47. Bosko's Woodland Daze (1932)

Release date: December 17th, 1932

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Hugh Harman

Starring: Johnny Murray (Bosko), Rudy Ising (Giant, Ted Lewis), The Rhythmettes (Chorus)

Already the last cartoon of 1932, and what a year it’s been! The quality of these cartoons has improved drastically over the year. 1933 is going to be a VERY exciting year. Bosko makes his exit as Harman and Ising depart for MGM, and Buddy enters: the very definition of a blessing and a curse. Without him, who knows if Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer, you name it, would even exist? For now, while Bosko is still with us, Bosko's Woodland Daze details Bosko and Bruno’s hijinks in the woods that takes a very surreal turn.

Our musical maestro is playing the harmonica in the woods, faithful companion Bruno bounding along at his side. This scene goes on for awhile, but with the pacing of this entire cartoon, it works. The end of the cartoon is relatively fast paced, so it’s as if they’re tricking the audience into a calm and serene setting. Or, you know, needed to fill up time.

Bosko decides to trick Bruno and tells him to run after some unseen object. Bosko takes this opportunity to hide in a pile of leaves. Bruno doesn’t spot whatever it was that Bosko was pointing to, and becomes depressed.

A big gust of wind blows the pile of leaves away, exposing Bosko, who’s oblivious. Bruno spots his buddy and happily runs to him. Unexpectedly, he begins to creep up to Bosko. There’s a single vine that Bosko’s lying on top of. Bruno grabs it with his teeth and drags it between Bosko’s crotch (it’s not Harman and Ising without a painful crotch gag!), who laughs.

Suggesting that they play hide and seek, Bosko darts to a nearby tree and initiates the count. Bruno seeks refuge in a tree with a hole in it, but quickly changes his mind after a woodpecker pecks at his head. He dives into a pond, and Bosko spots him immediately.

Now it’s Bruno’s time to seek. Bruno begins counting in barks, breaking character to say “Are ya listenin’?” Man, they loved their Tony Wons references, didn't they? Bosko seeks refuge behind a tree, which turns out to be a ton of birds perched on the limbs instead of feathers. I love that!

Nevertheless, Bosko charges forth. He slides down a tree, shaving it of its leaves (like in Bosko’s Fox Hunt) and hides behind a sturdy tree. Bruno begins his search, but stops in his tracks when he spots a turtle. As dogs will do, Bruno stalks the turtle, leaving Bosko to himself.

Bosko gets so bored that he decides to pass the time by taking a nap. We cut back to Bruno sniffing out the turtle, who turns around and bites him on the nose à la Daffy Duck (same sound effect and everything!).

Here’s where the cartoon takes a perplexingly amusing turn. Back to Bosko, who’s still asleep. A gang of gnomes approach him, and decide he would be perfect for whatever shenanigans may ensue. They blow a giant bubble in an oversized pipe, trapping Bosko in it as he rises.

There’s a very beautiful chorus of flower singers (that look possibly rotoscoped? Or at least drawn very well) that sing, prompting Bosko to finally come to. He doesn’t seem terrified at all by his situation. That is, until he sneezes, prompting the bubble to burst.

It seems the gnomes had no malicious intent towards Bosko, for they come to his aid with a spiderweb serving as a trampoline. In a breach of cartoon physics (which is great), Bosko snaps right through the web and plummets through a cliff, asking “IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE AUDIENCE??”. Gotta love those, a staple! 

Thankfully, Bosko lands smack dab on a giant piano. His ecological niche! A swarm of gnomes applaud his lack of performance as his body ricochets off the keys, making some notes. Bosko really impresses them by playing a whole number on the piano with his body, doing handstands and sliding on the keys, which makes for beautiful visuals.

After his performance, Bosko strikes a pose as he revels in the applause. Unfortunately, this kid can never catch a break for too long! A silhouette sneaks into frame above and laughs, scaring the daylights out of Bosko. It’s a hungry caveman who has his sights on Bosko.

Bosko makes a break for it, the caveman hot on his trail. There’s a beautiful jazzy chase scene score that underlies this whole scene, and really makes it moody and urgent! Bosko climbs onto a table with the aid of some drawers, but is cornered.

The caveman slices open a bun and grabs Bosko, slathering him in mustard.

The mustard being brushed on him wasn’t mustard at all, but Bruno, licking his face after finally finding Bosko. Bosko wakes up and joyously reunites with Bruno. Iris out.

This was certainly a strange cartoon! The opening was a bit slow but amusing nonetheless, and things slowly started to pick up to speed as the dream sequence ensued. The entire scene with the caveman, from introduction to waking up from the dream, is under a minute! I love surreal cartoons, so I can certainly appreciate this one. Granted, there will be much better surreal cartoons (Porky in Wackyland for one) as things get more polished out, but this isn’t bad by any means. It wasn’t fantastic, just your average Bosko cartoon, but “average” at this point in time carries much more praise than “average” in 1931 and especially 1930. I’d watch it if you’re curious! And next up is our first entry in 1933, the year that would define Looney Tunes in the worst way possible.

Link!

46. Three's a Crowd (1932)

Release date: December 12th, 1932

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Rudolf Ising

Starring: The King's Men (Three Musketeers, Southern Singers), Ken Darby (Uncle Tom), Rudy Ising (Hyde), Johnny Murray (Title Singer)

Well, this officially starts the beginning of the “books come to life” series. Frank Tashlin and Bob Clampett would take their own spin on the genre, with Tashlin’s Speaking of the Weather, Have You Got Any Castles?, and You’re an Education, and Clampett’s A Coy Decoy and Book Revue. Here, Alice from Alice in Wonderland comes to life and celebrates with various book characters, but a kidnapping may put her life in jeopardy.

The set-up is very similar to the opening of Red-Headed Baby (even reusing some of the animation). A man is curled up by the fire, engrossed in a good book, when the clock chimes. He goes to bed and puts his book down on the chair, saving his spot for tomorrow.

Out pops inquisitive little Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I love her design! Obviously, this was before Disney’s adaptation ofAlice in Wonderland, so it’s exciting to see something different for a change. She’s cute and also ugly at the same time. I love the mischievous energy she carries! She climbs her way onto the table and fiddles with a radio dial until finally settling in for some music, the title song “Three's a Crowd”.

The music entices Alice’s fellow book dwelling friends. Cast from Robinson Crusoe (including a stereotypical blackface caricature of Friday) pop their heads out to scat a few bars, and even Rip van Winkle takes notice.

The three musketeers get their own solo as they sing in dance. I love the juxtaposition between the calm, serene opening and the upbeat singing and dancing of the book characters. Their skit receives warm applause—even Henry VIII gives his approval.

Antony from Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra steps out from his respective book and declares “Ladies and gentlemen, lend your ears to The Old Maestro” as he gives the floor to Emperor Nero. I had wondered previously if The Old Maestro was a '30s pop culture reference of some sort, and it turns out it is! Jazz violinist Ben Bernie was often referred to as such on his radio shows.

Next is a dancing sequence with Cleopatra. The animation is pretty good, but also a bit jarring with how realistic it seems. I’m guessing this scene was rotoscoped? That or the animator was really focused on capturing it just right. Nevertheless, it’s intriguing to watch.

After meandering past “the specialist”, Alice summons Uncle Tom from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” to come out and dance. Yes, you guessed it, more blackface stereotyping. It makes for an awkward watch as he sings “Got the South in my Soul”. The music is good as always, but hard to appreciate fully.

While a beautiful chorus of voices sing the song, pan to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde pokes his head up from behind a skull—would you look at that design! I love every last grotesque inch of his body! The disturbing hairy hands and the big teeth, the nose, the eyebrows... It’s great, especially for a Harman-Ising cartoon, where the humans are relatively cookie cutter in their designs! Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would serve as a popular reference point for many a Looney Tunes short in later years.

We haven’t had a kidnapping in a few cartoons, we’re long overdue! Hyde snatches Alice away and runs off, ignoring her pleas for help. Tarzan swings down a few ropes and corners Hyde, who runs the other way. He’s greeted by a spray of ink to the face courtesy of Robinson Crusoe and Friday. Alice is freed and she darts away, but why stop the fun now? 

Cast from Cleopatra blow a pipe beneath Hyde, setting him on fire—another trope I’m recognizing as a favorite of Harman and Ising. Elsewhere, Robin Hood fires matchsticks at Hyde with his handy bow.

This is so creative, I can’t get enough of it! The three musketeers load fountain pen points into a pencil sharpener, which in turn fires at Hyde like a machine gun. Mr. Hyde attempts to dart the bullets, landing in a box for safety. The box is closed as various book characters carry it like a coffin, and dump it into a trashcan. Iris out on the celebration.

An exciting first entry to the books genre of cartoons! There are parts of A Coy Decoy that I really enjoy, and Book Revue is one of my favorite cartoons ever. So it’s safe to say I enjoy this genre! This cartoon was nice and upbeat, a great contrast with the mellow beginning. I loved that caricature of Mr. Hyde! Good casting on that one, too. Though speaking of caricatures, as always, the blackface caricatures of Friday and Uncle Tom really put me off. They aren’t there for too long—well, Friday, anyway. Uncle Tom gets his own song that’s very catchy, but his appearance just depresses me, and I know the stereotypes will continue to grow more and more ugly and grotesque as time goes on. It isn’t a predominant factor in the cartoon, and thus you can still get some enjoyment out of it (especially with that entire Mr. Hyde sequence at the end, I loved it!), but, as always, it constitutes addressing. Nevertheless, it’s a cute cartoon that I’d recommend, but there will be better entries to this genre as time goes on. And obviously, heed caution at the stereotypes if you do decide to watch it.

Link!

45. Bosko's Dizzy Date (1932)

Release date: November 19th, 1932

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Hugh Harman

Starring: Johnny Murray (Bosko, Wilbur), Marcellite Garner (Honey)

Oh boy. This one’s an interesting case. Earlier in 1932, there was supposed to be a cartoon released by the name of Bosko and Honey. It was never released because it had to much recycled animation that even Warner Bros. thought was ridiculous. This is a remake of Bosko and Honey, which, in turn, reuses animation from THAT, but serves as an improvement. That’s also why I’m not going to review Bosko and Honey, since it’s not an official cartoon and would also be incredibly redundant. As you can surmise, Bosko and Honey go on a date that turns haywire.

Wilbur is receiving another music lesson from Honey, this time on the violin. He’s learning “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” (which would be used by Carl Stalling frequently) but continues to mess up, getting angrier and angrier and insisting that he wants to play cowboy instead. Honey scolds him, and pauses to take a break.

She rings up Bosko, because what else do you do when you’re frustrated? However, Bosko’s asleep, and doesn’t wake to the sound of the phone ringing or Bruno’s barks.

Bruno answers the phone instead, and Honey, who doesn’t find it odd at all, asks if he can wake up Bosko. With much pulling on blankets later, Bosko finally rises and answers the phone sleepily. Honey suggests that he come over, and he agrees.

Honey comes back to see Wilbur dancing on the piano (rather well, the notes sound fine) and scolds him. Embarrassed, he slides down a lamp and resumes his vitriolic violin lesson.

Elsewhere, Bosko, now wide awake, happily rides his bicycle with Bruno at his side. He opens his arms for Bruno to jump hoops through, and all is well.

I have a guilty pleasure for these gags, overused as they may be. Bosko hits a pipe as Bruno goes through it, and once Bosko tumbles to the opposite side, they switch occupations, with Bosko even barking at Bruno. The barking TOTALLY makes this. They switch roles again as they enter and exit through another pipe.

They come across a wheel, with Bruno rolling it from the inside, Bosko pedaling on top. Bruno sends it rolling towards a chasm, and falls in. This allows Bosko easy access to cross the gap as he finishes his route to Honey’s house. The things your dog will do for you! 

Bosko arrives at Honey’s, and overhears Wilbur’s gritty violin lesson. He takes out a saxophone and finishes the verse for him, calling honey’s attention over. She’s charmed by his abilities and launches into a catchy rendition of “(We’ve Got To) Put That Sun Back in the Sky”. Wilbur has his own verse, mockingly going “NYEH” to the beat of the music. Bosko also does a charming little dance (as always).

Irritated with their musical shenanigans, Wilbur pours soap from the wash tub on Bosko. We fade out on Bosko swimming breath strokes in the remains on the ground (like in Bosko at the Beach).

Reused from Bosko at the Zoo, Bosko and Honey are riding together. Honey flies up when Bosko hits a rock, barely managing to catch her. That’s not the least of her worries, though! 

While happily cycling along, Bosko and Honey end up biking right through a chicken coop. A chicken tries to avoid being run over as they ride behind. A barn comes into view, and they crash.

Honey comes out on top of a cow, unhappily baying at its new passenger and kicking her off. Bosko comes out unscathed, and finds it hilarious.

He exclaims “That sure was funny!”, but Honey doesn’t agree. She gives a haughty “Oh yeah??” and turns up her nose. I love this—Bosko always laughs at anything, but it’s especially funny here when he declares “That sure was funny!”. Always nice to see some personality. The air grows thick with tension—and precipitation. A lightning bolt and clap of thunder dissolves any grudges.

They dart away from the storm, hand in hand. We’re reminded of Bruno’s existence as he sticks his head in a hole to cower. The lightning zaps his butt and he drags it around in pain, yelping. I like the overlay of the lightning strikes! A lot more effective than just a white flash.

Together, Bosko and Honey hide in a tunnel, Bosko singing that water won’t pour on him. Ever the optimist! A giant plume of water comes pouring out of the spigot above, iris out.

This cartoon wasn’t the most exciting Bosko cartoon, but it certainly was an improvement from Bosko and Honey. I gave Bosko and Honey a watch so I could compare—a lot more retakes. The scene where honey sticks up her nose at Bosko was originally the scene from Bosko’s Holiday where Bosko awkwardly gnaws on a sandwich. The song sequence was very catchy! And Wilbur was as amusing as ever, I’m glad that he’s a reoccurring character, obnoxious as he is. It was a decent cartoon! I’d watch it just to compare with Bosko and Honey so you can see all the changes that were made.

Bosko and Honey

Bosko's Dizzy Date

44. A Great Big Bunch of You (1932)

Release date: November 12th, 1932

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Rudolf Ising

Starring: Johnny Murray (Mannequin), The King's Men (Chorus), The Rhythmettes (Chorus), Rudy Ising (Ted Lewis)

More inanimate objects coming to life! This one’s very fun and cute. A mannequin dumped in a junkyard comes to life and makes the best of his situation by playing music for all to hear.

The cartoon begins with a man on a horse drawn cart, lugging a great big pile of junk. Like every responsible driver, he’s asleep at the reins. All of the hats on him slide down as he nods off, but catches himself and the hats stack up on his head perfectly, the gag repeating.

Reaching a cliff, the contents of the cart are dumped below into the city junkyard. A mannequin falls out, and a hit of falling debris to his head wakes him up. A cuckoo clock cuckoos at him effeminately as he stares at it dubiously.

Our mannequin saunters off and spots a broken piano, and figures he’ll pass the time by tickling the ivory. Unfortunately, just the keys and hammers are left, no strings.

Nothing some good old garbage can’t fix! He fashions himself a piano and sings “ A Great Big Bunch of You”, which proves itself to be quite the catchy tune! I love the mannequin, he has a lot of charisma to him. Might be the design, from the bowler hat to the Charlie Chaplin mustache to gaudy gingham pants. Maybe he is supposed to be Charlie Chaplin? Though he has a striking resemblance to bob McKimson, too... 

As he sings, there are, of course, visual gags to accompany the scene. One includes a pair of shoes dancing, sticking out the tongues inside like actual tongues.

The mannequin gets up from his stool and, turning his feet sideways, uses them as wheels to glide over to a hat stand. Great gag of the feet turned wheels! I know it’s just your standard “come to life” cartoon, but that’s certainly creative. Anthropomorphized mannequins aren’t something you see too often. He puts on a hat and sings, doing an impression of Maurice Chevalier, a popular French entertainer. He was a big hit in 1932 with his romance musical “Love Me Tonight”, which came out 2 months before this cartoon was released.

He receives raucous applause from the inanimate objects—including the victor records dog, barking at a cash register.

Show’s not over yet, folks! The mannequin plays some corn through his horn, while inanimate objects dance to the music, including an elderly grandfather clock and a group of toy soldiers (from Red-Headed Baby), shooting bottles in time with the music. They shoot a painting of some men in a boat (a reference to Washington crossing the Delaware? Or Watson and the lack of a shark?) and the boat sinks, the American flag still standing above the waters. Out come a group of soldiers playing a fife and drum march.

Our charismatic dummy uses a bath mat to glide over to an orchestra (which sounds fantastic!) A clock swings its pendulum, beating against two “drums”. Elsewhere, another mannequin strums the water coming out of a shower head like a harp, reused from Sinkin’ in the Bathtub. They wanted to show they could synchronize music and animation, and they were right! 

The Andrews Sisters look a lot different than I remembered. They sing the titular song in beautiful harmony while a pair of hat stands dance in time to the music. This whole sequence is indescribably cheery and upbeat! It’s certainly one of their better efforts at this genre of cartoons.

Finally, the Chaplin-esque mannequin plays a vacuum cleaner like bagpipes, a car in disarray sputtering along. He dives back to his piano to sing some final notes, interrupted by more trash getting dumped on him. In the style of Ted Lewis, he asks “Is everybody happy?” as we iris out.

“Is everybody happy?” Yes! Such a fun, endearing, and upbeat cartoon! You Don’t Know What You’re Doin’! Still stands as my favorite Merrie Melody so far, but this is certainly a strong contender! The song is lovely and the music score is jazzy and fun. The visual gags are very appealing and pleasing to listen to synchronized with the sound effects, and the premise itself is very entertaining and endearing! You should definitely give this one a look, I was grinning like an idiot by the end!

Link!

43. Bosko the Drawback (1932)

Release date: October 22nd, 1932

Series: Looney Tunes

Director: Hugh Harman

Starring: Johnny Murray (Bosko), Rudy Ising (Masseur, Ted Lewis, Mouse)

First Freddy the Freshman, and now Bosko the Drawback! Bosko takes on the football field, pinned against some fierce competition.

All good football bands open with a marching band. The drum leader pumps his baton, sporting a giant hat. The tuba behind the drum leader blows the feathers off the hat, revealing a bird in a bird cage, squawking in time to the music.

The crowd shots in this next sequence are amazing for 1932! A crowd fills into the stadium, a dog punching tickets with his tooth, and a donkey’s ears service as a revolving gate to get inside. There’s an aerial view of the stadium as the seats fill up. Again, it’s fascinating to watch for its time! Crowd shots are always a famous enemy for animators.

After some gags used to boast musical synchronization (such as a caterpillar playing snare drums and two dogs crashing cymbals together with their legs), we see our hero getting limbered up for the big game. A slightly painful massage turns into him protesting “be careful now!” as the brute loosening him up nearly cracks his neck in half.

Another Tony Wons reference (which was also used in another football picture, Freddy the Freshman) where an ostrich asks the audience “Are ya listenin’? Hmmmmmm?” Tony has faded to obscurity for me (and everyone else I imagine), he doesn’t stand out as much as the big movie stars that’d be parodied or the crooners or what have you. Nevertheless, the references are always fascinating to learn about, no matter how obscure they are, so I enjoy them regardless.

The whistle sounds and Bosko leaps from his torturous massage, right into his football gear. He motions for his fellow teammates (who are much bigger than him) to follow suit, and the ever optimistic Bosko hurries onto the field.

Signaling the start of the game, the referee fires his starting pistol. Out pops an egg that cracks, and the bird inside blows a whistle. You’ve seen this gag once, you’ve seen it a million times, but it was still a nice surprise with the egg cracking. I thought it’d just be another bird/mouse straight out of the pistol, so props to them for something new.

Bosko punts the ball towards the camera (borrowed from  Freddy the Freshman), and there are some cool shots of the ball flying through the air and the football players tearing up the field. Unfortunately, the scene drags on longer than it could have (though again, in the heart of the depression, so I give them the benefit of the doubt with all the retakes/extended scenes used) and lessens the impact of it. Intriguing cinematography nonetheless! 

Tiny little Bosko runs and catches the pigskin, but the force of the kick causes the ball to drag him around aimlessly. Thankfully, a wiener dog comes to his aid, forming a protective V shape (once more from  Freddy the Freshman) in front of him, sending any oncoming opponents flying and ricocheting off.

A journalist in the press box is hammering away at the keys of the typewriter, becoming more and more aggressive. In retaliation, the type writer punches HIM back, stamping “NERTS” on his forehead. I didn’t actually know that was a real word, I thought it was just something Samson from Camp Lazlo made up! For that reason alone, I appreciate the gag.

Time for the cheer section portion. A kangaroo exclaims “Rah, rah!” and three of its joeys pop up from its pouch and give the remaining “Rah rah rah!”s. Another gag includes an elderly mouse on crutches hobbling on the field. He gets hit with the football and spins between his crutches like a wheel. Reused from it’s got me again!, but still as amusing as ever, especially with the overall concept of an elderly, frail mouse (who is gigantic) just meandering around on the football field.

An eagle flies on top of an American flag and perches on the flag pole, in the pose of the eagle on top of the flag pole in many upstanding American flags.

Bosko kicks the ball, and a caterpillar catches it and runs for the touchdown. Bosko continues to tackle him, and one by one, with each tackle, the caterpillar loses a segment of its body, eventually decreasing to Bosko’s height. Love that gag! Very creative. There are a lot of reuses in this cartoon, and some scenes run a tad long, but the gags that are original (to this cartoon) really hit well. Another quick shot of the eagle on the flagpole, nestling down on top.

Look at that crowd shot! This is my favorite gag in the whole cartoon. A cheer section forms the face of a dog who shouts a cheer, and once the cheer is over, the dog blows a raspberry. The spit is actually real people diving from the stands and onto the field! I can’t get enough of it. Reminds me of something you’d see on SpongeBob.

More recycled shots of the football players tearing up the field and the eagle on the flagpole. We pan to Bosko, who’s running down the field, when he suddenly halts. He turns towards the audience and says in distress “The hunchback of Notre Dame!” 

Sure enough, a ferocious looking brute (who seems to be frothing at the mouth? Can cartoon characters go rabid?) barrels towards the screen. Bosko, terrified, runs away to save his skin.

Unfortunately for him, there’s a “title” card that declares “The four horsemen!” and sure enough, four horses are on Bosko’s tail. The use of the card really makes this gag for me. I love my puns! The animation is great, too.

Bosko runs back the other way, but the wiener dog from before blocks his path. He bounces off of the dog like a slingshot, and soars over the field, getting closer and closer to touchdown range.

A rock stops him in his path, and he hits his head. In a daze, our hero, clutching onto the ball, staggers over towards the goal line, just making the score. The rather predominant eagle flies up, and the top of the flagpole it had been perched on turns out to be an egg that cracks, revealing three little eaglets waving American flags. Iris out as Bosko bathes in his glory.

Not the most riveting Bosko cartoon, especially compared to the last few, but not the worst. The gags that are original really hit hard (that raspberry gag is sublime), there are some interesting camera angles and shots, and as always the music is a hit. There have been much better Bosko cartoons, but much worse, too. I’d recommend for some of the gags (and to ogle at the crowd shots, whew!), but it’s mainly that: a gag showcase. Nothing wrong with that at all, though!

Link!

42. I Wish I Had Wings (1932)

Release date: October 15th, 1932

Series: Merrie Melodies

Director: Rudolf Ising

Starring: Johnny Murray (Chick), Rudy Ising (Scarecrow, Rooster), The Rhythmettes (Chorus)

The “singing chickens” genre of cartoons. Always interesting to explore. Here, the black sheep chick of the family laments his lack of opportunity and wants to spread his wings.

Another morning on the farm. There’s a nice lighting change as the sun rises up. A rooster wakes up and prepares to signal the start of the day, puffing out its chest, which falls flat to the ground. It tries again, but its trademark shriek doesn’t wake the other chickens in the coop. Another insistent squawk sends the chickens scrambling around in a hurry. Elsewhere, the rooster wakes up a flock of sleeping ducks by removing the perches they’re sitting on, causing them to fall to the ground. The ducks march away in a cadence, while there’s a shot of a rather rotund hen deflating as streams of chicks pour out from beneath her.

Outside, we have a chicken using a stethoscope to listen to the ground. Part of the ground bulges, and eagerly the chicken uses its beak (above) to drill into the dirt, plucking out a fat juicy worm. The chicken’s chicks are delighted, cheeping with joy at the prospect of a feast. However, the chicken struggled to find a way to divide one worm amongst all the chicks.

Meat grinder gags come in handy! The chicken pours the worm into the grinder, and in a reused sequence from Ain't Nature Grand! The chicks chase an individual, small worm. I can’t blame them for all the reuses, harp on them as I might. If it saves money, it saves money. It would have been interesting if they could’ve spiced up the reuse somehow, but I digress.

Now we pan to a hen in her coop. She’s singing a lullaby as she knits a sweater for her baby(ies), checking time see how they’re faring and exposing a heating pack. The father of the bunch walks in on her, and immediately the hen hides her sweater. Curious and perturbed that the hen is hiding something, the father sticks out his hand and demands she hand over what ever it is she’s hiding. She refuses, but after awhile gives up and hands it over. The father studies it and quickly comes to realize that he’s a father, giving a celebratory “WHOOPEE!”. Coincidentally, this exact scene is used in Wise Quacks! I had always assumed it was an original scene, so this totally caught me by surprise. Daffy assumes the role of the father, and a duck (voiced by Bob Clampett himself) assumes the role of the mother. Compare and contrast the scene here! Both scenes are great in their own respective ways, but I like Carl Stalling’s score in Wise Quacks and how it gives the scene slightly more flavor (not that Frank Marsales’ version is bland by any means! I’ve come to really enjoy his music!).

Anxious for the well-being of his wife, the rooster drags a doctor stork to the coop and urges him inside. We get a shot of the father rooster pacing nervously outside (here’s where the difference comes in. Daffy paces around too, but decides alcohol is the best thing to calm his nerves, and everything goes downhill from there).

Nevertheless, the stork arrives with a basket of chicks. Tentatively, the rooster asks “Is it a boy?”, but before he can continue, all of the chicks are let loose from the basket, including a little black chick who greets “Hi, Pop!” 

Unfortunately, the chick is the black chick of the family. All of the chicks run to get their fill of seed, blocking off the odd one out. Dejected but still determined, he finds a corn cob and prepares to feast, until all of the chicks swarm in and eat that, too.

Our title song “I Wish I Had Wings” comes into the play as the chick sings it mournfully, wanting time get some food and leave the farm.

Conveniently, a corset lies on the ground, and the chick wastes no time fitting into it while a lovely (more tolerable) chorus of birds sing the remainder of the song. The chick uses the corset as a pair of wings, flying up to a clothesline pole where he uses a pair of underwear as a parachute to land on the opposite side of the fence. The chorus is lovely! I’m such a sucker for those Andrews Sisters-esque songs in the cartoons from the '30s.

Rejuvenated, the chick eats some peas from a garden (with satisfyingly timed animation). However, a scarecrow who comes to life is just as hungry as the chick is. Chase sequence is a go. The chick seeks safety by aid of a wishing well, pulling a string that causes the handle to repeatedly whack the scarecrow in the face. Using the scarecrow’s daze as an opportunity, the chick uses a candle flame beneath a boiler(?) to light the scarecrow on fire, sending him running towards the hills. Iris out.

Not the most memorable of Merrie Melodies, but not at all the blandest. My favorite part was comparing the scene with the hen in the coop with the scene from wise quacks—no idea that was reused! That fascinates me. The title song was an ear worm like always, more so contributed to the underscore and the harmonizing women than the actual chick’s singing (which sounded like an Al Jolson impression?). Animation was just fine and the gags were amusing, but nothing that really stands out to me. It wouldn’t be a crime if you skipped this one, but it makes for a cute watch regardless.