. Fred Quimby departed from the reins, and Hanna and Barbera were forced to take over production on much tighter budgets. To complicate matters, the remaining output of the animation units was committed by studio executives to widescreen format, making budgetary cuts more openly visible on screen, sometimes contributing to a crudeness in appearance of the product, and leading to considerable re-simplification of character design for Tom, Jerry, and Droopy.

Neapolitan Mouse (10/2/54) – A cruise ship docks at Naples. Tom and Jerry both come out of their cabins, realizing the ship is no longer moving. Brief chasing begins, but they soon meet a cute little Italian mouse, who quickly recognizes them and their reputation. (“Funny cartoons!”) The mouse shows them Napoli – and also his dislike of big guys picking on little guys. When three local dogs gang up on Tom, the mouse intervenes, only to have the dogs gang up in him. Tom and Jerry return the favor, with three wheels of cheese which they send in pursuit of the dogs, driving them off the local pier. Tom and Jerry bid a fond farewell as they board the ship for home, while the Italian mouse, and the dogs, wave goodbye from the shore. Song: “Santa Lucia”, a standard favorite from the popular Italian song repertoire. Enrico Caruso recorded one of the best-selling versions for Red Seal Victor. Tito Schipa issued a counter-version on Pathe Actuelle, and later on HMV. The Columbia Stellar Quartette got it for Columbia. Riccardo Stracciara, a concert baritone, also issued a Columbia Exclusive Artist version. Tino Rossi was an Italian singer who became popular in France in the 1930’s, and issued his version on European Columbia. Josef Locke issued a vocal on British Columbia. Felix Mendelssohn gave it a Hawaiian guitar twist for English Columbia. Beniamino Gigli would move the Victor Red Seal version into electrical recording. Josef Schmidt (referred to as the “Pocjet Caruso” on account of his height of 4′ 1”) issued an Odeon version in the ‘30’s. Frederick Ferrari recorded for Parlophone. Carmen Cavallero gave it a piano treatment for Decca. Stan Kenton issued his own take on the number for Capitol. Dean Martin issued a version as one of his first sides for Apollo records. Andre Bech Nielsen, a light tenor, issued a vocal for Polyphon. Toni Dalli, another tenor, recorded a late 50’s Italian Columbia side. Harry Secombe issued a vocal on Phillips.

Pecos Pest (11/11/55) – Jerry’s Uncle Pecos from Texas is in town, to appear on a television show. Uncle Pecos, a bewhiskered loudmouth Texan, is there to sing “Froggy Went a -Courtin”, but is pretty hard on his guitar strings, constantly snapping them. He finds that Tom’s whiskers make excellent replacements. Tom winds up down to his last whisker as the television broadcast commences on a screen in Tom and Jerry’s living room. At the studio, Pecos breaks yet another string in mid-tune. Tom breaks into a sadistic horse laugh at home – but Pecos reaches out of the screen to pluck Tom’s last whisker to complete the performance. There must not be a cat in Texas with whiskers when Pecos is around. The film is a tour-de-force for Shug Fisher. Originally out of the Southeast, he was recorded by Decca in 1937 under the name “Hugh and Shug’s Radio Pals”. He had been making comic appearances on the West Coast in 1950’s night club circuits. Bill or Joe had caught the act, and built the whole cartoon around it.

Songs: “Frog Went a-Courtin’”. Under a different title (“King-Kong-Kitchy-Kitchy-Ky-Mee-O”), an early version was issued by Chubby Parker (an early star of the WLS Barn Dance in Chicago) for Columbia in 1928, released in their hillbilly series: A version by children’s radio entertainer Uncle Don appeared on Conqueror. A 1940’s recording by Burl Ives on Decca was popular. The tune was the country counterpart of the text of “A Frog He Would a-Wooing Go”, discussed in a previous post. There is also a short, hot unnamed guitar solo, that seems to incorporate riffs quite similar in style to the intro of Les Paul and Mary Ford’s “How High the Moon”. Here’s Shug Fisher himself performing the song on The Sons of the Pioneers Luck-U Ranch radio program in 1951:

Cellbound (11/24/55) – This would be the last picture produced by Fred Quimby for the studio. It was Tex Avery’s last original cartoon for MGM as well. A mug winds up in a state prison, where he’s serving a 400 year sentence. He is able to jimmy one of the concrete blocks out of the floor of his cell, and uses a spoon to dig himself an escape tunnel. When he escapes (after many years), he thinks he’s hitching a ride to the big city – but winds up in a truck headed back to the penitentiary, delivering an item to the warden as an anniversary present to his wife – a television set. The mug finds himself trapped inside the set, and is forced to impersonate all the performers of a day of broadcasting, including Western characters, boxers, a jazz band, and finally a crazy comedian. The warden reacts in his usual deadpan, but is satisfied with the reception, and takes the set home to his wife, while the mug digs out once again. But the mug can’t win, as his latest tunnel comes up right in the warden’s living room, and back inside the TV set. The mug goes berserk, but neither the warden nor his wife are any the wiser, thinking he is just the same comic seen earlier that morning. Song: “Down In the Valley”, played on harmonica by the mug, reinforcing the old trope of lonelt harmonica playing in prison. It is an American folk song, which earlier versions refer to by the title “Birmingham Jail”. Recordings include a Columbia by Tom Darby and Jimmy Carlton. Bud and Joe Billings (actually Frank Luthur and Carson Robison) covered it for Victor. Dad Pickard (of the Pickard Family) issued a Conqueror side. The Dezurik Sisters (an act out of the National Barn Dance) recorded a Vocalion version. Under the new title, it was re-popularized by Burl Ives in the 40‘s for Decca. The Andrews Sisters also did a version for Decca. The Sentimentalists (presented by Billy Cotton) issued a British Decca. Tex Ritter and the Dinning Sisters covered it for Capitol. Patti Page issued a Mercury side. Wayne King covered it for RCA Victor. The Weavers issued a Decca version, then Pete Seeger issied a solo version on Everest. Slim Whitman first recorded it on RCA Victor, then on LP on Imperial. Solomon Burke issued a soulful 60’s version on Atlantic. Alvin and the Chipmunks issued a Liberty release.

Muscle Beach Tom (9/7/56) – At Muscle Beach, all the feline body builders are showing off their muscles. Tom is there, trying to maintain pretenses as best he can to impress his girlfriend. But Butch has muscles for real, and a heated battle of one-upsmanship commences, with Jerry adding spice to the battle in his own usual manner. Tom finally is forced to resort to helium balloons to create fake biceps, using an anchor to keep himself grounded. The anchor proves to be a secret weapon in knocking out Butch – but Jerry reveals the hoax by disconnecting Tom’s mooring rope, then puncturing the balloons, zooming Tom over the horizon. With no one left for muscular competition, Jerry impresses Tom’s girlfriend with his own weight-lifting of a pair of tomatoes – getting squashed between them when he topples over sideways in the closing scene. Songs: A repeat of “I Got Out of Bed On the Right Side” from Dangerous When Wet, and an unidentified mambo number, likely a Scott Bradley original.

Down Beat Bear (10/21/56) – Jerry has set up bachelor quarters inside a radio, and seems to relax to dance music. Tom comes home, and is not able to rest, his head transforming to the shape of various instruments he hears from the music. The two wage war over the on/off buttons of the radio, during which they hear a news bulletin about a dancing bear escaped from the circus. The bear shows up, and will immediately dance when he hears music. Tom wants to claim the reward, but Jerry keeps the music playing, causing the bear to keep Tom busy by grabbing him as a dancing partner. Finally, Tom tosses the only remaining working radio (a transistor model) up to the limbs of a tall tree. It slides down the branch and clicks on again. An announcer introduces a program of “six hours of continuous dance music” – and the bear is instantly there. Tom resigns himself to his fate, shoos Jerry away, and the dancing commences – far into the night. Songs: “La Cumparsita” (loosely translated, “The Parade”), one of the traditional Argentine Tangos. Recorded as an instrumental by Franciso Canaro on Argentine Odeon, and as a vocal by Carlos Gardel, twice, once with Pedro Razzano, both versions on Argentine Odeon. Roberto Diaz issued a Victor version recorded in Buenos Aires. The piece became known in this country, and was recorded by Tito Schipa on red seal Victrola, Hal Kemp on Brunswick, and Eddy Duchin on Victor. England got Harry Roy on Parlophone. More versions included Marek Weber on Columbia, Joe Loss on HMV, Morton Gould on green Columbia Masterworks, Reginald Manus’s Orchestra on Parlophone, The Castilians (directed by Louis Katzman) on Decca, and Xavier Cugat in versions for both Columbia and RCA Victor (below). Later version included Charles Magnante and a quartet on Silvertone Record Club, Harry Horlick on MGM, Mantovani on English Columbia, and Victor Sylvester in strict tempo on British Columbia. Ricardo Santos issued a German recorded version on Polydor. Jian D’Arienzo issued an Argentine RCA Victor. Many other foreign versions exist by orchestras unfamiliar to this author. Also included in the film is a traditional gypsy number, “Two Guitars”. Recordings included the Victor Salon Orchestra on Victor, the A. & P. Gypsies on Brunswick, the Hungarian Zingari Orchestra on British Filmophone (a celluloid flexible record) from 1931, the Brunswick Salon Orchestra on Brunswick, Ray Bloch on Signature, the Albert Sandler Trio (Sandler was a violinist) on British Columbia, Harry Horlick on MGM, Armando Di Piramo on Columbia Blue Label, Charles Magnante on Silvertone Record Club, and the Russian Master Singers on Standard.

Blue Cat Blues (11/16/56) – A certain cat (Tom) is rather despondent, and has taken up a position sitting on a railroad track, waiting for the train to come along, to end it all. The story, a rather adult one, is narrated by Jerry in thought voice, who relates Tom’s tale of woe. A love triangle involving a modified, aloof version of Toodles, pits Tom against his old rival Butch, who in this cartoon has risen from the trash cans and is loaded with dough. You can tell just by the smoke rings Butch blows – in the shape of dollar signs. Every means Tom tries to impress Toodles is entirely outclassed by the purchases of Butch, who showers Toodles with rooms full of flowers, tanker trucks of perfume, and jewels that shine so bright, welder’s masks are necessary to look at them. Tom signs himself into slavery to but a jalopy – only to have it run down by Butch’s new ultra-long sports model with about fourteen front fenders. Tom goes to pieces after that – literally. He starts hitting the bottle (needle gauges in his eyes reading “full”), and ends up in the gutter, floating toward the sewer. Jerry tries to expel all the water from Tom’s lungs, when the two are splashed by a passing car, carrying Butch and Toodles, and a sign reading, “Just married.” The scene returns to the present and the railroad tracks, where Jerry concludes that Tom’s imminent fate is all for the better. Too bad Tom didn’t have a faithful girl with an ever-lovin’ heart like Jerry does. Or so Jerry thinks, as his girl passes in a miniature car, also just married to a rival. Jerry joins Tom on the tracks to wait for the train, as the final shot closes with the sound of the train’s whistle drawing ever nearer. Song: “I’ve Got a Feelin’ You’re Foolin’”, heard over one of Toodles walks, introduced in Broadway Melody of 1936 (below). Recorded widely. The dancing crowd could have a choice of Eddy Duchin on Victor, Anson Weeks on Brunswick, the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (though Tommy had left) on Decca, Angelo Ferdinando and his Great Northern Orchestra on Bluebird, and Archie Bleyer’s Orchestra on Melotone, Perfect, et al. English consumers could have gone for a version by Caroll Gibbons and his Savoy Hotel Opheans on Columbia, Those who preferred a vocal version in America could pick up on Eleanor Powell with Tommy Dorsey on Victor, or Connie Boswell on Decca.

Mucho Mouse (9/6/57) – At an upscale hacienda, either in Spain or Latin America, the lady of the house is confronting her orange tabby cat, who seems content to lay on the sofa and strum his guitar rather than engage in mouse chasing. The cat explains that no one, but no one, can catch “El Magnifico”, a mouse played by Jerry, who compresses long rows of stolen food items Into his name-labeled mousehole. The lady suggests the cat read a telegram she’s received, from Champion mouser Tom, who shows up at the door with an arm full of neon-decorated trophies, and a phrase book, from which he completely manhandles the Spanish language (“Co-mo es-ta uss-ted, sen-nor-eye-ta.”) The chase commences with Jerry acting as matador, earning plaudits from the Spanish cat, who throws flower petals at Jerry when Tom is vanquished. The film ends with both cats strumming guitars on the sofa, equally convinced that no one can catch El Magnifico. Even Tom’s Spanish has improved, as he exchanges the phrase with Butch, “Es verdad, amugo.” Songs: “Espana Cani”, a traditional Spanish paso doble associated with the bullfights, most notable for a turnaround heard between stanzas which became a sort of sub-melody or musical marker. Recordings included Fredo Gardoni (musette accordion) on Pathe in 1931, Tomas Nunez on Vocalion, Columbia and Okeh, Maurice Alexander (accordion) on European Columbia, Emil Coleman on Decca, Morton Gould on Columbia Masterworks (below), Noel De Silva on Pan-American, Manuel S. Acuna on Imperial, Don Eduardo on Polydor, Larry Sohn’s Orchestra on Seeco, George Wright (organ) on Vogue, Mantovani for British Decca, Maria Zamora y sus Muchachos on Phillips, and the 101 Strings on the LP “The Soul of Spain” for Somerset.

Next Time: A wrap-up of the Hanna-Barbera regime, and some musical moments from the producers who followed. Till then: have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!