Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee

1932
Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee
5.2| 0h7m| en| More Info
Released: 19 March 1932 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Cartoons
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Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

An American Indian boy and girl sing and dance in the forest along with the animals. Trouble begins when a fire threatens baby birds in their nest.

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Robert Reynolds This was a one-shot cartoon done by Harman and Ising for Warner Brothers. There will be spoilers ahead:The title of this short derives from what is essentially a novelty song of the same title, bemoaning the three singers referred to (Bing Crosby, Russ Columbo and Rudy Vallee) and their effect on homes and marriages by being played on the radio and heard in homes across the country.The short actually begins with a group of Indians dancing and singing complainingly about the three. The best bit of business here is when the three names are intoned by animals on a totem pole. Otherwise, the beginning is a bit stale.The short then shows an Indian brave paddling a canoe in the best extended bit of animation to be found in the short. The brave plays the type of role later taken on by the character of Buddy, who was developed after Harman and Ising left Warner Brothers and took Bosko with them. In other words, he's as bland as dry toast.There's a long sequence in the middle of the short where the brave is trying to win the heart of Minnehaha with the help of a radio and extolling the virtues of the three singers. While there are some decent bits here, the cartoon simply marks time until the five minute mark, when a fire starts and some flames break loose and start burning trees. There's a cute bit with a tree shown in its underwear after the flames burn off its bark.The flames then burn a tree with a nest holding three baby birds, who proceed to chant for help. Heard by the brave, he enlists the aid of some flies to bring a spider web over to serve as a net to catch the birds in when they jump. The end is reasonably cute.This short is worth seeing.
ksrfine This is one of the most innocent cartoon romances, with kindness demonstrated for animals and sheer fun. It is a sweet portrayal of Indians (NA) and wild-life in a time when music was legitimately music and not just noise; 1932. This lively cartoon paired with the song "Cosby, Colombo & Valle" (about Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallee &Ross Columbo) makes a great combination. I love the original song "Crosby, Colombo & Valle," & have it on CD. The song is funny, quite lively & has great instrumentation, all while someone is spoofing the 3 crooners. They were amazing singers in their time and continue to greatly influence their fans and music buffs interested in swing, as well as those who appreciate older cartoons & humor. Compared to some of the cartoons today, this is one which will not offend-- it lacks innuendos, adult-humor, yet entertains. Take a chance, you'll like it!
Dawalk-1 I, too, first came across watching this Merrie Melody short via Youtube a while back earlier this year. I love it and it's since become another of my favorites. Indeed enjoyable, entertaining and recommendable because it features the music of and makes references toward at least two-thirds of the eponymous cartoon's singers played/heard in it. Their music is from a time back when music was still at an all-time high commercially and I'm sure that there were more good mainstream songs than not. For those who are new to this, take a chance on it if y'all think y'all are ready, willing and able to get into the musical sub-genres from the past decades and have eclectic taste. Y'all may never know and just might find yourselves getting into the samplings of the vocal and traditional pop stylings like I did. Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee were real talent, not like the majority of what we hear today above the ground. My favorite parts are the performances of this number, the dog impersonating Rudy Vallee and the young Native brave coming to the aid of the birds when the little flames spread. A good lesson in quality music for those who've heard of none of these three crooners. This should put a smile on everyone's face, it certainly made me happy while watching it.
tavm Just watched this Harmon-Ising Merrie Melodies cartoon for producer Leon Schlesinger in association with Warner Bros. on YouTube. It's basically a musical one with American Indians (or Native Americans if you want to be PC) singing the title song as to what the public was crazy about music-wise during this period. Nice dancing movements abound and there are some amusing gags near the end concerning fire, trees, birds, and the way the fire gets put out. There are also uncanny impersonations of Crosby and Vallee. So on that note, this cartoon is worth a look. P.S. Since this was the early '30s, the familiar Warner Bros. cartoon characters like Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck have yet to be created. If the animal character designs seem a little close to what the Walt Disney animation looked like at the time, that's because Hugh Harmon and Rudy Ising had originally worked for Uncle Walt in the '20s before leaving just as a certain mouse made Walt famous...