Thursday 23 November 2017

Not Quite a Turkey Trot

The turkey of Tex Avery’s Jerky Turkey isn’t as maliciously crazy as Screwy Squirrel, but he’s a quick, fun, one-shot character.

Because the war is on, the cartoon has war references aplenty (ration cards, the draft). The turkey actually runs a black market meat store, and he manages to fast-talk his way into selling himself to a bulbous-nosed pilgrim. Note the brushwork as he zooms out of the scene to wrap himself at the meat counter.



Claude Smith supplied the character designs. No, Bill Thompson and Daws Butler are not heard in this cartoon; both were in the military and nowhere near California when Avery made this short. Incidentally, it was not released anywhere near Thanksgiving; the official release date was April 7, 1945, though we’ve found a newspaper ad from April 3rd stating it was “now playing” at the Capitol Theatre in Rome, New York (along with National Velvet). The Motion Picture Herald of May 20, 1944 and Independent Film Journal of May 27, 1944 published almost identical releases (the following is from the latter):
MGM’s CartoonSked For Coming Season
With the completion of MGM’s 1943-44 cartoon schedule in sight, producer Fred Quimby is laying the groundwork for next season’s program to be released in October.
Already in animation are five Tom and Jerry cartoons, including "Tee for Two,” "Love Boids,” [re-named “Flirty Birdy”] "Quiet Please,” "Springtime for Thomas,” and "House in Manhattan.” [sic] William Hanna and Joseph Barbera are co-directors. In the Skrewy Squirrel series are "Wild and Wolfy,” "Jerky Turkey” and "Sue Steps Out,” directed by Tex Avery.
Supplementing the foregoing group will be an additional eight subjects to complete the customary output of 16, all of which are in Technicolor. Production to meet the U. S. Army and Navy commitments will continue for the duration.
However, we did find the Town Hall Theatre in Cazenovia, New York ran it over the Thanksgiving holiday in 1945 along with God is My Co-Pilot.

4 comments:

  1. You can sometimes read complaints about holiday-themed films (both shorts and features) in old trade journals. Because of the way films were distributed back then -- opening first in major cities and then, over the months, working their way down to smaller and smaller towns -- a Christmas cartoon that opened in New York and Los Angeles in mid-December would end up playing small towns in the middle of the next August.

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  2. SOme people may get turned off by war references if they weren't there, but I'm a "boomer" born in 1960 who enjoyhes that, as a patriot (and diehard animation buff)..and dig that bulbous Pilrim nose and Durante turkey voice..(actually....BOTH have big noses...that's what justifies the turkey's voice..since Daws Butler and Bill Thompson were fighting the war..and Butler wasn't in animation when Thompson already was established, the question remains:Just who IS doing the voice..though..

    I'm one of the probaly handful of folk that has "The Encyclopedia of Animateed Film"(Grhaam Webb, '00,McFarlen Publishing Co.), but I hate to go back and I forgot who Mr.Webb mentions..his buddy Keith Scott would be thos MOST likely to know..since Webb's book's already too notorious for a number of errors.. Harry E.Lang might be most likely to be the Durante voice.. Very good cartoon wartime referemce or not (the war was over mid-1945, though) and I love that bear with the Eat at Joe's, showing WB wasn't the only one. Steve J.Carras.

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    1. According to Devon Baxter's post awhile back, Wally Maher (Screwy) is "the voice of the turkey" (not to be confused with the NovelToon of the same name):

      http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/radio-round-up-authentic-radio-voices-in-cartoons/

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    2. Ah! I recall. Webb's book identifies Leone Le Deoux, but that town crier (also a radio reference to Alexander Woolcot) would be her voice, a baby specilaty. Thanks for the ID.

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