Billboard Frolics

Last updated
Billboard Frolics
Directed by Friz Freleng
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Starring Billy Bletcher
The Varsity Three
Count Cutelli
Bernard Brown [1]
Music by Bernard B. Brown
Animation by Cal Dalton
Sandy Walker
Color process Technicolor (2-strip)
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • November 16, 1935 (1935-11-16)
Running time
7 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Billboard Frolics is a 1935 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Friz Freleng. [2] The short was released on November 16, 1935. [3]

Contents

This short is the first to feature the song "Merrily We Roll Along" which would later become the opening theme for the Merrie Melodies cartoons, starting with Boulevardier from the Bronx .

Plot

The plot consists of signs and billboards coming to life and dancing to the song, and eventually a chick (parody of the Bon Ami chick) jumps down and starts interacting with the environment. A cat sees the chick and starts chasing him, and the other advertisements (including parodies of His Master's Voice and an Arm & Hammer logo) rally to protect the chick.

Related Research Articles

<i>Merrie Melodies</i> Cartoon series owned by Warner Bros. (1931–1969 and 1988–1997)

Merrie Melodies is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the companion series to Looney Tunes, and featured many of the same characters. It originally ran from August 2, 1931, to September 20, 1969, during the golden age of American animation, though it was revived in 1979, with new shorts sporadically released until June 13, 1997. Originally, Merrie Melodies placed emphasis on one-shot color films in comparison to the black-and-white Looney Tunes films. After Bugs Bunny became the breakout character of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes transitioned to color production in the early 1940s, the two series gradually lost their distinctions and shorts were assigned to each series randomly.

<i>The Unmentionables</i> 1963 film

The Unmentionables is a 1963 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 7, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petunia Pig</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Petunia Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. She looks much like her significant other, Porky Pig, except that she wears a dress and has pigtailed black hair.

<i>The CooCoo Nut Grove</i> 1936 film by Friz Freleng

The CooCoo Nut Grove is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short animated film, set in the famed Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. This is a caricature cartoon, with recreations of celebrities from the time. The cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng, with animation by Robert McKimson and Sandy Walker, caricature design by T. Hee, and musical score by Carl Stalling. The short was released on November 28, 1936.

Beans (<i>Looney Tunes</i>) Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Beans the Cat is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Cartoons series of cartoons from 1935–1936. Beans was the third Warner Bros cartoon character star after Bosko and Buddy. He was voiced by Billy Bletcher. He was created by director Friz Freleng. The character was featured in nine cartoons made in 1935 and 1936.

<i>I Havent Got a Hat</i> 1935 film

I Haven't Got a Hat is a 1935 animated short film, directed by Isadore Freleng for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of the Merrie Melodies series. Released on March 2, 1935, the short is notable for featuring the first appearance of several Warner Bros. cartoon characters, most notably future cartoon star Porky Pig. Beans the Cat, a minor Looney Tunes star in 1935-1936, also made his first appearance in this cartoon.

<i>I Love to Singa</i> 1936 film

I Love to Singa is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The short was released on July 18, 1936.

<i>She Was an Acrobats Daughter</i> 1937 film

She Was an Acrobat's Daughter is an animated short in the Merrie Melodies series, produced by Vitaphone Productions and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. on April 10, 1937. This animated short was directed by I. Freleng and produced by Leon Schlesinger. The short is currently available to stream on Max and is a part of the Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray and iTunes releases of Goodfellas as a part of a Merrie Melodies & Looney Tunes bonus features compilation.

"The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" is a song written in 1937 by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin and published by Harms Inc., New York. It is best known as the theme tune for the Looney Tunes cartoon series and Merrie Melodies reissued cartoon series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, used from 1937 to 1969.

<i>Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk</i> 1943 animated short film by Friz Freleng

Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Friz Freleng and starring Bugs Bunny, with all of the voices provided by Mel Blanc.

The Lady in Red is a 1935 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on September 7, 1935.

"Merrily We Roll Along" is a song written by Charlie Tobias, Murray Mencher, and Eddie Cantor in 1935, and used in the Merrie Melodies cartoon Billboard Frolics that same year. It is best known as the theme of Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series.

My Green Fedora is a 1935 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 4, 1935.

Let It Be Me is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 2, 1936.

<i>The Up-Standing Sitter</i> 1948 film

The Up-Standing Sitter is a 1948 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on July 3, 1948, and stars Daffy Duck. All voices are by Mel Blanc.

<i>Farm Frolics</i> 1941 film

Farm Frolics is a 1941 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon supervised by Bob Clampett. It was released on May 10, 1941.

This is a listing of all theatrical animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies banners between 1970 and the present. It also lists shorts originally planned for theatrical release and other shorts that were not feature films, television series, or television specials.

<i>Old Glory</i> (film) 1939 animated short film directed by Chuck Jones

Old Glory is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on July 1, 1939, and stars Porky Pig. The cartoon was commissioned by Warner Bros. as a counterpart for a series of live-action films about American patriotism.

Goofy Groceries is a 1941 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on March 29, 1941.

<i>Flop Goes the Weasel</i> (film) 1943 film

Flop Goes the Weasel is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on March 20, 1943. It's re-released as Blue Ribbon in May 21, 1949.

References

  1. Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 17. ISBN   979-8-88771-010-5.
  2. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 40. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  3. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.