This Stuff’s Been Cut

“The Shooting of Dan McGoo” is full of Tex Avery’s trademarks—narrative puns he treats literally, signs commenting on the action, eyeballs and bodies reacting uncontrollably at the sight of a dancing girl, things behaving as if they’re at a traffic light, and even the word “Doc.” This was released in 1945 and Avery’s pacing is far faster than what he pulled off at Warners, making some of the same gags he used there at least twice as funny.

Fans of freeze-framing will enjoy the scene when the wolf gulps down a shot of Old Block Buster. His body reacts, with a few drawings held for two frames, but most of them on ones. Some of the body movement is slow, then a new pose with a different perspective will appear on the next frame.

Here are some of the drawings.








The wolf zooms, butt first, to the ceiling, zips around the rafters for a bit (with a slide whistle sound effect), then crash-lands.







Finally, he moves in a quick diagonal to the bartender and says “This stuff’s been cut!”



Ed Love, Ray Abrams and Preston Blair are the credited animators. Did Love do this scene? I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. Frank Graham provides the wolf’s voice and the backgrounds are by Johnny Johnsen.