Opening Night Kiss

The great thing about the Fleischer cartoons was something unexpectedly coming to life and pulling off some odd gag.

I wish it happened more in the Van Beuren cartoons, but there’s an example in Opening Night, the 1933 debut short for Cubby Bear. A lion is playing a harp (yes, it’s a piano on the soundtrack) with a decorate head. After the harpist’s almost solo (there’s a violin in the background, too), the head stretches out to kiss him. G’wan!



Gene Rodemich gets the only credit, for “synchronization.”