112. The Lady in Red (1935)

Release date: September 7th, 1935

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Friz Freleng

Starring: Bernard Brown (Grasshopper), Count Cutelli (Parrot), Jeanne Dunne (Lady in Red), Enrico Ricardi (Rudy Vallee), The Varsity Three (Chorus)

Friz Freleng returns to his beloved bugs cartoons (not the rabbit) in The Lady in Red—a score that would be frequented by Carl Stalling. The store is empty, and the cockroaches are at play, yet trouble arises when a pesky parrot has his sights set on a flamenco dancing cockroach beauty.

Open to the streets of Mexico. Focus lies on a café, with a message posted on the door: “CLOSED—HAVE GONE TO THE BULL FIGHTS—Manuel”. A shot of the interior of the café, and then a closeup of the countertops. Cockroaches scurry around playfully, a cockroach traffic cop directing traffic with the aid of a whisk stop sign. Meanwhile, a handful of cockroaches board a teacup in a sink, a sign advertising the ride as a ferry. The captain turns the mixer in the water like a makeshift engine. Elsewhere, the other cockroaches pilfer food—donuts, raisin cookies, bread, hotdogs... the café may be empty, but it’s certainly bustling with its own ecosystem.

Who doesn’t love bowling cockroaches? A handful of cockroaches engage in a round of bowling, utilizing olives as the ball and beets as the bowling pins. Meanwhile, cockroach festivities ensue as two cockroaches engage in a rousing game of tennis. A cheese grater is used as the divider, a pea as the ball. The musical timing is great, and saves the gag from being too trite as Friz works his magic. A crowd of cockroaches spectate in a carton of eggs. The game ends as the ball konks one of the cockroaches on the head.

More water-teacup gags as a cockroach sings, rowing his way through the water and using the gravy boat like a gondola. The perspective is captivating and intriguing as it focuses on the reflection in the water initially, then panning up to reveal the cockroach.

He disembarks and approaches a night club (indicated by a sign that advertises “Roach’s Nite Cub). The music is pumping and the dances are in motion as we peer inside to a gaggle of happy cockroaches dancing. A fork serves as a standup bass. A pipe as a saxophone, and a fork as an upright bass.

Been awhile since the last Rudy Vallee caricature, huh? A Rudy Vallee cockroach croons “Sweet Music”—a song I believe he’s sung before in various cartoons. 

A cockroach orchestra underscores his serenade, spoons and wine glasses used as chimes. Others cockroaches spectate, dining at upturned wine glasses covered with cake cups and others swinging in hanging teacups. The animation is solid and fun, but nothing particularly breathtaking.

Transition to our titular lady in red as a group of sombrero-donning cockroaches sing the eponymous song. She’s getting dolled up in the dressing room, kissing some lipstick to apply it on, powdering makeup on and shimmying into her red dress. Sexy cockroaches! Friz gave the people what they wanted.

Animation of the singing cockroaches is solid and fun, as is the animation of our lady in red who saunters our onto stage and gives her routine. She pecks a bystander on the cheek, while other background gags play out: a cockroach using peanuts as maracas, another teasing a chattering set of dentures with some red meat. The world’s most intriguing (and smallest) toreador.

Elsewhere, a parrot in a cage inhabits the seemingly empty café. It spots the festivities and is instantly intrigued, squawking and flapping its wings. I like the design of the parrot! It seems so incongruous to the rest of the style. Trouble brews as one of the innocent cockroaches snags the attention of the parrot, who breaks loose from its cage. Prey is prey—the parrot terrorizes two nearby cockroaches, cornering them into a teapot resting on a stove. A turn of the knob from the parrot and a flame ignites beneath the pot, causing the two cockroaches to jostle around inside the pot as the tea reaches to a boil.

Keeping the kidnapping tradition alive. The parrot now sets its sights on the lady in red, poking its head in from behind the stage and clamping its beak down on her dress and dragging her off stage. She screams, attempting to break loose, and calls to the attention of one of the cockroach audience members.

The parrot chases after the victim, nipping its beak and trying to snatch her up. Our hero, the patron, chases after the parrot. The parrot towers over the lady in red as it perches on the stovetop, the lady falling to her stomach and getting pinned to the ground by the parrot’s talons.

No matter—the hero cockroach ignites the stovetop and burns the parrot. Scorching alive, the parrot rockets into the air, doing a literal tailspin like a falling airplane, yet ascending instead of descending. Animation smooth and amusing. The parrot reaches its peak and THEN does a nosedive, squawking in agony all the way as the two cockroaches observe.

Retreating, the parrot heads for the hills, its tail feathers smoking. The lady in red embraces her savior, cooing “My hero!” lovely detail as the hero sweats nervously as he’s wrapped in the embrace, unsure of how to act. A creative sign off as the parrot outside spells “The End” with the smoke from its tail feathers. Iris out.

Not bad at all! A decent cartoon that’s just like the rest of them, honestly. Some singing bugs make use of their surroundings in creative ways, a kidnapping putting a halt to their festivities. I do like the use of cockroaches—it’s unconventional and amusing. Ladybugs, bees, ants, butterflies, flies, those are typically the norm for bug cartoons. When’s the last time you’ve seen a cockroach-centered cartoon? (don’t answer that, I’m sure they’re out there.) The animation was fun and smooth, though the parrot’s animation felt a bit TOO smooth compared to the cockroaches. Then again, the parrot was a giant, realistic parrot. Contrasted with cute cartoony bugs, there’s going to be some inevitable juxtaposition. I don’t know if I’d urge you to watch it, it’s pretty predictable and doesn’t shatter any records, but it wouldn’t make for a terrible watch, either. Decent cartoon that blends in with the rest of them.

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