The Stein Song (1930) Review: Beer Mugs with Faces and Very Loud Singing

Is this worth your time?

If you like weird old cartoons from the era where everything had a face, yeah, give it a look. It’s only a few minutes long anyway.

College students or people who like Maine history might find it funny. If you hate old-timey singing that sounds like it’s coming through a tin can, you will probably hate this.

I watched this on a whim because I was looking for early Shamus Culhane stuff. It’s basically a 1930s version of karaoke.

The whole thing is built around 'The Stein Song,' which was a massive hit for Rudy Vallee back then. It’s the University of Maine’s fight song, which is a bit of an odd choice for a general audience cartoon, but hey, people loved it.

The animation is handled by Rudy Zamora and Dave Fleischer. You can tell they were just having fun with the bouncing ball mechanic.

The cartoon starts with these beer mugs—or steins, I guess—coming to life. They have these really exaggerated expressions that are kind of haunting if you look at them too long.

There is one stein in particular that looks incredibly tired. I felt a weird connection to that specific drawing.

Everything in the frame is constantly moving. Even when a character is just standing there, they are sort of bobbing up and down to an internal rhythm.

It’s that classic 'rubber hose' style where bones don't seem to exist. It reminds me a little bit of the energy in Trying to Get Along, though that one feels a bit more grounded if you can believe it.

The middle of the short is just the lyrics on screen with the ball. 'To the gods, to the fates, to the rulers of men...'

I found myself actually humming along, which is embarrassing. The song is catchy in a way that feels like it’s drilling into your brain.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Stein Song (1930) through its definitive frames.

There is a moment where a dog appears and he looks... off. His eyes are a bit too far apart and he stares directly at the audience for a second too long.

I wonder if the animators did that on purpose. Sometimes these old shorts feel like they are daring you to keep watching.

It’s not exactly a 'story.' It’s more of an experience or a vibe.

It feels very much of its time, especially with the way the audio is mixed. The music is way louder than any of the sound effects.

I’ve seen a lot of these Screen Songs, and this one is middle-of-the-road. It’s not as trippy as some of the later ones, but it has its charms.

If you’ve seen A Close Shave, you know how these short-form gag reels usually go. This one just swaps out the gags for a lot of foaming beer mugs.

Some things I noticed:

• The way the foam on the beer moves like it's a solid object.
• Rudy Vallee’s voice is so distinct, it almost feels like he's in the room.
• The background art is actually pretty detailed for a silly sing-along.
• There is a weirdly aggressive goat.

I think what I like most is how unpretentious it is. It doesn't want to be art; it just wants you to sing about Maine and drinking.

It’s a bit like Shadows of the West in that it knows exactly what its audience wants and doesn't try to do anything else.

The ending is abrupt. It just... stops.

No big finale, just the song ending and the screen going dark. I kind of respect that lack of closure.

Anyway, if you have seven minutes and want to feel like you’ve been transported to a 1930s movie house, this is a fine way to do it. Just don't expect it to change your life.