Red-Headed Baby

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Red-Headed Baby
The title card of Red-Headed Baby, circa 1931.png
The title card for the redrawn version
Directed by Rudolf Ising
Produced by Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
Leon Schlesinger
Music by Frank Marsales
Animation by Rollin Hamilton
Carman Maxwell
Color process Black-and-white
Color Systems, Inc.
(1973 Korean redrawn three-strip color edition)
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • December 18, 1931 (1931-12-18)
(earliest known date)
Running time
6:39
Language English

Red-Headed Baby is the sixth title in the Merrie Melodies series. The short was released as early as December 18, 1931. [1] [a] It is directed by Rudolf Ising. [2]

Contents

The short is the first from Warner Bros. to not feature a recurring character; all previous cartoons had featured Bosko, or Piggy. [3]

Plot

Around Christmas Eve, a toymaker creates a red-haired doll, who, after he (the toymaker) departs, comes to life along with the other toys; she subsequently breaks into singing the titular song, in the process meeting a soldier who instantly falls for her.

However, a massive and thuggish spider also has fallen for the doll. He kidnaps her and beats the sawdust out of the soldier. The soldier fills his body up again and defeats the spider using a toy train. All the toys rejoice and the doll and the soldier reunite as the titular song reprises, ending the cartoon.

References

  1. ↑ "Red-Headed Baby - Earliest Known Date". Daily News. December 23, 1931. p. 19. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  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. 8. 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 June 6, 2020.

Notes

  1. ↑ Archived from a December 23 article, this is based on the fact that new cartoon shorts would premiere in theaters on Saturdays.
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