16. One More Time (1931)

Release date: October 3rd, 1931

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Rudolf Ising

Starring: Johnny Murray (Foxy), The King's Men (Chorus)

One More Time gives us Foxy one more time. He’s credited as both Rudolf Ising AND Carman Maxwell… I’m not certain about the validity of that, but again—88 year old cartoon. [EDIT: Keith Scott confirms this is the vocal work of Johnny Murray.] This is the end of Foxy’s very short lived career. Predictably, Walt Disney asked if Harman and Ising could discontinue the use of Foxy for obvious reasons. It’s a shame, as much as a blatant rip-off as he is, I really like his design! I don’t know if it’s the freshness of “Finally, a new character” or just the relief of “Finally, not a caricature”, but he seems to have slightly more personality than Bosko. Still barebones and transparent, but he’s fun to watch. In this short, Foxy assumes the role of a police officer, but maintaining order proves to be difficult when reckless driving and kidnapping gangsters interfere with his duties.

We open with our favorite copyright infringement merrily patrolling the streets. All is well, until a handful of cars speed past Foxy, nearly flattening him across the road. Justifiably his mood turns sour as he launches into “One More Time”, a very catchy, rhythmic patter song. He dodges various cars, cursing “Just one more time!” and shaking his fist.

He turns a corner for safety, when a gangster unprecedentedly rises from a trashcan and shoots Foxy’s hat to smithereens. In retaliation, Foxy pulls a gun on him, and a mouse extends out to give a hearty whack to the gangster’s head. These gags are predictable, but how I love them! They’re just so cheesy and fun. Not to mention, this entire sequence (and cartoon) is paced really well. It’s snappy and quick, but not too breakneck, either. It fits just right with the brisk tempo of the song.

Focus shifts to the hippo from Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! driving a fancy car. A mouse in a tiny car behind honks at her to get out of the way, and both of them battle for dominance. In the midst of their Wacky Races-esque battle, Foxy gets run over by the hippo. Rightfully so, he tweets on his whistle and goes to right her a fine.

The song portion picks up again as the two patter song in argument. What a great sequence! The timing is just right. The beat is catchy and tactile, and the voice acting is relatively good compared to what we’ve seen. Foxy writes her a fine as the hippo tries to negotiate with him before bursting into crocodile tears, occasionally checking to see if Foxy buys it. To get her to shut up, Foxy slaps a trash can on her head and walks away.

Conveniently, Foxy stumbles upon Roxy and her dog (who I bet was not at all influenced by Pluto in any way, shape, or form). The dog is ecstatic to see Foxy and pins him against a wall, showering him in licks. Foxy protests and Roxy giggles, borrowing Bosko’s catchphrase of “Ain’t that cute?” 

She skips away to position herself at a player piano that just happens to be handy and bangs out “One More Time” on the keys. Foxy’s protests and the dog’s licks are executed in time to the beat. Foxy briefly ties the dog’s tongue around its snout as a muzzle, but both become overpowered by the magic of music and join in dancing.

Another predictable gag that warms my heart regardless—Mickey Foxy uses Pluto the dog as a player piano, playing the music with his teeth.

However, they’re interrupted by the sound of gunshots. A bird robs another hippo of a pocket watch and speeds away, with the police going after the criminal (complete with a cat siren).

Foxy chases after the bird (who is driving a tiny excuse of a car). The bird drives through a pipe, and at the other end pops out a much bigger buggy and a gang of criminals who join in the chorus of “One More Time”. We have some shots of the police and then the gangsters singing the song call and response style. Once again, very catchy, with some lush barbershop harmonies.

The gangsters throw a grenade at the police, stopping them in their tracks, leaving Foxy with the responsibility of stopping the crime.

No crime is complete without a little kidnapping! The gangsters kidnap Roxy and drive off, and Foxy chases behind on the same mechanical horse used by Bosko in Ups ‘n Downs. This entire sequence happens like a breeze, it’s so fast! But not entirely in a bad way. The music is fast and it’s the climax, so the fast pace is relatively charming.

Foxy races behind the gangsters, and by pulling the horse’s tail, the horse extends its mechanical head to bite Roxy’s skirt and bring her to safety. The tables turn as the gangster are the ones pursuing the chase instead of initiating it.

God, I love this! Foxy and Roxy ride into a local jail cell with the gangsters hot on their trail, and pop right out from a manhole cover, locking the criminals in the slammer. It might be a trite gag (as all of these are), but it’s nevertheless amusing.

Everything’s peachy keen as the criminals give a last bar of “One More Time”, and Foxy bows.

That is until the bird also rises from the manhole and SHOOTS FOXY IN THE BACK. Iris out! 

So our loveable copyright infringement was killed off! That scene is set up to be funny and not to be taken seriously, but considering this is the last time we see Foxy, it wouldn’t be stretching the truth to say he was killed off.

What a short! In my opinion, this is the most polished of the Foxy cartoons. The pacing is perfect! There are only some repetitive scenes towards the beginning with foxy walking down the street. The jazzy score of the music picks up the pace and allows the cartoon to be bouncy, swingy, and chipper. Compared to other cartoons, the voice acting isn’t half bad! Very entertaining and a good way to bid goodbye to Foxy. I’d definitely recommend a watch! I might watch it again, just one more time!