Ragtime frog series#
Ragtime frog tv#

Michigan also would usually appear before the opening of shows, informing the viewer of the TV rating. The camera then panned over to Chuck Jones drawing Michigan on an easel when Jones finished, Michigan leaped from the drawing to formally launch The WB and lands on Chuck's shoulder who then says 'What's Up Frog'. The network's first night of programming on January 11, 1995, began with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck wondering which one of them would pull the switch to launch The WB. Frog, again voiced by McCarthy, was the official mascot of The WB from its inception in 1995 until 2005. The character also appears on the cover illustration (drawn by Chuck Jones) of singer-songwriter Leon Redbone's 1975 album On the Track. He appears at the end of the episode as the one who sent one of his futuristic robots to destroy Bugs Bunny, and he later appeared in the show's second season intro.Ī frog resembling Michigan appeared in the beginning of the 1988 Disney/Amblin film Who Framed Roger Rabbit at Maroon Cartoon Studios. Frog made a cameo appearance in the New Looney Tunes episode 'Misjudgment Day', voiced by Jeff Bergman. studio who were not Mel Blanc, since only Blanc had a clause in his contract ensuring he would get on-screen credit.) In Another Froggy Evening, his voice was provided by Jeff McCarthy. (Roberts went uncredited at the time, as were most voice actors at the Warner Bros. The Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD credits Frog's original singing vocals to Bill Roberts, a nightclub entertainer in Los Angeles in the 1950s who had also done voice work for the 1948 MGM cartoon Little 'Tinker.

In a clip from a DVD special, Jones stated that he had come up with the name 'Michigan Frog' during the 1970s and was inspired to add the 'J.' as a middle initial while being interviewed by a writer named Jay Cocks. The character's later, enduring name comes from the song 'The Michigan Rag' (an original song written by Jones, Maltese, and musical director Milt Franklyn), which he sings in the cartoon. The frog's earliest name was 'Enrico', as given in The Bugs Bunny Show (1960). The character may be loosely based on Ol' Rip the Horned Toad. On September 17, 2006, after The Night of Favorites and Farewells, he was shown as the final image of a white silhouette bowing down to viewers, bringing up The CW. He appeared in a later cartoon titled Another Froggy Evening, which was released on October 6, 1995, and was the former mascot of The WB from that year until July 22, 2005. Michigan's talent is discovered by a hapless man who has visions of profiting from it, but catches on too late that the frog will perform for him and him alone in front of anyone else, Michigan is just a normal frog and thwarts his dreams of wealth. In this cartoon, partly inspired by a 1944 Cary Grant film entitled Once Upon a Time, Michigan is a male frog who wears a top hat, carries a cane, sings pop music, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley hits, and other songs from the late 19th and early 20th century while dancing and performing acrobatics in the style of early 20th century vaudeville.

Ragtime frog series#

Originally a one-shot character, his only appearance during the original run of the Merrie Melodies series was as the star of One Froggy Evening (December 31, 1955), written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. Frog is an animated cartoon character from the Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies film series. A distinctly American musical style, ragtime may be considered a blend of African rhythms and European classical music.Michigan J. By the start of the 20th century it became widely popular throughout North America and was listened and danced to, performed, and written by people of many different cultures. Ragtime originated in African American musical communities, in the late 19th century, and descended from the jigs and marches played by bands in Northern cities with black populations. More info, cover art, and a make-it-yourself paper piano model Zachary Brewster-Geisz recorded 'Maple Leaf Rag' using orchestra software.

The selections in this release were recorded from cylinders, 78 rpm records and player pianos by tomrjim and Jonathan Aizen. The most popular was called a player piano, and most songs here are recorded from player pianos. The paper recordings were played by machine instruments.

Back then, sound was recorded into things like wax, resin, paper and metal. This collection focuses on ragtime, an American music style from more than 100 years ago, a long time before the invention of CDs and iPods. Ragtime’s upbeat style is perfect as a happy and inspiring backdrop for playtime!