I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You
| I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You | |
|---|---|
| Betty Boop series | |
| Directed by | Dave Fleischer |
| Produced by | Max Fleischer |
| Voices by |
Little Ann Little Louis Armstrong |
| Music by | Louis Armstrong and Orchestra |
| Animation by |
Willard Bowsky Ralph Somerville |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) |
|
| Color process |
Black-and-white Colorized in 1972 |
| Running time | 7 minutes |
| Language | English |
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I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You is a 1932 American Pre-Code Fleischer Studios animated short film starring Betty Boop, and featuring Koko the Clown and Bimbo. The cartoon features music by and a special guest appearance from jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra playing "You Rascal You". The title of the film comes from the song, written by Sam Theard in 1931.[1] The film is now in the public domain.
Synopsis
After a live action introduction featuring Louis Armstrong and his orchestra, the short opens in the jungle, with Betty being carried on a litter by Bimbo and Koko. A horde of African savages descends on the trio, and runs off with Betty. Koko and Bimbo try to find the missing Betty, but end up in the cannibals' cooking pot. They climb a tree and escape, but are pursued by the enormous disembodied head of a savage (with the voice of Louis Armstrong). Koko and Bimbo eventually find Betty tied to a stake, surrounded by dancing natives. Koko and Bimbo help Betty escape by firing porcupine quills at the savages. The trio races off, hotly pursued by spear-tossing natives. The three finally reach safety after crossing a mountain, the erupting peak of which flings the savages into space.
Notes and comments
- This is one of Louis Armstrong's earliest film appearances. Armstrong and his orchestra perform "High Society Rag" and the title song. The use of a currently popular musician represented competition with the contemporaneous music library accessibility greatly exploited by animators Hugh Harman and Carl Ising, when producing musically-synchronized shorts for the Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies series.
- A later remake of the song is the Spanish "Raska-yú", by P. Bonet de San Pedro and Bartolomé de Lete (performed by San Pedro and Los siete de Palma). It became a hit during the summer of 1943. It mixes the American "Rascal You" with Alberto Villalón's "Boda negra" lyrics. The Spanish "Raska-yú" remains a kitsch cult song unrelated to its plagiarious origins, unknown by most.
- A speedometer in Koko's tail at one point registers the Hebrew word כּשר (kosher).
- Buck Woods, portraying a jazz singer in Reunion in France, a 1942 film starring John Wayne and Joan Crawford, sings this song in Paris nightclub during the Nazi occupation during World War II.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ Shapiro, Nat. Popular Music: Volume 4 1930-39, Adrian Press, 1968. P. 64.
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0940526/filmotype
External links
- I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You at the Internet Movie Database
- I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You on YouTube
- I'll Be Glad When You're Dead... at the Big Cartoon Database
- I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Victor Victrola Phonograph History. English text and pictures of the ancient-style-furniture embedded models.