Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!
- This article is about the theatrical short. For the song, see Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!
| Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! | |
|---|---|
| Production company | Harman-Ising Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | August 15, 1931 (earliest known date) |
| Run time | 7 minutes |
| Starring | Johnny Murray Rudolf Ising |
| Producer(s) | Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising Leon Schlesinger |
| Music composed by | Frank Marsales Abe Lyman |
| Story by | Bob Clampett (uncredited) |
| Animation | Isadore Freleng Max Maxwell Bob Clampett Larry Martin |
| Director(s) | Rudolf Ising |
| Series navigation | |
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| Title card | |
| File:Smile, Darn Ya, Smile title card.png | |
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! is the third short in the Merrie Melodies theatrical series. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on August 15, 1931.[1] It was written by Bob Clampett, produced by Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising and Leon Schlesinger, and directed by Ising.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Characters
In order of appearance: | ||||||||||
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Locations
Objects
Vehicles
- Trolley
Production
Development
The short was developed as a remake of Trolley Troubles, a Disney short starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, whose creation Harmon had once been involved with.
It is the first Warner Bros. cartoon, as suggested by Bob Clampett, to feature a gag where characters from inanimate objects come to life. This type of gag would become a recurring element across Merrie Melodies.[2]
Filming
In 1992, a colorized version was commissioned by Ted Turner, and was done by tracing over the original animation. The colorization was done in South Korea.[3]
Music
The score was composed by Frank Marsales and Abe Lyman. As with early entries in the Merrie Melodies series, the cartoon was to promote a Warner-owned song and pulls its music from Warners' library. The title song, "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!", was also written and composed by Marsales and Lyman.
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: September 5, 1931
Behind the scenes
- This short marks the third and final appearances of Foxy and Roxy in the Merrie Melodies series, succeeding Lady, Play Your Mandolin! and One More Time
- The short fell into the public domain in 1959, due to United Artists failing to renew the copyright at the time.
Legacy
- Despite not appearing in theatrical shorts anymore, both Foxy and Roxy reappeared in the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Two-Tone Town".
In popular culture
- In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the title song of the short is featured twice, first by the citizens of Toontown when Eddie drives to the place, and again by various characters near the end.
- In the Pee-Wee's Playhouse episode "The Gang's All Here", a portion of the cartoon was presented by the King of Cartoons.
Home availability
- In the United States:
- October 21, 2008: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 on DVD.
References
- ↑ "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! - Earliest Known Date". Johnson City Chronicle (August 16, 1931).
- ↑ Schneider, Steve (1988). That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Co. p. 40. ISBN 0-8050-0889-6.
- ↑ Beck, Jerry (January 20, 2012). ""Smile Darn Ya, Smile": To Color Or Not To Color a Classic". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
