2 reviews
A man dressed in a leopard skin introduces some variety acts to an audience of lions, tigers and other animals. They aren't particularly good acts: Latin dancers, tap dancers,an act that uses slide whistles and toy instruments in a sort of anti-Mills Brothers way and the Nagasaki Rhythm Tramp Band.
If you look at that description and go "Ew!", then you've pretty much got the idea. There were a lot of shorts made in the 1920s and 1930s,consisting of single variety acts or several. Movies had often been used in vaudeville houses during the nickelodeon days, and one of the thoughts when the Warner Brothers had begun producing talkies was that this sort of short could replace the live acts that a lot of movie theaters used as extra attractions. As time went on, the original impetus was lost and the producers would try to distinguish their products in novel ways.
This one is bizarre.
If you look at that description and go "Ew!", then you've pretty much got the idea. There were a lot of shorts made in the 1920s and 1930s,consisting of single variety acts or several. Movies had often been used in vaudeville houses during the nickelodeon days, and one of the thoughts when the Warner Brothers had begun producing talkies was that this sort of short could replace the live acts that a lot of movie theaters used as extra attractions. As time went on, the original impetus was lost and the producers would try to distinguish their products in novel ways.
This one is bizarre.
Oops, back to the old drawing board.
Utililizing from fair-to-passable-to-get the hook performers and acts, Mentone Musicals producer Milton Schwartzwald offers them all in a menagerie setting, with several humans, dressed in wild animal skins---be glad you missed it---acting as audience members. Toss in Mark Plant---next seen on film years later---as an master-of-ceremonies dressed (or undressed as the case may be) like Tarzan.
First act in this zoo is The Nagasake Tramp Band (all black performers)who do a couple of novelty instrument specialties, followed by Ruth Daye (aka Ruth Day) who does a tap dance that leaves Leo and the other audience lions roaring.
Schwartzwald, never one not to know how to change the pace, then brings on The Ashburns, who trip through some ballroom dancing. Singer Evelyn Poe picks the pace back up with a hot-swing number.
Evidently, on the premise that if one novelty band is good then two should be twice as good, The Kidoodlers make their entrance. The difference between The Kidoodlers and the Nagasake Tramp Band is that the latter plays real instruments and the former all sorts of odd home-made instruments. Neither made a lasting impression in the world of entertainment.
Neither did "Rhapsody in Zoo" in the world of shorts.
Utililizing from fair-to-passable-to-get the hook performers and acts, Mentone Musicals producer Milton Schwartzwald offers them all in a menagerie setting, with several humans, dressed in wild animal skins---be glad you missed it---acting as audience members. Toss in Mark Plant---next seen on film years later---as an master-of-ceremonies dressed (or undressed as the case may be) like Tarzan.
First act in this zoo is The Nagasake Tramp Band (all black performers)who do a couple of novelty instrument specialties, followed by Ruth Daye (aka Ruth Day) who does a tap dance that leaves Leo and the other audience lions roaring.
Schwartzwald, never one not to know how to change the pace, then brings on The Ashburns, who trip through some ballroom dancing. Singer Evelyn Poe picks the pace back up with a hot-swing number.
Evidently, on the premise that if one novelty band is good then two should be twice as good, The Kidoodlers make their entrance. The difference between The Kidoodlers and the Nagasake Tramp Band is that the latter plays real instruments and the former all sorts of odd home-made instruments. Neither made a lasting impression in the world of entertainment.
Neither did "Rhapsody in Zoo" in the world of shorts.