Crying for the Carolines

Plot

This experimental musical short features 'The Singing Organist' Milton Charles performing the popular 1930 song 'Cryin' for the Carolines' on a massive Wurlitzer theater organ. The film begins with a series of avant-garde, Art Deco-style visual sequences including a yacht sailing through geometric apertures and stylized silhouettes of city skyscrapers and rural farmscapes. As the music transitions from an instrumental backing to a vocal performance, the film cuts to live-action footage of Charles playing and singing. The visuals alternate between these live-action performance shots and semi-abstract, non-cel animation that utilizes the physical movement of cutouts and paintings to evoke the sentimental mood of the lyrics. The short serves as a visual and auditory showcase for the song, which expresses a deep, nostalgic longing for the landscapes and simple life of the Carolinas.

Historical Background

Released in December 1930, the film arrived during the early years of the Great Depression and the 'Golden Age' of the movie palace. At this time, theater organs were a staple of the cinema experience, used to provide live accompaniment to silent films. As 'talkies' took over, these organs and their players were being phased out. 'Crying for the Carolines' was an attempt to preserve that theatrical organ experience in a filmed format while also serving as a marketing tool for the music industry. It reflects the transition period of Hollywood where studios were experimenting with different ways to integrate sound, music, and visuals before the standardized 'cartoon' format was fully established.

Making Of

The creation of 'Crying for the Carolines' was a strategic move by Leon Schlesinger to pivot from his title card business into film production. He pitched the idea to Warner Bros. as a way to utilize their massive library of music publishing rights. Director Neil McGuire was tasked with creating 'artistic' visuals that wouldn't require the expensive and time-consuming process of full character animation. The production utilized a 'Vitaphone' disc for the audio, which provided higher fidelity than early sound-on-film technology but required precise synchronization. The live-action segments featuring Milton Charles were filmed on a simple set with his organ, while the 'animated' portions were created by sliding painted glass plates and cardboard cutouts across the camera's field of view to simulate movement.

Visual Style

The film uses a mix of static camera work for the live-action organ performance and experimental camera techniques for the 'animated' segments. Notable techniques include the use of shaped apertures (iris shots in the shape of stars or circles) to frame the artwork. The cinematography emphasizes high-contrast silhouettes and Art Deco patterns, creating a 'moving painting' effect rather than a traditional narrative film. The lighting on Milton Charles is typical of early 1930s studio lighting, focusing on a clear, bright presentation of the performer.

Innovations

The film is a notable early experiment in synchronizing abstract visuals with a pre-recorded musical track. It utilized the Western Electric/Vitaphone sound-on-disc system to ensure high-quality audio reproduction. The 'animation' technique—using physical manipulation of non-cel elements—was a cost-effective technical innovation that allowed for complex visual patterns without the labor of thousands of hand-drawn frames.

Music

The soundtrack is the centerpiece of the film, featuring the song 'Cryin' for the Carolines' (Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young). It is performed by Milton Charles on a Wurlitzer theater organ. The audio begins with an instrumental overture that showcases the organ's various stops and effects, followed by Charles's vocal performance. Because it was a Vitaphone production, the sound quality was notably richer than many contemporary sound-on-film shorts of the era.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening sequence featuring a stylized yacht sailing through a star-shaped aperture.
• The transition from abstract silhouettes of a city skyline to the live-action reveal of Milton Charles at the organ.
• The closing shot of a sunrise over a farmhouse, which is one of the few moments in the film that approaches traditional animation.

What Critics Said

At the time of its release, 'Photoplay' magazine gave the short a positive review in its December 1930 issue, calling it a 'distinct relief from the monotony of many sound shorts' and praising the 'beauty of the results obtained' from the artwork. Modern critics and animation historians, such as those at 'Dr. Grob's Animation Review,' are more divided; while they appreciate the historical value and Art Deco aesthetic, they often find the lack of actual character movement 'static' and 'unsatisfying' compared to the high-energy cartoons that followed.

What Audiences Thought

Contemporary audiences in 1930 received the film as a 'novelty' short. It was designed to be played as a 'community sing-along' or a mood-setter before a feature film, capitalizing on the popularity of Milton Charles and the hit song. While it didn't create a lasting franchise in its original form, the format was successful enough that Warner Bros. requested more musical shorts, eventually leading to the birth of the much more popular 'Merrie Melodies.'

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