A band of cartoon animal musicians-- including their long-haired lion conductor -- warm up before going into the title song.
Although Walt Disney claimed to have produced the first sound cartoon with STEAMBOAT WILLIE in 1928, the Fleischers had begun their regular series of Screen Songs in 1925, a continuation of the live sing-alongs from early days of vaudeville and purpose-built movie theaters -- sing the song and then buy the sheet music. This sort of short subject would continue through the end of regular short subject production in the 1950s.
In the meantime, this is a fairly simple version of the elaborate Screen song that the form would evolve into. After the warm-up, the song is sung through once, straight, then there is a little more by-play. A decent if not remarkable example of the series.
Although Walt Disney claimed to have produced the first sound cartoon with STEAMBOAT WILLIE in 1928, the Fleischers had begun their regular series of Screen Songs in 1925, a continuation of the live sing-alongs from early days of vaudeville and purpose-built movie theaters -- sing the song and then buy the sheet music. This sort of short subject would continue through the end of regular short subject production in the 1950s.
In the meantime, this is a fairly simple version of the elaborate Screen song that the form would evolve into. After the warm-up, the song is sung through once, straight, then there is a little more by-play. A decent if not remarkable example of the series.