Shinbone Alley

1970 "It's sophisticated enough for kids, simple enough for adults"
5.4| 1h25m| G| en| More Info
Released: 26 June 1970 Released
Producted By: Fine Arts Films
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Suicidal poet Archy tries to end his life by jumping off a bridge, but awakens to find he has assumed the life of a cockroach and has become a part of a community of creatures living in a newspaper office. He also discovers that he can still write poetry, using a typewriter, and begins to enjoy his new life. Archy develops deep feelings for the lovely but self-destructive cat Mehitabel, but will have to fight to win her from bad-boy tomcat Bill.

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Reviews

Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch
Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever
Console best movie i've ever seen.
InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
bml84 I remember seeing this back in the Early-Mid 80's during a Holiday weekday on STV. Obviously the station realised too late that this was not your typical Kiddy Fodder as it was never shown again (a minor miracle for anyone who knows STV). I'm not surprised.It was Soooo depressing. Suicide-Unrequited Love-Sleaze-Despair. Fun viewing for all the Family. Has to be said though that it did stick in my mind, though maybe not for the right reasons.An odd curiosity that was very out of place for its time. Can't believe it was made in the 70's.Probably traumatised more kids than Bambis' Mother.
Julia Arsenault (ja_kitty_71) I got curious about this movie after seeing pictures for it. Then I ordered the movie online, watched it , and I thought it is another great animated movie. Based on a musical that went on Broadway, this film is also based on the short stories by a fellow named Don Marquis about a newspaperman who jumped in the river to drown himself. He reappears as a cockroach, who finds out he can still type by jumping up and down on the keys of a typewriter. He then falls secretly in love with Mehitabel, the cat; an unlikely romance huh? He writes poetry to her and tries to keep her on the straight and narrow; kind of like Jiminy Cricket don't you think? But Mehitabel has a heart-throb, Big Bill the Alley's tom-cat (voiced by The Flintstones' Alan Reed), and is now Archy's nemesis.Of course, Mehitabel's romance with Bill ended badly and she promise Archy to change her wild ways. That is until she meet a theater cat known as Tyrone T. Tattersall. Archy then decides to commit suicide - again, until he came across Big Bill and told him everything. Meanwhile, at a theater, Mehitabel was being used by Tattersall to steal food for him, and thus ending her relationship with him. Then seeing Bill and Archy, Bill reconcile with Mehitabel to dismay of little Archy. Angry Archy decides to declare war in a George Herriman sequence; that is until he heard that Mehitabel had kittens of course, and "needs him." Oh! you folks will have to see it for yourself how it ends.So what can I say about this film is that it's truly a colorful animated Broadway musical with foot-tapping music and a top-notch cast. Carol was great as the seductive feline Mehitabel, I remember her vocals from "Happily Ever After" and "Thumbelina." I love it when she goes "Toujours Gai,Toujours Gai." I also love it when Mehitabel does a "Romeo & Juliet" monologue in such a jazzy zest, that I couldn't help but go along with Tattersall's aghast expressions; just for the fun of it. So overall I think this film is a colorful, comical, musical work of art.
devans7331 The animation is certainly different. Early- and pre-cinema enthusiasts will recognise some of the psychedelic effects as magic lantern chromotropes, and there are shades of Georges Melies in some of the sequences. Carol Channing is brilliant as Mehitabel! Good jazz-like sound track.
Kat Miss "shinbone alley" is one of the most powerful and interesting animated features I've ever seen. It is also one of the most mismarketed animated features as well. The distributor, Allied Artists, states in this add that it is "SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH FOR KIDS".It is not. Kids simply won't understand the dark humor of the Don Marquis stories and the Mel Brooks-Joe Darion musical on which this is based. They'll also be brought down by the bleak tone of the film, which opens with what I'll simply describe as suicide, to spare your feelings. However, I highly recommend this film to older teenagers and adults. "shinbone alley" is a visionary wonder; kind of like "Yellow Submarine" combined with "Dark City". The story involves archy (voiced by Eddie Bracken), a lovesick roach who is the reincarnation of the suicide victim in the opening moments. (The title of the film and names of characters are written in lower case on purpose; one of the plot strands is that archy writes essays and poems on a typewriter by jumping on the keys; in his human form, archy was a lovesick poet) The object of his affections is mehitabel (Carol Channing), a cat who I'll simply describe as the town floozy. Basically, the film is about their friendship and various trials and tribulations."shinbone alley" is bleak, but what visuals! New York is used as a backdrop for various psychodelic musical numbers lifted from the musical. The songs are very good here. As in all great musicals, they enhance the story instead of being set pieces. The vocal performances are excellent as well, especially Carol Channing as mehitabel. I don't understand why most people are down on Channing's vocals. I think she's perfectly cast as mehitabel and is an asset to the success of the film. Eddie Bracken is also well cast as archy and I think he is responsible for much of the humor infused in the character. And Flintstones fans will recognize Alan Reed as the boss cat in the gang mehitabel hangs around."shinbone alley" is a wonderful movie, but I urge all parents to take my advice and not to let their kids see this film. It has parts in it that made me break down and I'm sure kids will take it even harder. But is a rewarding experience for teens and adults. **** out of 4 stars