- It was written by Raymond Scott in 1937, and first heard by the world played by the Raymond Scott Quintette on CBS Radio's Saturday Night Swing Club.
- It was first recorded in 1937 and released by Master Records. It was later re-released by Brunswick and then Columbia.
- It contains a middle section that has a greatly different tempo and style from the rest of the song, to the degree that it is sometimes considered to be two different songs.
- It was a popular tune of its time. Among Raymond Scott's admirers was Carl Stalling, music director for Warner Bros. cartoons. Stalling's appreciation for Scott lead to his music being featured frequently in Warner cartoons. Itself, it has been used in dozens of classic cartoons, especially in places depicting rapid motion or heavy machinery. Despite this, no Warner cartoon contains a complete version of the work.
- It's now so recognized from its use in cartoons that most people can probably hum portions of its middle potion, and recognize the rest, even if they don't know it's name. It's so connected with cartoons that Cartoon Network used it as a distinctive bumper tune from 1997 to 2003.
- Regardless of its iconic nature, it's still in copyright and is controlled in the US by Music Sales Corporation, and elsewhere by Warner/Chappell Music.
- That song is called "Powerhouse."
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posted by JHarris
on Apr 23, 2011 -
62 comments
In 1996 a film was released that combined the animated Looney Tunes with the reality based basketball star Michael Jordan. That film was called Space Jam. Incredibly, Warner Brothers
still maintains the movie's website, which is a snapshot of web design from the time period.
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posted by codacorolla
on Dec 29, 2010 -
70 comments
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (a SLYT 40 years in the making) showing one frame from every Warner Brothers theatrical cartoon made from 1930-1969 (thankfully at a rate of about 3 per second). See the evolution of animation! Porky Pig's successful diet in '37! Michigan J. Frog's memorable single appearance! And illegal alien Speedy Gonzalez replacing American toons in the '60s! (via
M.E.)
posted by oneswellfoop
on Sep 23, 2010 -
80 comments
Saturday morning cartoons were once a staple of American television, but by the year 2000
they had all but disappeared. Of course, the Internet
never forgets. Case in point:
Cartoon Network Video -- a free, searchable, ad-supported service that provides hundreds of full-length episodes of classic shows like
Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and
The Powerpuff Girls, as well as current offerings and scads of shorter material. Too recent for you? Then give
Kids WB Video a whirl -- it does the same thing with the same interface, but for older programs like
Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo, Thundercats, and the original
Space Ghost. If you're in the mood to learn (and don't mind some live-action),
PBS Kids Video has educational fare such as Arthur, Wishbone, and Zoom. And don't forget about
Sesame Street,
The Electric Company,
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood,
The Magic Schoolbus and
Schoolhouse Rock! Now if only we had some
Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs...
posted by Rhaomi
on Sep 22, 2009 -
160 comments
The Censored Eleven [
IMDB] is a
group of Warner Brothers cartoons that have been withheld from syndication because of their racial stereotypes:
Hittin' the Trail to Hallelujah Land (1931;
info),
Sunday Go to Meetin' Time (1936;
info),
Clean Pastures (1937;
info),
Uncle Tom's Bungalow (1937),
Jungle Jitters (1938),
The Isle of Pingo Pongo (1938),
All This and Rabbit Stew (1941;
info),
Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943;
info),
Tin Pan Alley Cats (1943;
info),
Angel Puss (1944), and
Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears (1944).
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posted by kirkaracha
on Jul 10, 2007 -
65 comments
They sold everything from
Earthquake Pills (caution: not effective on Road Runners) to
Trick Balls (warning: explode on contact!). They may be the world's most diverse goods & services company, with the possible exception of Wal Mart. I speak, of course, of the fine folks at ACME, whose full catalog is finally available
online.
Go, now, read! Don't make me use my
Ultimatum Dispatcher!
posted by jonson
on Jun 28, 2003 -
20 comments
What's down, Doc?
Animation genius Chuck Jones has died of conjestive heart failure.
Has any other creative-type-person brought more joy and laughter to the last three-or-four generations?
At least
his website had already started paying tribute to him while he could still see it (click on "Letters from the Heart", optional Flash).
posted by wendell
on Feb 22, 2002 -
31 comments
