Musical Memories

"Musical Memories" (1935) was included in the "Somewhere in Dreamland" DVD collection of Max Fleischer's Color Classic cartoon series (1934-40) as one of the "Lost Episodes," presumably because the only print they could find was substandard. The image is a little murky and the colors aren't as rich as they should be, but it's worth seeing. It was shot in 2-color Technicolor, just before Fleischer adopted the then-newly available 3-strip Technicolor process for his subsequent Color Classics. It also makes use of three-dimensional backgrounds, a technique Fleischer toyed with for a couple of years in which traditional cell animation was executed against mobile miniature model sets to give a "3-D" look to the cartoons, often to nice effect.

In this cartoon, an old married couple reminisces about their years together while listening to a radio broadcast of American song favorites from earlier decades. As the songs play, the husband and wife use a once-popular stereopticon device to look at 3-D photos of themselves in younger years. This leads to flashbacks set to songs, including scenes of kids at play on the streets of New York as we hear the song, "Sidewalks of New York." One of the "kids" turns out to be a caricature of New York Governor Al Smith, complete with derby and cigar, who sings along in a gravelly voice. The couple is next seen in their courtship phase to the accompaniment of "Little Annie Rooney" and then on a canoe in a lake while "In the Good Old Summertime" is sung. They begin a family and ride on a "Bicycle Built for Two," while that song is heard. Additional scenes are played out to "After the Ball" and "Put on Your Old Gray Bonnet," until we're brought back to the old couple in the present.

Each scene is animated against detailed 3-D backgrounds of rundown city streets, a sprawling dance hall, country roads, and spacious residential streets away from the city. There are occasional cartoon-style gags and action, such as a shot of the bicycle-built-for-two being followed by a bicycle for five carrying the couple's five kids. During the dance hall scene in the courtship phase, a misstep on the dance floor provokes a comical fight between our hero and a Bluto-like bruiser.

It's a cute and pleasant little cartoon, of interest mainly for its Americana-flavored soundtrack and its ambitious attempt to use three-dimensional backgrounds on a larger scale than Fleischer's previous efforts. It's too bad no better print was available for inclusion on the DVD. This would be a prime candidate for restoration.

If there were things that Fleischer Studios were consistently good in throughout their entire output, they would be that their cartoons were nearly always well animated and the music never disappointed regardless of the quality of everything else. When they were on form, their cartoons were amusing (very funny to hilarious at their best), touching and charming. When they floundered, especially in the 40s, their cartoons were bland, too cute, humourless and sometimes annoying.

'Musical Memories' is one of their "Color Classics" cartoons, a series that was very hit and miss. Fortunately this is one of the hits of the series and a great representation of how good the studio's output was when it was on form. While not my definition of funny as such, 'Musical Memories' is very affectionate and charming and it did touch me. It is also one of the more visually interesting cartoons in the "Color Classics" series and has one of the best music scores.

That it is a bit of a slow starter was to me the sole drawback to a great cartoon that is deserving of more credit.

So much is wonderfully done. The best aspect is the music, love 30s music and the style heard here has always appealed to me. The score has energy and whimsy in abundance and in a way that is infectious and beautiful to listen to, not only adding to the cartoon but enhancing it as well. The other outstanding aspect is the animation, with 'Musical Memories' being one of the more visually interesting cartoons of the series (up there with 'Somewhere in Dreamland' and 'Dancing on the Moon' on the technical innovation level). The three dimensional backgrounds are very striking in colour and detail and are imaginatively used, the more traditional designs for the movements and characters gel beautifully. The dance hall scene is very inventively and humorously choreographed in the animation.

Furthermore, 'Musical Memories' is gently amusing in writing while never being corny or juvenile. It also just about resists being over-sentimental. While the story is very slight, the case with pretty much all the cartoons in the series and with Fleischer in general, it is also immensely charming and affectionately nostalgic. The characterisation is not meaty, but it isn't too meaty or simplistic and was quite endearing.

All in all, great. 9/10.