| Have You Got Any Castles | |
|---|---|
 Re-Issue Title Card | |
| Color process | Color[1] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 7:25[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Have You Got Any Castles is a 1938Warner Bros.Merrie Melodies cartoon directed byFrank Tashlin.[3] The short was released on June 25, 1938.[4] Characters from well-known works ofliterary fiction come to life inside of alibrary after hours.[5]
When the cartoon opens, a cuckoo clock in a library sounds off, and the camera pans over the room, to aTown Crier (a caricature ofAlexander Woollcott, who did a radio show of that name) who gives a brief introduction. When all performances begin, four monsters (Mr. Hyde,Fu Manchu, thePhantom of the Opera, andFrankenstein's monster) introduce themselves by roaring evilly, but then dance happily toGossec's "Gavotte." As characters from other books applaud that performance, the protagonist ofThe Good Earth, his head the shape of a globe, says prayers by his bedside. The camera pans the library to the right, revealing the bookThe Invisible Man and an invisible man dancing, who hands off toTopper (a novel from a series byThorne Smith, as well as a contemporary film) where a similar character continues a similar dance, then moves toThe Thirty-Nine Steps where a caricature of"Bojangles" Robinson dances down the steps,So Big with a caricature ofGreta Garbo, andThe Green Pastures which turns out to feature abig band presentation of "Swing for Sale" led by a caricature ofCab Calloway. That clip was from theFriz Freleng shortClean Pastures.
Panning left over the cheering crowd, the camera reveals a singingHeidi on the cover of her eponymous book, a literalThin Man when viewed from the side (a caricature ofWilliam Powell asNick Charles) walking into theWhite House Cook Book and, when walking back out and seen from the side, shows that he has packed on some weight in his posterior.Whistler's Mother, on the cover of the book,Great Works of Art whistles "Ain't She Sweet", then threeLittle Women (threeJane Withers clones) and threeLittle Men (threeFreddie Bartholomew clones) sing with "Old King Cole" (spoofing deep-voiced Warner Bros. character actorEugene Pallette), the characters ofThe House of the Seven Gables (seven identical caricatures ofClark Gable), and a drumming bulldog intended to parodyBulldog Drummond. NextLouis Pasteur (a caricature ofPaul Muni in his Oscar-winning role) mixes chemicals from test tubes until they blow up, after which Pasteur is inSeventh Heaven. Also appearing is CaptainWilliam Bligh fromMutiny on the Bounty (a caricature ofCharles Laughton's portrayal of him). This does not please a sleepingRip Van Winkle (Ned Sparks, a well-known Hollywood "grouch"), who complains, "Old King Cole is a noisy old soul", while using theValiant Little Tailor's scissors to snip hair from thetitle character ofUncle Tom's Cabin to plug his ears.
The music gets louder, asThe Three Musketeers (featuringThe Ritz Brothers) sing the title song of the cartoon, withDrums Along the Mohawk providing a beat,Emily Post (here portrayed as "Emily Host") scoldsHenry VIII of England for his rudeness, and a character fromKatherine Mayo's controversial 1927 bookMother India plays along on hispungi. Then Rip again takes scissors from the Tailor and tries to use them once more on Uncle Tom; Tom beats him back then uses the scissors to cut Rip's beard. ThenDiamond Jim Brady (anEdward Arnold caricature, fromthe 1935 film of the same name) comes along pitching mortgage payments as the Drums beat louder, Henry becomes even more gluttonous (and Emily Post joins in the gluttony), andOliver Twist twists.W. C. Fields (here portrayed with a red nose in a parody ofSo Red the Rose) joins in, as does thePied Piper of Hamelin, piping a jazzy tune and being followed by a herd of jazzy mice.
The Musketeers becomeThree Men on a Horse and, along the way grab theSeven Keys to Baldpate which they use to free thePrisoner of Zenda, overAladdin's objections. Aladdin gets punched out by one of the Men. As the Three Men passThe Informer (a caricature ofVictor McLaglen, who won a 1935 Academy Award forplaying the role), he whispers toLittle Boy Blue (here named "Little Boy Blew") who then trumpets for aCharge of the Light Brigade.Robinson Crusoe fires at the Three Men, along with guns fromAll Quiet on the Western Front and backup cavalry fromUnder Two Flags. The incessant noise disturbs Rip, who has had enough of trying to sleep and, as the battling, running characters approach, he opensThe Hurricane, so that all of them end upGone with the Wind (in a play on the then-recent book), blown back to their own books.
After all performances terminate, the Town Crier appears again, concluding the cartoon with a brief message ending with "All is well, all is well ...", and the camera pans back to the cuckoo clock where Rip, who has apparently muzzled the cuckoo SFX, is finally sound asleep as morning approaches.
The story takes place in a library, with all the characters coming to life from well known works of fiction, both classical and modern.Rip Van Winkle is the center of interest, as he cannot continue sleeping with the noise. Finally he getsThe Hurricane to blow all the noise-makers back into the covers of their books again, and he goes peacefully to sleep. The final titles show the pop bookGone with the Wind. Produced by Leon Schlesinger. Story by Jack Miller. Animation byKen Harris. InTechnicolor.[11]