Happy Harmonies

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Happy Harmonies
Directed by
Produced by
  • Hugh Harman
  • Rudolf Ising
Production
company
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
September 1, 1934 – March 12, 1938
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Happy Harmonies is the name of a series of thirty-seven animated cartoons distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising between 1934 and 1938.[1]

Produced in Technicolor, these cartoons were very similar to Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies. They would occasionally feature Bosko, a character who starred in the first Looney Tunes shorts that the duo produced for Leon Schlesinger. After the first two releases, the design of Bosko changed from an ink blot to a realistic African American boy.[2]

The two final titles in the series were originally produced by Harman and Ising as Silly Symphonies cartoons. Disney originally had Harman and Ising create three shorts for Disney, but when they only kept one of their three shorts, "Merbabies", the copyrights to the other two ("Pipe Dreams" and "The Little Bantamweight") were sold to MGM who released them as Happy Harmonies.[3]

List of cartoons[]

1934[]

Title Directed By Notes Release Date
The Discontented Canary Rudolf Ising 1934-09-01
The Old Pioneer Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • Elmore Vincent voices Old Man
  • Carman Maxwell voices Indian Chief[4]
  • Includes reused animation from Warner Bros' Moonlight for Two (1932).
  • First cartoon to label the name Happy Harmonies on the title card.
  • Not shown on TV due to Native American stereotyping.[5]
  • Extra on the DVD of Manhattan Melodrama
 1934-09-29
Tale of the Vienna Woods Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[6] 		1934-10-27
Bosko's Parlor Pranks Hugh Harman 1934-11-24
Toyland Broadcast Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[7] 		1934-12-22

1935[]

Title Directed By Notes Release Date
Hey-Hey Fever Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising 		1935-01-09[14]
When the Cat's Away Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising 		1935-02-16
The Lost Chick Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • Elmore Vincent[17] voices Old Squirrel[18]
 1935-03-08[17]
The Calico Dragon Rudolf Ising 1935-03-30
Good Little Monkeys Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • The Rhythmettes voice the Good Little Monkeys[19]
 1935-04-13
The Chinese Nightingale Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • Voices by The Rhythmettes and Charlie Lung[20]
  • Not shown on American television due to offensive Chinese characterizations.[21]
 1935-04-27
Poor Little Me Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[22] 		1935-05-11
Barnyard Babies Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[23]
  • Last MGM cartoon in 2-strip Technicolor.[24]
  • Features a chicken impersonation of Sally Rand.[25]
 1935-05-25
The Old Plantation Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • Singing Voices by The Rhythmettes[4]
  • First cartoon in three-strip Technicolor not released by Disney.
  • Not shown on American television due to offensive African-American characterizations.[26]
 1935-09-21
Honeyland Rudolf Ising 1935-10-19
Alias St. Nick Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[27]
  • Billy Bletcher voices Santa Claus, Cat[28]
  • Bernice Hansen voices Little Cheeser,[29] Other Mice[27]
  • Extra on the DVD of Sylvia Scarlett
 1935-11-16
Run, Sheep, Run! Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[30]
  • Carman Maxwell voices Bosko
  • Rochelle Hudson voices Honey[31]
  • First appearance of the new Bosko design by Harman as a young African-American child.[32]
  • Not shown on American television due to offensive African-American characterizations.[33]
 1935-12-14

1936[]

Title Directed By Notes Release Date
Bottles Hugh Harman 1936-01-11
The Early Bird and the Worm Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[34] 		1936-02-08
The Old Mill Pond Hugh Harman 1936-03-07
Two Little Pups Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • First appearance of the "Two Little Pups."[36]
 1936-04-04
The Old House Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising[37] 		1936-05-02
The Pups' Picnic Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
  • Featuring the "Two Little Pups".[41]
 1936-05-30
To Spring William Hanna
Paul Fennell[42] 		1936-06-04
Little Cheeser Rudolf Ising 1936-07-11
The Pups' Christmas Rudolf Ising
  • Featuring the "Two Little Pups".
 1936-12-12

1937[]

Title Directed By Notes Release Date
Circus Daze Hugh Harman
  • Last cartoon billed as a Happy Harmonies.
 1937-01-16
Swing Wedding Hugh Harman 1937-02-13
Bosko's Easter Eggs Hugh Harman 1937-03-20
Little Ol' Bosko and the Pirates Hugh Harman 1937-05-01
The Hound and the Rabbit Rudolf Ising 1937-05-29
The Wayward Pups Rudolf Ising 1937-07-10
Little Ol' Bosko and the Cannibals Hugh Harman
  • Second of three "Little Ol' Bosko and the Frogs" shorts.
 1937-08-28
Little Buck Cheeser Rudolf Ising 1937-12-15

1938[]

Title Directed By Notes Release Date
Little Ol' Bosko in Bagdad Hugh Harman
  • Third of three "Little Ol' Bosko and the Frogs" shorts.
  • Final Bosko cartoon.
 1938-01-01
Pipe Dreams Hugh Harman
  • Originally produced for Disney but released by MGM.
  • Rarely shown on television due to showings of tobacco.
 1938-02-05
The Little Bantamweight Rudolf Ising
  • Originally produced for Disney but released by MGM.
 1938-03-12

Home media[]

The only official home release to date containing a significant number of the Happy Harmonies film shorts is the Happy Harmonies Cartoon Classics laserdisc box set. The laserdisc set was released in 1994 by MGM/UA Home Video,[44] which predated the merger of Turner Broadcasting System with Time Warner in 1996. The four-disc set contains 17 of the 37 Happy Harmonies shorts while the remaining 25 shorts include one side of six Barney Bear cartoons, the 1939 animated short Peace on Earth and the 1940 animated short The Milky Way.[44] In 1999, MGM paid Time Warner $225 million to end its lease of distributing content owned by Turner Entertainment prior to 1996 (the cartoons are part of the pre-1986 MGM library which Turner had purchased 13 years previously). While the copyrights remain with Turner, distribution rights are now with Warner Bros., current parent company to Turner.[45]

References[]

  1. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 89. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Happy Harmonies". Bcdb.com, February 2, 2012
  3. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (12 December 2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781557836717. Retrieved 12 December 2021 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  5. ^ "The Old Pioneer (1934): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 347. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  7. ^ a b c Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 363. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  8. ^ "Toyland Broadcast (1934): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays-Animated!. McFarland. p. 321. ISBN 978-1-4766-3646-7.
  10. ^ a b "Hey-Hey Fever (1935)". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Hey-Hey Fever (1935): Cast". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  12. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  13. ^ "Hey-Hey Fever (1935): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Hey-Hey Fever (1935): Main". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Happy Harmonies: When the Cat's Away (1935)". YouTube: James Bond Group Marking. 6 March 2021.
  16. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 382. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  17. ^ a b Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  18. ^ "The Lost Chick (1935)". RadioTimes.com. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  19. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  20. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  21. ^ "The Chinese Nightingale (1935): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  22. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 282. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  23. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  24. ^ "Happy Harmonies - Barnyard Babies (1935)". YouTube: The Lion Cinematic Channel. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Barnyard Babies (1935): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  26. ^ "The Old Plantation (1935): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  27. ^ a b Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  28. ^ "Alias St. Nick (1935)". Cinema Cats. 21 December 2014.
  29. ^ "Alias St. Nick (1935): Cast". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  30. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  31. ^ "Run, Sheep, Run! (1935): Cast". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  32. ^ Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in It's Golden Age. Oxford University Press. p. 191. ISBN 0-19-516729-5.
  33. ^ "Run, Sheep, Run! (1935): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  34. ^ a b Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  35. ^ Baxter, Devon (4 October 2017). "Harman-Ising's 'The Early Bird and the Worm' (1936)". Cartoon Research.
  36. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 372. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  37. ^ a b Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  38. ^ "The Old House (1936): Cast". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  39. ^ Hillman, Bill (2018). "Rochelle Hudson Part II: On Screen". ERB-Zine.
  40. ^ "The Old House (1936): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  41. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  42. ^ Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 357. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.
  43. ^ "To Spring (1936): Notes". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  44. ^ a b "LaserDisc Database - Happy Harmonies: MGM Cartoon Classics #1 [ML104688]". Lddb.com. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  45. ^ [1][dead link]

External links[]

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