118. Flowers for Madame (1935)

Release date: December 14th, 1935

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Friz Freleng

Starring: Berneice Hansell (Panicked Flowers), The Debutants (Chorus)

I say this every year once we reach the end, but I truly mean it when I say: what a year! The last cartoon of 1935. Buddy was kicked to the curb, Beans made his debut, Porky made his breakout appearance, Tex Avery joined the crew… things are starting to look up. 1936 would see the arrival of Frank Tashlin and Carl Stalling (both making their debuts in Porky’s Poultry Plant), Jack King made his departure, Porky would surpass Beans in popularity and begin to dominate the screen, Tex Avery released the classic I Love to Singa… lots of exciting stuff ahead of us. To close out the year, we have Flowers for Madame (the first cartoon to use 3-strip technicolor!): flowers join together to host a flower pageant, but a fire seeks to put the event in jeopardy very quickly.

It’s evident everyone at Warner Bros was ecstatic to show off their new 3-strip technicolor abilities, finally able to provide some sort of competition to Disney. We begin with a very lush, colorful, blooming landscape of a bridge as an offscreen chorus sings “Flowers for Madame”. Pan in on some bluebells, who, predictably, ring their bells to the tune of the music. Elsewhere, two flowers engage in a ballet. Definitely Disney, through and through. An offbrand Flowers and Trees. Roses bloom to reveal two kissing bees, bashful at their affections being caught.

A caricature of Harpo Marx plops a bluebell on his head for a hat and strums on a makeshift harp. A line of voluptuous flower ladies dance to the underscore of “Oh, You Beautiful Doll”, an underscore frequented by Carl Stalling. If nothing else, the animation is sophisticated and gentle, nothing too groundbreaking. 

Next, two snails trumpet a fanfare with the aid of flowers. They unveil a flyer, marching away to allow a curious crowd of flowers to congregate. The flyer advertises a flower pageant with promises of prizes. The flowers chatter away eagerly. 

Fade out and back in to a bee making an announcement over the intercom (more flowers), asking for the spectators to display their appreciation. Thus cues the pageant–essentially a floral parade. A pompous flower leads the way, followed by two bees riding on some turtles. A line of fan-faring trumpeters, and thus a display of floral parade floats. The colors are vivid and beautiful, but nothing exactly exciting. Two fireflies hitch a ride on the back of one of the floats. The float halts to a stop, and the fireflies light up their rears like red stop signs, the light fading as things get moving. A clever and cute little gag. Elsewhere, a line of flowers dance to bagpipes, all donning kilts. Animation is smooth and lively. 

Enter a little hayseed cactus, applauding the scene. He, too, wishes to enter. He darts over to his car, plants some flower seeds in the ground, adds water, and instantly vines creep up along the car, blossoming into beautiful blue blooms. He turns the crank and hops onto his makeshift float, soaking up the glory as he's met with cheers and applause.

The judge’s stand thinks otherwise. The judges, perched in little flowers, boo the eager cactus. To make matters worse, his chariot explodes to pieces and he falls to the ground, now the subject of public humiliation. 

More disaster as we focus on a stray box of matches lying around, conveniently positioned next to a magnifying glass. The magnifying glass filters the harsh sun’s rays right onto a stray matchstick, and, predictably, the match ignites. The fire crawls to the grass, and a sea of flames erupt. Celebration morphs into panic as the flowers cry “fire!”, attempting to escape the blaze. An anthropomorphic flame singes the bottom of a lone flower repeatedly. Thankfully, another flower scoops some water into its petals and extinguishes the tiny flame, much to the other flower’s gratitude.

However, that was just one flame out of many. The wall of flames surges on, prompting a snail to race off at super speed. The animation is a tad choppy and thusly loses believability, but the sound effect of a racing fire engine is a nice touch. The snail seeks a lily pad for refuge.

The poor cactus from before observes as everyone runs amuck, unsure of what to do. He spots a sprinkler and turns it on, creating a barrier between him and the flames. He mocks the flames, who hesitate to inch forward–some nice personality. Nevertheless, another little anthropomorphic flame sneaks up behind the cactus and burns him. He flame turns off the sprinkler system, giddily motioning for his pals to wreak more havoc. 

A very clever visual as the cactus approaches a watermelon patch, sticking a point in the melons to cause actual streams of water to gush out like fire hoses. The blazing wall is no match for the force, and the flames recede. The one humiliated cactus is now the hero as he bashfully drags his feet, the flowers cheering him on.

All of the flames are gone… except one. The pesky flame from before hides behind a soapbox, where a grasshopper notices. Parallel to the ending of Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee, the grasshopper lobs a chunk of tobacco at the flame and distinguishes it with ease. Iris out as the grasshopper waves and winks at the audience.

A better entry than Freleng’s previous Billboard Frolics. The excitement at the acquisition of 3-strip technicolor is evident. What’s a better way than to show off color than with flowers? It works, as the backgrounds and the colors are vivid and lush. However, this was a rather typical entry, heavier on the Disney influence than usual. It wasn’t bad at all, there was a lot of personality, especially with the cactus and the flames, but it wasn’t particularly engaging. You’d fare well either way by watching it or skipping out, but, if anything, it’s worth a watch for the historical significance of it being the first 3-strip technicolor cartoon.

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