The Cartoon Music Book, Edited by Daniel Goldmark and Yuval Taylor

The Cartoon Music Book, edited by Daniel Goldmark and Yuval Taylor

Chicago: A Cappella Books, 2002 [xvi, 320 p. ISBN 1556524730. $18.95]

ERIC HUNG

lthough cartoon composers twenty-nine articles, written by and the Silly Symphonies series, I have written some of the twenty-four authors, include two had to turn to Ross Care’s “Make A most memorable and introductory essays, 16 critical Walt’s Music” (23), Carl Stalling’s distinctive film music over the essays (some are quite broad and interview (39-41), and Charles L. past 75 years, their contributions others are detailed case studies), Granata’s “Disney, Stokowski, and have by and large been ignored by four primary documents, and the Genius of Fantasia” (75). scholars and critics. This is some- seven interviews. Given that kind- If the editors decide to do a thing that Daniel Goldmark and ling interest is one of the book’s revised edition of The Cartoon Yuval Taylor seek to change. They primary goals, the diversity of Music Book, they can alleviate the have published The Cartoon Music articles and viewpoints is a major above problems by writing or Book, a collection that focuses on asset. Readers will come away commissioning a series of ex- American cartoon music from the with an idea of the great variety of tended overview articles. 1920s to the present, but also in- approaches one can take in writing Specifically, I am imagining four cludes a short article on music in music for cartoons, and of the articles—one each for the “Golden Japanese anime. It is the editors’ types of hermeneutic issues that Age” of cartoons, the early televi- “hope that these essays and inter- are raised by cartoon music. sion cartoons, the 1990s views might inspire new work in Unfortunately, the eclectic na- resurgence, and cartoons outside this area”(xvi). ture of the book also makes it a the United States—that discuss This book contains a significant maddening read at times. On important compositional trends number of thought-provoking several occasions, the same infor- and technological developments, articles, and it will undoubtedly mation is discussed in two or three and provide background informa- stimulate interest in cartoon music. articles. More frustratingly (at tion on the most significant Readers will be going to video least from the perspective of a cartoons. This way, readers can stores to rent the cartoons they teacher of film music), basic infor- treat the case studies for what they read about, and there is a good mation about certain important are, and not as sources for back- chance that researchers will be cartoons are sometimes scattered ground information. filling in the many gaps in cartoon in several articles. For example, in Of the 16 critical essays in- music studies and responding to Neil Strauss’s “Tunes for Toons,” I cluded in The Cartoon Music Book, articles in the book. Having said found that a “streamlined and six are relatively broad in scope: this, I can’t help thinking that the updated” sound process was used the best of these are Ross Care’s editors of The Cartoon Music Book for The Skeleton Dance (1929), but I “Make Walt’s Music,” Daniel failed to maximize the potential of had to wait until Carl Stalling’s Goldmark’s “Classical Music and this volume. interview to find out that the new Hollywood Cartoons,” and Jake Eclecticism is the greatest sound process was the “tick” sys- Austen’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Cartoons.” strength and the greatest weakness tem (42-44). For information about Care traces the history of music in of The Cartoon Music Book. Its the genesis of The Skeleton Dance Disney animation from 1928 to 294 THE JOURNAL OF FILM MUSIC

1967, and provides succinct sounding, professional swinging such 1990s cartoons as The descriptions of the styles of the horns and the rodents chanting Simpsons, Animaniacs, and Rocko main Disney composers, such as ‘cha cha cha,’” Alvin remains para- (206). Finally, Milos Miles’s “Ro- Carl Stalling, Frank Churchill, doxically a rebel who “never bots, Romance, and Ronin: Music Leigh Harline, and Oliver Wallace. suffered as a result of his nasti- in Japanese Anime” is essentially a A particularly interesting section ness” (176). review of anime soundtracks; the focuses on Walt Disney’s involve- The fourth essay, Kevin White- relationship between the audio ment in deciding what music to head’s ambitious “Carl Stalling, and visual aspects of these car- put in his films. From the 1930s on, Improviser & Bill Lava, Acme toons receives little attention in Disney’s philosophy on cartoon Minimalist,” outlines the history of this article. music centered around carefully music in Warner Brothers cartoons The other ten critical essays in balancing the popular and the from the 1930s to the 1960s, and The Cartoon Music Book are detailed serious. At story conferences, provides overviews of the styles of case studies. Of these, the most Disney would approve the music Carl Stalling, Milt Franklyn, and provocative are the five that raise only after he became convinced Bill Lava. He also attempts to pertinent social-cultural and aes- that it was not only classy, but also contextualize their compositional thetic issues. Jake Austen’s “Hidey appealing to the public. approaches; while Stalling’s col- Hidey Hidey Ho . . . Boop-Boop-A Goldmark focuses on cartoons lage style is compared with those Doop!” focuses on the Fleischer that are based upon one or more of Ives and George S. Cohan, Bill Studio’s jazz cartoons of the early pieces of classical music. He out- Lava’s movable cues are linked to 1930s. In three of these grotesque lines the musical attributes that the indeterminate music of Earle cartoons, monsters who pursue attract animators, and discusses Brown. On several occasions, how- Betty Boop are animated to Cab common themes in classical music ever, detailed analyses are Calloway’s voice. In another, a cartoons. Of particular interest is replaced by evaluative language flying cannibal from the jungle Goldmark’s analysis of how and short unsatisfactory explana- morphs into the head of Louis Chuck Jones and Mike Maltese’s tions. In justifying his claim that Armstrong. Austen provides What’s Up, Doc? appeals to both Bill Lava’s early scores “didn’t intriguing discussions of the dis- fans and enemies of opera. He quite work,” Whitehead writes, turbing racial implications of these writes, “Highbrows could look at “Even at a murmur, the music cartoons and the appeal they had it as a witty play on opera with called more attention to itself than for contemporary audiences. He many subtle in-jokes, while non- ever,” partly because of “a heavier writes, “Once again the Fleischers initiates could jeer at the silly, reliance on brass and saxophones,” introduce the idea that to enter a overwrought singing and acting of and partly because “his climaxes black world . . . is both a perilous all operas as parodied by Bugs and were less precisely calibrated to endeavor and a thrilling adven- Elmer” (110). the action, as if he was trying to ture” (65). Meanwhile, both David Austen traces the rise-and-fall whip up audience interest in tired Wondrich’s “I Love to Hear a Min- of cartoons that are based around a situations” (149). It seems to me strel Band” and Charles L. pop or rock band, such as Alvin that the first explanation is not Granata’s “Disney, Stokowski, and and the Chipmunks and the Archie really true; in non-animation films, the Genius of Fantasia” explore the Show. Throughout the essay, he there are many jazz scores with thin line between highbrow and successfully outlines the dialectic plenty of brass and saxophones lowbrow in the world of cartoons. between the wholesomeness that is that do not call attention to them- While Wondrich focuses on the expected for children’s television selves. Moreover, the second battle between the William Tell programming and the rebellious explanation seems to place more Overture and “Turkey in the image of rock music. With regards blame on animators than on Lava. Straw” in Walt Disney’s The Band to The Alvin Show (1961-65), for In the fifth broad essay, “Merrie Concert, Granata traces the produc- example, Austen argues that, Melodies: Cartoon Music’s Contem- tion and reception history of the while the show’s producers porary Resurgence,” Elisabeth much more highbrow Fantasia. He cleaned up the scruffy sound of Vincentelli discusses the rebirth of also discusses the “music appre- early rock ‘n’ roll with “a charm- the “vaudeville/Stalling tradition ciation” aims of the latter film. ing fantasy version featuring clean of pastiche and interpolation” in In “Rhapsody in Spew,” Joseph REVIEWS 295

Lanza argues that underscoring manual on how to accompany Brothers. In an interview with slap-stick gags with lush romantic “silent” cartoons in the 1920s. Philip Brophy, John Zorn talks music gives The Ren & Stimpy Show Chuck Jones’s “Music and the about Carl Stalling’s influence on a sense of postmodern irony. He Animated Cartoon” (1946) protests his music and his film scores. The writes, “Even when Ren subjects the film industry’s reaction against remaining interviewees are all George Liquor’s face to a slo-mo “any type of cartoon except those active cartoon composers of the pummel or Stimpy probes Ren’s based on the ‘boff’ or belly laugh” television era. They include Hoyt throat with a giant ladleful of ‘All- (94) and suggests six new ways of Curtin (The Flintstones, Top Cat, Purpose Icky Tasting Medicine,’ using animation. He also com- and The Jetsons), Mark the buttery melodies are never far plains about the overuse of Mothersbaugh (Pee-wee’s Playhouse, behind to tempt viewers with “Mickey-Mousing” and the lack of Rugrats, and Beakman’s World), Alf vague thoughts of a parallel world originality in cartoon music of the Clausen (The Simpsons), Maury free from acrimony or foul odors” day. The last two primary docu- Laws (Santa Claus Is Comin’ to (271). Finally, John Corbett’s “A ments, “Music in Cartoons” and Town, The Year Without a Santa Very Visual Kind of Music” dis- “Personality on the Soundtrack,” Claus, and The Hobbit), and the trio cusses the influence of the are by Scott Bradley, a composer of Richard Stone, Steve Bernstein, “cartoon music aesthetic” on for MGM Cartoons from 1934 to and Julie Bernstein (Animaniacs). recent concert music—in particu- 1958. In these articles, he advo- The Cartoon Music Book in- lar, the music of John Zorn. The cates the cartoon-composer cludes a useful selected other detailed case studies are profession, stating that “this me- discography and bibliography. generally well-written and infor- dium offers the serious composer Given that many readers are not mative, but rather straight- far more possibilities than the live- familiar with the entire history of forward; they focus on Disney’s action pictures” (119). He also animation, the inclusion of a time 1946 animated feature Make Mine promotes the use of modernist line, a detailed filmography, an Music (Stuart Nicholson), Carl techniques—such as bitonality and appendix with short biographies Stalling’s use of Leitmotivs (Will twelve-tone technique—in cartoon of major figures in the history of Friedwald), the use of Raymond music, and dreams of the day pro- cartoons, and a glossary would Scott’s music in animation (Irwin ducers would commission an have made the volume even more Chusid), the career of Winston original score and then build a valuable, especially in the class- Sharples (Will Friedwald), and the cartoon around it. room. music of The Simpsons (Will The Cartoon Music Book also Despite these shortcomings, Friedwald). includes seven interviews with The Cartoon Music Book remains a Some of the most valuable significant composers. The earliest valuable pioneering study of car- articles in The Cartoon Music Book of these is a 1969 interview with toon music. It is highly readable, are the four primary documents. Carl Stalling. In it, he details his and will be an important resource Edith Lang and George West’s musical training, his use of the for scholars, teachers, and cartoon “Animated Cartoons and Slap- “tick” system, and his career at enthusiasts for years to come. Stick Comedy” is an instructional Disney, Iwerks Studio, and Warner