Katnip Kollege

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Katnip Kollege

Merrie Melodies series
Directed by Cal Dalton
Cal Howard
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Story by Dave Monahan
Voices by Johnnie Davis
Poley McClintock
George McFarland
Mabel Todd
Animation by Joe D'Igalo
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) June 11, 1938 (USA)
Color process Technicolor
Running time 7 min (one reel)
IMDb profile

Katnip Kollege is a 1938 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon short produced by Leon Schlesinger Studios for Warner Brothers. It features the characters of Johnny Cat and Kitty Bright playing college students.

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

In the "Swingology" classroom at Katnip Kollege, the professor requires each student to sing his lessons to a jazz rhythm. Johnny just doesn't have it, and is forced to stay after class wearing a dunce cap. Kitty returns his fraternity ring as she leaves the room, telling him to call her when he learns how to swing.

Later that night, as all the other cats jam at an outdoor caterwaul, Johnny is suddenly inspired by the rhythm of a cuckoo clock. He runs to join the group and shocks everyone with a flawlessly jazzy rendition of "Easy as Rollin' Off a Log" sung (and trumpeted) to Kitty. At the end of the song they fall into each others arms, "rolling" off the log they were using as their stage. Kitty covers his face in kisses as the action ends.

[edit] Music

The music in the short is pieced together from a number of contemporary Warner Brothers features. The featured song, "Easy as Rollin' Off a Log" by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl, is sung by Johnnie "Scat" Davis and Mabel Todd in the film Over the Goal. Other songs used include "You're an Education" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren which was written for, but never used in Warner Brothers' 1938 feature film Gold Diggers in Paris and the Richard A. Whiting/Johnny Mercer song "We're Working our Way through College" from Warner Brothers' 1937 feature Varsity Show. Carl Stalling supervised the music soundtrack.

[edit] Availability

"Katnip Kollege" can be found on the 2004 DVD release Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2., and in Volume One of The Golden Age of Looney Tunes laserdisc box set (1991).

It is also available in 1080p High Definition (along with two other Looney Tunes - Robin Hood Daffy and Rabbit Hood) as bonus features on Warner Home Video's 2006 HD DVD release of The Adventures of Robin Hood.

[edit] References