Wake Up the Gypsy in Me

19331933
7m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

149

YOUR RATING

Animation Family Short

A camp of Russian gypsies, dancing and playing music. After an opening dance, a quartet of beer-drinkers gargles the Volga Boatman song, then another group hauling on a rope sings it (we fin... Read allA camp of Russian gypsies, dancing and playing music. After an opening dance, a quartet of beer-drinkers gargles the Volga Boatman song, then another group hauling on a rope sings it (we finally see that the other end of the rope is anchored by a very small dog). A trench-coated ... Read allA camp of Russian gypsies, dancing and playing music. After an opening dance, a quartet of beer-drinkers gargles the Volga Boatman song, then another group hauling on a rope sings it (we finally see that the other end of the rope is anchored by a very small dog). A trench-coated bomber sneaks into the palace, where we see Rice-Puddin', the mad monk, cheating at a jigs... Read all

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

149

YOUR RATING

Director
- Rudolf Ising(uncredited)

See production, box office & company info

7User reviews

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Trivia
Vitaphone production reel #5778.

Alternate versions
This cartoon was colorized in 1992 by Turner Entertainment Company, with each frame traced over onto a cel. Each cel was then painted in color and photographed over a colored reproduction of each background.

Connections
Spoofs Rasputin and the Empress (1932)

Soundtracks
Wake Up the Gypsy in Me
(uncredited)
Written by Lew Lehr, Harry Miller and Lew Pollack
Sung by the main quartet
Played often in the score

User reviews7

Review

Featured review

6/10

Put the Cossack to Sleep

Ahem. Those are Cossacks in their big hats there, dancing the kazatsky, although the female lead does look like a gypsy. Oh, well, just as in these early cartoons, inanimate objects could become suddenly animated and species were fungible, the distinction between a Gypsy and a Cossack wasn't important. I guess.

More importantly, this is actually a pretty good cartoon from this period. I attribute this to lead animator Isadore 'Friz' Freleng who, over the next decade, would become the resident expert out of making one-off cartoons based on musical numbers, perhaps reaching his peak in SKYSCRAPER SYMPHONY. Certainly the gags are a lot sharper than usual for this period and their pacing is excellent. Worth a look.

helpful•4