Bingo Crosbyana (1936)

Various insects have taken over a kitchen. After some playing with the food, one bug croons like Bing Crosby, then does some very showy flying which gets him all the girls. A spider drops ... See full summary »

Director:

Friz Freleng

Stars:

Billy Bletcher

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Billy Bletcher	...	Spider (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

Various insects have taken over a kitchen. After some playing with the food, one bug croons like Bing Crosby, then does some very showy flying which gets him all the girls. A spider drops down, and he runs in fear, leaving his girlfriend vulnerable. The other bugs manage to get the spider, eventually trapping it on flypaper.

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Plot Keywords:

spider | flypaper | kitchen | insect | singer | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 1936 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Leon Schlesinger Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film short is available as a bonus on the Warner Bros. DVD of Swing Time.

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Soundtracks

"In Caliente"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Allie Wrubel
Played when Bingo performs his aerial stunts

User Reviews

A Spider and Fly Cartoon With a Warner Brothers Spin

This is mostly like those typical 1930s cartoons in which the featured 'characters' consisted of ensembles of (usually dancing) flies, bugs or other insects, with the villain being an over-sized, black, and evil-cackling basso profundo spider.

The title tells you that this is clearly intented to be about Bing Crosby, although the character doesn't have Bing's face, as you would see in later Warner Brothers cartoons. The high point is the comic song "Bingo Crosbyana" that pokes fun at Bing's effect on women as a crooner.

Bing sued Warner Brothers over his portrayal in the cartoon as a coward. As others have noted, without his actual face being shown, Bing didn't have a case against them, despite his character singing a couple of bubba ba boos.

What makes the cartoon interesting is the comic spin that the 'hero' turns out to be a coward, and that the other male flies, emasculated by the crooner fly, become the heroes that defeat the spider. Contrast this with the countless other insect or spider and fly cartoons such as "The Cobweb Hotel" (1936) by Max Fleisher.

I'd give it a 5 for the song and the spin. Note: You can find this cartoon on the DVD of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers film "Swing Time" (1936).