Title character
Mr. B Natural is an androgynous figure, a "hep pixie" [1] who is meant to embody the "spirit of fun in music". In this capacity, the character inspires children to take up band instruments. The name is a pun on the musical notation B♮ (B natural), as the character explains: "that's what your feelings of music are, as natural as you can be."
The character also acts as a kind of nascent brand mascot for C.G. Conn musical instruments, though Mr. B Natural made no appearances for the company beyond the one film.
Conn provided details about the film in the Spring 1957 issue of their magazine, The Baton, distributed to public school music teachers: "Mr. B Natural is the spirit of music in everyone...a sort of LepreCONN who is always no more than an inch away from the fingertips of anyone. Mr. B has a code, however, that prohibits him from showing himself for anyone unless he reaches out and calls for the spirit of music. In full color, Mr. B Natural entertainingly answers the call of Buzz, a shy, reticent teen-ager and for twenty-six minutes and forty seconds explains how music and playing a musical instrument will help develop posture, breathing, self-confidence, coordination and in general a young person's character. Mr. B gives both youthful and adult audiences ease to take instruction in the values of music. The Film is being made available by the Band Instrument Division of Conn through Conn dealers everywhere."
In captions for the productions photos included in the three-page essay, the title character is consistently referred to as "he", an indication that Conn intended Mr. B to be of the male gender. However, in an instance of reverse-gender casting similar to the casting of Mary Martin as Peter Pan ("Mary Martin syndrome" as Kevin Murphy said when writing about his experiences with the short film), [4] the role was cast with an actress, Betty Luster, who had been a television musical variety star only a few years before.
Plot
The action opens upon the musical staff in which Mr. B Natural lives. Mr. B addresses the audience directly, in an effort to appear welcoming, and explains what it means to be a spirit of music. Awaiting a person's call for help, Mr. B evinces sympathy and concern for lonely junior high student Buzz Turner.
Buzz shows an interest in music like the more popular kids at school, but is so shy that he makes excuses to not attend a dance, even when a girl directly invites him. Dejected, Buzz returns home and puts on a record. This magically summons Mr. B into the adolescent boy's bedroom, whereupon the pixie uses magic, music and dance to convince Buzz to take up playing the trumpet.
In visiting the music dealership, Buzz's parents are reassured by the salesman that buying a trumpet is "simply making a small investment in your son's lifetime personality." When Buzz mentions that he didn't care what make his new horn would be, he is reproached by Mr. B Natural, and is treated to a detailed description of the C. G. Conn factory and laboratories.
Through the gift of music and the help of his mysterious friend, Buzz finds the confidence and assertiveness he needs to try out for the school band, impress girls, and play solo at concerts and school dances.
Production
Mr. B Natural was produced by Chicago's Kling Film Productions, which prepared industrial films and commercials. The film's sponsor, C.G. Conn, was introducing its new line of "Connstellation" brass instruments in the mid-1950s, which may explain the emphasis on these instruments in the storyline.
Shooting took place in 1956, on 16mm in Technicolor, most of it presumably at Kling's huge Chicago facility, with "the largest sound stages outside of the [West] Coast.". [12] Other scenes are at the school grounds of Waukegan Elementary School in Illinois and Miami Sr. High School in Florida were used for location shots. Footage of workers at a C.G. Conn plant also appears.
Betty Luster was in Chicago in the last months of 1956 as a featured dancer-singer in the revue "Hey Day" at the Palmer House's Empire Room, [13] which would suggest that her segments in Mr. B Natural were filmed during this period.
Crew
- Patton's only other known credit was for directing the American dubs and footage of the Soviet children's classic The Snow Queen in 1959. Patton joined Chicago's Kling Productions in February 1956, after seven years as producer of the children's television program "Super Circus" (broadcast nationally on ABC), [14] noted for such live-animal acts as elephants, lions, and tigers.
- Marvin David, writer
- Bernie Saber, music
- David Savitt, cinematographer
- Arthur Ellis, editor
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Spoof
Mr. B Natural was featured on MST3K as part of episode #319, preceding the film War of the Colossal Beast , which first aired November 30, 1991. Trace Beaulieu cites this short as one of his favorites. [16]
In MST3K's revisiting of the short, Joel Robinson and the bots mock Mr. B's gender ambiguity and seemingly sinister interest in Buzz. They also pick up on a candid comment of Mr. B Natural, "don't be too sure I wasn't in the Garden with Mr. and Mrs. Adam," making the obvious connection that Adam and Eve's only companion in Eden mentioned in the Genesis story was the serpent. When Mr. B Natural starts a series of bizarre dances, Crow moans "Oh, my God, please say this isn't happening!" while Tom intones "Ladies and gentlemen, please accept our sincere apologies for all of this." Following the short, Joel moderates a mock-serious debate between Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo as to whether Mr. B Natural is a man or a woman.
Running joke
The short was later referenced many times during the show's run. Examples include:
- In Episode #420, The Human Duplicators , as a lithe woman walks down a stairway and across a room, Crow says in a higher pitched voice, "Knew your father, I did", a line uttered by Mr. B Natural.
- In Episode #421, Joel, to cheer him up after a particularly bad movie ( Monster A-Go-Go ), dressed Tom up as a "Happy King", quoting Mr. B and pronouncing it the same oddly chipper way the character did.
- In Episode #514, Teen-Age Strangler , as a character walks past several high school lockers, Crow declares nervously, "Mr. B Natural's in one of those lockers."
- During the short Design for Dreaming in Episode #524, Crow reacts to the main actress's perky dancing by declaring "It's a salute to Mr. B Natural!"
- In one scene in #703, Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell , Deathstalker gingerly leaps out of the way of a sword, to which Crow exclaims, "I'm Mr. B Natural!"
Mr. B was recreated by Bridget Jones in the live broadcast "Turkey Day" host segments of episode #701T Night of the Blood Beast , on November 23, 1995. Jones's Mr. B has arrived on the show to celebrate Thanksgiving, but becomes the focus of the unwelcome affections of another guest, a drunken Jack Perkins, played by Jones' real-life husband Michael J. Nelson.
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