Fish and Flies

Why, oh why, won’t someone restore the Fleischer Talkatoons?

There’s always crazed stuff going on in them and, of course, we get cool versions of hot-cha music of the ‘20s.

The highlight of Wise Flies, released July 19, 1930, is a version of “Some of These Days” sung by the spider to a female fly that has escaped his sticky web. There’s a ukelele playing in the background.

The spider’s so upset by the fly leaving him (yeah, there’s sexual tension in Talkartoons, too) that he cries into his top hat. Cut to three fish, jumping out of the pool of tears in the hat, swaying to the music for a few bars, then jumping back in.



The camera cuts to a close-up of the spider’s mouth. His molars grow legs and start dancing!



There’s rubber hose animation, too. Willard Bowsky and Ted Sears are the credited animators.