The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos is a 1937 Merrie Melodies short directed by Frank Tashlin.
Title[]
The cartoon is named for the song featured in the film, "The Woods are Full of Cuckoos."
Plot[]
Forest animals participate in the Woodland Community Swing Variety Show on radio station KUKU.
Caricatures[]
- Alexander Woollcott (Owl Cott)
- Ben Bernie (Ben Birdie)
- Walter Winchell (Walter Finchell)
- Milton Berle (Milton Squirrel)
- Eileen Barton's character Jolly Gillette (Polly)
- Wendell Hall (Wendell Howl)
- Billy Jones (Billy Goat)
- Ernie Hare (Ernie Bear)
- Portland Hoffa
- Fred Allen (Mr. Growlin')
- Eddie Cantor (Eddie Gander)
- Sophie Tucker (Sophie Turkey)
- W.C. Fields (W.C. Fieldmouse)
- Dick Powell (Dick Fowl)
- Fats Waller (Fats Swallow)
- Deanna Turpin (Deanna Terrapin)
- Irvin S. Cobb (Irvin S. Frog)
- Fred MacMurray (Fred McFurry)
- Bing Crosby (Bing Crowsby)
- Al Jolson (Al Goatson)
- Ruby Keeler (Ruby Squealer)
- Lanny Ross (Lanny Hoss)
- Grace Moore (Grace Moose)
- Lily Pons (Lily Swans)
- Haven McQuarrie (Raven McQuandry)
- Joe Penner (Joe Penguin)
- Martha Raye (Moutha Bray)
- Bill Comstock's character Tizzie Lish (Tizzie Fish)
- Louella Parsons (Louella Possums)
- Jack Benny (Jack Bunny)
- Mary Livingstone (Canary Livingstone)
- Andy Devine (Andy Bovine)
Censorship[]
Versions shown on Cartoon Network in the 1990s shorten the number "The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos" to remove the long pan of the animal celebrities due to the appearance of a black-faced goat caricature of Al Jolson. Cartoon Network aired the short again on The Acme Hour in the early 2000s with Al Jolson goat uncut, but the short was soon dropped from rotation after that.
Availability[]
(1993) LaserDisc
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 4, Side 5
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 4, Side 5
(2005) DVD
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc Two
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc Two
Notes[]
- KUKU is the name of an actual FM radio station based in Willow Springs, Missouri. In the context of the cartoon, it is a play on "cuckoo."
- Part of the "Merrily We Roll Along" theme is cut on the LaserDisc version.[3]
- The animation of Ben Birdie is reused from "The CooCoo Nut Grove" while the animation of Joe Penguin is reused from "My Green Fedora".
- Vitaphone release number: 8149
Gallery[]
Owl Cott
Ben Birdie
Milton Squirrel
Louella Possums
Raven McQuandry
W.C. Fieldmouse
Bing Crowsby
Tizzie Fish
Wendell Howl
Jack Bunny
Model sheet taken from That's All Folks: The Art of Warner Bros
_-_Singers.jpg "The Woods are Full of Cuckoos (1937) - Singers.jpg (517 KB)")