Release Date:

February 23, 1946

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

The story of the Shoemaker and the Elves, with gags timed to the music of Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Liszt, and Chopin.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 7-14, the 7th Merrie Melodie in the 14th release season.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set in 2007, the original titles were put back in.

The cartoon is similar to “Rhapsody in Rivets” and “Pigs in a Polka” in that they are all Freleng cartoons timed to classical music. This one is also similar to the latter cartoon as they are both fairy tale parodies timed to classical music.

Most of the elves resemble Elmer.

Speaking of Elmer, Freleng would do another Elves and Shoemaker parody ten years later with “Yankee Dood It” where Elmer is the King of the Elves where most of his elves have left to help the Shoemaker, so he eventually goes and teaches him the importance of capitalism. That one also has an amusing subplot of Sylvester as the Shoemaker’s cat and trying to catch the messenger elf after he is turned into a mouse due to the word “Jehoshaphat” being a spell that turns elves into mice.

The cartoon has no dialogue, apart from sped up gibberish of two stupid elves arguing in a running gag where they’re trying to hammer a nail in.

Music includes Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and “Humoresque in G”, Strauss’ “Tales from the Vienna Woods” and “Voices of Spring”, Chopin’s “Waltz No. 2 in A Minor” ,“Waltz No. 1 in D Flat Major”, and “Grand Valse Brilliante in E Flat Major”, and Liszt’s “Grand Gallop Chromatique”. Mendelssohn is also represented with “A Midsummer’s Night Dream- Overture” playing over the opening credits.

This is the second cartoon that Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce wrote together with the first being “Tom Turk and Daffy”.

What I Like About This One:

To the tune of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, the elves pop out of various shoes (including two that resemble Charlie Chaplin), one having tied up the cuckoo so he goes out of the cuckoo clock instead, and one coming out of a water bucket with a diving helmet (animated by Ken Champin).

In time to “Grand Gallop Chromatique”, one elf nails down a sole in a shoe, but the sole knocks into the back of him, sending the nails in his mouth flying and narrowly missing another elf, who finds himself pinned against the wall (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Shoes are then put into waffle irons to make a pattern on the toe part (animated by Manuel Perez).

A Laurel elf is seen painting the tongues of shoes red but mistakenly paints a Hardy’s elf’s tongue due to him hiding in one of the shoes (animated by Chiniquy).

In tune to “Tales from the Vienna Woods”, four elves with large mallets hammer down a nail in the sole while a little elf with a teeny mallet comes in to nail it on occasion. The quartet accidentally hit the little elf at one point, pushing his hat and body down to his feet (animated by Virgil Ross).

A running gag where two stupid-looking elves try to hammer a nail down into a sole, but the dumber and cross-eyed one of the two keeps hitting the other’s foot when the other points to the nail, resulting in a gibberish argument every time (animated by Champin).

In tune to the “Chinese Dance” from the Nutcracker Suite, one elf can’t get all the buttons on a boot buttoned due to there being an extra button. After re-buttoning it several times, he eventually cuts the extra off (animated by Chiniquy).

A skater elf skates out soles for shoes but upon doing a figure eight, falls into a water bucket below and comes out with a mop on his head (animated by Ross).

To the tune of the “Arabian Dance” from the Nutcracker Suite, snake-charmer elves snake charms laces into tying together (animated by Champin).

Eventually, the bickering elves solve their problem by having the other elf point to his foot for the cross-eyed one to hit. This time, the nail gets hammered in (animated by Champin).

To the tune of “Voices of Spring”, an elf constructs a pattern on a shoe from the inside and ends with carving out “Eat at Joe’s” (animated by Ross).

In tune to the “Russian Dance” from the Nutcracker Suite, a big dumb elf keeps hammering the pointy end of a nail backward out of a piece of wood while a smaller irritable elf nails it in the proper way before knocking the oaf on the head and bending the nail so he can’t pound it backward anymore (animated by Perez).

With the Russian Dance continuing, one elf lays down nails for another to pound down, and almost gets hit before hiding under the heel (animated by Chiniquy).

Seeing how hard the elves are working, Jake the Shoemaker who has been ill, suddenly makes a recovery and tries to sneak out to go golfing (animated by Ross). But the elves stop their work in shock (animated by Champin), and to the tune of the Russian Dance, angrily carry Jake back to his bed, and nail his covers to the floor so he can’t leave. Having finished their work, the elves proudly march out, with a small one taking Jake’s hat and golf bag to play some golf himself (animated by Ross).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕