Hash House Blues (1934) review - Weirdly stretchy cartoon fun

If you have seven minutes to spare and love rubbery 1930s animation where logic goes to die, yes, Hash House Blues is absolutely worth a quick watch.

Cartoon nerds and people who find old-school slapstick comforting will dig it. Anyone looking for a coherent plot or actual character development will probably hate it and turn it off after two minutes. 🍳

So Krazy Kat is a waiter here. But despite the title calling it a "hash house" (which usually means a cheap, greasy diner), the place looks surprisingly fancy inside.

Or at least, it tries to be. The main gag is just Krazy dealing with weird customers and food that keeps coming to life.

Honestly, the animation by Manny Gould has that great, stretchy feel where bones don't seem to exist. At one point, Krazy's legs just turn into noodles while he's carrying a giant tray.

It reminds me a bit of the chaotic energy in The Big Party, just with more singing plates.

Speaking of which, the music is constant. Everything in this kitchen has a rhythm, even the dirty dishes.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hash House Blues (1931) through its definitive frames.

There is this one incredibly weird moment where a roasted chicken gets up and starts dancing. It's kind of creepy, actually.

The chicken still has no head but it's strutting around like a proud peacock. I literally rewound it twice because it was so bizarre. 🐔

Also, Krazy Kat doesn't really look like Krazy Kat here. If you know the original comic strip by George Herriman, you'll notice Columbia Pictures basically turned Krazy into a generic Mickey Mouse clone.

It is a bit of a bummer if you love the comic's poetic vibe. But as a pure slice of 1930s weirdness, it still works.

Odd details I noticed:

• The guy making soup has this weirdly realistic face that doesn't match the rest of the cartoon.
• A plate of spaghetti literally tries to eat itself.
• The gravity in this restaurant is highly optional.

The ending just sort of happens. There is no big lesson or grand finale, just a final gag and a quick fade out.

I love how short these things are. No bloat, just pure, dumb fun.

If you're in the mood for something light that requires zero brain power, give it a go. It is much more amusing than some of the dry, stiff comedies of that era, like The Barber's Daughter which feels way more dated.