“This picture’s kinda’ like ‘Mutiny on the County’.”
Supervision by Fred Avery; Musical Direction by Carl W. Stalling. A Merrie Melody released on September 25, 1937.
Ma parrot does her best to raise her chicks. She teaches them the all important skill, parroting. You see, their breeder is going to sell those chicks one of these days, and the majority of potential buyers aren’t aware that obtaining a parrot is akin to buying a loyal but paranoid spouse. Instead, they see them as novelties. Who wouldn’t want an animal that can replicate your speech?
Patrick and Patricia are all too eager to learn. The whole ‘Polly want a cracker’ bit is a stereotype, but darn if the humans don’t giggle when they hear it. The outlier is Peter over there. He has no interest in being a tame pet, repeating inane phrases, being force fed starches, and given the time period, shoved into an all too small cage, he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a sailor.
Ma isn’t pleased. Hasn’t she told Peter and by extension us, the story of her marriage? Started off as lovely as fairytales promise, but then the chicks came. (I’m guessing the one that won’t shut up is Peter.) She was all set to raise them right, but Mr. Parrot didn’t like being stuck in one place. After drinking himself silly, he split for Hawaii. Then he uses the Avery 4th wall break to correct Ma’s narration. He left for Catalina.
Peter is moved to tears, but is resolute in his decision. No point in wasting the hat! With Ma good and fainted, he leaves the cage. So, Ma. I was just wondering. Were you captured by humans, or did you sell yourself, hoping to forget the past? Neither is a healthy coping mechanism, but I suppose it is better than pulling your feathers out.
Peter builds himself a boat out of a barrel, ready to achieve his dreams. Up walks Gabby Goose. (Unnamed, being his debut and all.) He lives up to his name, giving Peter a case of green foot. He likes the idea of being a sailor, and Peter likes the idea of having someone to swab. Once he’s put the clothespin on Gabby’s bill, the kid’s in. Now they can shove off. Bury gold. Guzzle rum. Accost mermaids. Sailors are just pirates with better publicity.
To really sell that you’re a tough type, it helps to chew something. Peter doesn’t have any tobacco, but he does have something that tastes even worse, and probably shouldn’t be swallowed: licorice. A confection that even Candyland designated a tool of evil. And to prove I’m fair, I’ll also admit that even the red kind isn’t that great. Now Smarties, that’s a tasty treat!
And then it starts to rain. Peter knows his ship can’t hold out much longer, and is even willing to let Gabby speak if he’ll only help. Gabby doesn’t give a dropping. He’s waterfowl. He likes the wet, and can swim easily should the ship go down. You know, I’m starting to think parrots were never meant to be seabirds. This is why Pirates should have gulls on their shoulders.
The kids bail out, with Peter screaming for his mom atop Gabby’s back. Ma to the rescue! But things aren’t so serious that she can’t stop running over for a second to sing a little. Looks like a job for a gosling. After settling the twerp’s flailing with a sock in the eye, he brings him to shore. Any respect he had for the kid evaporated. Ma is just glad to see her son safe, but has to point out that none of this would have happened if he hadn’t had any silly sailor notions in the first place.
She is certain he wants to do what she wants from now on, and with tears in his eyes, he resolutely claims that this hasn’t changed his plans at all. And while they could have just reused animation from earlier, they bothered to make sure Peter’s hat is beaten up, and he still has the shiner Gabby gave him. Awesome work guys!
Ma faints again, but after the iris out, she iris in’s again to rhetorically ask what you’d do with a kid like that. Well, the snake breeder next door could always use a little extra feed…
Favorite Part: Peter climbs his ship’s mast just like a real parrot would. Using his bill and zygodactyl feet. Mmm! My inner zoologist finds it delicious!
Personal Rating: 3. Peter is thankfully not that annoying. Maybe he would be if I had to put up with him for 8 minutes.