| The Lady in Red | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Starring | The Varsity Three Bernard B. Brown Count Cutelli Jeanne Dunne |
| Edited by | Treg Brown |
| Music by | Bernard Brown Norman Spencer |
| Animation by | Bob McKimson Ben Clopton |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Lady in Red is a 1935Warner Bros.Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed byFriz Freleng.[1] The short was released on September 7, 1935.[2]
The film score was composed byBernard B. Brown andNorman Spencer. The two-stripTechnicolor was credited on the reissue.
The cartoon follows the early custom ofWarner Bros. cartoons in being built around (and thus pushing) a melody from the Warners catalog, in this case, a song called "The Lady in Red" from the 1935 Warner filmIn Caliente (also known asViva Señorita).[3]
The film features the antics of a society ofcockroaches in aMexicancafé in the absence of its owner. The owner Manuel is reportedly "off to thebullfights".
The film opens with an instrumental of the title song, but interrupts the song with a solo performed by thegondolier cockroach hero. He sings the 1926John Stepan Zamecnik-Harry D. Kerr composition, "Neapolitan Nights". The title song begins again and is interrupted with a solo by a cockroach parody ofRudy Vallee. He sings theAl Dubin-Harry Warren song, "Sweet Music" from the 1935 Warner Bros.film of the same name.
The scene shifts to a rendition of the title song by a cockroach chorus. They are performing as the background singers to a lady cockroach, who performs as dancer. Her "red velvet gown" consists of a scarlet meat frill. The rest of the film is devoted to the attempts of aparrot to make off with the cockroach heroine. His plans are foiled by the hero.
This cartoon was included as an extra on the Blu-ray release of the filmJoe's Apartment.[4]
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