Music For Some “Metal Munching Moon Mice”
Rather than hire somebody to write a plethora of old-sounding songs, the Jay Ward people went to Bill Scott’s memory of old songs he’d learned at camp.
Category Archives: NEEDLE DROP NOTES
The Mills Brothers in Cartoons – Part 2
Although the Mills Brothers appeared in three of Max Fleischer’s “Screen Songs”, other studios went out of their way to obtain a Mills Brothers sound — if needed.
Four Brothers Named Mills
A number of artists appeared in the Fleischer Screen Songs cartoons. One act not only did three Screen Songs cartoons, but had good-natured fun with caricature. That act was the Mills Brothers.
Popeye Dances Again in “Morning Noon and Night Club” (1937)
Popeye and Olive Oyl take to the dance floor again in 1937’s Morning Noon and Night Club. However, the dance inspiration in this cartoon was rather different from the last outing.
Music in Popeye’s “The Dance Contest” (1934)
Right from the release of “Popeye the Sailor” in 1933, Paramount knew they had a hit on their hands.
Pondering “Go Get The Ax”
No one knows much about this song – featured in Oswald’s “Alaska” and strummed by Bugs Bunny in “Hare Trigger”. But I have my own theory as to the origins of this number.
Popeye in “It’s The Natual Thing To Do” (1939)
A fond memory of the days when running vintage black and white theatrical cartoons on children’s television was “the natural thing to do”!
Jack Teagarden and his Walter Lantz Cartunes
When trombonist Jack Teagarden became available to do two cartoon soundtracks, Darrell Calker and Walter Lantz leapt at the chance to get him.
Paul Whiteman Take-Offs
Paul Whiteman was such a well-known personality that cartoons – topical creatures that they were – would waste no opportunity to have a little fun with him.
The King of Jazz gets Animated
Paul Whiteman conducted the biggest dance-band throughout the 1920’s, and into the 1930’s. He also appeared two cartoons with Oswald Rabbit and Walter Lantz.
