Smile, Darn Ya, Smile!
Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! is a 1931 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Rudolf Ising.[1] The short was released on September 5, 1931, and features Foxy, an early Merrie Melodies star.[2]
| Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rudolf Ising (uncredited) |
| Story by | Bob Clampett (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Rudolf Ising (uncredited) |
| Music by | Frank Marsales Abe Lyman |
| Animation by | Animated and Drawn by: Isadore Freleng Max Maxwell Bob Clampett Larry Martin (both uncredited) |
| Color process | Black-and-white (later redrawn colorized in 1992) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 minutes |
| Language | English |
This is one of only three Merrie Melodies cartoons to star Foxy; the other two are Lady, Play Your Mandolin! (August 1931) and One More Time (October 3, 1931). This short is a remake of Trolley Troubles, a Disney short featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in whose creation Harman had once been involved.
For the first time in a Warner Bros. cartoon, the short uses a gag suggested by Bob Clampett that has characters from the trolley's advertising posters come to life and perform a bit of business. This type of gag would become a recurring element across Merrie Melodies.[3]
Synopsis
Foxy is a trolley engineer whose problems include a fat lady hippo who can't fit into the trolley and a set of wheels that detach from the trolley car when Foxy gets the trolley moving. Foxy picks up Roxy and gives her a ride, but along the way, the car is blocked by a cow wearing a dress and glasses, who won't get off the track. A group of nearby hobos sing the title song while Foxy tries to move the cow; he finally runs the car underneath the cow and goes on his way.
The trolley then goes down a hill and runs out of control; Foxy tries to stop it, but the brakes don't work. Finally, the trolley runs off of a cliff, throwing Foxy right into the camera... and then he falls from bed, waking up from what has turned out to be just a nightmare. The radio by his bed is playing the title song, and the annoyed Foxy smashes the radio with a bedpost upon hearing it.
The song
In 1931, English bandleader Billy Cotton covered the song.
It was used two times in Robert Zemeckis' 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, first when Eddie Valiant arrives in Toontown, and then during the film's finale, both times being sung by the toons present in the film.
In 2013, actor Christoph Waltz sang "Smile, Damn You, Smile" during his hosting duties on Saturday Night Live.[4]
Colorization
In 1992, a colorized version was commissioned by Ted Turner. Due to the technological limitations of the time, the colorization process was done by tracing the original animation and then coloring it in. The colorization was completed in South Korea.[5]
Home media
- DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6
- DVD - Return of the 30s Characters
Streaming
- HBO Max
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 5. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 83. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- Schneider, Steve (1988). That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Co. p. 40. ISBN 0-8050-0889-6.
- Slezak, Michael (February 17, 2013). "Christoph Waltz Hosts Saturday Night Live: Watch Video of the Best and Worst Sketches". TVLine. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- Beck, Jerry (January 20, 2012). ""Smile Darn Ya, Smile": To Color Or Not To Color a Classic". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
External links
