Speaking of the Weather (1937)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

One of the many "objects coming to life" cartoons created at Warner Bros., this one focuses on magazines coming to life at a drug store. It's interesting to note that director Frank Tashlin would do a very similar cartoon to this one year after the initial release of this cartoon, "Have You Got Any Castles" -- but moving onto the cartoon I'm reviewing anyways...The cartoon focuses on music, puns on popular magazines of the time, and celebrity caricatures -- notably Hugh Herbert, who pops up giggling throughout the short. Note that in the magazine Hugh appears, it is mentioned that "he produces his devastating giggle with a feather duster worn strapped to the sole of his left foot."The story is a rather basic one, focusing on the magazines in the first half, and then a thug is introduced who causes ruckus in the second half of the cartoon. However, it doesn't sound as boring as you would think. Tashlin uses the magazines in some rather creative ways, and while some of the puns are corny and predictable, I love them myself anyways. Tashlin also adds more chemicals to the cartoon by making use of his fast-paced editing (although mainly done in the ending), and in a couple of cases, interesting perspectives, which makes the transitions from scene to scene feel neatly done yet action-packed.For a cartoon with a big focus on music, Carl Stalling certainly gets the job done, with excellent renditions of popular tunes of the time. The vocals are nicely done as usual. The original animation is crisp and in some scenes, add more to the gags; a good chunk of animation in this cartoon is reused from other cartoons, however.Overall, Speaking of the Weather, while somewhat generic and not quite utilizing Frank Tashlin's techniques to the fullest, is worth a watch.

It is agreed that 'Speaking of the Weather' is not as good as 'Have You Got any Castles' and especially 'Book Revue', cartoons that execute their concept more cleverly and with slightly more energy and surprises.However, 'Speaking of the Weather' is still a very good cartoon. What immediately stands out is how visually stunning it is, the lush and vibrant colours do positively leap out as you, the backgrounds are handsomely and imaginatively detailed and while not quite as smooth as 'Have You Got any Castle' and 'Book Revue' the drawings are fluid and appealing.Carl Stalling's music is always a highlight in every cartoon he scored for, even if the cartoon itself is not quite so great. His scoring elevates everything to a greater level, with everything beautifully orchestrated with clever use of instruments and energetic rhythms that never loses character or momentum, it's not only dynamic to what's happening, it enhances it and Stalling was a master at this.What's also great about 'Speaking of the Weather' is that it is very funny. The titles are truly inspired and the caricatures are so much fun to spot and easily recognisable if familiar with them, admittedly though the caricatures/references in 'Have You Got any Castles' and 'Book Revue' are more easy to recognise and is less likely to go over people's heads if familiar with the literary classics. The William Powell and Hugh Herbert caricatures are especially noteworthy.Do agree that the story is basic and very easy to figure out what will happen next, especially if you are familiar with cartoons that explore the same, or a similar, concept, which is the case with me, having grown up with the two cartoons being compared with and pretty much only got acquainted with this. It is still paced nicely and all the gags are timed well. The voice acting is spot on from Mel Blanc and Billy Bletcher, both with multiple characters.In summary, very good cartoon and lots of fun, even if there are other cartoons with the same, or similar, concept and did it with more energy and imagination. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"Speaking of the Weather" is a very good Warner Bros. cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin. Inside a closed-up drug store, all of the various characters pictured on the magazine covers come to life as they sing, dance, play instruments, etc. There actually is a plot, involving the apprehension of a criminal on the loose (well voiced by Billy Bletcher).My favorite scenes: In the beginning, a Will Rogers-type character plays a slide whistle, a Ned Sparks caricature claims (as always) that he's not having any fun, bandleader Ted Lewis plays clarinet while performing some gymnastic dance stunts, and a beaver plunks away at a double bass with his tail. A trio of girls sitting at a backwards piano sings the title song, aided by a few "tongue sandwiches". A garden hose behaves like a snake under the spell of a charmer's flute.Look for quite a few 1930s celebrity caricatures in "Speaking of the Weather". One in particular I find interesting is Hugh Herbert, the big-nosed, stocky guy who claps his hands with a high-pitched giggle. It was once written that Curly Howard of the Three Stooges adapted his famous "woo woo woo" from Hugh Herbert's high-pitched "hoo hoo hoo".

for some reason, this cartoon is special and unique, but I can't really say why (although my conscience knows it). actually, it's quite stupid. we see a lot of magazines coming to life in some art form that already is cliché. yes, I remember it from long ago when I was a kid, but way back then I didn't like it either. I guess it's just because it was as an extra on the DVD of 'Gold Diggers of 1937' that I saw it again, because it simply isn't interesting enough to watch otherwise. the title is the same as one of the songs used in that Gold Diggers movie, but it shows very little resemblance with how it was used in the film. in this cartoon, there are very little animations that have to do with the title. I guess the song was a success in the Thirties and that should be the reason for it's title. I won't forget it, but I certainly will not watch it again in a long time.