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Spooney[1] Melodies was a series of live action musical shorts produced for Warner Bros. aimed to showcase popular tunes of the day. Only the first entry in the series bore the title "Spooney Melodies." The four subsequent releases bore the series title "Song'nata."[2]
As noted above, only five were made in 1930 and 1931. According to The Vitaphone Project, which tracks the status of early Warner Bros. sound films, all five films survive; the four "Song'nata" entries were not produced in the sound-on-disk Vitaphone format, but all survive in 35mm form. The first short, which is the one most widely available, is approximately six minutes long and features art deco style animations combined with film of the live-action performer (in this case, organist Milton Charles). The music for the first short was arranged by Frank Marsales, who was also the composer of the music for the earliest Looney Tunes, produced at approximately the same time as "Cryin' for the Carolines."
For its time those shorts were considered to be innovative, and could be considered to be one of the earliest music videos.[3] Production on this series ceased in 1931, and it was replaced with an animation-only series called Merrie Melodies in 1931, also produced by Leon Schlesinger.
Spooney Melodies/Song'nata — 5 titles
edit| Title | Director | Release date | LTGC availability (all as special features) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cryin' for the Carolines | Unknown | 1930-12 | LTGC Volume 1, Disc 3, Part of ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons LTGC Volume 6, Disc 3 |
A 5:45 short featuring Milton Charles, "The Singing Organist". The only short released under the "Spooney Melodies" series title. Vitaphone release 4191.[4] |
| Just a Gigolo | Unknown | 1931-05 | Pending release announced in May 1931.[5] Vitaphone release 4817. | |
| Say a Little Prayer for Me | Unknown | 1931-07 | Reviewed in Film Daily, July 19, 1931. Running time listed as 6 minutes, Cameron Crosbie at the organ, Dorothy Vogel singing the title song. Vitaphone release 4888. | |
| When Your Lover Has Gone | Unknown | 1931-09 | Vitaphone release 4668 | |
| For You | Unknown | 1931-12 | Vitaphone release 4957 |
References
edit- ^ "spoony". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved May 12, 2012. A contemporary colloquialism meaning unduly sentimental.
- ^ Liebman, Roy. Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. MacFarland. Each of the films listed in the chart above is referenced in this book, with Vitaphone release number, under their title, but under the series designation "Song'nata.".
- ^ Marks, Craig; Tannenbaum, Rob (2011). I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Dutton. p. 20. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ Liebman, Roy (2003). Vitaphone Films: A Catalogue of the Features and Shorts. MacFarland.
- ^ "Film Daily". No. May 31, 1931.
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