'' Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes'', ''Song Car-Tunes'', or (some sources erroneously say) ''Sound Car-Tunes'', is a series of short three-minute

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

films produced by

Max Fleischer Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 25, 1972) was an American animator, inventor, film director and producer, and studio founder and owner. Born in Kraków, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became ...

and

Dave Fleischer Dave Fleischer (; July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American film director and producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Biography Fleischer was the ...

between May 1924 and September 1927, pioneering the use of the " Follow the Bouncing Ball" device used to lead audiences in theater sing-alongs. The ''Song Car-Tunes'' also pioneered the application of

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

to animation.

History

47 ''Song Car-tunes'' were produced and released between 1924 and 1927. The first, ''Come Take a Trip on My Airship'', was released March 9, 1924. Beginning in 1925, an estimated 16 ''Song Car-tunes'' were produced using the

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

sound-on-film Sound-on-film is a class of sound film processes where the sound accompanying a picture is recorded on photographic film, usually, but not always, the same strip of film carrying the picture. Sound-on-film processes can either record an analog ...

process developed by

Lee DeForest Lee de Forest (August 26, 1873 – June 30, 1961) was an American inventor and a fundamentally important early pioneer in electronics. He invented the first electronic device for controlling current flow; the three-element " Audion" triode v ...

beginning with ''Come Take a Trip on My Airship''. The remaining 31 titles were released silent, designed to be played with live music in theaters. The Fleischer brothers partnered with DeForest, Edwin Miles Fadiman, and Dr.

Hugo Riesenfeld Hugo Riesenfeld (January 26, 1879 – September 10, 1939) was an Austrian-American composer. As a film director, he began to write his own orchestral compositions for silent films in 1917, and co-created modern production techniques where film ...

to form Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on the East Coast, extending as far west as Cleveland, Ohio. In September 1926, the U.S. division of DeForest Phonofilm and Red Seal Pictures Corporation filed for bankruptcy, and the Fleischers ended their use of the Phonofilm system, releasing their last sound ''Song Car-Tune'', '' By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (1927), just as the

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befor ...

was about to begin. In early 1929, the Fleischers signed a Paramount Pictures contract. Former Fleischer partner, Alfred Weiss re-released some of the silent ''Song Car-Tunes'' between 1929 and 1932 with new soundtracks, new animation, and new main titles that exploited the reputation of the popular song films with the elimination of the names of Max and Dave Fleischer. With the sound era established, the Fleischers revived the song film series as ''

Screen Songs ''Screen Songs'', formerly known as KoKo Song Car-Tunes, are a series of animated cartoons produced at the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 and 1938. Paramount brought back the sing-along cartoons in 1945, n ...

'' in February 1929 on the strength of being the holders of the original Patent on the concept. Though Ko-Ko the Clown had been temporarily retired due to complications with the dissolution of the original Inkwell Studios, the "Bouncing Ball" was retained. This new series ran a full seven minutes, with more animation than the early Song Car-Tunes, built around the theme of the featured song. The first films in the new series used standards such as ''

The Sidewalks of New York "The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was composed in 1894 by vaudeville actor and singer Charles B. Lawlor (June 2, 1852 – May 31, 1925) with lyrics by James W. Blake (September 23, ...

'' (released 5 February 1929) and ''

Old Black Joe "Old Black Joe" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864). It was published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York in 1860. Ken Emerson, author of the book ''Doo-Dah!'' (1998), indicates that Foster's fictional Joe was inspired by a servant in th ...

''. The series continued with new productions of songs previously released in the earlier series, such as ''Daisy Bell'', ''Good Bye, My Lady Love'', ''Mother Pin a Rose On Me'', ''

Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 that gives a comic perspective on military life. Berlin composed the song as an expression of protest against the indignities of Army routine shortly after bein ...

'', and ''Come Take a Trip in My Airship'', released by Paramount Pictures for nine years. Many of the Screen Songs featured popular stars of stage, radio, and records such as

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...

Rudy Vallee Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

Lillian Roth Lillian Roth (December 13, 1910 – May 12, 1980) was an American singer and actress. Her life story was told in the 1955 film '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', in which she was portrayed by Susan Hayward, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

The Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies an ...

, and the Boswell Sisters. Starting in 1934, the Screen Songs series focused on the big bands of the "Swing Era", such as Abe Lyman, Shep Fields, Gus Arnheim,

Hal Kemp James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the a ...

, Jack Denny,

Vincent Lopez Vincent Lopez (December 30, 1895 – September 20, 1975) was an American bandleader, actor, and pianist. Early life and career Vincent Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, Distinguished Am ...

, Henry King, Jay Freeman, Jerry Baline, Bert Block, Frank Dailey, and

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...

. The "Screen Songs" concept was revised in a special edition of the

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

'' Noveltoons'' series in 1945 with ''When G. I. Johnny Comes Home Again'', and the series officially returned in 1947 with ''The Circus Comes to Clown'' and continued until 1951. Paramount attempted to revive the series in 1963 after the television success of ''

Sing Along With Mitch Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

'' with the cartoon ''Hobo's Holiday''. The concept of the "Bouncing Ball" has become such an established cultural icon, that it has been used in television commercials to sell all sorts of products from sleeping tablets to cat food. Just before retiring in 1968, Dave Fleischer used a form of the "Bouncing Ball" for the ending of '' Thoroughly Modern Millie'' where he shot cutout animation to "bounce" the head of Beatrice Lillie over the lyrics to the title song.

List of ''Song Car-Tunes''

See

for sound reissues in Cinephone and released independently by Alfred Weiss. 1924 *''Come Take a Trip in My Airship'' (1924) (silent; sound re-issue) *''Goodbye My Lady Love'' (June 1924) (sound) *'' Oh Mabel'' (May 1924) (sound) 1925 *''Daisy Bell'' (May 1925) (sound) *''

Dixie Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

'' (November 1925) *''

My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean", or simply "My Bonnie", is a traditional Scottish folk song that is popular in Western culture. It is listed in Roud Folk Song Index as No. 1422. The song has been recorded by numerous artists since the beginning of ...

'' (September 1925) *''My Wife's Gone to the Country'' (1925) (sound) *'' Oh Suzanna'' (1925) *''Old Pal'' (''Dear Old Pal'') (1925) (sound) *'' Pack Up Your Troubles'' (1925) *'' Sailing Sailing Over the Bounding Main'' (1925) *''The Old Folks at Home'' (1925) *''

'' (1925) (sound) *'' Swanee River'' (1925) 1926 *'' Alexander’s Ragtime Band'' (1926) *''

Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...

'' (1926) (sound) *'' By the Light of the Silvery Moon'' (August 1926) (sound) *''Coming Through the Rye'' (September 1926) (sound) *'' Darling Nelly Gray'' (February 1926) (sound) *''Has Anyone Here Seen Kelly?'' (March 1926) (sound) *''I Love a Lassie'' (January 1926) *''

In the Good Old Summertime ''In the Good Old Summertime'' is a 1949 American Technicolor musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It stars Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall, Spring Byington, Clinton Sundberg, and Buster Keaton in his first featured film role at M ...

'' (1926) *''

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita. Margie may refer to: People * Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater * Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...

'' (October 1926) (sound) *'' Mother, Mother, Mother Pin a Rose on Me'' (December 1926) (sound) *''

My Old Kentucky Home "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" is a sentimental ballad written by Stephen Foster, probably composed in 1852. It was published in January 1853 by Firth, Pond, & Co. of New York. Foster was likely inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-sla ...

'' (April 1926) (sound) *''Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning'' (October 1926) (sound) *''Old Black Joe'' (July 1926) (sound) *''The Sheik of Araby'' (1926) (sound) *'' Sweet Adeline'' (June 1926) (sound) *'' Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-Dee-Aye'' (February 1926). *'' Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1925) *''Toot Toot Tootsie'' (1926) *''Tramp, Tramp, Tramp, the Boys Are Marching'' (May 1926) (silent; sound re-issue) *''Waiting for the Robert E. Lee'' (1926) *''When I Leave This World Behind'' (1926) *''When I Lost You'' (1926) (sound) *''When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam (1926) (sound) *''Yak-A-Doola-Hick-A-Doola'' (1926) (sound)SilentEra entry
/ref>

Sources

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

, ''Of Mice and Magic: A History of the American Animated Film'' (1980, revised 1987) * Richard Fleischer, ''Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution'' (2005) *

Ray Pointer Raymond Pointer (10 October 1936 – 26 January 2016) was a professional association footballer and England international who played as a striker. He had a long and successful playing career, totalling over 400 league appearances whilst play ...

, ''Max Fleischer's Ko-Ko Song Car-tunes (with the Famous Bouncing Ball)'' DVD (2002)

References

External links

List of Early Sound Films 1894-1929 at Silent Era website
{{Fleischer Studios Film series introduced in 1924 Animated film series 1920s American animated films Fleischer Studios series and characters Sing-along

History

List of ''Song Car-Tunes''

See also

Sources

References

External links