Color Rhapsody

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Color Rhapsody is a series of usually one-shot animated cartoon shorts produced by Charles Mintz's studio Screen Gems for Columbia Pictures.[1] They were launched in 1934, following the phenomenal success of Walt Disney's Technicolor Silly Symphonies and Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies. Because of Disney's exclusive rights to the full three strip Technicolor process, Color Rhapsody were produced in the older two-tone Technicolor process until 1935, when Disney's exclusive contract expired.

The Color Rhapsody series is most notable for introducing the characters of The Fox and the Crow in the 1941 short The Fox and the Grapes. Two Color Rhapsody shorts, Holiday Land (1934) and The Little Match Girl (1937), were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).[2]

Filmography[edit]

1930s[edit]

Title Release date Director Character(s) Notes
Holiday Land November 11, 1934 Sid Marcus Scrappy
Babes at Sea December 12, 1934 Arthur Davis
The Shoemaker and the Elves January 19, 1935
Make Believe Revue March 25, 1935 Ben Harrison
A Cat, a Mouse and a Bell May 14, 1935 Arthur Davis
Little Rover June 26, 1935 Sid Marcus
Neighbors August 17, 1935 Arthur Davis and Sid Marcus Lost cartoon
Monkey Love September 14, 1935 Arthur Davis Soundtrack exists
The Bon Bon Parade October 13, 1935 Ben Harrison
Doctor Bluebird January 18, 1936 Scrappy
Football Bugs February 17, 1936 Arthur Davis
Glee Worms April 5, 1936 Ben Harrison
The Untrained Seal May 28, 1936 Arthur Davis
Two Lazy Crows June 14, 1936 Ub Iwerks
In My Gondola July 13, 1936 Sid Marcus Scrappy
Merry Mutineers August 13, 1936 Ben Harrison
Birds in Love September 12, 1936
A Boy and His Dog October 11, 1936 Sid Marcus Johnny
The Novelty Shop November 15, 1936 Ben Harrison
Gifts from the Air December 12, 1936
Skeleton Frolics[a] January 23, 1937 Ub Iwerks
Merry Mannequins March 16, 1937
Let's Go April 17, 1937 Ben Harrison
Mother Hen's Holiday May 7, 1937 Sid Marcus
The Foxy Pup May 21, 1937 Ub Iwerks
The Stork Takes a Holiday June 11, 1937 Sid Marcus Lost cartoon
Indian Serenade July 16, 1937
Spring Festival August 6, 1937 Ben Harrison
Scary Crows August 20, 1937 Sid Marcus Johnny
Hollywood Picnic October 17, 1937
The Little Match Girl November 6, 1937 Arthur Davis and Sid Marcus (uncredited)
The Air Hostess November 22, 1937 Arthur Davis (uncredited)
Swing, Monkey, Swing December 12, 1937 Ben Harrison
The Horse on the Merry-Go-Round January 16, 1938 Ub Iwerks
Bluebird's Baby February 14, 1938 Ben Harrison Johnny
Snow Time March 13, 1938 Ub Iwerks
The Foolish Bunny April 16, 1938 Sid Marcus
The Big Birdcast May 15, 1938 Ben Harrison
Window Shopping June 8, 1938 Sid Marcus
Poor Little Butterfly July 4, 1938 Ben Harrison
Poor Elmer July 23, 1938 Sid Marcus
The Frog Pond August 10, 1938 Ub Iwerks
Hollywood Graduation August 27, 1938 Arthur Davis Lost cartoon
Animal Cracker Circus September 26, 1938 Ben Harrison Johnny
Midnight Frolics October 12, 1938 Ub Iwerks
Little Moth's Big Flame November 12, 1938 Sid Marcus
The Kangaroo Kid December 25, 1938 Ben Harrison
Peaceful Neighbors January 29, 1939 Sid Marcus
The Gorilla Hunt February 21, 1939 Ub Iwerks
The Happy Tots March 25, 1939 Ben Harrison
The House That Jack Built April 16, 1939 Sid Marcus
Lucky Pigs May 16, 1939 Ben Harrison
Nell's Yells June 21, 1939 Ub Iwerks
Hollywood Sweepstakes July 22, 1939 Ben Harrison
Jitterbug Knights August 12, 1939 Sid Marcus
Crop Chasers September 22, 1939 Ub Iwerks
Dreams on Ice October 20, 1939 Sid Marcus
Mountain Ears November 12, 1939 Manny Gould
Mother Goose in Swingtime December 18, 1939 Manny Gould

1940s[edit]

Title Release date Director Character(s) Notes
A Boy, a Gun, and Birds January 13, 1940 Ben Harrison
The Happy Tots' Expedition February 6, 1940
Blackboard Revue March 13, 1940 Ub Iwerks
The Greyhound and the Rabbit April 13, 1940 Sid Marcus
The Egg Hunt May 21, 1940 Ub Iwerks
Ye Olde Swap Shoppe June 22, 1940
The Timid Pup July 16, 1940 Ben Harrison
Tangled Television August 14, 1940 Sid Marcus
Mr. Elephant Goes to Town October 14, 1940 Arthur Davis
The Mad Hatter November 3, 1940 Sid Marcus
Wise Owl December 8, 1940 Ub Iwerks
A Helping Paw January 14, 1941 Sid Marcus
The Way of All Pests February 22, 1941 Arthur Davis
The Carpenters March 14, 1941 Paul Fennell
The Land of Fun April 19, 1941 Sid Marcus
Tom Thumb's Brother June 16, 1941 Tom Thumb
The Cuckoo I.Q. July 23, 1941
Who's Zoo in Hollywood November 17, 1941 Lost cartoon
The Fox and the Grapes December 6, 1941 Frank Tashlin The Fox and the Crow
Red Riding Hood Rides Again December 21, 1941 Sid Marcus
A Hollywood Detour January 24, 1942 Frank Tashlin
Wacky Wigwams February 22, 1942 Alec Geiss
Concerto in B Flat Minor March 24, 1942 Bob Wickersham
Cinderella Goes to a Party May 17, 1942 Alec Geiss
Woodman, Spare That Tree July 6, 1942 Bob Wickersham The Fox and the Crow
Song of Victory September 8, 1942
Toll Bridge Troubles October 20, 1942 The Fox and the Crow
Tito's Guitar November 23, 1942 Tito, Burrito and Rosita
King Midas Junior December 22, 1942 John Hubley and Paul Sommer
Slay it with Flowers January 16, 1943 Bob Wickersham The Fox and the Crow
There's Something About a Soldier February 26, 1943 Alec Geiss Lost cartoon
Professor Small and Mr. Tall March 28, 1943 John Hubley and Paul Sommer Professor Small and Mr. Tall
Plenty Below Zero April 19, 1943 Bob Wickersham The Fox and the Crow
Tree for Two June 21, 1943
He Can't Make It Stick July 25, 1943 John Hubley and Paul Sommer Partially lost
A-Hunting We Won't Go August 23, 1943 Bob Wickersham The Fox and the Crow
The Rocky Road to Ruin[b] October 20, 1943 Paul Sommer
Imagination November 16, 1943 Bob Wickersham
The Herring Murder Mystery January 23, 1944 Dun Roman
The Disillusioned Bluebird June 13, 1944 Howard Swift
Dog, Cat and Canary January 5, 1945 Flippy
Fiesta Time April 4, 1945 Bob Wickersham Tito, Burrito and Rosita
Rippling Romance June 20, 1945 Soundtrack exists
Hot Foot Lights August 6, 1945 Howard Swift
Carnival Courage September 8, 1945 Willoughby Wren
River Ribber October 4, 1945 Paul Sommer Professor Small and Mr. Tall
Polar Playmates April 25, 1946 Howard Swift
Picnic Panic June 20, 1946 Bob Wickersham Tito, Burrito and Rosita
Loco Lobo January 9, 1947 Howard Swift
Cockatoos for Two February 1947 Bob Wickersham
Mother Hubba-Hubba-Hubbard March 29, 1947
Up N' Atom July 10, 1947 Sid Marcus
Swiss Tease September 11, 1947
Boston Beanie[3] December 4, 1947
Flora March 18, 1948 Alex Lovy
Pickled Puss September 2, 1948 Howard Swift
Lo, the Poor Buffal November 14, 1948 Alex Lovy
The Coo-Coo Bird Dog February 2, 1949 Sid Marcus
Grape Nutty April 14, 1949 Alex Lovy The Fox and the Crow
Cat-Tastrophy June 30, 1949 Sid Marcus

Accolades[edit]

Film Award Category Result Ref.
Holiday Land 7th Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons Nominated [4]
The Little Match Girl 10th Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons Nominated [5]
Imagination 16th Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons Nominated [6]
Dog, Cat and Canary 17th Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons Nominated [7]
Rippling Romance 18th Academy Awards Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons Nominated [8]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Very similar to The Skeleton Dance, also drawn by Iwerks.[citation needed]
  2. ^ This cartoon is notable for its similarities to Chuck Jones' The Dover Boys, a short released by Warner Bros. the previous year.[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 170–171. ISBN 9781476672939.
  3. ^ Maltin, Leonard (1987). Of Mice and Magic (revised edition). p. 418. ISBN 0-452-25993-2.
  4. ^ "THE 7TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1935". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  5. ^ "THE 10TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1938". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "THE 16TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1944". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  7. ^ "THE 17TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1945". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  8. ^ "THE 18TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 1946". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved March 7, 2023.

External links[edit]