Page Miss Glory

Tex Avery's 'Page Miss Glory' is one of the most beautiful cartoons ever made, a parody of the live action musical of the same name, incorporating art-deco experimentation into a lush, grandiose musical extravaganza. If ever testament were needed to Avery's directorial genius, 'Page Miss Glory' is ample answer alone. While a bellboy in Hicksville awaits the arrival of the much touted Miss Glory, he drifts off to sleep and fantasizes himself as bellboy in a huge luxury hotel in which all the male occupants are vying for the attention of the sultry Miss Glory. Stuffed to the gills with great gags and eye-popping visuals, 'Page Miss Glory' is a very early Warner Bros. masterpiece. Avery excels and, while his subsequent output would be crammed full of defining masterpieces, it's only a shame 'Page Miss Glory' seems to have got lost in the shuffle. It is, for want of a better word, truly a glorious creation.

The overblown musicals of the 1930s easily set themselves up to get parodied (in my opinion, it was outright inappropriate of Hollywood to make these sorts of movies given that the country was in the midst of the Great Depression). One spoof was Tex Avery's "Page Miss Glory", which has also been known simply as "Miss Glory" to avoid confusion with a movie by the same name. It portrays a bellhop in a hotel in Hicksville awaiting the arrival of a glamorous movie star. When she doesn't come, he dreams that he's a bellhop in an Art Deco hotel probably spoofing the average Fred Astaire flick. But boy does he have a surprise coming at the end! I've always liked how the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons poked fun at the popular culture of their eras. Granted, this is one of the rarer ones (I watched it on YouTube). Apparently, some of the characters are caricatures of the Warner Bros. animation staff (among them Chuck Jones). Either way, it's a pretty interesting relic of their early days.

There's something about the idealized look of early animation that appeals to me. This cartoon (though I haven't seen it in years) presents a peek into the imaginary high-living, cosmopolitan lifestyle of the well-to-do in the 1930's. The music is memorable, the drawing and shading are gorgeous. If you're anything like me this cartoon will have you longing for a life which only exists in our dreams.

In the mid 1930's Cosmopolitan Productions, a W. R. Hearst subsidiary for the purpose of producing and promoting his mistress, Marion Davies', moved from M.G.M. to Warner Brothers. Page Miss Glory was the title of a feature film starring Miss Davies and this cartoon shares not only the lilting song from the feature film, but also its title and a caricature of its star. The action occurs in the "Cosmopolitan" Hotel (get it?). It is all packaged in a dream sequence that goes from a hick town to an art deco metropolis and to say that it is eye candy all the way is to understate. There is a Busby Berkeley style musical number in the middle of the proceedings and of course the Marion Davies character is heavily featured as the mysterious and elusive "Miss Glory." Fun stuff! Don't miss this one.

This animated short appeared on the Top Hat DVD. The film is quick and has everybody's favorite characters included Bugs Bunny. The film is only eight minutes long and was often shown at the cinemas before the main feature.