Symphony in Slang

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Symphony in Slang
Symphony in Slang title card2.jpg
Directed by Tex Avery
Written byRich Hogan
Story byRich Hogan
Produced by Fred Quimby
Starring John Brown
Music by Scott Bradley
Animation by Michael Lah
Grant Simmons
Walter Clinton
Backgrounds byJohn Didrik Johnsen
Color process Technicolor
Perspecta (re-released in 1958)
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • June 16, 1951 (1951-06-16)(U.S.)
  • June 13, 1958 (1958-06-13)(U.S. re-release))
Running time
6 minutes, 43 seconds
LanguageEnglish

Symphony in Slang is a 1951 cartoon short film directed by Tex Avery, written by Rich Hogan and released with the feature film No Questions Asked by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. [1] Minimalist and abstract in style (many of the "gags" are created either with single, still frames or limited animation), it tells the story of a man (voiced by radio actor John Brown of My Friend Irma and The Life of Riley fame), who finds himself at the Pearly Gates explaining the story of his life to a bewildered Saint Peter and Noah Webster (also Brown) using slang of that era. The majority of the short is made up of sight gags based on Peter and Webster's literal interpretations of phrases such as "raining cats and dogs".

Contents

Plot

A swing-savvy hep cat reaches Heaven and steps before Saint Peter. When asked to account for himself, his response is so peppered with slang that the Peter cannot understand him and seeks the help of the dictionary-penning Noah Webster. As the protagonist narrates his life story in his slang-heavy dialect, we see a series of sight gags based on literal interpretations (such as being born with a silver spoon in his mouth).

The protagonist lived on the poverty line due an early failed career in foodservice. He travelled and met a girl named Mary in Chicago. He took her out dining, where she ate "like a horse" but he could not afford to pay the bill, upsetting a toothbrush-mustached restaurant propreitor. The narrator was incarcerated but eventually escaped and went to see Mary in New York City. She, however, was silent (due to the cat having her tongue). The protagonist learned that Mary was seeing an "old flame", who looks much like the stood-up waiter.

After another round of traveling, the protagonist went to make another plea to Mary. He was surprised to find her with many children, forcing her hubby to perform nonstop housework (to his chagrin). The narrator was so amused that he died laughing. Back in Heaven, the protagonist asks if Webster has followed him. Webster stammers, due to the cat having his tongue.

Availability

About 25 seconds at the end of the Madvillain song "Strange Ways" consists of a largely continuous sample of the film. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 146–147. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7.
  2. ↑ "Madvillain's 'Strange Ways' sample of That Mary Was Going Around With an Old Flame scene in Symphony in Slang". WhoSampled . Retrieved October 15, 2021.
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