''Rhapsody in Rivets'' is a 1941
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...
'' cartoon directed by
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng (August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
.
The short was released on December 6, 1941.
Plot
At a busy urban construction site in a world of
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
animals, an appreciative crowd of gawkers watches the foreman (a caricature of the conductor
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appeara ...
) use the building plans as his score and conduct the workmen in
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
's "
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor, S.244/2, is the second in a set of 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies by composer Franz Liszt, and is by far the most famous of the set.
In both the original piano solo form and in the orchestrated version this ...
", a symphony of riveting, hammering, sawing, and more. Elevators, picks, shovels, and a steam shovel are instruments in music making and construction.
As the clock nears 5:00 PM, the crew works furiously, and the building rises around the clouds. With a flag planted at the top and the work completed, the foreman takes a bow. One of the workers, while leaving, slams the door shut behind him; due to this and the overly hurried construction, the building (labeled the "Umpire State") comes crashing down. The foreman attempts to attack the worker in retaliation, but three bricks hit him on the head for the last three notes, ending the rhapsody and the cartoon.
Reception
Daniel Goldmark writes, "While almost every studio in Hollywood took on Liszt's "Second Hungarian Symphony" at one time or another, Warner Bros. did it twice — both times with Friz Freleng directing. (''
Rhapsody Rabbit
''Rhapsody Rabbit'' is a 1946 American animated comedy short film in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Bugs Bunny. The short was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 9, 1946. T ...
'', 1946, was the other.) What sets this version apart from all the others is that, while it keeps the spirit of a concert or performance, the execution is different. Freleng's central metaphor — comparing the skills and coordination of a construction crew to those of an orchestra — works remarkably well, giving a new twist to what had already become a cliché by then, a well-known classical work being played (or murdered) by a motley group of musicians. And because the "Rhapsody" was also a classical standard, bordering on a pop hit, Freleng could easily use just the best-known parts of the work to drive the several dozen gags."
Home media
*LaserDisc - ''
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes
''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'' is a collection of LaserDiscs released by MGM/UA Home Video in the 1990s. There were five sets made, featuring a number of discs, and each disc side represented a different theme, being made up of seven cartoon ...
'', Vol. 1, Side 6: Friz Freleng
*VHS - ''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'', Vol. 6: Friz Freleng
*(1992) LaserDisc -
Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...
*(1999) VHS - Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 5: Musical Masterpieces (1995 Turner dubbed version)
*(2007) DVD -
The Bride Came C.O.D.
''The Bride Came C.O.D.'' is a 1941 American screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as an airplane pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress, and directed by William Keighley. Although the film was publicized as the first screen pairi ...
(1995 Turner dubbed version, added as a bonus)
*DVD - ''
'', Disc 2
*Blu-Ray, DVD - ''
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3'', Disc 2
*(2015) DVD - Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces
See also
*
Rhapsody Rabbit
''Rhapsody Rabbit'' is a 1946 American animated comedy short film in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series, directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Bugs Bunny. The short was originally released to theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures on November 9, 1946. T ...
References
External links
*
1941 animated films
1941 films
Short films directed by Friz Freleng
Merrie Melodies short films
Films scored by Carl Stalling
Animated films without speech
1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese
{{MerrieMelodies-stub