Happy Harmonies

Last updated
Happy Harmonies
Directed by
Produced by
  • Hugh Harman
  • Rudolf Ising
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
September 1, 1934 –
March 12, 1938
Running time
7–10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Happy Harmonies is a series of thirty-seven animated cartoons distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising between 1934 and 1938. [1]

Contents

Produced in Technicolor, these cartoons were very similar to Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies and Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies musical series. They occasionally featured Bosko, a character who starred in the first Looney Tunes shorts that the duo produced for Leon Schlesinger. After the first two cartoons, the design of Bosko changed from an "inkblot" to a more realistic African-American boy. [2]

The two final titles in the series were originally produced by Harman and Ising as Silly Symphonies cartoons. Disney originally had Harman and Ising create three shorts for Disney, but when they only kept one of their three shorts ( Merbabies ), the copyrights to the other two (Pipe Dreams and The Little Bantamweight) were sold to MGM who released them as Happy Harmonies. [3]

List of cartoons

1934

No.TitleDirected byNotesRelease date
1 The Discontented Canary Rudolf Ising September 1, 1934
2The Old PioneerRudolf Ising
  • Includes reused animation from Moonlight for Two (1932).
  • First cartoon to label the name Happy Harmonies on the title card.
  • Not shown on TV due to Native American stereotyping.
  • Extra on the DVD of Manhattan Melodrama .
September 29, 1934
3Tale of the Vienna Woods Hugh Harman October 27, 1934
4 Bosko's Parlor Pranks Hugh HarmanNovember 24, 1934
5Toyland BroadcastRudolf IsingDecember 22, 1934

1935

No.TitleDirected byNotesRelease date
6Hey-Hey FeverHugh Harman
  • Final appearance of the original Bosko design.
  • Extra in the DVD of A Tale of Two Cities (1935), along with Honeyland.
January 9, 1935
7When the Cat's AwayRudolf IsingFebruary 16, 1935
8The Lost ChickHugh Harman
  • Additional voices are provided by Elmore Vincent. [4]
March 9, 1935
9 The Calico Dragon Rudolf Ising
  • Extra in the DVD of Roberta (1935).
March 30, 1935
10Good Little MonkeysHugh Harman
  • First apperence of the "Good Little Monkeys".
April 13, 1935
11The Chinese NightingaleRudolf Ising
  • Not shown on American television due to Chinese characterizations.
April 27, 1935
12Poor Little MeHugh HarmanMay 11, 1935
13Barnyard BabiesRudolf IsingMay 25, 1935
14The Old PlantationRudolf Ising
  • First cartoon in three-strip Technicolor not released by Disney.
  • Not shown on American television due to African-American characterizations.
September 21, 1935
15 Honeyland Rudolf IsingOctober 19, 1935
16Alias St. NickRudolf IsingNovember 16, 1935
17Run, Sheep, Run!Hugh Harman
  • First appearance of the new Bosko design by Harman as a young African-American child.
December 14, 1935

1936

No.TitleDirected byNotesRelease date
18 Bottles Hugh HarmanJanuary 11, 1936
19The Early Bird and the WormRudolf Ising
  • The two lazy crows are voiced by (as well as caricatures of) then-famous blackface team Moran and Mack. Their dialogue is directly lifted from their hit 1927 comedy recording, Two Black Crows. [5]
  • Additional voices are provided by Bernice Hansen.
  • Singing vocals are provided by The Rhythmettes. [6]
  • Extra in the DVD of After the Thin Man .
February 8, 1936
20 The Old Mill Pond Hugh HarmanMarch 7, 1936
21Two Little PupsRudolf Ising
  • First appearance of the "Two Little Pups".
April 4, 1936
22The Old HouseHugh Harman
  • Featuring Bosko and Honey.
  • Honey sings "There Ain't No Spooks in There!".
May 2, 1936
23The Pups' PicnicRudolf Ising
  • Featuring the "Two Little Pups".
May 30, 1936
24 To Spring William Hanna June 4, 1936
25Little CheeserRudolf IsingJuly 11, 1936
26The Pups' ChristmasRudolf Ising
  • Featuring the "Two Little Pups".
December 12, 1936

1937

No.TitleDirected byNotesRelease date
27Circus DazeHugh Harman
  • Featuring Bosko and Honey.
  • Last cartoon billed as a Happy Harmonies.
January 16, 1937
28 Swing Wedding Hugh HarmanFebruary 13, 1937
29Bosko's Easter EggsHugh Harman
  • Fearturing Bosko.
March 20, 1937
30Little Ol' Bosko and the PiratesHugh HarmanMay 1, 1937
31The Hound and the RabbitRudolf IsingMay 29, 1937
32The Wayward PupsRudolf IsingJuly 10, 1937
33Little Ol' Bosko and the CannibalsHugh Harman
  • Second of three "Little Ol' Bosko and the Jazz Frogs" shorts.
August 28, 1937
34Little Buck CheeserRudolf IsingDecember 15, 1937

1938

No.TitleDirected byNotesRelease date
35Little Ol' Bosko in BagdadHugh Harman
  • Third of three "Little Ol' Bosko and the Jazz Frogs" shorts.
  • Final Bosko cartoon.
January 1, 1938
36Pipe DreamsHugh Harman
  • Featuring the "Good Little Monkeys".
  • Originally produced for Disney, but released by MGM.
  • Rarely shown on television due to showings of tobacco.
February 5, 1938
37The Little BantamweightRudolf Ising
  • Originally produced for Disney, but released by MGM.
  • Final cartoon in the Happy Harmonies series.
March 12, 1938

Home media

The only official home release to date containing a significant number of the Happy Harmonies shorts is the Happy Harmonies Cartoon Classics LaserDisc box set. The LaserDisc set was released in 1994 by MGM/UA Home Video, [7] which predated the merger of Turner Broadcasting System with Time Warner in 1996. The four-disc set contains 17 of the 37 Happy Harmonies shorts while the remaining 25 shorts include one side of six Barney Bear cartoons, the 1939 short Peace on Earth and the 1940 animated short The Milky Way . [8] In 1999, MGM paid Time Warner $225 million to end its lease of distributing content owned by Turner Entertainment Co. prior to 1996 (the cartoons are part of MGM's pre-May 1986 library in which Turner had purchased 13 years ago). While the copyrights remain with Turner, distribution rights are now with Warner Bros., Turner's current parent company. [9]

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References

  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 89. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. "Happy Harmonies". www.bcdb.com, February 2, 2012
  3. Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators
  4. Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 210. ISBN   978-0-7864-4985-9.
  5. Baxter, Devon (4 October 2017). "Harman-Ising's 'The Early Bird and the Worm' (1936)". Cartoon Research.
  6. Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 101. ISBN   978-0-7864-4985-9.
  7. "LaserDisc Database - Happy Harmonies: MGM Cartoon Classics #1 [ML104688]".
  8. "LaserDisc Database - Happy Harmonies: MGM Cartoon Classics #1 [ML104688]".
  9. "MGM Buys Its Way Out of Pact for $225 Million". Los Angeles Times . 16 March 1999.