Symphony in Slang

Plot synopsis:
John Brown (a real swinging hep cat) goes to Heaven and steps before St. Peter. But his life story is so peppered with slang that neither St. Peter nor Noah Webster can understand him. What follows is a series of sight gags based on Webster's literal interpretations of the slang terms, such as John's first job being helping out a proprietor who is 'short handed', but being 'unable to cut the mustard', he is 'given the gate', and goes back to his 'hole in the wall'.
In general outline the story follows John's life. Beginning with being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, seeming 'to grow up overnight', 'getting up with the chickens' at the 'crack of dawn, his first job 'slinging hash' because the proprietor is 'short-handed', not being able to 'cut the mustard', being 'given the gate', going back to his 'little hole in the wall', being 'beside himself with anger', moving to Texas to 'punch cattle', 'flying' to Chicago, where a beautiful girl named Mary 'steps into the picture'. Their eyes 'meet'. John's breath comes in 'short pants'. He gets 'goose pimples' and is 'all thumbs'. Mary's clothes 'fit her like a glove'. She looks mighty pretty with her hair 'done up in a bun'. She has good-looking 'pins' too. She gives him a 'date', he puts on his white tie and 'tails', and she puts on the 'dog'. They 'go around together', 'painting the town red', going to the 'Stork Club', in a 'box at the opera'. John has a 'cocktail' and Mary has a 'Moscow mule', and 'lets her hair down'. However, as Mary 'eats like a horse', John's money 'runs out on him'. John writes a check, it 'bounces', and he is 'in a pickle'. An angry restaurateur 'draws a gun on him', John 'gives him the slip' and hides in the 'foothills', but the law is 'on his heels'. On the witness stand, the judge tries to 'pump' John. Every time John opens his mouth, he 'puts his foot in it'. He is 'sent up the river' for a 'stretch in the jug' and is 'up against it' and feels himself 'going to pot', but after 'raising a big stink', and 'getting through a lot of red tape' he is 'sprung' by an 'undercover man'.
Once out of prison, John 'stretches' his legs, goes to the bus station and catches a 'Greyhound' to New York City. After this he 'drops in' on Mary and 'throws himself' at her feet, but she 'turns her back', and 'gets on her high horse'. John can't 'touch her with a 10-foot pole'. She won't say a word, because 'the cat has her tongue'. After 'walking out on her', he 'goess to pieces'. Feeling lonely, he goes to Joe's Malt Shop, where a bunch of the boys are 'hanging around' and the pianist 'plays by ear'. John feels a 'tug' at his elbow; it's the soda clerk. They 'chew the rag' a while; John eventually hears from the 'grapevine' that Mary is going around with an 'old flame', who is 'connected to the railroad', but is really just 'feeding her a line' as he 'spends his money like water'. John feels 'burned up'. He tries to 'chisel in', the old flame 'gets in John's hair' and John is made to leave. Outside it is 'raining cats and dogs'. He 'feels blue', and 'everything looks black', but he 'carries on'.
After moving to 'the thousand islands' and becoming a 'beach comber', he still misses Mary, and a tear 'runs down his cheek'. He 'sends her a cable', and she responds with a 'wire'. So he catches a 'cattle boat' back to the states, but after 'hot-footing it' to her apartment he discovers things have changed; Mary now has a 'bunch of little ones', and her old flame is now a suffering husband. All of this amuses him so much that he 'dies laughing'.
Back in Heaven, John asks if Webster has followed him. The Master of the Dictionary stammers, to which John asks if the 'cat has his tongue'. It does.

Tags: psychedelic, comedy

Review:
How's Tricks?
What's Cooking?
We Find Out In Classic Of Visual Description.
Rich Hogan and Tex Avery took on cliches and catchphrases in this highly stylized 1951 short on a happy-go-lucky guy who must explain his life story to Angel Webster before being admitted to the hereafter.
The humor comes from the hipster's use of cliches and catchphrases that are hilariously given literal illustration by Avery and company, from getting up with the chickens, slinging hash, being shorthanded, and so forth.
The cartoon is not only a masterpiece of visual description, it is a landmark experiment in limited animation, uncharacteristic of Avery for that time as he uses still poses to extract laughs, notably the shorthanded cook, chewing the rag, and going through red tape.You'll be beside yourself with anger at first, but hotfoot it to see how slang will make you die laughing, even if the cat has your tongue..
"What's da matter?
Cat got yer tongue?".
Rich Hogan was hugely underappreciated as the hidden fuel to Tex Avery's fire.
Here, he proves himself to be George Carlin's comedic father, with his schizoid tribute to our mangled "mother tongue".
The images that come to mind every time I hear "She sent me a cable, so I sent her a wire"; or especially "I was up against it, but I carried on" will delight me forever.
A visual triumph, but mostly because Hogan's turn of a phrase works so well.
Indescribably essential viewing..
****:perfect 4 stars,the BEST tex avery short ever..
A wonderfully hilarious short from the man who brought you the outrageously funny "Droppy series",the humor was incredibly well placed in as sight-gags,the animation I'd never really had any problem with classic Tex Avery shorts,& it's a clever parody to a semi-average lifetime (except for the shipwreck & such but they tried to place in a little bit of originality in),you may think I'm nuts but actually I think this whould make an awesome movie(get someone like Woody Harrelson or Harry Anderson for the part of the guy who tells the story),true the films humor might get a little too overused if you see it enough but I always found it enjoyable..
In many ways, a typical Tex Avery cartoon but also different.
This cartoon is typical of Tex Avery in that there are a lot of sight gags, but is atypical in that the running monologue is as important to the humor as the sight gags are.
Avery cartoons tend to be more weighted towards visual gags and placed less emphasis on verbal humor, but the premise of the short-how slang would seem to someone who didn't understand what was meant-required a more verbally oriented approach.
In less rational moments, I wonder what Avery would make of some modern expressions.
Then I go lie down until the feeling goes away.
Recommended..
a tiny bit dated but such fun!.
This is a great Tex Avery cartoon that suffers slightly from its age.
That's because the film creates literal representations of all the "hip slang" that the main character says--and I mean LITERAL!
The problem is that this guy died and is trying to explain his life to the guys at the Pearly Gates but they have absolutely no idea what he's saying.
Phrases such as "chew the rug" and "cat got your tongue" are completely beyond these heavenly beings.
And these hip phrases (for the early 1950s) come one after another after another.
So much that you barely have time to even think about them because the next one comes so quickly.
A few modern kids might be stumped at what these phrases actually mean, so I advise kids to watch this with an old person to act as translator!.
Tex Avery's Symphony In Slang Is my All-Time Favorite.
It is An Animation Masterpiece.
Tex Avery is my all-time animation writer & director.
Symphony In Slang is my all-time favorite cartoon.
If I could , I would rate it one-hundred stars.
Cartoon writer, Rich Hogan done the best work in Symphony In Slang, putting together at least sixty slang clichés & the animation that shows as the voice, John Brown, perfectly said numerous slang terms, throughout this all-time classic cartoon.
Tex Avery's mind of continuous & numerous creations throughout his career, at any studio, is definitely that of an animation genius.
Tex Avery's works & animation creations are extremely unique, especially during his fourteen plus years at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
In my dictionary, Symphony In Slang is Extremely & Hysterically Humorous, from beginning to end!.
Slang has never been used this brilliantly or hilariously.
Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did.
'Symphony in Slang' to me is one of his best, certainly among his funniest and cleverest.
The limitations in animation at the time shows at times in some lacking in finesse backgrounds, but Avery still makes the most of these limitations, with so much colour, a lot of visual imagination and characteristically unique character designs that it is easy to overlook.
The entertainment value, creativity and clever construction are constant from start to finish.Characterisation is spot on and John Brown gives a bravura vocal performance.Typically, Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour styles all over it as can be expected.Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild and hilarious, as is characteristic of Avery on form.
Am not a fan of slang usually, but it is used brilliantly and had me in hysterics, even the more clichéd ones.Some limited backgrounds aside, the animation is colourful with some inventive expressive moments.
The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed, a lot of the action is even enhanced by the music.Altogether, another Avery classic with the most inspired use of slang to be found anywhere.
10/10 Bethany Cox. A very funny short..
Symphony in Slang is a clever MGM cartoon created by the surrealtic Tex Avery.
Which also the short is also surrealistic.
They find a dead guy on heaven tell his story to Noah Webster and they don't get his language (slang).
Things like "I was with a silver spoon in my mouth" or "I was really in a pickle, the proprietor drew a gun on me, but I gave him the slip, and hid in the foot hills".
It's very creative.
Tex Avery has always been a great creator of animation.