Holiday for Shoestrings

Last updated
Holiday for Shoestrings
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Michael Maltese
Produced by Edward Selzer
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy
Manuel Perez
Ken Champin
Virgil Ross
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • February 23, 1946 (1946-02-23)
Running time
7 min.
LanguageEnglish

Holiday for Shoestrings is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. [1] The short was released on February 23, 1946. [2] The film is a spoof of the fairy tale "The Elves and the Shoemaker". [3]

Contents

The plot concerns a pack of elves who help a shoemaker, Jake. The cartoon is set to a number of classical music pieces, some of which are used as running gags, especially from "The Nutcracker Suite". The title is a play on the David Rose number "Holiday for Strings". However, that tune is not played in the score.

The cartoon is done largely in pantomime, with the occasional (unintelligible) bickering of elves, many of which look like miniature versions of Elmer Fudd with elf-like ears (anticipating a similar role played by Elmer 10 years later).

Plot

Based on the classic Fairy Tale, the cartoon concerns a pack of Elmer Fudd-like elves who help a shoemaker, Jake, who has advertised for help. The cartoon is done largely in pantomime with the gags timed to a number of classical music pieces, from such composers as Johann Strauss, Frederic Chopin, and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with the occasional (unintelligible) bickering of the elves.

The twist on the usual story is that the bedridden shoemaker, suddenly feeling much better upon seeing the elves working feverishly, tries to sneak out to play golf, possibly implying that the shoemaker was actually faking his illness the whole time to avoid from doing his job. The elves, realizing this, drag Jake back to bed, tie him down ala Gulliver's Travels , and are seen dragging the golf clubs out of the house for themselves to play a round with, at iris-out.

Notes

See also

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Elves and the Shoemaker</span> German fairy tale

"The Elves and The Shoemaker" is a set of fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm about a poor shoemaker who receives much-needed help from three young helpful elves.

<i>Hare Brush</i> 1955 film

Hare Brush is a 1955 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 7, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<i>A Wild Hare</i> 1940 Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Tex Avery

A Wild Hare is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, and distributed by Warner Bros. as part of the Merrie Melodies series. The film was released on July 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance.

<i>Hiawathas Rabbit Hunt</i> 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's Lend a Paw. This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

<i>Hare Trigger</i> 1945 film by Friz Freleng

Hare Trigger is a 1945 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 5, 1945, and features Bugs Bunny. The short featured the first appearance of Yosemite Sam, as well as the first short to credit (almost) the whole animation staff who worked on the short.

<i>Yankee Dood It</i> 1956 film

Yankee Dood It is a 1956 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on October 13, 1956 and features Elmer Fudd and Sylvester.

<i>Slick Hare</i> 1947 film by Friz Freleng

Slick Hare is a 1947 Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on November 1, 1947, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. It parodies the Mocambo nightclub in Los Angeles—in the cartoon referred to as "The Mocrumbo". Mel Blanc voices Bugs, Arthur Q. Bryan voices Elmer Fudd and impressionist Dave Barry portrays Humphrey Bogart. The title is a pun on "hair", from an era when hair slicked down by oil was a popular fashion style for men.

<i>Stage Door Cartoon</i> 1944 film by Friz Freleng

Stage Door Cartoon is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<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.

<i>Back Alley Oproar</i> 1948 film

Back Alley Oproar is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng The short was released on March 27, 1948, and features Sylvester and Elmer Fudd. The title is a play on "uproar" and "opera". This is a rare exception for Sylvester as he wins in this cartoon. It is a remake of Freleng's Notes to You (1941).

<i>Person to Bunny</i> 1960 film

Person to Bunny is a 1960 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 1, 1960, and stars Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. It is the last cartoon to feature Arthur Q. Bryan as the voice of Elmer, and was released shortly after Bryan's death.

<i>The Hare-Brained Hypnotist</i> 1942 Bugs Bunny cartoon

The Hare-Brained Hypnotist is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on October 23, 1942 and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. This cartoon's plot was re-worked for the cartoon Hare Brush (1955) and its opening music was re-used in Hair-Raising Hare (1946), The Super Snooper (1952) and Hyde and Hare (1955).

Confederate Honey is a 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. It is a sendup of Gone with the Wind, and features an early appearance by Elmer Fudd in his most familiar form.

Robot Rabbit is a 1953 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 12, 1953, and stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<i>This Is a Life?</i> 1955 film

This Is a Life? is a 1955 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, written by Warren Foster, and produced by Edward Selzer, with music directed by Milt Franklyn. The short was released on July 9, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, and June Foray in her first work for Warner Bros. This is one of the few Bugs Bunny cartoons whose title does not contain Bugs, bunny, rabbit/wabbit or hare.

This is a listing of all the animated shorts released by Warner Bros. under the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies banners between 1940 and 1949.

<i>Heir-Conditioned</i> 1955 film

Heir-Conditioned is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on November 26, 1955, and features Elmer Fudd and Sylvester.

Wise Quackers is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on January 1, 1949, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

The Hardship of Miles Standish is a 1940 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd.

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 165. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 136. ISBN   9781476672939.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.