116. Gold Diggers of '49 (1935)

Release date: November 2nd, 1935

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Tex Avery

Starring: Tommy Bond (Beans), Joe Dougherty (Porky), Berneice Hansell (Kitty), Billy Bletcher (Villain), Rudy Sooter's Californians (Cowboys)

Where to begin? This is probably the most important review yet, arguably more important than I Haven’t Got a Hat. You’re seeing that right! This is Tex Avery’s directorial debut. Some history before we start: 

Tex had worked at Walter Lantz before working at Warner Bros., where he suffered an eye injury. He was horseplaying in the office—they had a game where one would shoot a rubber band or a spitball at someone and hit them in the back of the eye, yelling “Bullseye!” with each successful shot. The game evolved to using paper clips, and someone told Tex to look out. He turned around just in time for the paper clip to strike him in his left eye, losing vision in said eye. Many have attributed his poor depth perception to the wackiness and bizarre nature of his cartoons.

Avery applied for Warner Bros., bluffing his way through and telling Leon Schlesinger he was a director. Tex is cited as saying “'Hey, I’m, a director'. Hell! I was no more a director than nothing, but with my loud mouth, I talked him into it.” with Ben Hardaway gone, Freleng and King were the only directors there, and Avery was graciously accepted.

Yet, the staff was growing in size, and Avery’s unit was beyond the limit for a single studio. Thus, Termite Terrace was born—a shoddy five room bungalow affectionately dubbed termite terrace as a result of their termite houseguests. He was assigned animators Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, Sid Sutherland, and Virgil Ross. Instead of animators swarming around to whatever director needed them, Avery now had a solid unit, a model that would continue on and distinguish the animators/units as we know them today.

Tex is attributed to birthing the studios greatest stars. Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and Bugs Bunny (it could be debated whether he created Bugs or Ben Hardaway created Bugs, especially since Bugs was Hardaway’s nickname and literally named Bugs’ Bunny. However, for simplicity’s sake, Tex is virtually the creator of Bugs. He solidified the voice, the personality, and the design, which differed greatly from the hayseed loon that was Hardaway’s Bugs.) He had a relatively short career at WB, leaving in 1941 to MGM, where his potential as a director really exploded. He spawned the iconic yet austere Droopy, as well as Red Hot Riding Hood, the inspiration for Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This man is responsible for a LOT, including holding the title as one of my favorite directors (the others being, of course, Bob Clampett and Frank Tashlin. Coincidentally, all of them left sometime in the '40s.) 

I’ll run my mouth more at the end of the review, soap boxing on why this cartoon is so important, but let’s actually SEE the contents of the cartoon so we can interpret it. It’s 1849, the heart of the gold rush. Beans and Porky wish to hit it big by digging for gold, but a nefarious villain snatches their findings, resulting in trouble.

Tex Avery loved to play around with words, whether it be sign gags or narrating captions as we see here. Open to a remote western town, rife with cacti and dry land. “THE TIME” is proudly displayed on the screen as we pan to a covered wagon, a calendar inside clueing us in that it’s July of 1849. “THE PLACE”—we pan to a saloon titled “GOLDVILLE SALOON”. And, of course, “THE GIRL”. The opening pan would be repurposed for Friz Freleng's My Little Buckaroo in 1938.

Little Kitty comes bounding out of the general store, joining a crowd congregating around a bulletin board. The newspaper article posted details Beans’ gold digging ambitions: “YOUNG PROSPECTOR TO HUNT GOLD IN RED GULCH”. A picture of a proud Beans, posing with his pickaxe and his mule. Below it: “BEANS — Local boy to brave hazards of red gulch for gold”.

Absolutely ecstatic, Kitty snatches the paper from the billboard and rushes away. Berneice Hansell's delivery is on point and absolutely hilarious as Kitty gives her breathless monologue: “Oh, that’s my sweetie, and I’ll bet he’ll find the gold, and he loves me and everything!” 

Porky makes his second major appearance, this time as a fully grown adult, father to Kitty. Genetics work in mysterious ways. He fixes himself a giant towering sandwich, including a whole fish, a block of cheese, sausage links, and an entire roasted turkey. Sustenance! He scarfs the sandwich down and gives an ecstatic “WWWWHHOOOOPEEEE!!”, a catchphrase of his that thankfully never returned outside of this short. Still extremely amusing. As I said before, I don’t find Dougherty’s Porky “painful” like how some other people find it, but I definitely think this is his most awkward performance, and it’s not even because of his characterization, but the decision not to speed up his voice. Dougherty had a very deep voice, and in this cartoon his voice isn’t sped up at all. It’s a bit jarring, but this WAS his second real appearance. Tex’s next Porky cartoon, The Blow Out, would have him back as a (much cuter) plucky child.

Kitty rushes in and shoves the paper in Porky’s face, continuing her breathless babbling. “Look what my sweetie’s gonna do! I’m so proud of him! He loves me and everything! He’s gonna find gold and we’re gonna be married! And right this minute, he’s way out in the mountains—“ Kitty’s breathless narration continues as we get a shot of the mountains. A long, exposed tunnel goes right through one of the mountains, where we get a distance shot of Beans hacking away at a mountain. “And right now he might be discovering gold!”

A closeup reveals Beans picking away at the side of the mountain, carving a little hole. Just above it are some slots. Beans plucks a button from his shirt and feeds it into the makeshift machine, pulling a branch as a lever. He spins, and lands the jackpot. A plethora of gold coins rush out of the slot, Beans collecting the loot with his hat. If only it were that easy! 

Rightfully gleeful, beans cries “Gold! Gold!” and leaps on his trusty steed. A giant “GOLD!” zooms into view on the screen as beans gallops along on his mule, rushing into town. He bursts into the saloon and declares “I found gold in the gulch, boys! Gold in the gulch!” 

All of the patrons echo “GOLD?” incredulously, deserting their post at once. Even the bartender leaps over the bar, leaving behind some ice cream and other desserts on the counter. A bit of an awkward shot—there’s a still frame of the food on the counter, and you’d expect someone to come in and take the food with them, but that’s not the case. It just sits there and goes onto the next scene. I wonder if there were any cuts, or if didn’t have time, or what. Nevertheless, it’s slightly jarring but a menial thing to pick at.

One by one, the patrons leap on their horses and follow beans to his site. A man flops to the ground where his horse rides HIM instead—a regular gag in the looney tunes universe, but one that tex avery seemed to enjoy in particular. Can’t blame him.

Beans alerts everyone in town—a dog in the bathtub, the dog taking his bathtub with him as he runs, two stereotypical Chinese men at the laundromat (blatant racism isn't the greatest start to Tex's career), and a barbershop quartet singing “Sweet Adeline” outside of a barbershop, animation by Bob Clampett. Beans alerts them, and the quartet runs off... until they rush right back to finish their song. A great gag as they run right back to find the gold.

Next stop, Kitty’s house. Beans rushes inside and exclaims “I found gold!”, holding Kitty by the hands. Porky pokes his head out from the kitchen, wielding a fork and spoon, where he repeats “Gold?” incredulously. No time is wasted as he jogs right out the door, donning a ten gallon hat and a pick axe. Beans excuses himself, kitty refusing to let go. He runs out the door, and Kitty reflects on her sweetie. Good, snappy timing as Beans unexpectedly zooms right back inside, dipping Kitty and giving her a rather passionate kiss. He leaves once more as Kitty collects herself.

Porky has his jalopy all ready to go, and Beans jumps right in. Porky gives another “WHOOPEE!” as they barrel on. More blatant racism as they pass the Chinese men traveling via rickshaw. Porky and Beans zoom right past them, and a cloud of exhaust cover the men. Predictably, they’re now in blackface, talking in a stereotypical accent in an imitation of Amos 'n Andy. Obviously, it goes without saying why or how this is disgusting and wrong. 

Fade out and back in to the site where beans struck it rich. Porky gives another “WHOOPEE!” and strikes his axe into the ground, as do the Siamese twins and Beans. Porky sticks his hand in his hole, where he pulls out a shiny coin and yells “Gold!” so far, his dialogue has been three “WHOOPEE!”s and two variations of “gold”. What a complex character! He stores his find in his back pocket for safekeeping. A highly amusing gag as he sticks his hand down again, this time his hand extending through another hole near his pocket. He fishes his hand into his back pocket (unknowingly) and grabs his find, reaching his hand out of the hole and admiring his “new” loot.

The process repeats until Beans’ voice stops Porky in his tracks. He’s found something. Porky tosses a rope down into the cavernous hole that Beans is in, and with a few good tugs, Beans  pops out of the hole, perched on top of a heavy treasure chest.

Everyone crowds around as Porky and Beans lift the chest. Inside is a tiny little book, covered in a thick layer of cobwebs that reads “HOW TO FIND GOLD”. Beans opens the book, and the answer is right there in the print: “DIG FOR IT”. Tex’s strong sense of humor brings the cartoon much needed liveliness and fun. Tex was definitely a gag man more than an artist, and he has said so. Not that his cartoons are badly drawn at all, but it’s clear he has a priority in humor, which is a great priority to have. Porky and Beans exchange gobsmacked looks.

Enter the villain, creeping along furtively with his horse. He peers through his binoculars, surveying the site. Pan past Porky and Beans scratching their heads over their instructions, past a bag of gold, past a pickaxe... the villain goes back to the bag of gold, exclaiming “Ah! Gold!” He fires his gun, a wonderfully strange hybrid between a gun, a fishing rod, and a grappling hook. As he fires, a lasso extends down to the gulch, tying conveniently around the bag of loot. The villain reels in his catch—some great added detail as he struggles, as if fighting a big one, and even scooping it up in a net.

Porky and Beans spot the bandit. Porky stutters “If you get that bag for me, you can have my daughter.” Beans is delighted and eagerly shakes his hand—it’s a deal. He jumps into Porky’s car and rides off, winding up the twists and turns of the mountain as the bandit makes off with his gold. Visions of grandeur fill the bandits head as he imagines a long, fanciful, costly limo, a driver touting him around as he chuffs on a fat cigar, donning expensive clothes.

His fantasy is interrupted by gunfire. Beans wields duel pistols, firing back and forth at the bandit. Bullets reduce the bandit’s hats to shreds, the hat a shadow of its former self as it plops back on the villain’s big head. Great contrast. Beans continued his fire, shooting a giant hole in the bandit’s pants. A makeshift buttflap falls open, revealing a giant tin pan covering the bandit’s ass for protection. Bullets ricochet off the pan, much to the delight of the bandit.

Frustrated, Beans opts for a rifle instead. A gunfight ensues, and Tex Avery’s need for speed begins to break out. It’ll climax soon, but Tex’s strong point in his cartoons is definitely speed and timing. He can drag out gags or make them ensue in a blink, so much so that those scenes leave you breathless and exhilarated. Some great examples that we’ll see are in this, The Village Smithy, and Porky the Wrestler. The bandit slings his guns back at beans, his arms whirling around at impossible speeds, so much so that he turns into a literal blur, rising and falling back on his horse.

Beans ducks, retaliating. The force of his fire is so strong that his car is propelled back multiple feet with each shot. However, trouble boils when his car stalls out. Empty. Beans pours a jug of moonshine directly into the engine (instead of the gas tank), and the car explodes to life—parallel to the same scene in You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’! but on steroids. The car turns into a giant blur, stretching out to vaguely resemble a race car. With amazing force, the car barrels into the villain, who is thrown into the air with ease. This is where Tex’s speed is magnified and used to a great amount of potential, a potential we haven’t seen yet in a cartoon. It’s exhilarating and breathless, and above all, believable. You feel like you’re right there with them, a must see scene.

The car defies gravity as it speeds along the walls of the caverns, a lovely angle of the car headed straight towards the camera (that would be recycled in one of Tex’s cartoons at MGM, Dumb-Hounded). Beans now barrels whence he came, knocking into the villain once more. Instead of being propelled into the air, the bandit is dragged into the car, reduced to nothing but a mere blur. Around another curve they speed, the loose bag of gold that was thrown into the air with the bandit now landing in the car.

A forlorn Porky paces anxiously, awaiting the return of his beloved gold. He, too, is wiped into the chase, again reduced to a mere blur as he falls into the car. The car zips into town, right past Kitty, who sweeps outside her house. She’s spun around like a top as the shanghaied racecar whirls past.

Finally, the car screeches to a halt. The villain is slumped over inside the car, whereas Porky and Beans are unharmed. Kitty reunites with Porky, who lifts her up lovingly. He places her down in front of Beans. “Well, here’s my daughter!” Beans graciously accepts Kitty’s hand as he thrusts the bag into Porky’s hands, replying “and here’s your gold!” 

A lovely twist as Porky stutters “Gold be derned! That’s my lunch!” Sure enough, he stuffs his hands inside the bag and lifts out a giant towering sandwich, identical to the one he scarfed down at the beginning of the cartoon. He gobbles it up with ease, giving a contented smile as we iris out.

Whether you love this cartoon or hate it, it’s historical significance can’t be denied. This and I Haven’t Got a Hat are probably the most important cartoons we’ve seen thus far, and the two, in my opinion, rely on each other for success. Had Friz not created Porky, who knows what would have happened in this cartoon. Same goes the opposite way. Had Tex not come aboard and used Porky in a suitable role, Porky may have continued to exist in cameos, but how far would Looney Tunes have gotten before inevitably getting canned? 

I personally love this cartoon, and is probably my favorite one so far. Tex Avery was such a pivotal element to the success of Looney Tunes. Albeit this isn’t his most polished work (and the reprehensible racism with the Chinese twins and the blackface gag can’t be overlooked or dismissed), this cartoon is fun, exhilarating, and happy. Tex’s sense of humor is on point, and his timing/speed is impeccable. It leaves you wanting more, almost as if you aren’t satisfied. The whole cartoon revolving around Porky reuniting with his giant sandwich is another plus. Beans is endearing, though bland in personality. Kitty is equally endearing, her breathless excitement indescribably amusing and contagious. Porky is also amusing, but hardly endearing—but, again, second cartoon, still trying to figure things out. Without comparing his appearance here to other cartoons (which is very difficult to do), he fits just fine as the bumbling comic relief character.

This is a major turning point in the world of Looney Tunes. Thanks to Tex, cartoons are going to get snappier, funnier, wittier. I may be biased since he’s one of my favorite directors, but it’s hard to argue with, especially since this is the man who made Daffy, Elmer, Bugs. If anything else, I definitely recommend this for historical significance. Aside from that, it’s fun, happy, energizing, and a great relief to the drab cartoons we’ve been seeing thus far (though Friz deserves much more credit than he gets for his Merrie Melodies). Obviously, express discretion at the racist gag of the Chinese twins/blackface—they aren’t too exhausted, but definitely prominent enough to constitute a warning. This is a cartoon worth watching for its contribution to animation alone.

Link!