Fiddlesticks (1930 film)
| Fiddlesticks | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ub Iwerks[1] |
| Produced by | Ub Iwerks |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by | Drawn by: Ub Iwerks Fred Kopietz Tony Pabian |
| Backgrounds by | Fred Kopietz |
| Color process | Harriscolor (England) Black and White (United States) |
| Distributed by | Celebrity Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:12 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Sound film (no dialogue) |
Fiddlesticks is a 1930 Celebrity Pictures theatrical cartoon short directed and animated by Ub Iwerks, in his first cartoon since he departed from Walt Disney's studio. The short features Iwerks' character Flip the Frog.[2] It is the first complete sound cartoon to be photographed in color.[3]
The film was simultaneously released with King of Jazz, a musical revue, and was released with a cartoon animated by Walter Lantz Productions depicting how Paul Whiteman, the music director of the film, "became the King of Jazz".
The copyright of the film was renewed in 1959.[4] It will enter the public domain on January 1, 2026 in accordance with current copyright laws.
Plot synopsis
[edit]Flip is seen dancing on lilypads until he reaches land and dries himself off. He walks to a party, where he performs a dance for the audience, accidentally climbing to a spider web. He also performs a duet, playing piano alongside a mouse (who bears a striking resemblance to Mickey Mouse, which Iwerks co-created with Walt Disney during his days at Disney's company) playing the violin. They perform two songs. In the first song, the mouse starts crying, and so do Flip and the piano. The second song makes Flip start hugging the piano, which then kicks Flip. The cartoon ends with Flip beating on the piano; he kicks all the piano keys into the air, and they drop onto him.
Significance
[edit]Fiddlesticks was the first in the Flip the Frog series. The sound system was Powers Cinephone, the same system used for Disney's Steamboat Willie (1928).[5]
The unnamed mouse in the cartoon bears a striking resemblance to Mortimer Mouse, the original concept behind Mickey Mouse, both of whom were first animated by Ub Iwerks.[6][7]
In popular culture
[edit]The cartoon appeared on a television set in the music video for Eminem's song "The Real Slim Shady", which a viewer laughs at.
References
[edit]- ^ Bradley, Edwin M. The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931. p. 225.
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 80. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ Robertson, Patrick (2011). Robertson's Book of Firsts. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781608197385. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
- ^ "Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 12-13: Motion Pictures and Filmstrips Jan-Dec 1959: Vol 13 No 1-2". U.S. Govt. Print. Off. 1959.
- ^ Barrier, Michael (1999). Hollywood cartoons: American animation in its golden age. Oxford University Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-19-503759-6.
- ^ Mortimer Mouse - D23
- ^ Esberg, Dan (January 14, 2018). "It's About Time Ub Iwerks Got His Credit". Retrieved May 28, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Fiddlesticks at IMDb
- The short film Fiddlesticks is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.
- Watch the film online on YouTube
- 1930 films
- 1930s American animated films
- 1930s color films
- 1930s English-language films
- American animated short films
- Animated films about frogs
- Animated films about mice
- Animated films without speech
- English-language short films
- Films directed by Ub Iwerks
- Films scored by Carl Stalling
- 1930 animated short films