Monday, 21 October 2019

Mouth in Minnie the Moocher

A witch comes flying at the theatre audience in Minnie the Moocher, a 1932 Fleischer short that exists to highlight the title song as sung by a rotoscoped Cab Calloway as a walrus. (At least, I think it’s a witch. I don’t think it’s Minnie).

Disney for a year or so on either side of 1930 had characters swallowing the camera. It kind of happens in this Fleischer short, except in this case, the mouth has two uvulas that wail before the pictures vanishes into blackness.



The camera pulls back to reveal the blackness is now a cave from which Betty and Bimbo emerge.



Willard Bowsky and Ralph Somerville receive animation screen credits on this one.
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1 comment:

  1. J Lee21 October 2019 at 08:21

    Bowsky was the Fleischer director most into jazz as Shamus Culhane (who didn't like him) noted in his autobiography, and he was the Fleischer director most into putting disturbing images onto the screen in order to unnerve the kiddies in the audience. Both of those traits pretty much come together in this cartoon.

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