The House of Tomorrow is a 1949 animated theatrical short directed by Tex Avery.[2] It was part of a series of cartoons Avery did satirizing technology of the future which included: The Car of Tomorrow, The Farm of Tomorrow, and The T.V. of Tomorrow. These were satires of live action promotional films that were commonly shown in theaters at the time.
| The House of Tomorrow | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tex Avery |
| Story by | Jack Cosgriff Rich Hogan |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby |
| Starring | Frank Graham Tex Avery Joi Lansing[1] |
| Narrated by | Frank Graham Don Messick |
| Music by | Scott Bradley |
| Animation by | Walter Clinton Michael Lah Grant Simmons |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | MGM cartoon studio |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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Running time | 7:00 |
| Language | English |
The film is a straightforward narrated showcase of appliances said to be found in a typical house in the year 2050, roughly a hundred years after the cartoon was made, each one actually an outlandish joke. Most of the time the inventions following a similar pattern of being made for each member of the family ending with a fatal version for the "mother-in-law".
The cartoon starts as the narrator (voiced by Frank Graham) presents the audience "The House of Tomorrow", completely "pre-fabricated and ready to set up", all in one little wrapped up gift (including a matching outhouse way out in the yard).
The narrator presents the doors for each member of the family: one for Fido (the dog), Junior (the child, which is stained with muddy handprints), the Mother (which is widened to accommodate her hips - "she just loves sweets"), the Father (a saloon doorway), and the mother-in-law (with chains, locks, boards, and a welcome mat that reads "SCRAM").
Inside the house, the narrator talks about the thick carpeting. The butler gets into the carpet and he sinks deeply inside it.
The narrator then presents how to get moisture in the room. Just pressing a button reveals a rain cloud that floats across the room.
Next is the trophy room "where it contains many rare exhibits of the hunt". The trophy of a moose shows that it was killed June 8, 1925, a ram was killed April 20, 1933, a tiger was killed September 3, 1942, and a champagne bottle was killed New Year's Eve (for which the song Auld Lang Syne is heard played on a wobbly violin).
Next is for those whose house has that "too-rich appearance" and if those "mean tax assessors knocks on your [audience] door". With a press of a button, the house (along with the husband and wife) will look poor.
Next, the narrator presents a machine that helps parents answer Junior's many questions. The father's voice on the machine (voiced by Frank Graham) will yell: "Ah, shut up!", shoving a toilet plunger in Junior's face.
Next, the narrator presents an "automatic sandwich-maker" that cuts salami and loaf of bread and throws each sandwich to the dishes, as if it was dealing cards.
The narrator then presents a sun-lamp that helps people turn rich golden brown on both sides with a large spatula.
The narrator presents a "new proposed guest chair that adjust itself to any type of visitor" for the tall, short, and the mother-in-law (an electric chair).
Next, the narrator presents a three screened television set for each member of the family for the housewife (a cooking show), kiddies (a western), and the tired businessman (showing a beautiful lady played by actress Joi Lansing which causes the narrator lose his train of thought).
The narrator presents medicine cabinets for the father (shaving razors, pills, toothpaste, etc.), mother (various cosmetics and the like), Junior (a large bottle of castor oil with a spoon), and the mother-in-law (bottles of poison).
The narrator presents an "auto-electric shaver" that literally takes everything (except the eyes); mouth, nose, and hair.
The narrator then presents a new toaster that lets people pop up instead of the toast.
The narrator shows an "auto-matic orange-juicer" that removes all the seeds from the juice, by throwing them into a spittoon.
The narrator presents a frying pan that contains a small mallet to prevent the frying bacon from curling-up.
The narrator presents a modern stove that has a clear view door to let people look into their oven (everything). A live roasted chicken screams and uses the blinds to cover itself.
The narrator then presents a device that helps remove the burps from the radishes.
The narrator (voiced by Don Messick in this sequence) presents a pressure cooker (the streamline job of tomorrow) that lets people simply put in their steak, peas, carrots, eggs, and tomatoes. As the cooker is turned on, it explodes within seconds, sending the food high up in the air, along with the now soot-covered wife.
The narrator presents a refrigerator that helps clear of mystery of how the light goes on and off when one is closing the door. It has a small window that shows a little creature turning off the refrigerator light when it's closed.
The narrator then finishes the tour of the house.
A title card then appears the screen:
The short ends with the shot of the woman in the TV set for the tired businessman.
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