''Blue Rhythm'' is a 1931 American animated short film directed by

Burt Gillett Burton F. Gillett (October 15, 1891 – December 28, 1971) was a director of animated films. He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for Disney, particularly the 1932 short film ''Flowers and Trees'' and the 1933 short film ''Three Little Pigs' ...

, produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

and 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 ...

. It was the 31st short to star Mickey Mouse, the 7th of that year. The plot focuses on a multifaceted performance of

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

's "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

." The film features the voices of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

as Mickey and Marcellite Garner as

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 occasiona ...

Plot

The concert opens with Mickey on the piano. His shadow is cast dramatically on the curtain as he plays a classical interlude. Soon he transitions into a

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

version of "

." Minnie struts onstage and sings the verse "I hate to see that evening sun go down..." with Mickey accompanying. Soon an unseen band takes over the accompaniment and Mickey joins Minnie; the two mice dance and scat sing two more verses. As Mickey and Minnie exit stage right, the curtain rises to reveal the band –

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...

on trombone, two goats on violins, a Scottish Terrier on

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

, a pig on the cornet, Clarabelle Cow on a double bass, two Dachshunds on saxophones, and

Horace Horsecollar Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1928 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s s ...

on a drum set and xylophone; Mickey reappears through a stage elevator to conduct. After several interruptions, Mickey plays a clarinet and parodies jazz bandleader Ted Lewis; the performance is based in part on the Ted Lewis Band's 1926 recording of "St. Louis Blues". As the band plays the final notes of the climatic finale, they collectively jump on the bandstand and cause it to collapse. They reemerge from the debris to deliver a final "Yeah!" to the audience.

Voice cast

* Mickey Mouse:

* Minnie Mouse: Marcellite Garner

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' (March 8, 1932): "No story to this, but it needs none to get it over. Opens with Mickey at the piano pounding out a number, with Minnie rather spoiling it with the falsetto singing that is considered necessary for cartoon characters. A short dance and then a break to a stage jazz band for the usual trick stuff, but well done and in excellent synchrony. Cartoon work overlaid on a capital musical program."

Releases

*1931 – Original theatrical release

Home media

The short was released on December 2, 2002 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White''.

Television

*1998 – ''Ink & Paint Club'', episode #44 "Musical Mickey"

External links

''Blue Rhythm''
at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts

at the

Big Cartoon Database The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, animated feature films, Animated television series, animated television shows, and cartoon Short film, shorts. The BCDB proj ...

*
''Blue Rhythm''
at the Disney Film Project

References

{{Burt Gillett 1931 short films 1931 animated films 1931 films 1930s Disney animated short films Mickey Mouse short films Jazz films Films directed by Burt Gillett Films produced by Walt Disney American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures short films Columbia Pictures animated short films 1930s American films