Katnip Kollege
Katnip Kollege is a 1938 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Cal Howard and Cal Dalton.[1] The short was released on June 11, 1938.[2]
| Katnip Kollege | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Cal Dalton Cal Howard |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Story by | Dave Monahan |
| Starring | Johnnie Davis Mabel Todd Mel Blanc George MacFarland Poley McClintock Cliff Nazarro Dave Weber |
| Animation by | Joe D'Igalo |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
October 20, 1945 (Blue Ribbon reissue) |
Running time | 7:26 |
| Language | English |
Plot
In the "Swingology" classroom at Katnip Kollege, the Professor (a parody of Kay Kyser) requires each student to sing his lessons to a jazz rhythm, all the while singing "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down." Johnny Cat just doesn't have it, and as a result, he has to stay after class wearing the dunce cap. Kitty Bright returns his fraternity ring as she leaves the room, telling him to call her when he learns how to swing.
That night, as all the other cats jam at an outdoor caterwaul, Johnny is suddenly inspired by the rhythm of a cuckoo clock. He runs to join the group and shocks everyone with a flawlessly jazzy rendition of "Easy as Rollin' Off a Log" sung (and trumpeted) to Kitty. At the end of the song the two cats fall into each other's arms, "rolling" off the log they were using as their stage.
Music
The music in the short is pieced together from a number of contemporary Warner Brothers features. The featured song, "Easy as Rollin' Off a Log", is written by M. K. Jerome and Jack Scholl and sung by Johnnie Davis and Mabel Todd in the 1937 film Over the Goal . Other songs used include "You're an Education" by Al Dubin and Harry Warren which was written for, but never used in Warner Brothers' 1938 feature film Gold Diggers in Paris and the Richard A. Whiting/Johnny Mercer song "We're Working our Way through College" from Warner Brothers' 1937 feature Varsity Show. Carl Stalling supervised the music soundtrack.
James Taylor’s music video “As Easy As Rolling Off A Log” contains clips from this cartoon, accompanied by Taylor’s recording sessions.
Availability
- LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 1 (unrestored)
- DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, Disc 4
- DVD/Blu-Ray - Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, Disc 2
- DVD/Blu-Ray - Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces
- DVD/Blu-Ray - The Adventures of Robin Hood (included as a bonus)
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 72. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
Films set in universities and colleges