The Horn of Tomorrow

In the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, a company made newsreels for television called “Telenews Digest.” One of its weekly efforts in July 1951 included a segment on the car of tomorrow.

Tex Avery’s cartoon Car of Tomorrow, released the same year, follows the newsreel format with a narrator explaining what’s on the screen but then followed by a gag. There are two types of gags in the cartoon—some that were takeoffs on current car trends, and others that were just plain silly.

One of the silly ones involves the new superchromatic horn! “Listen!” advises narrator Gil Warren. The horn turns out to incorporate a duck that gives viewers a goofy look after honking.



Roy Williams and Rich Hogan worked with director Tex Avery on the gags. Walt Clinton, Grant Simmons and Mike Lah handle the animation (some of it limited) while June Foray provides voices.