103. My Green Fedora (1935)

Release date: May 4th, 1935

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Friz Freleng

Starring: Jackie Morrow (Peter, Elmer), Tedd Pierce (Weasel), Jan Duggan (Mother)

This one has some interesting history. It’s seemingly a sequel to Country Boy. According to an interview by Mike Barrier, Bob Clampett claims he wrote the story for this episode for a story competition. Here’s the quote from the interview, which you can read here: 

“About the same time as the first Porky story, Leon announced a studio-wide contest, with a money prize to whichever member of the staff turned in the best original story. So many of us entered the contest that the animation footage went down. My story, which was about a rabbit family, won first prize, and was made as My Green Fedora. This gave me a big boost, since I'd just originated a couple of characters (Porky and Beans) and now I'd won the story contest.”

The porky and beans stuff is totally false—Friz was the true creator of the two. Bob Clampett had a habit of passing off characters he didn’t make as his own. But, to be fair, that was just how it was in those days. Directors weren’t viewed or respected the way they are today. If you didn’t make Bugs Bunny, you weren’t important. Regardless, some interesting history for you. Relating to the short at hand, as an unofficial sequel to country boy, Peter has to take care of his baby brother Elmer, but a hungry weasel decides to intervene.

Peter’s mother peeps her head outside the cottage door, looking for her mischievous son. Her target overhears her calls, sneaking around the edge of the house and hoping not to get caught. Too late. Peter’s mother snags him from outside, dragging him in through an open window. It seems she’s going out for the day, collecting her picnic basket and hat. She instructs peter to watch his little brother, Elmer (a favorite name for babies? Remember Cookie’s little brother Elmer?) while she goes out to shop, adding a stern “and keep out of mischief!” 

Elmer watches his mother walk down the lane outside. The coast clear, he shifts his eyes around before puffing out his chest and wailing. What a good gag! We’ve all seen that baby who throws a tantrum just for the hell of it. They get some sort of amusement out of it in their tiny little brains. Peter, clearly annoyed, shakes Elmer’s rattle, who snags it up and beats Peter  on the head with it, wailing once more. I love how nonchalant he looks, propping himself up by the elbow and screaming like nobody’s business.

Unable to take any more, Peter plugs his ears and marches into the closet for relief. Peter sulks on a box inside the closet... until he spots a green fedora. He places it on his head and moves over to put on a coat hanging on a mannequin, which disperses into a cloud of moths. Nevertheless, he finds a matching green coat hanging by the door and puts it on.

Darting back into the nursery, Peter sings the titular “My Green Fedora”. I love this scene! Peter’s voice actor is Tommy Bond, who was Butch in Our Gang/Little Rascals. [EDIT: Keith Scott confirms Peter and Elmer both are Jackie Morrow.] The scene is very cute—Peter’s doing an impression of comedian Joe Penner, hence his guttural, slightly warbly but very endearing vocals. The dance he does is great, strutting around with a fake cigar. Elmer laughs at the act, doing a Joe Penner laugh.

Elsewhere, a hungry weasel pops its head out of its hole outside the cottage, overhearing Peter’s singing. Peter finishes the act and Elmer gives another laugh, irritating Peter. In fact, he’s so irritated that he throws the fedora on the ground, fedora bouncing back up a few times on his head. He tosses his coat on the ground and stalks angrily outside, leaving Elmer to his own devices.

The hungry weasel recognizes he has his chance to get in and feast on some baby rabbit. He digs a hole under the floor, right under Elmer’s rug. He gets in with ease and ties a handkerchief around his head to give the illusion of bunny ears.

Lovely staging. Elmer, who had settled in for a nap, wakes up and spots the looming silhouette on his wall, happily exclaiming “Mommy!” he turns around and screams—a very grotesque shot of the weasel’s bloodshot eyes and elongated snout. Elmer tugs in the weasel’s snout and lets go, but it does little to shake the weasel. The weasel dumps Elmer in a brown sack and leaps into the hole he dug, pulling the rug over it to cover his tracks.

Meanwhile, Peter is still sulking along outside. His mother’s words come back to him, and fear pings him. He senses something is wrong and rushes back to the house, only to find the nursery completely empty. While looking around frantically, he steps onto the rug and plummets right into the tunnel.

Very moody lighting in the tunnel scenes, I love it! Once Peter stops tumbling, he lights a match to see better.

This lighting is phenomenal. The weasel picks up Elmer and salts him, dumping him into a frying pan and roasting him over a flame. Nice detail of hesitation—it takes just a second for the flames to actually burn Elmer. The weasel shushes Elmer’s screams, but Elmer doesn’t listen, crying “Help! Help!” 

Thank god for Peter! He overhears his brother’s screams, the match falling as he gets startled. He cries “Elmer, Elmer! Where are you? Elmer! I’m coming, Elmer!” Bad news for the weasel, who stuffs Elmer back in the brown sack and takes off.

Peter follows the weasel’s tracks through twists and turns. He pops his head out of a hole, where the weasel is waiting just to sock him in the face. Can’t go wrong with some slapstick as Peter propels through the twists and turns of the tunnels, popping out at ANOTHER hole where the weasel socks him, the pattern continuing.

It’s especially amusing to watch Elmer, whose little ears are poking out of the sack, run away, just a sack with legs. The weasel chases him down, while Peter falls out of the hole one last time in a daze, knocked unconscious. Elmer drops through a hole and runs through some tunnels, parallel to the ones Peter slid through. The animation is great. What’s funnier than seeing a little bag with feet run around aimlessly? The camera angles are very nice, too, and really add to the flow of the scene

Elmer is free! Or so he thinks. He exits a tunnel and barrels straight into the butt of the weasel, who snatches him up and sneers. Meanwhile, Peter finally wakes up, immediately becoming punchy and shadowboxing with an invisible foe. The weasel spots he’s being followed once more and crouches in a tunnel. There are two tunnels—one continuing in the ground, one leading upwards. The weasel clogs the ground tunnel and serves as a ramp for Peter to run up, running up a tree branch and falling back on his head.

Thankfully, a hose is right next to the opening of the hole. A nice little underscore of “My Green Fedora” plays energetically as Peter drowns the weasel out of his hiding place. Various geysers gush out of multiple holes, including Elmer, who’s closest to Peter, and the weasel further away.

Peter plugs the hole with his foot and reunites with his baby brother, freeing him from the sack. Peter smiles as he increases the water pressure, sending the weasel flying into the air uncontrollably. Once he’s high enough in the air, Peter cuts off the water, sending the weasel crashing to the ground... right into a cactus patch.

Anyway, the weasel takes off in pain, and Elmer gives his obnoxious Joe Penner laugh. All brotherly bonds are broken as Peter, annoyed, turns on the hose and sends Elmer into the air, smiling as he falls back down. Wow, what an ending! 

This is a really good Merrie Melody, especially for its time. Friz doesn’t get enough credit. The Merrie Melodies are no Mona Lisa, but they definitely brought some much needed entertainment in the era of Buddy. Peter, Elmer, and the weasel all have distinct personalities, archetypal as they may be. I LOVED Peter. Mischievous older brother who clearly didn’t sign up to be the older brother, but rushing to the rescue regardless. Still, if the baby’s annoying, even after all they’ve been through, he’ll still squirt him with water! The song “My Green Fedora” is ridiculously catchy, Peter’s less than perfect rendition very amusing and endearing. Animation was nice, story was nice, characters were nice. Give it a watch! I can’t really think of many downsides to it. A happy, feel good cartoon.

Link!