This is my entry in the CMBA Hollywood on Hollywood Blogathon. Click HERE to read more about films that focus on our favorite town in the world.
Hollywood Steps Out (1941)
Before I ever saw Ann Sheridan, George Raft and even Greta Garbo in a movie, I knew who they were because of the Warner Brothers Merrie Meoldies cartoon "Hollywood Steps Out."
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| According to Wikipedia, this 1941 $50 meal would run approximately $804 today |
On a "typical" night at Ciro's, more stars than there were in heaven graced that famous watering hole. When I asked my mother "who's that?" she identified the star and their reputation as lampooned in the cartoon.
Ann Sheridan? She was known as "The Oomph Girl" because she had lots of sex appeal.
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| The "Oomph Girl" and Edward G. Robinson |
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| Garbo uses her large shoes to light a match for Cary Grant. In real life, Garbo only wore a size 8 shoes. |
Bing Crosby? He was a singer who liked to go to the racetrack. He is the guy who hosts "The Hollywood Palace."
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| Crosby and his favorite pastime |
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| Tough guys Cagney, Bogart and Raft share a moment |
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| Mickey and Judy at their "Andy Hardy" best |
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| Buster Keaton, Arthur Treacher and Boris Karloff looking as happy as possible. |
And a night at Ciro's would not be complete without these guys. I did not need my mother to identify them!
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| No party is complete without the Stooges |
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| Gable's back and Groucho's got him! |
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| William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Gilbert Roland, Errol Flynn, Wallace Beery and C. Aubrey Smith admire the ladies. |
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| Head "G" Man J. Edgar Hoover |
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| Henry Fonda |
In a way, this little cartoon was my introduction to a whole host of Hollywood stars and the mystique of Tinsel Town. It was all done with affection and admiration.
Please, sit back and enjoy this little gem. I just love it!
Voices were provided by this talented trio:
Kent Rogers (Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Ned Sparks, Bing Crosby, James Stewart, Clark Gable, Kay Kyser, J. Edgar Hoover, Henry Fonda and Groucho Marx)
Mel Blanc (Jerry Colona, Peter Lorre)
Sara Berner (Greta Garbo, Ann Sheridan, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Lamour and Henry Fonda's mother)
22 comments:
Such fun! The older I got and the more I watched it, the more folks I recognized - and the smarter I thought I was.
Like you, cartoons like this were my introduction to many great movie stars. A wonderful choice for the blogathon.
Such a great post--thank you! I just had the most fun watching it!
CW - yes - it made me feel very smart, as well!
Hi John - yes, those cartoons were an early introduction and the source of many happy memories.
Cameron - so glad you enjoyed.
I love this cartoon, and I've seen it many times. I'm proud to be able to recognize so many actors and actresses caricatured here. So much fun!
Kisses!
Le
I learned who Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson and Peter Lorre were hrough Bugs Bunny. Of course, I didn't realize they were movie stars as a kid. That came much later.
Great job! This is such a wonderful time capsule of Hollywood's Golden Age. I could watch it over and over--and never once would I have to moan "Ooouuuuchhhh...". Lovely post, as always!
This is one of my all-time fave animated shorts. I could watch this on a loop for an hour. Not only is the animation really clever, the script is so funny.
Great choice for the blogathon! :)
Wow! How fun! I can see how you were destined to become a classic film lover after having been introduced to the stars in this manner. In addition, it seems like a great window into how the stars were perceived by audiences of the time.
Who doesn't love this cartoon!? By George it's fantastic. I love your lesson as you followed along too. Fantastic choice!!
Aurora
I know this cartoon well Flick Chick. I often played the Merry Melodies cartoons before screening classic films at the Coronado Library (the audience always loved that part), and this one was a regular. Thanks for your clever selection of it for the Blogathon.
Le - thank you, my dear. I am proud, as well!
Rich - me, too. When I finally saw Peter Lorre in a movie, I recognized him from the cartoons.
Inge - I was a little nervous to post Greta's "ouch," but it was too much fun to resist!
Ruth - many thanks for stopping by. It is an endless delight, isn't it?
Jocelyn - you bet. I loved them as cartoons and was, I guess, destined to love them as human stars!
Aurora - next to Bugs Bunny, this was my favorite. I was always a Warner Brothers gal from the very start.
Christian - cartoons before the show are always the best part! How I wish we still had that opportunity.
It's so funny that you learned who the stars were from the cartoon before you saw their movies -- I think for a lot of us, cartoons were our introduction not only to the stars, but to classical music as well, and a lot of pop culture. Thanks for a great post.
Thank you for posting this article. I recognized almost all the stars, assisted, of course, by the fact that you identified most of them in your article. This was very enjoyable to watch! Those were the good old days, when there was some intelligence in cartoons!
Yours Hopefully,
Tiffany Brannan
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