Release Date March 13, 1937

Running Time 7:37

Synopsis

One of the livliest Silly Symphonies featuring a Café full of jitterbugging bugs.

Credits

Director : Wilfred Jackson

Animation

Ward Kimball

Paul Allen

Story : Isadore Klein

Cut Scenes

A lot of selective editing in this short. A black doorman and some black grasshoppers have been edited out. Also, a scene of a female fly smoking, although a shot of a male fly smoking has not been cut.

Videos

United States

Cartoon Classics : Limited Gold Editions : Silly Symphonies

Germany

Walt Disneys Musikhitparade

Italy

Silly Symphonies

Laserdiscs

Japan

Cartoon Classics : Limited Gold Editions : Silly Symphonies

DVD

Disney Treasures : Silly Symphonies

Cartoon Classic Favorites : Extreme Music Fun

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #38 : Infested Silly Symphonies

Mickey's Mouse Tracks : Episode #65

Donald's Quack Attack : Episode #37

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by United Artists Pictures

Comments

A Silly Symphony.

From Rod Bennett : [This short is] a spoof of the "Harlem" musicals of the day in which broad-minded white folk from Lower Manhattan journey uptown in order to experience the hot new "forbidden" sounds of Cab Callaway, etc.

From Jerry Edwards : Generally uninteresting cartoon for me, except that it contains numerous black stereotypes - most of which the Disney Channel showings censor. I do enjoy some of the caricatures of Hollywood celebrities of that time. I do get a kick out of the "male chauvinism" of the censorship of one scene. In a dance routine with a female fly and a male spider, both are shown smoking. But the female fly's smoking scene is censored, but the male spider's smoking is not censored. Very odd, since Disney has censored most smoking scenes from their shorts.

From T. J. Lynch : I've seen this short a number of times over the past 20 years and I've never grown tired of it. The energy and good humor of the animation and music have always lifted my spirits. The quick editing and flashing colors of the backgrounds must have seemed pretty radical back in the 1930s. I may get in trouble here, but I find the caricatures of the African American musicians affectionate rather than offensive (I have seen 1930s and 40s cartoons where the caricatures are indeed offensive, like in some of the MGM and Walter Lantz cartoons of the time). Also, for an updated version of this cartoon, check out the 1989 picture book "Nicholas Cricket" by Joyce Maxner and William Joyce . It was definitely influenced.

From Baruch Weiss : This is one of my favorite Silly Symphonies because of its music. It must have inspired the movie "A Bugs Life" and it reminds me somewhat of the 1935 classic "Mickeys Garden!"

From Kyle Peters : It is an interesting cartoon. A surprising Silly Symphony.

Gallery

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