Swing Symphony is an American animated musical short film series produced by Walter Lantz Productions from 1941 to 1945. The shorts were a more contemporary pastiche on Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies, and often featured top boogie-woogie musicians of the era.

The series mainly features a variety of different characters created exclusively for these shorts, although cameos by Woody Woodpecker and Andy Panda do appear in the first cartoon. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit also made an appearance in one short as well.

Background Walter Lantz Productions first developed the format with the cartoon Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat, released on March 28, 1941. The short is considered a precursor as it contains many elements seen in the series, such as utilizing a popular swing song at the time. Lantz also produced Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company 'B''' later in September which followed the same formula and would be nominated for an Academy Award. The first cartoon that would go under Swing Symphony would not be released until December of that year.

One of the main writers that worked on the series was Ben Hardaway, who left Warner Bros. in 1940 and was hired by Walter Lantz to work on the storyboards for Universal Studios' cartoons. From 1938 to 1940, Hardaway was notably one of the last holdouts to co-direct several Merrie Melodies cartoons that featured lengthy musical sequences. He also supplied his voice for Woody Woodpecker in 1944 until 1949. Darrell Calker, who was involved in jazz circles, composed the music and brought in famous musicians like Nat King Cole, Meade Lux Lewis and Jack Teagarden to play them. Pianist Bob Zurke did a recording for the cartoon Jungle Jive before he died aged 32.

In 1942, Juke Box Jamboree was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film but lost to Disney's Der Fuehrer's Face. Few of Lantz's cartoons were highlighted for stereotyping and racism, but were said by Joe Adamson as not intended to be offensive.

The series was discontinued in 1945 due to swing music fading in popularity following the end of World War II. Dick Lundy, who directed the last Swing Symphony cartoon, later developed Musical Miniatures, a musical series focusing on classical music. Four cartoons were produced in 1947–1948.

Filmography # Title Directed by Written by Drawn by (animator) Characters Release date Availability 1 $21 a Day (Once a Month)Walter Lantz Lowell ElliotBen Hardaway Alex LovyFrank Tipper Woody WoodpeckerAndy Panda December 1, 1941 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 2 The Hams That Couldn't Be Cured Lowell ElliotBen Hardaway Alex LovyR. Somerville Algernon WolfThree Little Pigs March 4, 1942 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 3 Juke Box JamboreeAlex Lovy Ben HardawayChuck Couch Laverne Harding July 27, 1942 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 4 Yankee Doodle Swing ShiftBen HardawayMilt Schaffer Harold Mason September 21, 1942 5 Boogie Woogie Sioux Robert Bentley November 30, 1942 DVD - Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Volume 5 6 Cow-Cow Boogie Harold Mason January 3, 1943 7 The Egg Cracker Suite Emery HawkinsBen Hardaway Milt Schaffer Les Kline Oswald the Lucky Rabbit March 22, 1943 DVD - Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Volume 3 8 Swing Your Partner Alex LovyBen HardawayMilt Schaffer Paul J. Smith Homer Pigeon April 26, 1943 DVD - Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Volume 4 9 Pass The Biscuits Mirandy!James Culhane Paul Smith MirandyThe Foys and Bartons August 23, 1943 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 10 Boogie Woogie Man Laverne HardingLes Kline Boogie Woogie September 27, 1943 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 11 The Greatest Man In Siam Pat MatthewsEmery Hawkins Miss X March 27, 1944 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 12 Jungle Jive Paul J. SmithEmery Hawkins May 15, 1944 DVD - Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Volume 6 13 Abou Ben Boogie Paul J. SmithPat Matthews Miss X September 18, 1944 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 14 The Pied Piper Of Basin Street Laverne HardingPat Matthews The Pied Piper January 15, 1945 DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 15 Sliphorn King Of Polaroo Dick Lundy Pat Matthews Jackson March 19, 1945 DVD - Woody Woodpecker and Friends: Volume 4

Musical Miniatures # Title Directed by Written by Drawn by (animator) Characters Release date Availability 1 Musical Moments from Chopin Dick Lundy Ben Hardaway, Milt Schaffer Laverne Harding, Les Kline Andy Panda, Woody Woodpecker DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection 2 The Overture to William Tell Dick Lundy Ben Hardaway, Milt Schaffer Laverne Harding, S.C. Onaitis Wally Walrus DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 3 Kiddie Koncert Dick Lundy Ben Hardaway, Jack Cosgriff Ed Love, Sidney Pillet Wally Walrus 4 Pixie Picnic Dick Lundy Ben Hardaway, Jack Cosgriff Laverne Harding, Fred Moore Pixies DVD - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection: Volume 2

See also Walter Lantz Productions Silly Symphony''

References

External links Swing Symphony at IMDB