Release Date:

July 18, 1936

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Professor Fritz Owl is a music teacher but the only genre he hates is jazz. When his sons hatch, the first three meet up to his standards (a tenor, a violinist, and a flutist), but the last one, Owl Jolson, wants to sing jazz. The professor’s wife tries to teach Owl Jolson to sing “Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes” at the piano, but every time she turns the page, he manages to sneak in a few bars of “I Love to Singa”. Fritz catches him at one point, and angrily throws him out. Owl Jolson walks through the woods, whistling his song and enters Jack Bunny’s Amateur Hour where several untalented musical amateurs are given the gong. But Owl Jolson’s song wins Jack Bunny over, and upon hearing him on the radio, the family runs to the station and watch him. Seeing his parents out the window, he switches to “Drink to Me Only”. This will get him the gong, but Fritz bursts in, and encourages his son to “go on singa about your moon-a and your june-a by the swing-a, go on and singa!” Owl Jolson happily continues his song, and wins first prize, with parents and siblings forming a chorus line behind him.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

Owl Jolson’s name is a parody on popular singer Al Jolson.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2 DVD set in 2004, the original titles were put back in.

The scene where Owl Jolson performs his song for Jack Bunny repeatedly appears on the ACME chairman’s video screen in the 2004 live action/animation combination movie, “Looney Tunes: Back in Action”, due to the chairman not knowing how to work his remote properly.

“I Love to Singa” (the song) is sung in an episode of Cartoon Network’s “The Looney Tunes Show” (one of the few Cartoon Network shows that is actually watchable, in my opinion). In addition, Owl Jolson is seen at one point in that show’s intro.

Whenever Owl Jolson sings, he is voiced by child actor Jackie Morrow, who also voiced Buddy (in a few cartoons), Beans (also in a few cartoons), and Abner in “Page Miss Glory”.

What I Like About This One:

This is the best Warner cartoon of 1936.

The signs outside Fritz’s door openly saying that jazz is banned in his house.

Fritz wearing out the floor from his pacing.

Fritz tapping each of the eggs with a conducting stick. The first three sound like church bells, but Owl Jolson’s egg sounds like an off-key cymbal crash.

The song “I Love to Singa” is very catchy.

The disgusted look on Owl Jolson’s look when he is made to sing “Drink to Me Only”.

Fritz’s rant when he throws Owl Jolson out of the house: “Enough is too much! Outta my house, you hotcha! You croona! (starts shaking his fist) You falsetto! (literally turns red in the face) You jazz singer! You- you- you- (shuts the door and then opens it to add-) Phooey!”

The radio talking back to Owl Jolson’s mother (“I wonder if they found my little boy.” “No we didn’t, lady.”

A stuttering contestant trying to recite “Simple Simon” giving himself the gong.

The facial expressions of Owl Jolson and Jack Bunny when they see a telegram boy trying to flirt with a delivery girl.

Fritz and the family bursting in to encourage Owl Jolson to continue his jazz singing and joining in the song.

The ending gag where Owl Jolson’s first prize trophy remains on the black screen, but he opens the iris-out and takes it back.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕