Three's a Crowd is a 1932 Merrie Melodies short directed by Rudolf Ising.
Plot[]
An old man in a rocking chair is reading Alice in Wonderland. He blows out his candle, puts his book aside and heads towards his bedroom. Alice comes out of the book, runs across the table, and turns on a radio to hear a crooner performing the title song. Dozens of book characters get up and dance. As she dances by a copy of Robinson Crusoe, both Crusoe and his man Friday pop out. Rip Van Winkle awakes from his book and comes out. The Three Musketeers come out of their book and join in. Such other characters as Napoleon, Omar Khayyam, and Henry VIII also appear. Marc Antony steps out of Antony and Cleopatra and introduces master violinist Emperor Nero with Rome burning in the background. Cleopatra emerges from the book and dances. Alice calls for Uncle Tom to come out of his book. "I'm comin'!", shouts Tom, as he steps into spotlight in blackface and sings "Got the South in My Soul". While Alice is watching Tom, a very scary Mr. Hyde sneaks out of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and snatches Alice away. Tarzan, Crusoe, Friday, Robin Hood, and the Three Musketeers all attack Hyde, who leaps into a box for safety. The characters close up the box and throw it into a trash can.
Caricatures[]
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Omar Khayyam
- Henry VIII
- Marc Antony
- Emperor Nero
- Cleopatra
- Chic Sale - The Specialist
- Fredric March - Mr. Hyde
- Johnny Weissmuller - Tarzan
- Douglas Fairbanks
Availability[]
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 2, Side 1: Musical Madness
Censorship[]
- On Cartoon Network's Late Night Black & White, every scene with Robinson Crusoe and Friday and the part where Uncle Tom sings "Got the South in My Soul" were cut. These stereotypes are most likely why MeTV has not aired the cartoon yet.
Notes[]
- This cartoon entered the public domain in 1961 as United Artists did not renew the copyright in time.
References[]
- ↑ (3 October 2022) Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 (in en). BearManor Media, page 25.