SM001 Crying For The Carolines (Dec., 1930)

[@RockinTendencies]

This is My Great Grandfather Milton Charles Sr. and I really Appreciate you taking the time to Honor Him ! ~ Alton

[@ALMACHAR]

This is my grandfather! hi family!

[@regent260]

He was really terrific. I've heard nearly all the current international touring theatre organists and Milton could fit right in with them. It's a difficult instrument to bring to life like that.

[@jturner2577]

Alton have you thought about writing a Biography of your Great Grandfather?

[@Emobunneh]

@rockintendencies 😃 This is my grandpa! Hello to my 🤔 cousin?

[@Bootleggies]

I remember watching this when I was little from an extra on a Bugs Bunny DVD (an episode of Toon Heads talking about lost animated shorts). I was drawn in and even a little scared of the visuals and atmosphere of it. Stuck with me for the longest time as a distant memory. It wasn't until recently that I finally discovered it again, and listening to it now is like a piece of a puzzle was finally put together.

[@shadowpsfp]

The same here

[@Emobunneh]

@@shadowpsfp 😯 Do you remember what the DVD was called? This is my grandpa and I'd love to pick it up for my nephew and to see it myself if it includes any clips of him! 😍🥺

[@shadowpsfp]

@@Emobunneh I didn't have a DVD. I watched it on TV. It was on cartoon network I believe and it was showing lost or rare cartoons. This video was one of them that survived.

[@Emobunneh]

@@shadowpsfp Oh nice! Cool to think after all these years that some are still coming across his music. 🤗 I just saw that the comment you replied to was the one that mentioned the dvd and thought you meant you had seen the dvd as well. I will have to keep my eyes out in case I can find it 😀

[@stephenholloway6893]

The Toonheads special was part of the 1st Looney Tunes Golden Collection. Though this short was also released separately on the 6th volume.

[@punkysnarks]

People say a weird piece of media feels like a fever dream. This? This is the closest you come to a fever dream without a fever.

[@YujiUedaFan]

"Anyone can see, what's troubling me, it's the only Spooney Melody!"

[@gregfoster8354]

I just had a really vivid dream I was in a depression era environment desperately trying to find someone I'd lost. When I woke up I was able to place this as the music that was playing in the dream. I haven't heard it in at least a decade, and I've no idea where the memory of this obscure, ancient proto-cartoon came from. Listening to it again gave me chills though - very eerie & ethereal! How sad it's the only one of it's kind that survived.

[@paulj0557tonehead]

There is a Jesse Crawford 1930 theatre organ reel done by the same people as the 'Crying for the Carolines reel. Of course the latter is the more ethereal with the moving animation graphics and the hauntingly beautiful voice that puts one in the mind of Bryan Ferry. Regardless, Jesse Crawford could take you there with his playing alone, but actually there are graphics and singing too. It's: *Jesse Crawford, Poet of the Organ, in "Nocturne", an Organlogue by Master Art Products C1930, F862b* ( also watch- *Legendary Theatre Organists* )

[@maxwestcomics]

Quite cool. This could be considered an early music video! It's a shame the other Spooney Melodies haven't survived. It's sad that many films from the silent era and early sound era have been lost.

[@TeamRocket2010]

I can't believe this is the only surviving Spoony Melodies short from Warner Bros.

[@Musicradio77Network]

This was the only short in what was then called “Spoony Melodies”. Sadly, many of the shorts were lost during that time, and it was considered as lost media. After its short run, it became “Merrie Melodies” by 1931.

[@staspastukh2005]

Why? What reason?

[@jeffmissinne3866]

At the time this short was made, producer Leon Schlesinger owned Pacific Title & Optical, a company that made titles and trailers for Warner Bros. and other studios. It's easy to see the resemblance between the effects in this short and those used in trailers of that era.

[@regent260]

Milton Charles was an excellent organist. Getting a Wurlitzer pipe organ to do most of that is pretty tricky.

[@canaisyoung3601]

regent260 Most people back then actually cared about playing a musical insteument, whether it was for something like this or just entertaining your family.

[@regent260]

Yes and even today in the world of the theatre organ, young organists are emulating the basic techniques heard here.

[@wiltedflorescence]

still amazing after all these years. you’ll find me crying for the carolines for a very, very long time

[@wiltedflorescence]

or crying for the only spooney melody that survived…

[@TeamRocket2010]

Good thing I got this on my LTGC Vol. 6 DVD.

[@maddockmadstone6107]

Lovely music for a Depression. This could be another song from inside the radiator in Eraserhead.

[@Alyric-now]

Heh!

[@mrdrummingdude1]

This amazed me. I had no idea they made made music videos way back in 1930. This is actually pretty good.

[@LopezMelendez]

At least THIS known survival gets its restoration, what THIS long lost treasure gets what deserves fair and square.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

This is me after living in New York for two years.

[@dougputhoff]

Great song. Great video.

[@samfeldstein4498]

I wonder what happened to the other cartoons in this series or how they got lost. It's ironic that the later ones are the ones that are lost.

[@TroyOi]

Films like this are what probably inspired David Lynch to make Eraserhead.

[@canaisyoung3601]

Wouldn't surprise me if it were true.

[@chrisrj9871]

Hard to call it a cartoon in the classical sense... It acts more like a music video. Might be the very first or one of them, with special effects and everything. And once you watch it, you definitely remember that sailing ship from the beginning. Imagine if this took off and "music videos" were made more common in that time, besides the old b/w cartoons.

[@HitlerTapes]

Wonderful. Recorded on the Warner Brothers Wurltzer organ

[@NewWaveFilms]

Incredible

[@Diblu64]

Nice Music.

[@shadypandas5903]

Bro some dude on reddit is tryina tell me that video killed the radio star was the first music video ever.

[@onesetofpajamas3873]

Wait whaaaat? Lol

[@Emobunneh]

😄

[@sjdrifter72]

It wasn't the first music video ever made but it was the very first music video to play on MTV when it debuted on Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time.

[@Emobunneh]

💕Love you grandpa💕

[@sarahwaffles8163]

Robin Charles bun bun!

[@Emobunneh]

Sarah Waffles Sereniti!

[@Emobunneh]

lol my tablet just died

[@Emobunneh]

Sarah Waffles if you go to about halfway thru video thats when they start showing my gpa

[@Emobunneh]

go to 5:04

[@rokitflite]

Wow! I got the bug up my butt to research the roots of Jamie Berry's song "Grandiose" and this is where it led me. Very cool, but kinda haunting! Grandiose is definitely more upbeat! Thanks for posting this video!!!

[@rogerlollar4325]

I wonder where the other spoony Melodies are

[@stephenholloway6893]

Far as I know it they remaining shorts have survived, but rather or not Warner after buying them back from Turner via the aap/UA/MGM library still has access to any print of them is unclear but if Wikipedia in this case is accurate then they're out there but they probably haven't surfaced since the end of their original run.

[@ndc10162262]

Solid

[@Iz4kiTiago]

💫

[@anthonycrnkovich5241]

Rudy Valee covered this tune around 1932.

[@sofi_nadsat]

Hello! I have a doubt. I´m gonna do a little documentary and I would need to use this piece, but IDK if it still has the copyright or if it is free at this time... BTW, if someone of you know about a cover from this song free to use with no copyright, please let me know. Thank u!

[@harrywarrenfan]

Sofía Corral Nadsat a bit late seeing your question here, but this song is definitely still covered under USA and international copyright. It was first copyrighted in the USA in 1929, again in 1930, and both copyrights were renewed in the USA within the legally required time period.

[@harrywarrenfan]

Further, even if a cover were copyright-free, use of the song itself would require a license/permission from publisher/owner and/or ASCAP.

[@Emobunneh]

@@harrywarrenfan would a family member work?

[@harrywarrenfan]

@@Emobunneh if they owned the copyright.

[@Emobunneh]

@@harrywarrenfan I have no idea if my family owns the copyright on it but it couldn't hurt to ask. 🤔 Doubt they are still interested after all this time in doing the documentary, but it would be nice to know at least in case someone ever wanted to do it in the future. He's my grandpa and I know my family and I would love to watch if someone ever did a short documentary including him.

[@esmirapeterson2512]

And after this was created Merrie melodies cartoon...

[@PackingProtons]

why does some of this song sound like a mega man NES tune?

[@staspastukh2005]

No one knows.

[@bodyeleltayeb8650]

and after that, he never posted a video again. (make more vids dude.)

[@Ubritoons96]

I can see why they turned these into the cartoon music videos that would soon be known as Merrie Melodies. They had a lot more going on, not that this is bad by any means, but it’s just not very interesting visually. Milton Charles had a phenomenal singing voice though.

[@JackHoward96]

It's captivating, visually

[@freddiehall6433]

This is creepy

[@gnikcohs]

Sort of like a 30s version of Midnight Train to Georgia, but way too overpoweringly gloomy musically. Visuals were interesting sometimes though.

[@harrywarrenfan]

What is interesting about this song is that it was written before the Stock Market crash of ‘29.

[@Robrosisgooood]

harrywarrenfan

[@Robrosisgooood]

the hell

[@marianomiguelpaez5316]

Que representan esas imágenes? Sos barcos?

[@MaskedTexas]

La rosa de guadalupe toons