Rainbow Parade was a series of 27 animated shorts produced by Van Beuren Studios and distributed to theaters by RKO between 1934 and 1936. This was the all-color series and last series produced by the studio.
Many of the cartoons have no recurring characters, but some featured Parrotville Parrots, Molly Moo-Cow, Toonerville Trolley, and Felix the Cat. This series was purchased by Commonwealth Pictures in 1941 and was later syndicated for television. The 1935 short The Merry Kittens was used in an episode of The Wubbcast. Thunderbean Animation released a collection of the early Rainbow Parade cartoons on DVD in 2009. The second half of the series is available from the original negatives released by Image DVD/Blackhawk Films/Film Preservation Associates.
Filmography
All cartoons released in 1934 were produced in Cinecolor. All shorts from 1935 were produced in two-strip Technicolor. All shorts from 1936 were produced in three-strip Technicolor.
2 cartoons, A Waif's Welcome and Cupid Gets His Man, have voices provided by Little Rascals actor Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. He voiced the poor orphan boy and Dan Cupid.
| Film | Original release date | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Town Wedding | July 27, 1934 | Burt Gillett, Ted Eshbaugh | |
| The Parrotville Fire Department | September 14, 1934 | Burt Gillett, Steve Muffatti | The first of three Rainbow Parade cartoons featuring Parrotville Parrots |
| The Sunshine Makers | January 11, 1935 | Ted Eshbaugh | Originally released as a promotional film for Borden's Milk |
| Parrotville Old Folks | January 25, 1935 | Burt Gillett, Tom Palmer | Features Parrotville Parrots |
| Japanese Lanterns | March 8, 1935 | Burt Gillett, Ted Eshbaugh | |
| Spinning Mice | April 3, 1935 | Burt Gillett, Tom Palmer | |
| Picnic Panic | May 3, 1935 | Burt Gillett, Tom Palmer | The first of seven Rainbow Parade cartoons featuring Molly Moo-Cow |
| A Waif's Welcome | June 19, 1936 | Tom Palmer | Voices by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer |
| Trolley Ahoy | July 3, 1936 | Burt Gillett | Features Toonerville Trolley |
| Cupid Gets His Man | July 24, 1936 | Tom Palmer | Voices by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer |
| It's a Greek Life | August 2, 1936 | Dan Gordon | |
| Toonerville Picnic | October 2, 1936 | Burt Gillett | Features Toonerville Trolley |