The Organ Grinder (1933 film)

The Organ Grinder is a 1933 American animated comedy short film directed by Rudolf Ising. It is the 22nd film in the Merrie Melodies series. It features songs from the film 42nd Street. It was released on April 2, 1933.

The Organ Grinder
Title card
Directed by	Rudolf Ising
Produced by	Hugh Harman Rudolf Ising Leon Schlesinger
Music by	Frank Marsales
Animation by	Rollin Hamilton Thomas McKimson
Color process	Black-and-white
Production companies	Harman-Ising Productions Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date	April 2, 1933 (1933-04-02)
Running time	7 min
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

An organ grinder walks alongside his pet monkey on the streets. The monkey helps collect money from children by climbing up streetlights, then steals a banana which he eats by humorously unzipping the zippers on its skin. Two women who live across from each other on high skyscrapers are impressed by the performance, so the monkey climbs up to their windows through curtains and collects their money.

Just as the monkey gives his owner the earnings, nearby children come to watch the monkey dance. The monkey is scared by a cat, going into a nearby second-hand goods shop and dons a disguise that resembles Harpo Marx. He plays on the harp but then is launched out of the disguise to the children's location. He finds a poster of Laurel and Hardy at a cinema, doing impressions of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before going for a piano. He then performs as a one-man band while the children sing. After playing with the cat's tail, he goes on a joyride on an automobile, crashing into a fruit seller whose wheelbarrow of fruit falls perfectly but is crushed by the man himself, a bundle of laundry and finally onto a music shop near his owner. He emerges from the rubble with the automobile enhanced by musical instruments, to the amusement of his owner.