Rhythm in the Bow is a 1934 Merrie Melodies short directed by Ben Hardaway.
Plot[]
A Hobo pretends to drive a train. Beneath the train, another hobo is using the wheels to sharpen his knife. Another man lowers a bucket into the water as they pass over a bridge. He uses a tiny dab of water to "wash" his face. He then pulls out a violin, starting to play it.
He starts singing and people join in with him. A man who is also singing is tied his arm to train, in an attempt to follow it, while he's near the tracks. The train enters a hole and the men come out looking black-faced.
On top of the train, one of the passengers follows the sound of the violin. He is annoyed at the man for playing the violin sound. When he finally catches the sound, he goes back into the train, and goes into the room where the man is sitting. He proceeds to kick the man out of the train, who falls near a stream where two ducks happen to be.
The hobo gets up, and walks over to three birds. The third birds start singing and the man proceeds on. He arrives near a house, where a dog greets him with barking at a fence. The man is able to make the dog cry thanks to his violin music. The man slams the fence and sends the dog flying.
The man arrives at a resource of some sorts where various people are. One man is singing in a shower in a half destroyed bathtub naked near a stream. Another man is sleeping, and is dreaming about cars going by, until a bee comes by and starts playing with his feet. The man is able ward the bee off.
The hobo slides down, lands on two fat men, and falls near a river. He takes his shoes off and decides to put his feet in the water, while playing his violin. Several people and babies join him in his singing.
The dog who is stuck near the fence hears the violin music and furiously breaks down the fence-door. He runs over to where the man is and jumps into the water, swimming to where the violin is. He chases the man all the way to train tracks. A train comes by and the man runs off. The dog also attempts to run off but his collar gets stuck. The dog is saved by the man and the two fall into the ocean, where the dog licks the man.
Censorship[]
- Syndicated prints of this cartoon (including late 80s airings on Nickelodeon's Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon) remove a small sequence where the singing quartet of hobos go through a tunnel and come out in blackface.
Notes[]
- This short is the final Merrie Melodies short in black-and-white. The next short in the Merrie Melodies series, "Those Beautiful Dames", is the first short in the Merrie Melodies series to be in 2-hue Technicolor. Also, this is the latest Merrie Melodies short to have been in the Sunset Productions/Guild Films package.
- The engine on the train is a 4-4-2 engine (four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and two trailing wheels). These types of engines are commonly known as the "Atlantic" type.
- Released in theaters with 6 Day Bike Rider.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries
- ↑ (20 September 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, 1930-70 Vol. 1 (in en). BearManor Media.