Tom Turkey and His Harmonica Humdingers (1940) User Reviews

Borrah Minnevitch

[boblipton · 6/10 · 27 July 2019]

A turkey in a green suit struts into town and the general store, where he and all the other turkeys play the harmonica.

This Hugh Harman cartoon is a technical step back to 'synchronized sound' for the cartoonist, but like the occasional pure-music cartoon -- Friz Freleng, who had a sideline in these as Termite Terrace, had just turned out RHAPSODY IN RIVETS -- it's fun for the way it coordinates the music and the movement. The soundtrack features occasional spoken remarks, voiced by Mel Blanc, but most of it is simply the harmonica music of Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals. They were a gorup who played harmonicas of all sizes. I think the live-action short of the group, made a couple of years later, is even more entertaining.

Turkey Talk

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 July 2019]

Tom Turkey plays his harmonica and struts into the country general store. Everybody brings out their own harmonicas. An old military bird pulls out his flute and starts playing Dixie. Mayhem ensues and the store is wrecked. This is an MGM cartoon in Technicolor from Hugh Harman. Mel Blanc does the voice although it's not one of his best. It's blubbering and cartoonish without any southern flair. These are cartoon characters of southern country hicks. The most compelling aspect is the animation timed with the music. It's not any of my favorite and Tom Turkey is not the most appealing. It gets close to being caricature without being fun. The character doesn't seem to have gained much traction over time.

A most frenetic, energetic and unusual cartoon!

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 13 August 2003]

This is an extremely odd cartoon to describe. The premise is that a harmonica playing quartet essentially destroys a general store by virtue of rather energetic playing of their instruments. The sight of the poor shopkeeper as he watches his livelihood disintegrate (despite his best efforts at damage control) before his very eyes is both comic and a bit sad at the same time. The running gag features a rather wizened old bird in Confederate gray popping up and trying to choose the next song on the program by force of his own fife-playing. He's clearly single-minded and carries a grudge a long time (no doubt against Yankees). Hilarious, particularly the running gag. Well worth tracking down. Recommended.

Another classic from Hugh Harman!!

[nnwahler · 10/10 · 21 October 2007]

A terrific, living document of an American way of life that's all but faded: the all-harmonica band. A revival of this tradition is long-overdue......if barbershop quartets can be successfully revived, why not this??? (For that matter, why not the all-accordion band as well? The daughters of some friends of my parents'--back in Colorado--were members of such an organization, doing amazing arrangements of orchestral classical favorites.) Oh yes--superlative animation & characterization as well. I especially like when that do-nothing cop gets it in the end. A nice throwback, too, to the golden age of radio....LOVE the title character's pseudo-announcements.

Very good example of its ilk, tossed in as an extra on my Myrna Loy and William Powell DVD!

[talisencrw · 8/10 · 17 August 2016]

This was a great cartoon extra on my 'I Love You Again' DVD that was Disc 4 of my 5-film 'TCM Spotlight: Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection'. In it, four harmonica-playing birds play so intensely that they end up destroying a general store, despite the owner trying his best at damage control. A Yankee-hating rebel from the South, still carrying a grudge, keeps trying with his flute to play 'Dixie' but is subsequently either ignored or suppressed by the rest of the troupe. One of the best of this sort of thing (and I love this era of classic animation), not concentrating on a proved character, that I have seen in a long while.

The Best in Cartoon with Harmonica

[a.daane · 12 January 2003]

Back ground music by Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals.

The animals portraying the Harmonica Rascals are fantastic.

Borrah is at his best and so is Johnny Puleo.

I have it on video, a little grainy but love to watch it and enjoy it every

time I do.

Art M. Daane

Tom Turkey and His Harmonica Humdingers was a very entertaining Hugh Harmon cartoon for M-G-M

[tavm · 8/10 · 28 November 2009]

Just watched this M-G-M Hugh Harmon cartoon on Uncle John's Crazy Town site. In this one, the title character sings and plays the harmonica with some friends at the local general store. In between are some gags about the store getting some "shaking up" (if you know what I mean) as the quartet play their numbers. That sequence with the store shelf falling down was quite exciting. I also loved seeing Tom-voiced by Mel Blanc-rolling some words when introducing another number. And the harmonica playing provided by Borrah Minevitch and His Harmonica Rascals is entertaining from beginning to end. I wasn't too crazy about the end sequence but despite that, I highly recommend Tom Turkey and His Harmonica Humdingers.