Book Revue (1946)

The ultimate Warner Brothers "books come to life" cartoon. Parodies and caricatures of Harry James, Frank Sinatra, 'Benny Goodman' , Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, 'Jimmy Durante' and, in a wild... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Clampett

Writer:

Warren Foster (story)

Stars:

Bea Benaderet, Sara Berner, Mel Blanc

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Bea Benaderet	...	Bobby-Soxer / Lady on 'Freckles' Cover / Various Screams (voice) (uncredited)
Sara Berner	...	Henry the VIII's mother - Swooning Girls (voice) (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Daffy Duck / Big Bad Wolf / Cop / Cuckoo / Sailor / Henry VIII / Mice (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

The ultimate Warner Brothers "books come to life" cartoon. Parodies and caricatures of Harry James, Frank Sinatra, 'Benny Goodman' , Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, 'Jimmy Durante' and, in a wild take-off on Danny Kaye, Daffy launches into a Russian-accented version of "Carolina in the Morning," then scat-sings his way through the tale of "Red Riding Hood" with 'Margaret O'Brien (I)' as Red.

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Plot Keywords:

book comes to life | cartoon duck | spoof | looney tunes | little red riding hood | 

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Genres:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Book Review

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Daffy Duck's impersonation is based on Danny Kaye.

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Goofs

As Daffy and Little Red Riding Hood are dancing at the end, the dancers in the background suddenly disappear.

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Quotes

the sea wolf: Howwwwwwwwwwwwwold is she?

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Connections

References The Arkansas Traveler (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Sextet"
(uncredited)
from "Lucia di Lammermoor"
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
Lyrics by Salvatore Cammarano
Sung with substitute lyrics by the wolf

User Reviews

Even better than "Have You Got Any Castles"?

I love both Have You Got Any Castles? and Book Revue, both are very colourful and clever literary takes, but if I had a preference I have to go with Book Revue. The animation here is wonderful, very colourful and vibrant, and the music is superb, especially liked the use of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata at the beginning. The singing is top notch, and the references are recognisable and a delight to watch. And the main reason why I prefer Book Revue is because of Daffy Duck, he is absolutely hilarious, whether this is his best cartoon overall is up for debate as there are so many exceptional ones, but this is for me one of his funnier performances. Out of the supporting characters, the rapacious Big Bad Wolf is my favourite. The cartoon moves really quickly, the humour is spot on and Sara Berner and Mel Blanc's voice work is outstanding. Overall, superb cartoon and although I loved Have You Got Any Castles, I prefer this one but only marginally, probably the fact that Daffy's in it is to do with it. 10/10 Bethany Cox