''Seeing Stars'' is a 1932 short

animated film Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

distributed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, and features

Krazy Kat ''Krazy Kat'' (also known as ''Krazy & Ignatz'' in some reprints and compilations) is an US, American newspaper comic strip, by cartoonist George Herriman, which ran from 1913 to 1944. It first appeared in the ''New York Journal-American, New Yor ...

. Different from most shorts of the series, the cartoon features celebrities in their animated forms.

Plot

At a music hall, a trio of singers perform by their microphones while an orchestra behind them plays. Enjoying their act are guests who dance on a square similar to a boxing ring. When the musicians stop to play another song, the square carrying some of the guests gets moved out and replaced by another one. A stuttering announcer, ( Roscoe Ates), introduces the special guest of the event, none other than Krazy Kat. To entertain the crowd in attendance, Krazy plays some short tunes on a piano. The piano is carried to him by mice who look supisciously like miniature versions of

Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally w ...

. The first tune Krazy Kat plays is '' Merrily We Roll Along''. After a first successful performance he is interrupted by

Joe E. Brown Joseph Evans Brown (July 28, 1891 – July 6, 1973) was an American actor and comedian, remembered for his friendly screen persona, comic timing, and enormous elastic-mouth smile. He was one of the most popular American comedians in the 19 ...

's high-pitched yelping, but Krazy literally zips his mouth shut. As he continues playing, the Marx Brothers: Groucho, Chico, Zeppo and Harpo pop out of the piano and shake hands with him before leaving on a tandem bicycle. Halfway Harpo hops off to run after a young woman. As she dashes into the kitchen, he follows her, but is kicked out by an African-American female cook. When Krazy is about to continue playing his instrument, he is interrupted by a noise coming from one of the tables. At that table,

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

are eating peas and roast chicken. While Hardy is eating with ease, Laurel appears to be having difficulty. When he scoops up peas with a spoon, they often fall off and make a sound that's quite loud to some. Bothered by this, Hardy provides assistance. Krazy then comes to their table and asks them to be as quiet as possible. Thinking about having a little meal, Krazy sees a cross-eyed man (

Ben Turpin Bernard "Ben" Turpin (September 19, 1869 – July 1, 1940) was an American comedian and actor, best remembered for his work in silent films. His trademarks were his cross-eyed appearance and adeptness at vigorous physical comedy. Turpin wo ...

) eating spaghetti. Krazy comes to the man's table and decides to have a share of the food. While they eat, a waiter (

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

) carrying fruits in a bowl is passing by, and those nearby grab anything they can get. Krazy also tries to pick a fruit but mistakenly grabs the waiter's long nose instead, much to the latter's annoyance. In reply, the waiter mumbles a few words and splats the platter of spaghetti right on top of Krazy. As the cat is covered in spaghetti Harpo takes the opportunity to play him as a

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

, before getting distracted again by a woman passing by. Krazy gets cleaned up by someone from another table who uses a seltzer bottle. Still wandering the music hall, Krazy notices the orchestra is fast asleep. He then wakes them up with a gun, which wakes them up and motivates them to start playing again. Krazy starts dancing at the center of the floor, and all those he came across join him there. Some other stars hadn't appeared earlier, namely

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

Marie Dressler Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. She ...

, Tom Mix,

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", "Louise", " Mimi", and "Thank Hea ...

and Harold Lloyd. Watching from the tables, the audience enjoyed the celebration.

Availability

* Columbia Cartoon Collection: Volume 3

References

External links

''Seeing Stars''
at the Big Cartoon Database * {{authority control 1932 films 1932 animated films American black-and-white films American animated short films Krazy Kat shorts Films about Hollywood, Los Angeles Columbia Pictures short films 1930s American animated films Animation based on real people Cultural depictions of Laurel & Hardy Cultural depictions of the Marx Brothers Cultural depictions of Jimmy Durante Cultural depictions of Buster Keaton Cultural depictions of Maurice Chevalier Cultural depictions of Charlie Chaplin Columbia Pictures animated short films Screen Gems short films

Plot

Availability

See also

References

External links