The Clown (1931 film)

The Clown
The Clown
Directed by	Walter Lantz; Bill Nolan
Produced by	Walter Lantz
Starring	Shirley Reed
Music by	James Dietrich
Animation by	Manuel Moreno; Ray Abrams; Fred Avery; Lester Kline; Vet Anderson
Color process	Black and white
Production; company	Walter Lantz Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	December 21, 1931
Running time	6:02
Language	English

The Clown is a 1931 short animated film by Universal Pictures and one of many in the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series.^[2]

Plot

Oswald, as the title implies, is a circus clown who performs acts in the big top along with his partner the live female stuffed doll, aka Kitty. After doing some acts involving horses, Kitty is being asked by the ringmaster to sign some kind of contract. Oswald is suspicious of the ringmaster's plans, and tries to intervene, only to be whipped away by the ringmaster.

While Oswald is performing his next act involving a dog and an elephant, the ringmaster tries again to get Kitty to sign. They are, however, interrupted once more by Oswald who finishes on time.

Next, it is time for Oswald and the ringmaster to make their appearance. Oswald enters a cannon, and the latter becomes the one to fire it. Kitty senses the ringmaster is up to something, and therefore rushes to the scene. When Oswald is fired from the cannon, Kitty grabs onto his legs. As they are sent airborne, they spin around, causing them to return like a boomerang and knock down the ringmaster. Oswald immediately performs again in the limelight, this time involving an invisible car created by pantomime.

Kitty returns to perform. Here, she suspends on the end of a rope which is pulled upward. The scheming ringmaster cuts the rope a little where it would break momentarily. Oswald is aware of this as the rabbit reenters the cannon. When Kitty plunges, Oswald launches out and catches her mid-air. The ringmaster tries to create more trouble for them by releasing a vicious gorilla, but instead of chasing the two performers, the gorilla pursues the ringmaster out of the big top.

References

^ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 194. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.

External links

The Clown at IMDb
The Clown at the Big Cartoon Database

This article related to a short animated film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 194. ISBN 979-8-88771-010-5.

[2] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.

[1]

[2]

v t e Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons
The Disney years	Trolley Troubles Oh Teacher The Mechanical Cow All Wet The Ocean Hop Great Guns! Empty Socks Rickety Gin Harem Scarem Neck 'n' Neck Africa Before Dark Bright Lights Hungry Hobos Oh What a Knight Poor Papa The Fox Chase Tall Timber Sleigh Bells
The Winkler years	Fiery Firemen Yanky Clippers Sick Cylinders Alpine Antics Jungle Jingles Weary Willies
The Lantz/Universal years	Race Riot Oil's Well Permanent Wave Hurdy Gurdy Kounty Fair Chilly Con Carmen Broadway Folly Not So Quiet Spooks Henpecked The Navy Mexico Africa Mars Shipwreck The Fireman Country School The Bandmaster The Stone Age Radio Rhythm The Hunter Wonderland The Hare Mail The Clown Grandma's Pet Mechanical Man Wins Out Making Good The Winged Horse A Wet Knight The Busy Barber Carnival Capers Wild and Woolly Teacher's Pests The Plumber The Shriek Going to Blazes Ham and Eggs Confidence Five and Dime The Merry Old Soul Parking Space The Candy House The County Fair The Toy Shoppe The Ginger Bread Boy Wax Works Chris Columbus, Jr. Ye Happy Pilgrims Sky Larks Springtime Serenade The Quail Hunt Beach Combers Puppet Show Lovesick The Egg Cracker Suite
Other appearances	The Woody Woodpecker Polka Get a Horse! Once Upon a Studio
Characters	Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Peg Leg Pete Bessie