One Froggy Evening (1955)

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Chuck Jones

Writer:

Michael Maltese (story)

Release Date:

31 December 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Plot:

A man futilely struggles to make his fortune with a frog that sings and dances, but only when it is alone with the owner.

Plot Keywords:

Frog | Theater | Singing Frog | Talent Agent | Top Hat

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bill Roberts

...

Michigan J. Frog (singing voice) (uncredited)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #16892)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Terence Monk and Thurl Ravenscroft have each been widely (and incorrectly) credited as the voice of Michigan J. Frog.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the owner of the frog gets thrown out of the talent agency, there's a hand-print on the wall to the side of the door he is thrown from. In the next shot it's gone.

Quotes:

Michigan J. Frog: [singing] Everybody do the Michigan Rag / everybody likes the Michigan Rag / every Mame and Jane and Ruth / from Weehawken to Duluth / slide, ride, glide the Michigan / stomp, romp, pomp the Michigan / jump, clump, pump the Michigan Rag / that lovin' rag.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror II (#3.7)" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Come Back to Erin

A very sweet cartoon, which, frankly, is not quite as good as its remake...

... Do not get me wrong, this is an absolutely brilliant Looney Tunes cartoon! It's sweet and can make anyone cheerful. Michigan J Frog is a very sweet little character (and I personally think he should have appeared in more cartoons) and his singing actor is very good. However, the remake, "Another Froggy Evening", is a cartoon I prefer. I personally think it is more my sort of cartoon, as it has dozens of sweet surprises, which this cartoon does not have. If "Another Froggy Evening" did not exist, it would be my second favourite Looney Tunes cartoon. As it is, it is my third favourite, which is certainly saying something huge. I have watched about a hundred Looney Tunes cartoons in my time, so saying this is my third favourite of them all is saying something.

The plot and theme of this episode is one of the reasons I love it so much. In "One Froggy Evening", an old building is about to be taken down to build a modern skyscraper, when one of the builders finds a huge stone box. Inside is a smaller green box, where Michigan J Frog lives! The reason why this frog is so special is because he can sing! The builder can see a great amount of dollars in front of him because of the frog and sets off to earn his fortune. Will the frog prove great success for him..?

Here are the things I like about this cartoon which are not in/changed in the remake:

1. I prefer Michigan's animation in this version to the other version. 2. I thought the man with Michigan in this cartoon was better than all of the men in "Another Froggy Evening". 3. There was very little slapstick in this cartoon, as in the remake there is quite a lot.

Here are the things which I like about the remake which are not in/different in the original:

1. I love the surprises in the remake. 2. I love the historical settings, which create excitement for me. 3. Unlike in this cartoon, there is a cameo appearance in the remake (which I include as one of the surprises), which is delightful.

I recommend this lovely cartoon to anyone who likes a different, cheery, not so slapsticky Looney Tunes. Enjoy "One Froggy Evening"! :-)