Monday, October 17, 2016

Hollywood on Hollywood Blogathon: Hollywood Steps Out

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."

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.


The "Oomph Girl" and Edward G. Robinson

Greta Garbo? She was a Swedish star known for her big feet. Cary Grant? He used to say "Judy, Judy, Judy."
Garbo uses her large shoes to light a match for Cary Grant.
In real life, Garbo only wore a size 8 shoes.
Speaking of Garbo, I love her reaction when Harpo gives her a hot foot:

Bing Crosby? He was a singer who liked to go to the racetrack. He is the guy who hosts "The Hollywood Palace."
Crosby and his favorite pastime
George Raft? He was a tough guy actor who became famous flipping a coin.
Tough guys Cagney, Bogart and Raft share a moment
Favorites like Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland and Buster Keaton appear.
Mickey and Judy at their "Andy Hardy" best
Buster Keaton, Arthur Treacher and Boris Karloff
looking as happy as possible.
Dorothy Lamour was famous for wearing a sarong and James Stewart played the shy types.


And a night at Ciro's would not be complete without these guys. I did not need my mother to identify them!
No party is complete without the Stooges
Naturally, a wolf (namely Clark Gable) is on the prowl, but his prey is not exactly who he thought "she" was!
Gable's back and Groucho's got him!
There are many more stars and even an appearance "gee"man, J. Edgar Hoover!


William Powell, Spencer Tracy, Gilbert Roland, Errol Flynn,
Wallace Beery and C. Aubrey Smith admire the ladies.


Head "G" Man J. Edgar Hoover
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:

Caftan Woman said...

Such fun! The older I got and the more I watched it, the more folks I recognized - and the smarter I thought I was.

John/24Frames said...

Like you, cartoons like this were my introduction to many great movie stars. A wonderful choice for the blogathon.

Anonymous said...

Such a great post--thank you! I just had the most fun watching it!

FlickChick said...

CW - yes - it made me feel very smart, as well!

FlickChick said...

Hi John - yes, those cartoons were an early introduction and the source of many happy memories.

FlickChick said...

Cameron - so glad you enjoyed.

said...

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

Rich said...

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.

Inge Gregusch said...

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!

Silver Screenings said...

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! :)

Jocelyn said...

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.

Citizen Screen said...

Who doesn't love this cartoon!? By George it's fantastic. I love your lesson as you followed along too. Fantastic choice!!

Aurora

Christian Esquevin said...

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.

FlickChick said...

Le - thank you, my dear. I am proud, as well!

FlickChick said...

Rich - me, too. When I finally saw Peter Lorre in a movie, I recognized him from the cartoons.

FlickChick said...

Inge - I was a little nervous to post Greta's "ouch," but it was too much fun to resist!

FlickChick said...

Ruth - many thanks for stopping by. It is an endless delight, isn't it?

FlickChick said...

Jocelyn - you bet. I loved them as cartoons and was, I guess, destined to love them as human stars!

FlickChick said...

Aurora - next to Bugs Bunny, this was my favorite. I was always a Warner Brothers gal from the very start.

FlickChick said...

Christian - cartoons before the show are always the best part! How I wish we still had that opportunity.

Jacqueline T. Lynch said...

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.

Tiffany Brannan said...

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