Continuing with a run of 1935 titles featuring original song compositions. Joe De Nat’s creations during this period seemed to be getting better and better, and some of these songs featured quire interesting melodic lines, such that, if Columbia had given some attention to promoting its studio music, one or two of these might possibly have proved saleable.
The Peace Conference (4/26/35). Most likely inspired by the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-34 (though another, the Chaco Peace Conference, began in 1935 in Buenos Aires). A peace conference is attended by both human and animal delegates and human world leaders (including a recognizable Mahatma Ghandi), below a chirping chorus of peace doves above the entrance doorway. A hat check window serves new duty as an attendant instructs attendees, “Check your pistols, guns and knives, hand grenades and 45’s.” Inside a first meeting room, delegates gather around a dog in a chef’s hat, who slices bits and pieces off a large globe like he was carving a roast. “One for you, and one for you, and share this one among you two.”
Sharing is not a normal part of these delegates’ vocabulary, and in no time the assembly is “duke”ing it out atop the conference table. The roof of the building bounces and wobbles from the fighting inside, and even the doves fly the coop, taking their “Peace” banner with them. Amidst this chaos arrives at the front door an old-fashioned World War I-style tank, which rolls through the front door and smashes down an interior wall to get to the delegates. Inside the tank rides Krazy Kat, wearing formal top hat and delegate’s wardrobe. “Gentlemen, please! This fighting must cease!” Producing what appears to be an ordinary rifle, he continues, “This is my gun, to bring you world peace!” The delegates scoff at this intruder. Krazy realizes a demonstration is in order, and loads his rifle with a series of special bullets, marked “Crooner Tunes”, “Hot Music”, “Waltz Time”, and “Jazz Band”. A first shot into the middle of the battling delegates produces, in person, Bing Crosby, who croons a few “Boo Boo Boo Boo”s and instantly has the delegates spellbound and singing along. Krazy ventures deeper into the convention hall. In a back room waits an assemblage of actual world leaders, who watch a large world globe as it bulges and erupts on one side into a miniature no-man’s land battlefield with two opposing armies taking rifle pot-shots at each other. Krazy, peeking in through a keyhole, fires another shot through the hole, making a direct hit on the miniature battlefield. In its midst appears a miniature version of clarinetist Ted Lewis, who breaks into a solo in his traditional hot-cornball style. The soldiers start blowing on their rifles, magically converting them into clarinets too. The world leaders are all satisfied, and break into a song of happy cooperation. Gazing at all of this from space is the war god of Mars, who takes it as everyone neglecting him.
He leaps from one planet to the other, landing in the middle of the conference. Krazy attempts to stand his ground, taking a shot at Mars’s shoulder. On it appears Rudy Vallee, with his trademark megaphone. After only a few notes, Mars, in complete disdain of this effort, flicks Vallee off his shoulder as if he were a fly. Krazy tries another shot, producing another crooner (Russ Columbo?). Mars almost seems to be won over, but gets hold of himself and flicks the intruder off again. Time for the big guns, thinks Krazy, and fires off a volley of shots at Mars’s chest, ultimately knocking him down. Atop his chest appears the entire Paul Whiteman jazz orchestra! The leaders and delegates link hands and form a circle around the fallen Mars and the Whiteman band. Mars finally comes to, but finds the band’s effect too powerful, and sings along with the song’s final chorus as the scene irises out on a happy note. Songs: “The Delegates’ Song”, and “A Happy Family”, a number which De Nat would reuse a short few months later as nearly the entire score of another Krazy of the same title about a disastrous family reunion.
A Cat, a Mouse, and a Bell (5/10/35) – Pretty much the standard “belling the cat” story, except that these mice seem to want to attach the clanging instrument to the cat’s tail instead of around his neck (a seemingly impractical choice). The bell does get installed, and the nice are able to play as they do when the cat is away – with warning. Song: “Yippee-yi-ay”, an original song in celebration of antics in the kitchen, and “Fraidy Cat”, advancing the story by clarifying that the mouse assigned the task of the belling is afraid of everything.
The King’s Jester (5/20/35) – Krazy Kat is a jester, hoping to impress the king, who offers his daughter in marriage to anyone who can make him laugh. KK is also told by his horse that if he doesn’t make the king laugh, his neck will feel the royal axe. At least a couple of unsuccessful suitors are dragged off to the tune of Chopin’s Funeral March. The king does get some laughs, and KK does get his reward. Song: “The King’s Jester”, heard over opening titles, explaining the situation for the audience, and “Verily, Verily”, sung by Krazy as he approaches the castle.
Scrappy’s Ghost Story (5/24/35) – Scrappy is telling spooky stories by the light of a fireplace. Oppie is along for the ride. A phantom makes with the ectoplasm and a song, accompanied by a quartet of singing ghosts. Oopie gets into the “spirit” of things, and winds up singing the second chorus of the song. The cartoon ends with all of Oopie’s popcorn having popped at the fireside, scaring Oopie into Scrappy’s lap. Song: “I’m a Ghost”, an original De Nat composition, which serves to warn the kids against tying cans to a dog’s tail, failing to wash behind their neck, or to eat their spinach, lest they be haunted. Curiously, the song became unofficially commercially available as an unannounced “extra” cut on a Stash CD years ago.
The Puppet Murder Case (6/21/35) – Don’t expect Philo Vance here. Scrappy is trying to put on a puppet show for the kids in the neighborhood. Oopie is interfering and trying to gain entry without a ticket, and receives several well-deserved socks from Scrappy. Oopie retaliates with a few socks of his own, and eventually sabotages a group of dancing puppets by cutting their strings. Scrappy captures the culprit, and converts the stage into a mock court with puppet judge and jury. Oopie is sentenced to replace the puppets he has “killed”, all tied up in strings and manipulated like a marionette to conclude the performance. Song: “Rings on Your Fingers and Rings Through Your Nose”, another original with which the crowd taunts Oopie during his punishment.
Little Rover (6/28/35) – This little Rover was not in clover. In fact, life on the streets was quite hard for a small puppy. Not a laugh fest by any stretch of the imagination, this is a sordid tale of having to dodge cars, shoes, feet, and cats – and still come out whole. It is also a bleak cartoon, with no real happy ending. Song: “Little Rover”, used as an expository song with full chorus sung by a mezzo-contralto. It actually sounds like, with the right push, it could have been a minor hit, but found no life beyond the cartoon.
Garden Gaieties (8/1/35) – A Krazy Kat which one would almost wish had been made in color. Give the cartoon props for not trying to be Disney’s “Flowers and Trees”. Krazy has taken up gardening, but his garden is not doing as well as he’d like. Krazy goes to Mother Nature and explains his flowers are sick. Mother Nature goes off to find a doctor that can restore the flowers to health. The doctor turns out to be the sun. After what amounts to a pageant of flowers, the garden in back to perfect health. Song: “The Garden Gaieties Theme”, “We’re the Budding Buds”. “Mother Nature”, and “Mother Nature’s Lullaby”, all originals presumably by De Nat. And some of them quite melodious. Lots of vocals by the Rhythmettes, the one nod to “ootsie-cutesie” you find in this cartoon. Also includes “Blumenlied”, and a gavotte that sounds like “Narcissus” played sideways.
Scrappy’s Trailer (8/29/35) – Scrappy is tooling along quite nicely, driving a car and towing a trailer behind him. This is among one of the earliest cartoons to feature mechanical marvel trailers for gags, though not much else is memorable beyond the mechanical transformations. Song: “Ride Away”.
Into a new season, next time.