Young and Healthy

Young and Healthy
Title card
Directed byRudolf Ising
Produced byHugh Harman
Rudolf Ising
Leon Schlesinger
Music byFrank Marsales
Animation byRollin Hamilton
Larry Martin
Color processBlack and white
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • February 23, 1933 (1933-02-23)
Running time
7 min
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Young and Healthy is a 1933 American animated comedy short film directed by Rudolf Ising. It is the 21th film in the Merrie Melodies series.[1][2] It features the titular song from the then-upcoming film 42nd Street.[3] It was released on February 23, 1933.[4]

Plot

In a portrait of a castle, three soldiers walk down stairs while sounding a horn. Three other soldiers roll a mat down while a dachshund sweeps it with his tail. The public welcome their extremely obese king Louis as he struggles to walk down the stairs to the throne where he naps.

The old queen walks by, singing the titular song with her equally old servant, who ironically is too old to walk properly and needs a carriage. Louis is amused by a Jimmy Durante jack-in-the-box. The queen asks him if he is ready for the ball, which the guards struggle to convey until the jack-in-the-box hears it. The queen attempts to make Louis prepare to no avail, killing the jack-in-the-box when he intervenes.

Louis mourns the jack-in-the-box's death, only to find a group of children playing at a nearby village, which delights him. He runs out and slides down the stairs' handle to meet the children, who react by removing the end of the handle and have him fall into a bucket of water. He is amused by the event and walks them to the palace, enraging the queen. The queen is then humiliated by the children who unravel her dress. The king is then sent tumbling down the stairs into the pool, where he spits out water and fish like a fountain, while the children play in his room.

Reception

The Film Daily called it a "fair cartoon", noting that there is "not much to it".[5]

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 15. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Schneider, Steve (1988). That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Co. p. 40. ISBN 0-8050-0889-6.
  3. ↑ Parten, James (October 29, 2019). "Tunes From The Merrie Melodies 1932-33 Season |". Cartoon Research. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Young and Healthy - Earliest Known Date". The Austin American. February 22, 1933. p. 6. Retrieved November 18, 2025.Free access icon
  5. ↑ "Short Subject Reviews / Young And Healthy". The Film Daily: 4. April 17, 1933.
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