Lady Play Your Mandolin ("...And Nothing of Value Was Lost")

 

Director: Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising

Summary: When I say that the early black and white cartoons from Warner Bros had little to no plot, I mean it. The entire short is a flimsy excuse to show excessive drinking (which, considering that this was a pre-Code cartoon made before Prohibition in America was officially repealed, was rather daring in its day) and trippy animation set to the title song. What’s worse is that the Foxy character (who only starred in this short, “Smile, Darn Ya, Smile,” and “One More Time”) was such a blatant knock-off of Mickey Mouse that the character didn’t last long due to Walt Disney threatening to sue and the short itself saw no re-release or airing on television until Cartoon Network’s ToonHeads series did a special episode about the rare and obscure works of Warner Bros Studios. That being said, it is a fun short to watch and the title song is catchy.

The Channel(s): Cartoon Network (ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons)

Part(s) Edited: As mentioned in the summary, this cartoon was never re-released or shown on television until Cartoon Network’s animation history show ToonHeads did a special episode called ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons, which showcased the Warner Bros. Studio short films and live-action pieces that casual viewers wouldn’t know existed, such as gag reels showing what working at Termite Terrace was like, animated shorts made for military audiences (most notably Private Snafu and Mr. Hook), 1950s commercials using the Warner Bros characters, and a failed TV pilot called Philbert.

The ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons version trimmed the opening song to remove the duck playing the clarinet and dancing on the piano along to the title track; the gorilla waiter (who was also on “Goopy Geer”) walking through the bouncy party and coming in through the doorway laughing after the Joe E. Brown hippo wails like a police siren. The ToonHeads version also adds an iris effect transition when the gorilla waiter knocks on his head and we go to the scene of Foxy riding to the bar on his horse.

How It Plays With the Edit: I don’t know why any of this was done, except because of time and pacing. I do know the edited version on ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons kind of ruined the fun and bouncy tone of the music. As always, here’s a video comparison:

(original version)

(ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons version [starts at 6:14])

Availability Uncut: Since this is a public domain short (and has been since 1960), you can find the uncut version on YouTube and other video sites, as well as on some official releases. “Lady, Play Your Mandolin!” is available as a special feature on the 2013 Blu-ray release of the Edward G. Robinson/Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. gangster film Little Caesar and the 2023 Blu-ray release of the Richard Dix (yes, that really was his name) and Irene Dunne Western saga, Cimarron. A high-definition version is available on the streaming service, Warner Bros. Discovery RIDE (and is the same high-def version on the Cimarron Blu-ray) and aired on MeTV+ (MeTV’s sister channel). You can also find the edited-for-time version as part of ToonHeads: The Lost Cartoons on the first volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set and the second volume of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Blu-ray.