After the Ball (1929) Online

It Portends to be a look at Charles K. Harris's creation of this song, but a little dog is introduced and he proves to be the star. He manages to put the right notes in the right places, saving the composer. As is usual in these sing-alongs, it starts with the obligatory bouncing ball and the background music, and then it ends with a vocal and a lot of creativity as the dog bounces over the words, doing various fun things. Not a bad effort. The animation is better than in others I've seen.

After the Ball (1929)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The Fleischer Studio produced a number of these animated short films where the "bouncing ball" would have audience members singing together. Charles K. Harris is the focus of this short as we hear about him and quickly see a drawing of him. We then go into the song he wrote and finally the bouncing ball over the lyrics. AFTER THE BALL isn't the greatest short ever done and it's certainly not among the best work by Fleischer but at the same time it's entertaining enough for what it was. The animation was good throughout and I'd argue that the song too was good.

This Max Fleischer Screen Songs short is a bit unusual in that the announcer mentions that this particular short is dedicated to songwriter Charles K. Harris-as the artist draws a seriously illustrated pic of him-who wrote the song that's also the title of this short. Then we see the cartoon of the composer trying to write the song as his dog helps him. We then see the words appear on screen but with no vocal accompanying them or anyone saying "Follow the Bouncing Ball" beforehand as that ball appears jumping over the lyrics. Then that dog says "Shhh" before a singer does sing the words the dog then jumps over. It ends amusingly. So on that note, I recommend After the Ball.

This is a Fleischer Screen Songs cartoon. There will be spoilers:

This early Screen Song is fascinating, because it's not quite like the Screen Songs which may be more familiar. The format was still being developed, though some parts are already in place.

The short begins more seriously than most do, for one thing. It actually begins with a drawing of the songwriter Charles Harris, who penned "After the Ball", with a serious and respectful narration introducing the writer and song.

It then segues into a fanciful animated bit showing the composer (and a dog) hard at work writing "After the Ball". There's some very nice synchronization of animation with sound when the composer taps various objects which morph into other objects and provide a different tone. Note also a little later that the dog's tail moves in relation to the sound.

The singalong portion of the short begins without much fanfare and with no vocals on the first time through. The dog then appears on screen and shushes the audience before becoming the equivalent of the "bouncing ball", cuing the lyrics in comical fashion, with the lyrics morphing into illustrations. The final gag at the end involves the dog and is rather funny.

This short can be found online and is well worth tracking down.

The Fleischer Brothers began their Screen Song series in 1924. They used an ancestor of the Phonofilm system, and they and their successors at Famous Studios continued the series for more than a hundred short subjects through the early 1950s. This one covers the 19th century ballad in a very respectful manner. Although the written reprise is gagged up, the song is introduced very respectfully by an unseen Irish tenor. It is then offered for the audience's singing without any voice-over to lead them.

This argues that the Fleischers were experimenting, but it also argues that they felt their audience was so familiar with the song that they needed less help to sing the song -- and less urging.

The net result is excellent and seems to be unique in the series.