Oscarless Cartoons Bonus 2: One Froggy Evening (1955)
One day, a man working for a building demolition company uncovered a box from inside a cornerstone. When he opened the box, he not only found the will to the building that was destroyed, but also a frog who can sing and dance!
The man thinks that if he were to bring Michigan, the frog, to a concert and have him perform, he would be rich! So he locks up the box, heads to the Acme Theatrical Agency, and pitches his idea to the chairman.
He even takes the frog out, but Michigan didn't do anything. He just sat there.
After a failed attempt to make the frog dance on his own, the chairman turns down the proposal and kicks him out of his office, only for Michigan to sing again.
The man runs back in to tell the chairman that Michigan actually can sing, but when they see him again, the frog just sat there again.
The man got kicked out again, but he wasn't going to give up easily. He saw a dilapidated theater, refurbished the whole place, and set up a big stage show for Michigan.
While Michigan was rehearsing, the man went outside to see if anyone was waiting outside yet. However, no one was there, so he painted signs that said free admissions and free beer, and they literally stormed in. When the man pulled up the curtain, Michigan finished singing, but the audience didn't see him. They started booing at the man and threw gourds at him.
After the financial disaster, the man was left homeless with no money. When he saw a poster an upcoming building that was going to be built, the man ran inside and put the box with Michigan inside and placed it inside the cornerstone he found the frog in the first place, and his worries were over.
The same would be said for the next person to unearth Michigan in the distant future, only to fall for the same trick as the last man.
What makes this cartoon stand out from other Looney Tunes cartoons is that there's no dialogue from any of the characters, except for the frog singing.
Animation historian Charles Solomon states that 'One Froggy Evening' stands out as an example of the kind of discipline Chuck Jones set for himself to keep himself challenged and to find and explore new ways of doing things. Jones made a rule for himself for the cartoon that the only voice you'll hear is Michigan, and only the man can hear Michigan. This implies that the man hearing the frog has gone crazy.
Michigan J Frog was actually originally an unnamed character, but during the 1970s, many people kept asking Chuck Jones what the frog's name was. He was originally called Michigan Frog, but Jay Cocks did an article in Time Magazine about Looney Tunes, and he told Jones that the name didn't sound right. Cocks said that Michigan could use a middle initial, and Jones replies 'Why don't we use your name?' And thus, Michigan J Frog finally got his name.
Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin states that 'it's extraordinary how a character who only appeared in one cartoon without any other starring character at his side to have such an impact'. And indeed, while he only appeared in one Looney Tunes cartoon, Michigan became as well-remembered as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. He not only made a cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but also became the mascot for the now-defunct cable channel The WB.
One Froggy Evening stands out as one of Chuck Jones' greatest triumphs with near Disney quality animation, a story that serves as a parable for greed, and jokes that might appeal to adults more than kids.
Well, that's all I have to say about Oscarless Cartoon Bonus Round #2! Tune in next month on October 5th when we go forward 50 years in 2009 to talk about the hilarious Pixar short film, Partly Cloudy!
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