Bingo Crosbyana
| Bingo Crosbyana | |
|---|---|
 The title card of Bingo Crosbyana. | |
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Story by | J.B. Hardaway (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | Billy Bletcher |
| Music by | Norman Spencer |
| Animation by | Cal Dalton Sandy Walker |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 min (one reel) |
| Language | English |
Bingo Crosbyana is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng, and notable for its title song, composed by Sanford Green and with lyrics by Irving Kahal.[1] The short was released on May 30, 1936.[2]
Plot
[edit]The plot revolves around a group of fun-loving anthropomorphic insects which have taken over a kitchen. The female insects promptly become enthralled by a crooning show-off of a fly, Bingo Crosbyana, "the crooning hit of all Havana", a caricature of the singer Bing Crosby, who incurs the jealous resentment of their boyfriends. Bingo, however, literally shows his colors (yellow) when a spider invades the kitchen, leaving Bingo to cower in fear inside a roll of wax paper. After the boyfriends team up to trap the spider on a sheet of fly paper, Bingo emerges from the wax paper roll and attempts to resume his braggadocio, only to be put in his place decisively.
Legal cases
[edit]Bingo Crosbyana was one of two Warner Bros. cartoons (along with Let It Be Me) which Bing Crosby initiated lawsuits to suppress because they portrayed him in what Crosby considered a defamatory light. In this case, he objected to his portrayal as a vainglorious coward and to the imitation of his voice.[3]
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures was suing Warner Bros. alongside Crosby. Their law firm wanted the distribution of the film to cease. Apparently they lost their case. [3]
Sources
[edit]- Cohen, Karl F. (2004), "Censorship of Theatrical Animation", Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786420322
References
[edit]- ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 46. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Cohen (2004), p. 39-40
External links
[edit]
 | This Merrie Melodies–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1936 films
- 1936 comedy films
- Animation based on real people
- Cultural depictions of Bing Crosby
- Films scored by Norman Spencer (composer)
- Animated films about flies
- Short films directed by Friz Freleng
- Merrie Melodies short films
- Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
- 1930s Warner Bros. animated short films
- Animated films about spiders
- Merrie Melodies stubs