Blue Rhythm
| Blue Rhythm | |
|---|---|
| Mickey Mouse series | |
 Mickey directing the jazz band in the second half of the film | |
| Directed by | Burt Gillett |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Voices by |
Walt Disney Marcellite Garner |
| Music by | W. C. Handy |
| Animation by | Ed Benedict (assistant), Charlie Byrne, Johnny Cannon, Les Clark, Jack Cutting, Joe D'Igalo, Norm Ferguson, Hardie Gramatky, Jack King, Dick Lundy, Tom Palmer, Harry Reeves, Cecil Surry, Frank Tipper, Frenchy de Tremaudan, Rodolfo "Rudy" Zamora[1] |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Color process | Black-and-white |
| Running time | 7 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Mickey Steps Out |
| Followed by | Fishin' Around |
Blue Rhythm is a 1931 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The cartoon stars Mickey Mouse and depicts a multifaceted performance of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." It was directed by Burt Gillett and features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey and Marcellite Garner as Minnie Mouse.[3]
Synopsis
The concert opens with Mickey on piano. His shadow is cast dramatically on the curtain as he plays a classical interlude. Soon he transitions into a ragtime version of "St. Louis Blues." Minnie struts onstage and sings the verse "I hate to see that evening sun go down..." with Mickey accompanying. Soon an unseen band takes over the accompaniment and Mickey joins Minnie; the two mice dance and scat sing two more verses.
As Mickey and Minnie exit stage right, the curtain rises to reveal the band – Pluto (in a rare human-like appearance) on trombone, two goats on violins, a Scottish Terrier on sousaphone, a pig on the cornet, Clarabelle Cow on a double bass, two Dachshunds on saxophones, and Horace Horsecollar on a drum set and xylophone; Mickey reappears through a stage elevator to conduct. After several interruptions, Mickey plays a clarinet and parodies Jazz bandleader Ted Lewis.[2]
As the band plays the final notes of the climatic finale, they collectively jump on the bandstand and cause it to collapse. They reemerge from the debris to deliver a final "Yeah!" to the audience.
Releases
- 1931 – Original theatrical release
- 1998 – Ink & Paint Club, episode #44 "Musical Mickey" (TV)
- 2002 – "Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White" (DVD)
External links
- Blue Rhythm at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts
- Blue Rhythm at the Big Cartoon Database
- Blue Rhythm at the Internet Movie Database
- Blue Rhythm at the Disney Film Project
References
- ↑ "The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts". Blue Rhythm. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- 1 2 Smith, Dave (2006). "Blue Rhythm". Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). New York: Disney Editions. pp. 80–81. ISBN 0-7868-4919-3.
- ↑ Blue Rhythm at the Internet Movie Database