Rainbow Parade

Rainbow Parade was a series of 26 animated shorts produced by Van Beuren Studios and distributed to theaters by RKO between 1934 and 1936.[1] This was the all-color series and final series produced by Van Beuren.

Rainbow Parade
Rainbow Parade opening title
Directed by	Burt Gillett Ted Eshbaugh Steve Muffatti Tom Palmer Shamus Culhane Dan Gordon
Produced by	Amadee J. Van Beuren
Music by	Winston Sharples
Production company	Van Beuren Studios
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	July 27, 1934 — October 2, 1936
Running time	7–8 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

History

Many of the Rainbow Parade cartoons were one-shot stories with no recurring characters, but several of the films featured Parrotville Parrots, Molly Moo-Cow, Toonerville Folks, and Felix the Cat. This series was purchased by Commonwealth Pictures in 1941 and was later syndicated for television. The 1935 short The Merry Kittens was used in an episode of The Wubbcast. Thunderbean Animation released a collection of the early Rainbow Parade cartoons on DVD in 2009. The second half of the series is available from the original negatives released by Image DVD/Blackhawk Films/Film Preservation Associates.

Filmography

The first 13 cartoons in the series were all produced in two-strip Cinecolor. Starting with 'Molly Moo and the Butterflies', the remainder of the series was produced in three-strip Technicolor.

Title	Characters	Original release date	Director	Notes
Pastry Town Wedding	Bride, Groom, Pastry Chefs	July 27, 1934	Burt Gillett Ted Eshbaugh	First Rainbow Parade series short. First short in two-strip Cinecolor. First short co-directed by Burt Gillett and Ted Eshbaugh. Later reissued as a promotional film for a bakery by the name of Cushman's Sons, Inc. This reissue adds an extra animated scene advertising the bakery, along with special title cards.
The Parrotville Fire Department	The Flasher, Firefighters	September 14, 1934	Burt Gillett Steve Muffatti	Only short co-directed by Steve Muffatti. The first of three "Parrotville" cartoons in the Rainbow Parade series.
The Sunshine Makers	Gnomes, Goblins	January 11, 1935	Burt Gillett Ted Eshbaugh	Re-issued in 1940 as a promotional film for Borden's Milk, with the "Borden" script on the title card. The original 1935 Rainbow Parade titles have been found. Runner-up on The 50 Greatest Cartoons list.
Parrotville Old Folks	Matron Birdkins, Captain, Friend, Old Folks	January 25, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	First short co-directed by Tom Palmer. The second of three "Parrotville" cartoons in the Rainbow Parade series.
Japanese Lanterns	Japanese Children, Father, Stork	March 8, 1935	Burt Gillett Ted Eshbaugh	aka Chinese Lanterns (black and white edition by Official Films during World War II and Korean redrawn three-strip edition part of Radio and Television Packagers) Final short co-directed by Ted Eshbaugh.
Spinning Mice	Wizard/Rabbit, Lizards/Doves, Toad/Squirrel, Throwback Mice/Devils, Girl, Boy, Mice	April 5, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	Contains a live-action prologue and epilogue sequences.
A Picnic Panic (a.k.a. The Stupid Teapot)	Molly Moo-Cow, Teapots, Flashback Teapots, Teacups	May 3, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	First appearance of Molly Moo-Cow. Contains a live-action prologue and epilogue with animated wraparounds.
The Merry Kittens	Three Kittens, Terrier	May 31, 1935	Burt Gillett Shamus Culhane	Only short co-directed by Shamus Culhane.
Parrotville Post-Office	The Captain, Black Parrot, Mrs. Perkins, Mr. Perkins' Children	June 28, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	The last of three "Parrotville" cartoons in the Rainbow Parade series.
Rag Dog	Three Kittens, Two Terriers	July 19, 1935	Burt Gillett	First short solely directed by Burt Gillett.
The Hunting Season	Molly Moo-Cow, Ducks, Hunters	August 19, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	First appearance of Molly Moo Cow out of the flashback sequence.
Scotty Finds a Home	Scotty, Family, Bully	August 23, 1935	Burt Gillett
Bird Scouts	Birds, Cat	September 20, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	Final short in two-strip Cinecolor.
Molly Moo-Cow and the Butterflies	Molly Moo-Cow, Collector, Butterflies	November 15, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	First short in three-strip Technicolor.
Molly Moo-Cow and the Indians	Molly Moo-Cow, Indian Squaw, Papoose, Indian Brave, Two Ducks	November 15, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer
Molly Moo-Cow and Rip Van Winkle	Molly Moo-Cow, Rip Van Winkle, Little Men	December 17, 1935	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer
Toonerville Trolley	Toonerville Trolley, Skipper, Katrinka, Molly Moo-Cow (cameo), Bull	January 17, 1936	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	The first of three Rainbow Parade cartoons based on the Toonerville Trolley comic strip. Cameo by Molly Moo-Cow Only Toonerville short co-directed by Tom Palmer.
Felix the Cat in "The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg"	Felix the Cat, Goldie, Captain Kidd, Pirates	February 7, 1936	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	First Felix the Cat cartoon in the Rainbow Parade series. Also the first three-strip Technicolor appearance of Felix the Cat.
Molly Moo-Cow and Robinson Crusoe	Molly Moo-Cow, Robinson Crusoe, Cannibals	February 28, 1936	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	Molly Moo-Cow's final appearance.
Neptune Nonsense	Felix the Cat, King Neptune, Annabelle, Octopus, Electric Eel, Mermaid	March 20, 1936	Burt Gillett Tom Palmer	Final short co-directed by Burt Gillett and Tom Palmer.
Bold King Cole	Felix the Cat, Old King Cole, Ghosts	May 29, 1936	Burt Gillett	Final Felix the Cat cartoon in the Rainbow Parade series. Also final and third three-strip Technicolor appearance of Felix the Cat. Only Felix short solely directed by Burt Gillett.
A Waif's Welcome	Orphan, Mother, Father, Son	June 19, 1936	Tom Palmer	First of two shorts solely directed by Tom Palmer.
Trolley Ahoy	Toonerville Trolley, Skipper, Mr. Bang, Katrinka	July 3, 1936	Burt Gillett	The second of three Rainbow Parade cartoons based on the Toonerville Trolley comic strip.
Cupid Gets His Man	Dan Cupid, Edna May Oliver, W.C. Fields	July 24, 1936	Tom Palmer	One source suggests that the spinster actually is a dead ringer for Margaret Hamilton (who later would gain fame as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz"). Second and final of two shorts solely directed by Tom Palmer. Only short where the characters were solely designed by Dan Gordon.
It's a Greek Life	Centaur, Mercury, Two Ducks	August 2, 1936	Dan Gordon	Only a day in the limelight short in the Rainbow Parade series. Only short solely directed by Dan Gordon.
Toonerville Picnic	Toonerville Trolley, Skipper, Mr. Bang, Katrinka, Dog, Octopus	October 2, 1936	Burt Gillett	Final Rainbow Parade series short. The last of three Rainbow Parade cartoons based on the Toonerville Trolley comic strip. Final short solely directed by Burt Gillett.

References

1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 127–128. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

External links

• Other Studios : V : Van Beuren Studios : Rainbow Parade, bcdb.com