Category: Merrie Melodies

Cartoons that were labeled as such.

Posted on

Kiddin’ the Kitten

“Here comes trouble for Dodsworth.”

Directed by Robert McKimson. Released in 1952

This short begins with a lady freaking out over some mice. (Come on, really? I still refuse that any woman in the history of ever, has freaked out like this over a mouse) The mice mock her, and rightfully so. If she’s going to act like this, she deserves to be ridiculed. Of course, maybe if her cat actually caught mice, she might be a little more sane. The cat, (Dodsworth. Interesting name) would rather just lie about eating sardines. The mice don’t fear him in the slightest and take one of his snacks for their own. The woman tells the cat to cat-ch them, (heh-heh) or he’s out. Work is not something he’s too keen on. Apparently no one in his family had to stoop to such lows. He just needs someone to do it for him. With that idea in mind, he puts a sign outside claiming it’s a school of mousing. (M.U. we’ll call it) Almost right away, he’s got someone interested. A little kitten that actually is pretty cute. (Maybe in part, because I think it looks more like a dog than anything.) Despite the bow, Dodsworth refers to it as a male, so I guess I have no choice. (But I’m still going to give it the genderly ambiguous name of Riley.) His teaching method is that experience is all you need. He hooks Riley to a fishing hook and tells him to tug when he’s caught one. The kitten is cast into the kitchen. The mice are not scared. (Why should they be? In a house where potential dangers either laze about or act hysterical…) but Riley gives chase regardless, cornering one into a hole. He puts some cheese on his middle finger and the now dazed mouse takes it. Riley then flicks his finger, (or toe I suppose) on to the mouse’s head knocking him out. Now back with the teacher, he learns that getting one mouse at a time is not good enough, and he’s cast out again. So he gets a big wheel of cheese and fills it with ball bearings. (Why were they in the fridge?) The mice either don’t chew their food, or they just possess the strongest teeth of all rodents and gobble it down. Riley tugs back on the line and when he’s pulled back, uses a magnet to attract them all to him. Hearing his lady approaching, Dodsworth quickly gives him a diploma and shoos him out. Walking to the cage of mice, he takes credit for the work. I guess Riley figured it was weird to be rushed out so fast, as he came back to witness the whole thing. In retalliation, he lets all the mice go. The woman acts pathetic again, and Dodsworth is bound and gagged. Riley then chases them all out saving the day. Later, Dodsworth has apparently been kicked out, as Riley now occupys his bed and his name has been crossed out. But I think he should have kept the name. It suits him now that he has adopted Dodsworth’s habits. Seeing this, the mice come back and pick up where they left off. Riley-sworth quotes the original, “One of these day’s I’m going to have to buy myself a mousetrap.”

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

The Unexpected Pest

“Okay sthlave, I’ve got a job for ya.”

Directed by Robert McKimson. Released in 1956

Before we begin, a brief mention of the symphony I attended last week: IT WAS GREAT! I got to talk to a lot of Looney Tune fans. I complimented a man’s tie, a woman complimented my shirt, and I got a picture of me posing next to Bugs in a scene from “Rabbit of Seville.” They played the corresponding music to several shorts. (Including a few Tom and Jerry ones. Weird.) The short’s you’d expect were there: “Baton Bunny,” “Long-haired Hare,” and obviously: “What’s Opera, Doc?” All in all, it was spectacular. Here’s hoping everyone had a merry Christmas. (I did.)

A man comes home but is disgusted by the cat who lives there. (Sylvester) The feeling’s mutual however, as Sylvester hides behind a pillow when he looks at the man’s face. (Best joke of the short right there.) The man complains to his wife,(June Foray in one of her first roles at Warners) but she reminds him that they got the cat to catch mice. Which he apparently did. (It’s nice to not have him fail for once) Since there are no more mice, she agrees to get rid of the cat tomorrow. Sylvester has heard the whole thing and is not willing to part with his home. Luckily for him, there is a mouse right outside, who faints at the sight of the cat. (And this mouse shall be named: Dennis.) Sylvester brings him to with some cheese, and the mouse thinks he died and went to heaven. When he sees the cat still behind him, he figures it’s the other place. Sylvester lays down the rules: the mouse does what he commands, or it’s down the hatch. He has the mouse go in and scare the woman of the house. (Did any woman really ever jump on a stool at the sight of a mouse? I figure they’d beat it to death with a broom first.) Sylvester comes to the rescue and pounds the rodent. The wife tells her husband the cat is staying. If there is one mouse, there must be more about. (Poor Dennis probably IS a father.) The charade goes on for a few weeks, until one day when Sylvester get’s his pet, Dennis talks back. He’s been thinking, and realizes that Sylvester is not going to eat him, he’s far too valuable. In fact, he can do as crazy stuff as can be as he wants. Jumping off of high places, grabbing mousetraps, and standing under anvils, knowing the cat will save him each time. His antics go too far when he sits on a lit firecracker. Sylvester throws it out of the room, where it explodes on the man. Cut to Sylvester battered and bruised. (Holy crap! That guy actually beat a cat up? I hate the things, but that’s flucking evil!) Apparently he was kicked out. (I hope for your sake that Dennis’s family isn’t there, or your wife will have your head.) Speaking of that mouse, he waves to Sylvester from a bridge and jumps. He pretends to drown much to the puttytat’s delight. As he goes on his merry way, Dennis tells us he figure after all that hell, he deserved a happy ending.

Personal Rating: 3

See you next year!

Posted on

Cat Feud

“Electro-Magnetic Crane”

Directed by Chuck Jones. Released in 1958.

Well, forget that Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot ever met. According to this short, this is how it all began. Of course, Marc is gray here, so it might just be an alternate universe. The short itself starts in a construction site. Marc Anthony is a guard dog who marches in time to the short’s soundtrack. He takes great pride in his work and ferociously barks at a moving bag that contains a kitten. (Um… Why was it in a bag, in a trash can? Humanity! What’s wrong with you!) Despite the large canine barking in it’s face, the kitten is not afraid and instead makes itsel comfortalbe on the dog’s back. He falls for the cutie and adopts him. He sets him down with a sausage to eat, while he continues his rounds. Hungry eyes are watching however. A creature that looks like a mix between Claude Cat and the Grinch. So we’ll call him Grinch cat. He heads for the meaty treat, but as soon as he lays one paw on it, Marc Antony is there to pound him. But he’s not going to give up that easily, as he begins to raise the I-beam the kitten is on. In turn, Pussyfoot wakes up and takes note of the meal in its possession. With the dog’s help the kitten, manages to not walk off into the abyss, but he is left hanging by another beam. Grinch cat, shakes it a bit, (sure showed him.) and goes back to the hunt. (I really like how he’s animated.) When he does get the sausage from the kitten, the kitten shows it is not pleased. Grinch cat does the ole “Go on, hit me!” routine, not seeing the I-beam Marc Antony has sent heading for his skull. Thinking it was the kitten, he doesn’t notice that once more he’s about to be I-beamed. (And I beamed.) Fearing the obviously herculean super kitty, Grinch cat grabs a hammer. Marc in turn makes use of today’s quote and pulls him and the hammer up. Grinch falls down, and Marc releases the hammer head. The cat grabs a hardhat and keeps his cranium intact. But the clever dog, turns the magnent back on, and the cat flies back up. Then Marc just trolls him by quickly turning the thing off and on. But he has to stop, when he sees his precious Pussyfoot about to fall again. He saves (him/her/it) and Grinch tries to make a break for it. He gets his foot caught in a bucket though, and the magnent grabs him again, wedging him between the pail and the hat. Later that night, he’s still up there as the dog and kitten happily bunk down for the night.

Personal Rating: 3

Guess who is going to a symphony tonight? Not just any one though, this one is going to be playing a tribute to Looney Tunes. A dream come true! Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Posted on

Pizzacato Pussycat

“Whoever heard of a mouse pianist?”

Directed by I. Freleng. Released in 1955. (A nice touch: the quotation marks in the title are music notes)

This short, which looks a lot like the shorts U.P.A. was producing, (like Gerald McBoing Boing) stars two animals. They live in the house of John and Vi Jones. Vi claims that not only has a toy piano gone missing, but she keeps hearing it play. If I know anything about mysteries, (and I definitely do.) than the culprit was the lobster! No wait, he’s a percussionist. It was probably that Schroeder kid. But seriously, the thief is a mouse. He sneaks out to get some more sheet music, but the cat of the house takes notice. (Name time! Let’s call the cat, Chauncey and the mouse, Michael.) The mouse loses his glasses in the chase and the cat kicks them under the couch before grabbing the rodent. Then he picks up another pair off the ground. (what?) Now seeing his possible doom in front of him, Michael asks to be spared. After all, he can play piano. (Although, I’m more interested in where he got glasses) Laughing at the absurdity, Chauncey gets the piano and demands a demonstration. Michael provides, but now that he is out of his hole, both of the Jone’s can hear him. In a panic, the cat puts the pianist mouse in the larger piano and mimes playing it. The owners are shocked and call the papers. The cat decides to spare the mouse as long as he plays (get it?) along. Soon they are all set to play for a large audience, including several critics. Things start smoothly, but soon one of the piano keys breaks Michael’s glasses. The resulting music is quite abominable, and the cat is exposed as a fruad much to his and his owner’s shame. Back at their place, the cat chases the mouse again. The resulting chase leads them to a drum set, (who plays those? The piano can at least be seen as decoration, but who keeps drums around unless they play?) While swatting at the rodent, Chauncey discovers that he is quite skilled at the drums. Michael grabs the piano and they form a pretty sweet duet. Vi goes to call again, but John declines against it and the two keep their musical pets a secret to the world. It’s probably for the best. Michael isn’t going to live longer than 3 years.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Dough Ray Me-ow

“Louie is my friend. Yes sir, my best little pal.”

Directed by Arthur Davis. Released in 1948

One of Warner Bros. best one shots! This short stars two pets. The parrot Louie and the cat Heathcliff. (Who predates the comic strip Heathcliff by about 25 years. Speaking of, have you ever read it? It’s the most surreal bizarre comic I’ve ever seen. I can’t even tell half the time if there is a joke being told.) Back to the REAL star… Heathcliff is dumb. He’s so dumb that he actually forgets to breathe! (That… is flucking hilarious. No, that’s not a typo. I’m not swearing.) Louie helps him out though, despite the fact he is clearly annoyed. (That’s so sweet.) Heathcliff (who actually did appear in “Looney Tunes back in Action”) finds a piece of paper that he wants Louie to read. Turns out, it’s their owner’s will, and when they go, Heathcliff will inheirit everything. Once he’s gone, Louie gets the dough. (Makes sense, Parrots tend to live longer than cats) Louie tells him instead of reading, that he should go on a vactaion. The cat returns half a second later due to being homesick. Looks like he’ll have to be permanently removed. Louie bribes a bulldog to kill the cat when Louie calls for help. Heathcliff is as strong as he is stupid and saves his chum while holding the dog in one paw. While the cat cracks nuts, (with the nut in his mouth and his head in a giant nutcracker) Louie tries playing a game of “William Tell.” (Which he unhappily seems to be a master at.) He rips a wire out of the wall and invites the cat to play “Radio.” You’ve never played? It’s a wonderful game! All you do is stick two live wires in your ears while they are plugged in. Music will then play. (Warning! This only applies to mammals. If you are a bird, then the basic rules of electricity WILL apply to you.) Even putting a can on the cat’s head and having walk into an upcoming train doesn’t kill him. (He should have just let Heathcliff do himself in. Besides his breathing problem, he seemed pretty close to crushing his head when he was playing with his nuts. Don’t try to find an innuendo there by the way, there is none.) Louie then surprises Heathcliff with a birthday cake. With 3 real candles, and a stick of dynamite. (It’s the thought that counts.) Heathcliff is apparently smart enough to know about numbers as he claims that he is only 3 and hands the explosive back saying it’s unneeded. (So depending on how old Louie is, he probably couldn’t wait another 10-11 years) Despite Louie claiming he IS four, Heathcliff refuses to accept it and takes the cake and runs. (Why didn’t Louie make all the candles explosive? Your face, that’s why.) After a chase scene, Heathcliff finds his birth certificate that literally says he’s four. He takes the candle back, and wouldn’t you know it, Louie’s scheme works. Heathcliff bids him farewell, as his nine lives fly up to cat heaven. But Louie just can’t keep his big beak shut, and tells him about the money he can’t take with him. Life number 9 calls the other back, and they all fly back into the body. If Heathcliff can’t take the money with him, then he’s not going. (I didn’t know death was that easy to get out of. I guess every time we sleep, we technically die, we just choose not to die yet. Death is considerate like that.)

Personal Rating: 4

Posted on

The Aristo-cat

“Good grief, I’m all alone!”

Directed by Charles M. Jones. Released in 1943

Why am I doing a post a day earlier than I usually do? Well, my dear readers, tomorrow happens to be white Wednesday. The last day where you should remember November. (Come Thanksgiving, people seem to reacall that there are 11 months.) Besides, I’m going to the movies tomorrow, and I can’t promise I’ll have time.

Don’t worrry, you are at the right place. I didn’t go all Disney on you. This short came out 27 years earlier. (Besides, I think “The Aristocats” is my least favorite Disney film anyway.) A cat named Pussy (No immature jokes please) has got it made. He’s the pet of a rich lady and therefore gets a comfy bed, breakfast brought to him in it, and complete control of Meadows the butler. He’s a bit of a dick though. Squirting grapefruit juice into his eye and letting him slip on bars of soap. It’s no surprise that Meadows quits. The cat panics as he realizes that as a pet, he has no clue how to fend for himself. (Look at those backgrounds courtesy of a one John McGrew, they are a beautiful abstract masterpiece.) In his panic, he finds a book about cats. (Written by a F.E. Line.) To his luck, it opens up to the chapter that details the eating habits of the cat. It says that they feed on mice. Sounds easy enough, but never having seen one, the cat runs in terror when he finds one. The mouse in question is Hubie, making his debut here. (You could say this cat is Claude, but the appearance is all wrong and his bed says Pussy remember? Although he does have a similar voice.) Hubie calls his friend Bertie, (just called Bert here) and shows him that the cat is no threat to them. The mice (whose colors will switch for later appearances) happily feast on cheese. They refuse to share with the cat, telling him he should eat mice. He admits he doesn’t know what they look like, and the two point him out to a nice large one named Rover. Pussy tries to make a sandwich out of him, but that goes about as well as you’d expect. (One should never try to eat something alive, that can open it’s mouth wider than you.) The cat is thrown back into the house, where he slides into the book again. Conveniently, he finds the part of the book that clearly labels the cat’s prey and enemies. With his new knowledge, he chases the mice. They run into Rover’s dog house just as the dog comes home and pounds them. Pussy wakes up, as it was just a horrible dream. Rover and the mice (sharing the bed) agree. (Keep your gay jokes to yourself please. They’re not funny.)

Personal Rating: 4 (Those backgrounds are an abstract masterpiece)

Posted on

Conrad the Sailor

“You’re a slovenly housekeeper.”

Directed by Charles M. Jones. Released in 1942

Who is Conrad? Well, you asked the right person. (If you didn’t ask you are either: a) already quite knowledgeable about cartoons and just come here for my jokes, or b) you are a sad person who isn’t even looking at my blog. shame on you) Conrad the cat only appeared in 3 shorts. All of which were directed by Jones, all of which came out the same year. This is both the only one with his name in the title and the only one where he speaks. His one defining character trait is that he has a little shuffle walk. I like him. His appearance makes me smile. This short was his final appearance. It takes place on a ship. (no surprise.) While most of the crew appear to be dogs, Conrad is not. Perhaps this is the reason he’s the only one swabbing the deck? Listen to his voice. Does he sound familiar? (No, it’s not Mel. Please stop guessing him. Would I even bring it up if it was Mel?) That my friends is Pinto Colvig. The original voice of Goofy. Even if he is being discriminated, Conrad cheerfully mops and sings. To his displeasure, he finds muddy duck prints all over. Daffy Duck prints to be precise. After mocking his singing, Daffy switches his bucket of water for red paint. Conrad doesn’t even notice until the duck points it out. Angered, the cat gives chase. Despite Daffy thinking he gave him the slip, Conrad is right behind him and pulls him into a lifeboat and pounds him. Coming out they both salute the captain, before Daffy is tossed into the sea. That’s obviously not going to stop him. The chase continues when he gets in Conrad’s way of polishing a cannon. Before they can chase though, the captain comes by again and they salute once more. Daffy starts up a game of “patty cake” using the lyrics to “pease porridge” instead. (Which is a really odd rhyme when I really think about it, why is it not spelled peas? Why are they in porridge? Do people really want to eat porridge that’s nine days old? What is porridge?) They chase, (salute the captain again) and Daffy hides in a gun. Conrad knows exactly where he is and loads it. When fired, the bullet continues to chase Daffy. Running behind Conrad, means that the cat has to run too. (But this doesn’t stop all three of them from saluting the captain again.)

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

The Night Watchman

“I guess you’ll have to watch the kitchen tonight, son.”

Directed by Charles Jones. (His first in fact) Released in 1938

In Chuck’s directorial debut, our story takes place in a house. There is a cat there, but he is sick tonight. Therefore, his “The Night Watchman” duties will have to be handled by his son. His son looks like some kind of a rodent to me, with his big buck teeth. And he’s kinda clumsy too. He smacks himself when trying to salute. He heads out to perform his job. Geez! He’s tiny! I know he’s a rodent, but he didn’t look much smaller than his father. Maybe the kitchen is giant? Either way, he’s immediately in the company of a mouse. The mouse does the ole “what’s that and flicks his nose” gag and steals one of his buttons. Learning that the regular watchman is sick, he calls his posse and they begin to feast. They eat their way through the food and make some humorous sight gags. Like, starting at one end of a pretzel and eating one’s self into a knot, and getting into a jar of olives and eating them all. (Thus creating your own prison with only an olive jar.) The kid tries to get them to stop, but he’s not very assertive and actually ends up helping prepare a steak for the leader. The mice perform a floor show and this forces the child to yell to get his “quiet” heard. The leader hits him and he walks off in tears. His conscience berates him to for letting his father down and he remembers he’s a cat. (Really? All this time I though he was a gopher. That still doesn’t explain why he’s so small) With newfound courage, he heads back into the fray and pounds every mouse that tries to stand in his way. Before he’s through with them, he is sure to steal a button from the leader. Turnabout is fair play.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

The Wild Chase

“Vamanos! Vamanos! Yee-haa!”

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1965

My four shadows are gone! Do you get it yet? I said in a few posts back, that I wondered who would win in a race between Speedy and the Roadrunner. Foreshadowing! Seems it was too subtle. Well, we might as well carry on anyway.

A race is being held for the honor of Mexico and Texas. (Okay. I always pictured the Roadrunner shorts taking place in Arizona or New Mexico) The fastest mouse in Mexico (Speedy) vs the Texas road burner (the Roadrunner). Both entrants are being watched by hungry eyes. One Wile E. Coyote, (who is for a first, NOT being directed by Chuck Jones) and Sylvester. (And this is his last starring role. He’d reappear as a cameo one year later, but that was it.) The race starts and the bird takes the lead. The coyote follows and the ” resulting smoke hides the fact that there’s no more road” gag from “Zoom and Bored” is resused. Sylvester chases his prey of choice but has to stop at the same cliff. (I guess Speedy jumped.) The Roadrunner for whatever reason, went backwards and surprises the cat to jump off and land on the struggling coyote. Both predaotrs try launching boulders at the prey, but they collide in midair and land on their respective launchers. Wile tries the “putting iron pellets in birdseed gag” that he used in the short “Wild about Hurry” with Sylvester laying cheese as bait. The racers stop for a snack. (Should I stop pointing out every time there’s a color goof? ‘Cause Speedy’s nose turns tan.) Wile sets a grenade tied to a roller skate with a magnet on it to go toward the two. It breaks in two just as he checks to see how it’s going. (Explosion) They try pushing a rock on the two, but it won’t fall until both are jumping on it, and when trying to set up a TNT plunger, it blows up before they get it set up. They decide to catch their prey by riding in a rocket car. They catch up, but the racers veer away from a tunnel that the car enters. It leads to empty air, but the car is going so fast, that they don’t plummet. Instead they pass the combatents and end up winning the race themselves. Then the car blows up. Amusing short, but I feel like this story was done better in an issue of Looney Tunes Comics. Where the racers tie… for second place. Cecil turtle won first. (Great joke and twist)

Personal Rating: For the crossover alone, it earns a 3. But it’s real close to being a 2, due to the repeating gags.

Posted on

Chili Weather

“All these foods and not a crumb to eat.”

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1963

There’s a food plant, and where there’s edible goods, you’re bound to attract mice. Good thing whoever owns the place has Sylvester on guard duty. Speedy almost immidiately comes by and offers to help the mice get some grub. He actually manages to run in and out the first time, without Sylvester noticing. When he does become aware, he chases the mouse onto one of the conveyer belts. While Speedy compliments how much easier it is running this way, (and barely misses being chopped up) Sylvester is chopped up. Speedy greases the floor and Sylvester slips into a vat of tobasco sauce. Sitting on ice cools him down somehow. (He’s not even licking it, not that it would help, was the sauce being cooked?) While Speedy looks at some soda bottles, (I don’t know what’s in there, but they say “es bueno” on the side. That’s good enough for me) Sylvester comes back and actually grabs him. (2 posts in a row? New record!) But the bottlecap machine caps him and blinds him simultaneously. (He must be really small) He manages to get it off with a bottle opener, but Speedy surprises him and he jumps back up into it. Speedy’s inner troll emerges and he takes it away. Sylvester blindly swings a bat around and doesn’t notice he’s running into the dehydrator. (It appears to belong to a someone named Gomez. Or maybe that’s the machine’s name? We’ve found Selena’s dad!) He shrinks and is now able to get the cap off. Seeing Speedy, he runs off in fear. (After years of chasing Hippety Hopper, he’s finally found a real giant mosue)

Personal Rating: 3