The Old Man of the Mountain (film)
| The Old Man of the Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Betty Boop series | |
| Directed by | Dave Fleischer |
| Produced by | Max Fleischer |
| Voices by |
Mae Questel (Betty Boop-singing voice) Cab Calloway (Old Man & All Other) Bonnie Poe (Betty Boop-talking voice) |
| Music by | Cab Calloway and his orchestra |
| Animation by |
Bernard Wolf Thomas Johnson |
| Studio | Fleischer Studios |
| Distributed by | Paramount Productions |
| Release date(s) | August 4, 1933 |
| Color process | Black-and-white |
| Running time | 7 mins |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Old Man of the Mountain is a 1933 animated short in the Betty Boop series, produced by Fleischer Studios. Featuring special guests Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, the short was originally released to theaters on August 4, 1933 by Paramount Productions. Calloway voices all of the characters in the cartoon save for Betty herself (talking voice provided by Bonnie Poe and singing voice provided by Mae Questel). Calloway, along with his orchestra, also perform all of the music in the cartoon, including two songs Calloway co-wrote.
The short begins with a live-action introduction of Calloway and his orchestra, who perform a short chorus of "Minnie the Moocher" (Calloway-Gaskill-Mills) before performing a vamp of the title song, "The Old Man of the Mountain" (Young-Hill (Brown)).
As the cartoon proper begins, a lion on roller skates (made of rabbits) rushes from his guard post atop a mountain, racing into a nearby village shouting "Look out! The Old Man of the Mountain!" The lion's warning sparks a mass exodus of the other animals who pack up their things and start to flee as the lion continues to warn "Look out! The Old Man of the Mountain!"
In time, Betty Boop emerges from a guest house in order to find out what is going on. She confronts a passing owl, who in song describes the Old Man of the Mountain, a predatory hermit who threatens the livelihood of the villagers, particularly the women. Despite the owl's warnings, Betty is curious and declares, "I'm going up to see that old man of the mountain", and starts a trek up the mountainside. She passes several people fleeing from the Old Man, including a woman pushing a carriage with her triplets—who look suspiciously like the Old Man of the Mountain.
When Betty gets to the top of the mountain, the Old Man of the Mountain emerges from behind a rock. Over twice as tall as Betty, the Old Man backs the girl into his cave and, as Betty fights off his advances, begins to sing with her a duet of "You Gotta Ho-De-Ho (To Get Along with Me)" (Robinson-Hill (Brown)). Betty loosens up and joins in, and the two begin to flirt with each other. After his first verse, the Old Man looms menacingly over Betty.
"What'cha gonna do now?" Betty asks, frightened.
"Gonna do the best I can," the Old Man replies, launching into a jazzy dance routine. The Old Man and Betty continue to dance together, but when the song is over, the Old Man makes a lustful grab for Betty, who runs for her life back down the mountainside.
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