''The CooCoo Nut Grove'' is a 1936

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 ...

'' short animated film, set in the famed Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. This is a caricature cartoon,Warner Bro. (2005). Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 3. Burbank California: Warner Hom Video. Disc 2, Short 3 "The CooCoo Nut Grove" Commentary by Michael Barrier, T. Hee. with recreations of celebrities from the time. The cartoon was 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 ...

, with animation by

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePa ...

and Sandy Walker, caricature design by T. Hee, and musical score by

Carl Stalling Carl William Stalling (November 10, 1891 – November 29, 1972) was an American composer, voice actor and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts produced by War ...

. The short was released on November 28, 1936.

Plot

The short opens with a scene of a full moon reflecting on water lined with palm trees. "Thru' the Courtesy of Love" (Scholl/Jerome) plays during the opening scene. The camera pans to the Coo-Coonut Grove, 'Dine and Dance with the Stars', reflecting the Cocoanut Grove of the Ambassador Hotel, where many

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

shows were held in the 1930s/40s. The camera pans to a star lined hall, with various caricatures of Hollywood stars from the 1930s. Among them are

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (; 1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British and American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play wi ...

, Joe E. Brown,

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

and

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

. Master of Ceremonies Ben Birdie (bandleader

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelevitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 20, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P ...

, voiced by Tedd Pierce) is accosted by Walter Windpipe (

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and c ...

, voiced by Danny Webb), and proceeds to blow Windpipe out of the tuba from which he has emerged. At the time of this short's creation, Winchell and Bernie were engaged in a mock feud. The short then proceeds to showcase many Hollywood stars in the form of Ralph Barton-esque caricatures, starting with Hugh Herbert, W.C Fields as a hog (voiced by Tedd Pierce), speaking with

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress whose Katharine Hepburn on screen and stage, career as a Golden Age of Hollywood, Hollywood leading lady spanned six decades. She was known for her headstrong ...

(represented as an aloof mare, named "Miss Heartburn"),

Ned Sparks Ned Sparks (born Edward Arthur Sparkman, November 19, 1883 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian character actor of the American stage and screen. He was known for his deadpan expression and comically nasal, monotone delivery. Life and career Spark ...

(voiced by

Dave Barry David McAlister Barry (born July 3, 1947) is an American author and columnist who wrote a nationally Print syndication, syndicated humor column for the ''Miami Herald'' from 1983 to 2005. He has written numerous books of humor and parody, as we ...

) stating "I go everywhere, I do everything, and I never have any fun'. Following this, the camera pans up the tree to where Lupe Vélez and husband Johnny Weissmuller, dressed as

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

, are sharing a small table. Weissmuller proceeds to give Tarzan's signature call. The camera cuts back to Birdie, who comments on the arrival of 'profile of profilers',

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen, and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly a ...

, who walks to his table keeping his head positioned in order to display his 'perfect profile'. A woman wearing a purple hat and a yellow dress designed with a pattern of purple flowers runs by, with her face away from the camera. She is being chased by

Harpo Marx Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Groucho and Chico, Harp ...

, of

the Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chic ...

, who is drawn as a bird honking a horn. A traffic light and a stop sign pop from his hat and he skids to a stop. He revs up and gets moving again when a traffic light and a go sign pop from the hat. All of this is done without Harpo saying a word, as usual. Birdie suggests the club members start dancing, all depicted as birds, get up and dance. Many of the male birds are wearing turtlenecks and smoking. A blonde bird with a large black hat dances with an old turtle, the bird being

Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...

(voiced by Verna Deane), the turtle

George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

appear as a pig (

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, ...

) and a monkey (

Laurel Laurel may refer to: Plants * Lauraceae, the laurel family * Laurel (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as laurel People * Laurel (given name), people with the given name * Laurel (surname), people with the surname * Laurel (mus ...

), watching the dancing. There is then a shot of the caricatures at their tables. Clockwise from the top we see Laurel and Hardy, John Barrymore, still facing profile,

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

(with his ears prominently shown, a joke on his large ears), W. C. Fields, and Katharine Hepburn. The lights dim, and

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

takes the centre of the room, dancing to " "The Lady in Red", with a spotlight shining on her. Gable claps his ears instead of his hands. The camera flips between Oliver, and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

. Three monkeys comment on Cooper, a reference to the three old women in '' Mr. Deeds Goes to Town'', before the camera turns to Oliver one last time. She leaves, and a 'curtain', which is actually five diapers pinned to a clothesline, rises to reveal the Dionne quintuplets (voiced by Bernice Hansen), who sing "Our Old Man". The quintuplets finish their number, and we see Vélez and Weissmuller, atop their tree, applauding. A mouse runs by, scaring Weissmuller enough that he faints. An annoyed Vélez adopts his signature Tarzan scream, takes him under one arm, grabs a vine and swings away through the treetops. The woman in the yellow dress is once again chased by Harpo Marx, though this time he catches her. She turns to face the camera, and is revealed to be

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

. Harpo runs away and the screen fades. A woman in a black dress is seated on a piano, weeping heavily as she wrings out a sopping-wet handkerchief. She sings a

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...

, "The Little Things You Used To Do". This woman is Helen Morgan (voiced by Verna Deane). A very tearful

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' (1 ...

squeezes a banana out of a tube onto a knife and consumes the fruit while continuing to shed tears. The camera shows Morgan crying again, before switching to Harpo wiping away his tears with a windshield wiper on his hat. Actors Edward G. Robinson and

George Raft George Raft (né Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembe ...

continue with their 'tough guy' persona before giving up, bursting into sobs and embracing each other. The closing shots have Morgan on the piano, while Groucho, Harpo, Hepburn, Fields, Beery, Laurel and Hardy, et alia float away on their tables, the CooCoo Nut Grove flooded with tears. Arliss as a turtle paddles away with oars. Ben Birdie closes the cartoon with his signature 'cheerio, pip-pip, au revoir and a goody good night'.

Production notes

*The title is sometimes mislabeled as ''The Coo-Coo Nut Groove''. This cartoon was followed by '' The Woods Are Full Of Cuckoos'' (1937) and '' Have You Got Any Castles?'' (1938), both parodying Hollywood personalities. *The 1935 song “Rhythm Steps” by Herbie Kay and his orchestra is heard after the Ben Bernie caricature says, “Now we'll indulge in a bit of the light fantastical, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.” * T. Hee, the cartoonist hired for this picture, was hired by to do caricatures after

Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...

(or Tash) saw his drawings in the Examiner (particularly of Clark Gable and Greta Garbo). Taking the opening at Warner Brothers, he was then selected by Isadore 'Friz' Freleng to work on the 'CooCoo Nut Grove'. Hee was then so sought after he left Warner Bros to work for Disney, notably in '' Mother Goose Goes Hollywood''.

References

External links