''High Note'' is a 1960 American animated short film directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

and written by

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "Wha ...

. It was originally released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 3, 1960 as part of the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

'' series. It features no dialogue, relying solely on the animation and music to carry the plot. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Cartoon) in 1961, losing to

Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...

's '' Munro''.

Plot

Various musical notes set up sheet music in preparation for a performance of " The Blue Danube." As the music begins, however, it becomes apparent that a note is missing. The note (a red-faced "High Note") is revealed to be drunk, staggering out of the " Little Brown Jug" sheet music. The irritated music-note conductor chases the intoxicated note, intending to put him back in his place so the waltz can properly continue. Throughout the pursuit, many objects are created from the simple musical notes: a dog, a slide, a clothes hanger, a lasso, horses, and more. Eventually, the rogue note is put back into place, but is again missing when the performance starts over. This time, though, the balance of the remaining music is also gone. The conductor discovers that all the notes have gone into the "Little Brown Jug" to get drunk. The original High Note, who is in Irving Berlin's "

How Dry I Am "The Near Future" is a song written by Irving Berlin and performed in the ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1919''. It is better known for the small part of its lyric that took on a life of its own: "How Dry I Am". Origins The origins of the song and its co ...

," replaces the "I" with "We."

Soundtrack

* " The Blue Danube" -

Johann Strauss II Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ov ...

* "

" - Irving Berlin * " Little Brown Jug" - Joseph Winner * Brahms' Lullaby -

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

* "Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?" -

Septimus Winner Septimus Winner (May 11, 1827 – November 22, 1905) was an American songwriter of the 19th century. He used his own name, and also the pseudonyms Alice Hawthorne, Percy Guyer, Mark Mason, Apsley Street, and Paul Stenton. He was also a teacher ...

Reception

Animation historian Jerry Beck writes, "In today's world, where vintage cartoons are typically mistaken for children's fare, masterpieces like ''High Note'' set the record straight — with a healthy dose of classically adult booze humor."

Home media

This short is featured as part of the Looney Tunes: Musical Masterpieces DVD, as well as Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 set.

References

External links