Michigan Frog (was Re: NewsRadio 11/14)
Albert Evans
11/14)>, 'jbr...@kentlaw.edu (John B. Bredin)' wrote:
>Old (1950s, I think) Warner Brothers short cartoon. Man is working on (or
>passing by, I don't recall) the demolition of an old (1920's, roughly)
>skyscraper, hears singing, and follows it to finds a frog in the
cornerstone.
>
>Frog sings the Michigan Rag ("Hello my baby, hello my darlin', hello my
>ragtime gal ...")
___
One small correction: the frog sings several tunes in the course of
ONE FROGGY EVENING. One of them is "Hello, My Baby" (the lyric you
quoted); the others include "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone,"
"Come Back to Erin," and a new "old" song, "The Michigan Rag," written by
director Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
AE
Hurrah's Nest
New York
Mike Bacigalupi
the Warner Bros. Cartoons" says about it:
_One Froggy Evening_ (December 31, 1956;Merrie Melodies;Directed by Charles M.
Jones; Story by Michael Maltese; Animation by Abe Levitow, Richard Thompson, Ken
Harris, and Ben Washam; Layouts by Robert Gribbroek; Backgrounds by Philip
DeGuard; Music by Milt Franklyn.)
Picture, if you will, a member of a wrecking crew demolishing an 1892
building and opening the cornerstone to see a frog entering stage left, doing a
song-and-dance, singing "Hello, My Ragtime Gal." The finder's mind races with
the possibilities of getting rich by exploiting this singing frog. But the frog
will not sing if anyone is present. At a talent agency, the finder gets an
agent to look at the frog (today called "Michigan J. Frog"). Investing his
mattress of life savings in renting a theater, the finder lures a crowd in with
the promise of "Free Beer." The frog does his stuff atop a high wire, finishing
just as the entrepeneur manages to lift the jammed curtain. Months later, a
policeman hears someone singing (_Barber of Seville_) in the park and when our
friend points to the frog, the film dissolves to a shot of him in a psychopathic
hospital, the frog leaning on a window bar crooning "Please Don't Talk About Me
When I'm Gone." Years later, a broken and desolate man, he finally dumps the
frog in the cornerstone of a building about to be constructed. A hundred years
pass, and rayguns disintergrate the old building. Some things never change, as
the discoverer of *this* cornerstone is also convinced he can make a fortune
with the singing frog.
One of the most celebrated films in animation history, and justly a
masterpiece of concept, timing and nuance.
l...@twain.oit.umass.edu
: Albert Evans (ab...@nyc.pipeline.com) wrote:
: : On Nov 18, 1995 16:33:00 in article <Michigan Frog (was Re: NewsRadio: : One small correction: the frog sings several tunes in the course of
: : ONE FROGGY EVENING. One of them is "Hello, My Baby" (the lyric you
: : "Come Back to Erin," and a new "old" song, "The Michigan Rag," written by
: : director Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
: ...plus, of course, the unforgettable parody of this character in
: "Spaceballs".
Refresh my memory on the "Spaceballs" parody. I've seen the movie a
million times, and don't remember Michigan J. frog.
--
|Laura "Didn't your survival course teach you to
|UMass check for life signs BEFORE sealing yourself
| inside a cave on an alien planet?!"--ST:Voyager
Joann Taylor
cartoon, it can be found on the Warner Brothers Video "A Salute to Chuck
Jones." This tape also includes "Whats Opera Doc?" The great send up
of Wagner..."Kill the Wabbit!...Kill the Wabbitt!" starring Bugs as
Brunhilde and Elmer Fudd as the mighty warrior Sigfreid.
Joann
--
* Joann Taylor *
* Principal Consultant - Color Technology Solutions *
* Specializing in Color Science, Technology and Applications *
* joa...@teleport.com *
Brad Grossman
: Brad Grossman (b...@primenet.com) wrote:
: : Albert Evans (ab...@nyc.pipeline.com) wrote:
: : : On Nov 18, 1995 16:33:00 in article <Michigan Frog (was Re: NewsRadio
: : : 11/14)>, 'jbr...@kentlaw.edu (John B. Bredin)' wrote:
:
: : : One small correction: the frog sings several tunes in the course of
: : : ONE FROGGY EVENING. One of them is "Hello, My Baby" (the lyric you
: : : quoted); the others include "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone,"
: : : "Come Back to Erin," and a new "old" song, "The Michigan Rag," written by
: : : director Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese.
: : :
: : ...plus, of course, the unforgettable parody of this character in
: : "Spaceballs".
: Refresh my memory on the "Spaceballs" parody. I've seen the movie a
: million times, and don't remember Michigan J. frog.
OK....in the diner scene where John Hurt goes through that "Alien" scene
again where the little beast rips its way out of his stomach and scoots
across the counter. Then it pops out in a tuxedo and top hat and starts
singing (as it goes across the counter) "Hello my baby, hello my darlin',
hello my ragtime gal....". One of the funniest moments in a truly
hilarious flick.