A Corny Concerto
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| A Corny Concerto | |
| Merrie Melodies series | |
| Directed by | Robert Clampett |
|---|---|
| Story by | Frank Tashlin |
| Animation by | Robert McKimson |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited) |
| Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | September 25, 1943 |
| Format | Technicolor, 8 min (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb page | |
A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Bob Clampett and written by Frank Tashlin. It features music that was composed by Johann Strauss, and was intended as a parody of Disney's Fantasia and so displays a great degree of timing with the music. In 1994 it was voted #47 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.
Contents |
[edit] The Parts
The cartoon is narrated by Elmer Fudd, parodying Leopold Stokowski's appearance in Fantasia. In a staple of cartoon humor, Elmer has trouble trying to control his starched tuxedo shirt, which keeps trying to roll up like a windowshade while he introduces the two pieces about to be shown. In the interlude, he winds up ripping his shirt off in an attempt to keep it in place.
[edit] Tales from the Vienna Woods
Set to the tune of Tales from the Vienna Woods, Porky Pig and his hunting dog (who is unnamed) are hunting for Bugs Bunny (with Porky holding up a sign saying, "I'm hunting that @#$! rabbit" and the dog holds a sign of his own simply saying "Ditto", in keeping with the non-dialogue of the cartoon). Bugs, dancing to the time of the music, manages to continue outwitting both Porky and his hunting dog. At one point, for example, the dog points to a hole where Bugs is hiding. Bugs then holds up a sign, "It ain't polite to point!" and scampers off.
Towards the end, a single gunshot goes off, with all three characters thinking they got shot. Both Porky and his dog look and see there's no damage. Bugs looks, and acts like he's shot, falling to the ground. Porky and the dog start mourning Bugs, with Porky trying to undo Bugs' fingers around his chest. However, once he does so, Bugs reveals he has a bra underneath! He screams like a woman, knocks Porky and the dog to the ground, and dances off.
[edit] The Blue Danube
Set to the tune of The Blue Danube, this cartoon tells the tale of The Ugly Duckling. In this case, a mother swan is leading her children along a river, when a small black duck (a baby Daffy Duck, according to later historians) tries to tag along with them. The mother duck shooes the duck away. When the black duck tries again, with his underwater bubble tactic, the mother duck gets angry at the duck that's the cause of the bubble mess (himself encased in a bubble), and sends him back to the water.
A large vulture in a "hep cat" hairdo spots the troupe. He sprinkles salt and pepper on one of the ducklings, but too much pepper makes the duckling sneeze. Then, one by one, the vulture picks off the baby swans. He picks up the black duck, but then returns him, labeling the irked duck with a "4F" (unfit for military service). The mother swan sees the ducklings missing and goes into a panic (at one point, she picks up the black duck as if he were an inanimate object). The black duck sees the vulture and becomes enraged. Flying off (for a few moments resembling a P-40 Warhawk fighter), the duck chases the vulture, who turns yellow and drops the baby swans, which each have a parachute which lets them drop safely. The duck chases after the vulture, who gets knocked out. He then hands the vulture a drum of TNT and drops him from the sky. The bomb explodes and kills the vulture, who is last seen floating toward heaven and playing a harp, and held aloft by a helium balloon tied to his tail.
The cartoon ends with the black duck finally being allowed to tag along with the swan and her children, and "quack" to the tune of the waltz's finalé - with only the duck's reflection having a hard time keeping up with the rest of them.
[edit] Availability
The short can be seen on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set. The short also appears in the documentary Bugs Bunny: Superstar, which is available as a special feature on Discs 1 and 2 of the Volume 4.
