''Rhapsody in Rivets'' is a 1941
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
'' cartoon directed by
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng (; August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...
.
The short was released on December 6, 1941.
Plot
At a busy urban construction site in a world of
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
animals, an appreciative crowd of gawkers watches the foreman (a caricature of the conductor
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...
) use the building plans as his score and conduct the workmen in
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
's "
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2", a symphony of riveting, hammering, sawing, and more. Elevators, picks, shovels, and a steam shovel are instruments in music making and construction.
As the clock nears 5:00 PM, the crew works furiously, and the building rises around the clouds. With a flag planted at the top and the work completed, the foreman takes a bow. One of the workers, while leaving, slams the door shut behind him; due to this and the overly hurried construction, the building (labeled the "Umpire State") comes crashing down. The foreman attempts to attack the worker in retaliation, but three bricks hit him on the head for the last three notes, ending the rhapsody and the cartoon.
Reception
Daniel Goldmark writes, "While almost every studio in Hollywood took on Liszt's "Second Hungarian Symphony" at one time or another, Warner Bros. did it twice — both times with Friz Freleng directing. (''
Rhapsody Rabbit'', 1946, was the other.) What sets this version apart from all the others is that, while it keeps the spirit of a concert or performance, the execution is different. Freleng's central metaphor — comparing the skills and coordination of a construction crew to those of an orchestra — works remarkably well, giving a new twist to what had already become a cliché by then, a well-known classical work being played (or murdered) by a motley group of musicians. And because the "Rhapsody" was also a classical standard, bordering on a pop hit, Freleng could easily use just the best-known parts of the work to drive the several dozen gags."
Home media
*LaserDisc - ''
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'', Vol. 1, Side 6: Friz Freleng
*VHS - ''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'', Vol. 6: Friz Freleng
*(1992) LaserDisc -
Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition for solo piano and jazz band by George Gershwin. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects and premiered in a concer ...
*(1999) VHS - Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 5: Musical Masterpieces (1995 Turner dubbed version)
*(2007) DVD -
The Bride Came C.O.D. (1995 Turner dubbed version, added as a bonus)
*DVD - ''
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection'', Disc 2
*Blu-Ray, DVD - ''
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3'', Disc 2
*(2015) DVD - Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces
See also
*
Rhapsody Rabbit
References
External links
*
1941 films
Short films directed by Friz Freleng
Merrie Melodies short films
Films scored by Carl Stalling
Animated films without speech
1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese
1941 animated short films
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