Wednesday, April 28, 2021

KATNIP KOLLEGE - "One Hep Kat's Tail" (1938)

 
Tonight's swingin' Weird Wednesday Featurette is called "Katnip Kollege," a kool seven minute Warner Brothers - Merrie Melodies kartoon from 1938.

 
Kool kudos are in order for the animation krew that consisted of Joe D'Igalo, Herman Cohen, Art Loomer, Rod Scribner, and Volney White.

 
For some reason, the only klass that's popular is "Swingology," and as you can see, the other dullology klass rooms haven't even been entered in some time!

The Professor is naturally one swingin' kat, with a voice provided by another swingin' kat, Mel Blanc!

Mr. Jones recites his history lesson in a killer swingin' fashion that matches the duds he has on!

The Professor has a nice collection of persuasive percussion!!

Then we get to see if Miss Kitty Bright did her homework right!
Kitty's voice was provided by "The Little Ray of Sunshine," Mabel Todd.

Just because they're a bunch of swingers doesn't mean they still can't pull a prank on the Professor's posterior!

But there's always gotta be one square in the group, and in this one, it's little Johnny who can't tell a "bo do o bo, from a ding a ling ding."

Wow, this sure wouldn't kut it today. They ridicule Johnny for not being a hep cat!
And the bad part is that the klass is dismissed, and they just leave him there!
The voice of Johnny was trumpet player, sometimes band leader Johnnie Davis.

Later that night, all the kool kats get together for a jam session with a full moon shining down on them!
 
"Katnip Kollege" is chock full of great music for any lovers of the "Swing Era." 
The vocal group performing most of the klassic tunes were known as "The Pied Pipers."
The Pied Pipers were very popular in the 1940's with twelve songs making the charts. Over the years, the group had many different members, toured with Frank Sinatra, and one of the koolest things they ever did was sing the dreamy backup vocals on Sam Cooke's killer hit, "You Send Me" in 1957.

 
Listening to the metronome of the tick tocking klock hits Johnny like an aftershock, and he suddenly just gets it, and can now feel the beat!

 
Johnny heads directly over to the jam, and "Just as easy as rolling cigarettes," he now knows what to do, and all the other kats dig him, especially Kitty!

Whoa! Suddenly Johnny is all hands, but Kitty doesn't seem to mind!

In the end, it was all so easy for Johnny, "As easy as rolling off a log," which they end up doing together!

It was also too easy for the two of them to fall in love!

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