Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony

Name: Gerald McBoing-Boing's Symphony
Genre: Animation, Short
Released: 1953-07-05
Duration: 8 min
Rating: 6.6
Cast: Marvin Miller

1953
8m

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

143

YOUR RATING

Animation Short

Gerald McBoing Boing, a little boy who can't talk but can imitate any sound, is working as a one-man sound effects department for a radio station. When a scheduled symphony orchestra does no... Read allGerald McBoing Boing, a little boy who can't talk but can imitate any sound, is working as a one-man sound effects department for a radio station. When a scheduled symphony orchestra does not show up, Gerald replaces them. He is doing fine until he mixes up the score with the sou... Read allGerald McBoing Boing, a little boy who can't talk but can imitate any sound, is working as a one-man sound effects department for a radio station. When a scheduled symphony orchestra does not show up, Gerald replaces them. He is doing fine until he mixes up the score with the sound effects script, and creates an original symphony. He is fired, but the critics hail his... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

143

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos8

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Top cast1

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Marvin Miller

Narrator
(voice)
…

Director
- Robert Cannon
Writers
- T. Hee
- Dr. Seuss
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews3

6.6143

Featured reviews

9pauldbevan

Hugely enjoyable and visually striking sequel

Excellent second outing for Gerald McCloy "the noise-making boy", which, although not based on Dr. Seuss material this time, manages to be faithful in style to his original vision whilst also bringing in some slightly more sophisticated humour. We join Gerald where we left him at the end of the original story, working for a radio station making sound effects. When a symphony orchestra fails to turn up for a performance, the station manager turns to Gerald out of desperation... A simple idea is fleshed out beautifully - in the absence of a Dr Seuss original to base the script on, the writer (T. Hee) takes some entertaining liberties with the rhyming couplet style and the result is witty and amusing - the animation is stylish (and at times strikingly stylized) and the music and sound effects are once again superb.

8tavm

Gerald McBoing Boing's Symphony is another entertaining animated short from UPA

In this, the second Gerald McBoing Boing animated short from UPA, the title character is asked by his radio station manager to voice an entire symphony orchestra when the scheduled performers fail to show up. Unfortunately, it seems Gerald has the music sheets mixed up with the sound effects one...Not as good as the first one written by creator Dr. Seuss (who is referenced as one of Gerald's doctors here) but pretty entertaining nonetheless. Bobe Cannon did the direction and one of the animators was Bill Melendez. Loved when Gerald did a real loud explosion noise and the adults around him just jumped in the air and froze! In summation, Gerald McBoing Boing's Symphony comes highly recommended. P.S. Spike Jones is also referenced here.

8llltdesq

The further adventures of Gerald McBoing Boing

Gerald McBoing Boing is probably the second most recognizable continuing character created by UPA, after Quincy Magoo. There were only four theatrical shorts made, but there was also a television series done, which is the likely reason there were only four theatrical shorts. While all are good, they're uneven, with this one being somewhat predictable in a sense, to anyone who saw the first cartoon, at any rate. Fascinating and fun to watch anyway, which is the point of making the shorts to begin with. Well worth watching. Recommended.

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Trivia
Included in the 3-disc DVD set "UPA: The Jolly Frolics Collection," released 15 March 2012 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Quotes
Narrator: In another part of the radio station, there was a most tragic situation. The station owner was tearing his hair, because the symphony orchestra scheduled to go on right after the commercial announcement just wasn't there.
Radio Station Owner: In radio there can't be any dead air! We'll be laughed at everywhere! Silence on the air is strictly taboo. No stand-by pianist, what'll I do?
[Sees Gerald about to leave]
Radio Station Owner: McBoing-Boing, don't go! You'll do the show! Hurry, take a good look at this score. You have one minute, not one second more. Fiddles go feeddle-feeddle, tubas go oompha-oompha, flutes go tweedle-tweedle, trombones go twah-twah-twah. But wait! He can make like a keg of powder or the wreck of a train, but fiddles, flutes, cellos, bassoons all playing at once - can he stand the strain? Quick, get doctors Turnpike, Heartburn, Hangloose, Mongoose, Whacker, Crankshaft, and good old Dr. Seuss!