''Rooty Toot Toot'' is a 1951 American

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

cartoon directed by

John Hubley John Kirkham Hubley (May 21, 1914 – February 21, 1977) was an American animation director, art director, producer and writer known for his work with the United Productions of America (UPA) and his own independent studio, Storyboard, Inc. (late ...

. It was released 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 produced by UPA. Annette Warren provides the voices of both Frankie and Nelly Bly.

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was also ...

is the voice of Johnny and Honest John the Crook.

Summary

The short retells the classic popular song " Frankie and Johnny". Frankie is on trial for the murder of her piano-playing lover, Johnny. The prosecuting attorney accuses her of shooting Johnny "rooty toot toot/right in the snoot." Nellie Bly the singer ("That's a lie! That's a lie! She's no singer!" shouts Frankie) claims she witnessed the shooting. The case is looking bad for Frankie until her lawyer, Honest John the Crook, spins a wild story involving innocent Frankie, a jealous Johnny, and an incredible ricochet. Honest John then declares that if Frankie were free, he would take her for his wife. The jury convenes and finds Frankie "not guilty." Frankie is thrilled, until she sees Honest John walking away with Nellie Bly. She quickly picks up Exhibit A (the gun) and shoots Honest John "rooty toot toot/right in the snoot" in front of the entire court room. The prosecuting attorney celebrates as the police escort Frankie to jail.

Reception and legacy

It received a nomination for the

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

in 1951, but lost out to

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on the ...

's 6th award-winning cartoon ''

The Two Mouseketeers ''The Two Mouseketeers'' is a 1952 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 65th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres on March 15, 1952 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed ...

''. In 1994 it was voted #41 of the

50 Greatest Cartoons ''The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals'' is a 1994 book by animation historian Jerry Beck. Criteria It consists of articles about 50 highly regarded animated short films made in North America and other notable ca ...

of all time by members of the animation field.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0043980, title=Rooty Toot Toot
''Rooty Toot Toot'' at the Big Cartoon Database
Films about death 1951 animated films Adult animation American adult animated films American animated short films American courtroom films American musical films Animated musical films Films directed by John Hubley UPA films 1950s American animated films 1951 short films 1951 films Columbia Pictures animated short films Columbia Pictures short films American black comedy films 1950s English-language films Film noir cartoons