Credits:
Supervision by - Rudolf Ising
Drawn by - Isadore Freleng, Max Maxwell
Musical Score by - Frank Marsales
Summary:
Wacky hijinks in China.
Description:
The words fade from
the title card revealing a gong, which when struck fades to reveal a busy
Chinese city. We see a traffic cop directing the foot-powered vehicles
of Chinese aristocrats (and the outhouses that follow behind them), a
bicyclist who yanks on his hair and rings his head against his hat like
a bell, a "Shanghai Express" trolley, a woman with a pot on
her head containing a whole series of people with pots on their heads,
and a pair of Amos 'n Andy impersonators. We watch as a young Chinese
boy pushes his boat down a stream, and a duck swims alongside of him gobbling
down a series of fish. The tables are turned however, when a giant fish
appears and swallows the duck whole! As the boy continues downstream,
he pulls out a banjo and starts singing the title tune in the worst Chinese
accent you've ever heard. The boat stops under the balcony of his sweetheart,
and they continue the song together (though a trio of whistling birds
join in at one point). The boy goes ashore and pushes a tree swing up
to his sweetheart. After he pushes her on the swing a few times, we cut
to a Chinese aristocrat riding along on a rickshaw, pulled by a man who
whinnies like a horse. When the rickshaw hits a bump in the road, the
taxi-like meter spins and rings "No Sale", much to the passenger's
delight. The aristocrat then uses a pencil sharpener to sharpen his long
fingernails, yanks on the driver's hair like a car horn, then falls off
and climbs back onto the rickshaw by shaping its convertible top into
a stairway. Coming to a stop at his home, he gets off and straps a feedbag
to the driver. He enters his home and hears the sounds of a traditional
Chinese band. "Stop! Me show you 'melican way!" he shouts, then
pulls out an instrument and starts playing a modern tune. The traditional
band and all of the servants quickly join in. Nearby, one servant boy
bangs on a man's teeth, while that man yanks on another man's hat, playing
him like a cymbal. Outside, the boy and girl on the swing hear the music,
then rush into the home (taking care to bang the gong outside with their
feet first). We watch as a wall hanging of a dragon comes to life and
sings to the beat, and we also see a man who plays percussion on a row
of seated bald men. The aristocrat and two servants continue the title
tune, with mock-Chinese words sounding more like scat phrases. Nearby,
a caged dragon melts the iron bars of his cage with his fiery breath,
then sneaks into the house and lets out a roar. The dragon chases the
girl into a corner, and the boy's attempt to save her by attacking the
dragon with a sword fails. They manage to get away, but are soon cornered
again. The boy notices a box of fireworks nearby, so he throws it into
the dragon's mouth. The fireworks explode inside the dragon, though a
few of the rockets escape, including one that flies between the legs of
a row of men, and another that explodes inside of a goldfish bowl. One
final explosion leaves only the skeleton of the dragon remaining, which
quickly runs out of the house and into the distance, as everybody cheers.
Memorable
Scenes:
Video
Availability:
Laserdisc:
Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 3
|
