Rhapsody in Rivets (1941)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Friz Freleng

Writer:

Michael Maltese (writer)

Release Date:

6 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy | Music

Plot:

A construction foreman conducts his workers like a symphony orchestra as they build a skyscraper, musically.

Plot Keywords:

Construction Site | Skyscraper | Steam Shovel | Dog | Door

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Leon Schlesinger Studios

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Tunes: Merrie Melodies - Carl Stalling and Cartoon Music (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Inventive

Very odd but fun cartoon short that was nominated for an Academy Award. It shows a bunch of dogs that act like humans constructing a building. The foreman comes out and has them play like a symphony while building! This leads to countless sight gags as the dogs construct a mammoth building in record time. No dialogue--just the music which is "Hungarian Rhapsode #2". Bright, cheerful, fast-moving Merrie Melody. TCM shows this every once in a while and their print is in pristine shape. The music is loud and the colors are so bright and vivid that they pop out at you. Also there is a character from other 1940s cartoon in this. He's a small dog with a terminally depressed expression. He has a hand in the ending. Well worth catching.