I've Got to Sing a Torch Song

I've Got to Sing a Torch Song
Title card
Directed byTom Palmer
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
StarringBernard B. Brown
Selmer Jackson
Noreen Gamill
Bud Duncan
The Rhythmettes[1]
Music byBernard Brown
Norman Spencer
Animation byJack King
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • September 23, 1933 (1933-09-23)
Running time
6:42
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

I've Got to Sing a Torch Song is a 1933 American animated comedy short film directed by Tom Palmer.[2] It is the 28th film in the Merrie Melodies series. The short was released on September 23, 1933.[3][4] It premiered with I Loved a Woman in theaters.

This short was the first cartoon in the series produced solely by Leon Schlesinger Productions, as well as the first without any involvement by Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising and Frank Marsales. It is Palmer's only installment in the series as director, as he was fired during production. The cartoon features the song "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song", written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song" had been recorded by several artists, including Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallée, and Al Bowlly. Dick Powell sang the song in the film Gold Diggers of 1933.

It was later released in Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5.[5]

Plot

The cartoon is a medley of gags set to the song "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" and radio broadcasts. Characters, including caricatures of 1930s celebrities like Benito Mussolini and Greta Garbo, are seen in various locations like China, Africa, and New York City. Scenes feature humorous depictions of ethnic stereotypes and celebrity impersonations, including Bing Crosby and James Cagney. The Statue of Liberty sings the title track, ending with a nod to Jimmy Durante. Ed Wynn's running gag with a cannon culminates in a misfire, sending him flying into his home where his family wears firemen hats.[6][7]

Sources

  1. ↑ Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media. p. 15. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 22. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  4. ↑ "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song (1933)". explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ Lambert, David (August 5, 2007). "The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour - Complete Disc-by-Disc Details of Golden Collection Vol. 5 Cartoons, Extras". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  6. ↑ "GarboForever - Garbo Cartoons". www.garboforever.com. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song". Forgotten Films. January 16, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2016.


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