For this one, blame fillyjonk. She had a post featuring, among other things, Billy Cotton singing Smile, Darn Ya, Smile from 1931, a song written by Charles O’Flynn, Jack Meskill, and Max Rich.
Also in that post, from that year, a character named Foxy – looking not dissimilar to Mickey Mouse – in an animated feature with the same name as the song. It was a Merrie Melodies cartoon, a producer I recognize as later featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and others.
From Toonzone: This cartoon is very similar to Walt Disney’s Oswald the Rabbit cartoon Trolley Troubles (1927) [where “Oswald is the conductor on a runaway trolley] which [supervising director Rudolf] Ising likely worked on. Disney Swipe: In both Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! and in Disney’s The Opry House (1929), a fat hippo is deflated with a pin.”
The Smile, Darn Ya, Smile cartoon was redone, and colorized, in 1995. “The re-drawn version is never animated at 24 fps (as many scenes in the original are), but only with 12 drawings/second.”
As fillyjonk noted, the song “was used (at least the chorus was) at the very end of ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (when the Toons get their happy ending, after all).” It was also recorded by several others.
LINKS
Read the fillyjonk post
Watch the side-by-side comparison of the 1931 and 1995 cartoons
Listen to Smile, Darn Ya, Smile by Ben Selvin, which hit #14 on the Billboard charts in 1931 HERE or HERE or HERE
Listen to Smile, Darn Ya, Smile – Percival Mackay & His Kit-Kat Band (1931)
Listen to Smile, Darn Ya, Smile – Joe Morgan and his Palais D’or Orchestra (1931)
Listen to Smile, Darn Ya, Smile – Sammy Davis, Jr., featuring tap dancing
Watch the end of the Roger Rabbit movie
Listen to soundtrack recording of Smile, Darn Ya, Smile from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The lyrics
Smile, darn ya, smile
You know this great world is a good world after all
Smile, darn ya, smile
And right away watch lady luck pay you a call
Things are never black as they are painted
Time for you and joy to get acquainted
So make life worthwhile
Come on and smile, darn ya, smile
I had to double-check that this was the British Billy Cotton you were talking about, a radio and tv feature of my childhood with his “Wakey! Wakeee!” catchphrase. And his son, Bill, also went on the be head of BBC television. Thanks for the reminisce!