I've Got to Sing a Torch Song

{{Infobox film

| name = I've Got to Sing a Torch Song

| image = LTI've Got to Sing a Torch SongTC.png

| starring = Bernard B. Brown
Selmer Jackson
Noreen Gamill
Bud Duncan
The Rhythmettes{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |page=15 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zGKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT15 |access-date=1 October 2022 |language=en}}

| animator = Jack King

| music = Bernard Brown
Norman Spencer

| studio = Leon Schlesinger Studios

| distributor = Warner Bros.
The Vitaphone Corporation

| released = {{Film date|1933|09|23}}

| runtime = 6:42

| country = United States

| language = English

}}

I've Got to Sing a Torch Song is a 1933 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film, directed by Tom Palmer.{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Jerry |last2=Friedwald |first2=Will |title=Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons |date=1989 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0894-2 |page=22}} The short was released on September 23, 1933.{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |accessdate=June 6, 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/104/mode/2up |pages=104–106}}{{cite web|title=I've Got to Sing a Torch Song (1933)|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7c576d0a|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130035851/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b7c576d0a|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 30, 2016|publisher=explore.bfi.org.uk|accessdate=September 12, 2016}} It premiered with I Loved a Woman in theaters.

Plot

The cartoon is a medley of gags set to the song "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" and radio broadcasts. Characters, including caricatures of 1930s celebrities like Benito Mussolini and Greta Garbo, are seen in various locations like China, Africa, and New York City. Scenes feature humorous depictions of cultural stereotypes and celebrity impersonations, including Bing Crosby and James Cagney. The Statue of Liberty sings the title track, ending with a nod to Jimmy Durante. Ed Wynn's running gag with a cannon culminates in a misfire, sending him flying into his home where his family wears firemen hats.{{cite web|title=GarboForever - Garbo Cartoons|url=http://www.garboforever.com/Garbo_Cartoons_02.htm|website=www.garboforever.com|accessdate=September 12, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Hartley|first1=Steven|title=Likely Looney, Mostly Merrie: 68. I've Got to Sing a Torch Song (1933)|date=December 10, 2011|url=http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.be/2011/12/68-ive-got-to-sing-torch-song-1933.html|publisher=likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.be|accessdate=September 12, 2016}}{{cite web|title=I've Got to Sing a Torch Song|url=https://forgottenfilmcast.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/ive-got-to-sing-a-torch-song/|website=Forgotten Films|accessdate=September 12, 2016|date=January 16, 2012}}

Production notes

The cartoon features the song, "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song," written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song" had been recorded by several artists, including Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallée, and Al Bowlly. Dick Powell sang the song in the film "Gold Diggers of 1933."