Kitty from Kansas City
Encyclopedia
Kitty from Kansas City was a 1930 song, famously sung by Hubert Prior Vallée, a French Vermont
singer, popularly called Rudy Vallée
. The song is about a Midwestern
girl called Kitty
and her apparent lack of intelligence, and obesity, due to a lyric: "She wasn't hard to see; she weighed 243."
Some recordings have been made by Vallée, the Imperial Dance Orchestra, and Johnny Walker.
series. It includes an early (although very identical) version of Betty Boop
. The title card music is a lyrical variation of the song "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile".
Kitty (Betty) was walking to a Kansas City
train station, and she waited for her train to “Rudy Valley”, a place where her friend (Rudy) lives. As she waited, the train’s mail compartment sign snatches her. A mouse writes “Fe” behind mail, as a parody of the word “female”.
She reaches “Rudy Valley”, where the cartoon changes to a live-action performance of Vallée and his “Connecticut Yankees” singing and playing the song. Then, the scene goes back to the cartoon, where Kitty does some of the antics in the lyrics, the film ending with Kitty unpluggin a water stopping cork in a pond, with a parade of marine creature following Kitty.
The live-action performance (and the second cartoon sequence) have the pre-recorded soundtrack off, by about a second and a half.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
singer, popularly called Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée
Rudy Vallée was an American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.-Early life:Born Hubert Prior Vallée in Island Pond, Vermont, the son of Charles Alphonse and Catherine Lynch Vallée...
. The song is about a Midwestern
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
girl called Kitty
Katherine (given name)
Katherine is a feminine name, which is popular in historically Christian countries, owing to its having been the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.-Origin and meaning:...
and her apparent lack of intelligence, and obesity, due to a lyric: "She wasn't hard to see; she weighed 243."
Some recordings have been made by Vallée, the Imperial Dance Orchestra, and Johnny Walker.
Animated Film
Kitty from Kansas City was the 47th part of the Screen SongsScreen Songs
Screen Songs is the name of a series of animated cartoons produced by the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1929 and 1938. They were revived by Famous Studios in 1945 starting with the Noveltoon Old MacDonald Had a Farm....
series. It includes an early (although very identical) version of Betty Boop
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She has also been featured in...
. The title card music is a lyrical variation of the song "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile".
Kitty (Betty) was walking to a Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
train station, and she waited for her train to “Rudy Valley”, a place where her friend (Rudy) lives. As she waited, the train’s mail compartment sign snatches her. A mouse writes “Fe” behind mail, as a parody of the word “female”.
She reaches “Rudy Valley”, where the cartoon changes to a live-action performance of Vallée and his “Connecticut Yankees” singing and playing the song. Then, the scene goes back to the cartoon, where Kitty does some of the antics in the lyrics, the film ending with Kitty unpluggin a water stopping cork in a pond, with a parade of marine creature following Kitty.
The live-action performance (and the second cartoon sequence) have the pre-recorded soundtrack off, by about a second and a half.