Are You Ready, Girls??????? Let's Take The Honeymoon Express!!!!

One of the iconic images of MY childhood, darlings, was the cartoon and song, "Dancing On The Moon." It was SO charming, but with a bit of sadness. Using a visual style that echoes, in cartoon terms, George Meleis' 1902 "A Trip To The Moon," the great cartoonist Max Fleischer portrays a group of couples--animals of varying species, a kind of Noah's Ark--who blast off on a romantic journey to the moon, where they walk and dance along Honeymoon Lane. Except sadly, a scurrying cat and his fiance are late for arrival, and get there just as the rocket ship doors shut. The female cat is left on Earth, while the male cat goes off alone, sad at the prospect of himself among all the happy couples. How fortunate the ship has a deck of cards, so he can play solitaire en route, but the sight of the cat dancing alone on the moon is truly sad--not like Bambi's mother, darlings-- but we do feel the loneliness just the same. I know people who said this cartoon always upset them, because of this. Added to which, the ship DOES return to Earth, the feline lovers are reunited, but, for all his upset, Mr. Cat gets beaten by his fiance.

You have to wonder what it all means, girls. Does the great Max Fleischer, who created this classic, have something against cats???? But this is the man who created Krazy Kat!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yet, somehow, the song and the romance of it all, almost cancel out the sadness. And the end is intended more as a kind of Punch and Judy humor, but the poor cat!!!!!!!!!!!

The film's time continuum is fascinating, too--it makes you wonder how long those couples were on the moon. The cartoon suggests an evening, but is that evening in Moon terms or Earth's??? Because, when they return and emerge from the ship, the stork arrives--a stork for each couple-- to deliver them a baby!!!!! So, were they on the Moon nine months????? Hmmmmm.............

And what a bargain--this trip for one dollar per couple!!!! Let's keep THOSE prices, honey!!!!!!!!!

This HAS to be seen, loves!!!!! Who knew, back in our days of black and white TV, that it was a color cartoon? It has the visual style of the Melies film, which I am sure was Fleischer's attention, and the song should have become a camp classic!!!!!

After watching this yesterday on YouTube (isn't everything on YouTube????), I danced Monsieur all through the apartment, to this song. We are ready to board that Honeymoon Express right now, and you can be sure, especially if I have anything to do with it, that we will be on time!!!!! I cannot wait to walk and dance down Honeymoon Lane!!!!!!

So, let's get ready to BLAST OFF! See you aboard the Honeymoon Express!!!!!!!!!!