Tuesday 8 December 2015

Cartoon Rule 514: Skunks Smell

What’s a cartoon about a skunk without a smell joke? They’re practically mandatory.

Here’s the opening shot of “Little 'Tinker.” The camera opens on a shot of the left side of Johnny Johnsen’s background and then quickly pans to the right.



A skunk wouldn’t use Lifebuoy. He’d use a pun.



The combination of skunks and phoney French isn’t restricted to French skunks. An American skunk stars in this picture.



Here’s another “P.U.” joke. Good old P.U., the cartoon’s favourite.



Soap and perfume doesn’t help. (I suppose the air from the fans helped the flowers grow in the first place).



Tex Avery’s animation crew in this is Walt Clinton, Grant Simmons, Bob Bentley and Bill Shull.

Avery’s not an “awwww” kind of director but he (and the uncredited story man) set it up through the picture for a happy ending.

1 comment:

  1. Avery was more of an "awwww" kind of director in "The Mice Will Play" (1938), except that short ended on an implied gruesome note ("Lots of little fat mice? Hmmm...I'll think I'll wait!"). He never would really touch this type of tone again (unless you count "One Cabs Family" and "Little Johnny Jet").

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