Tuesday, 1 August 2017

Gophers From Texas, Dog From Stratford

The overly-polite gophers met up with a thespian dog in three Warner Bros. cartoons, one of which was ridiculously-titled Two Gophers From Texas (1948). If either of the gophers had been from Texas, it would have been a clever pun on the title of a Warners’ feature. Instead, it’s a real stretch. Anyway...

In one scene, the dog uses a marble to test a trap he wants to spring on the vegetable-stealing rodents. He’s staring like he’s not altogether there.



There’s a cut to the trap working, then a cut back to the dog evilly laughing. You’ve got to love the mouth.



Animating this is Emery Hawkins, with Basil Davidovich, Bill Melendez and Don Williams animating other scenes for director Art Davis. The opening scene is great, too, with the dog’s eyes being different shapes and sizes.

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7 comments:

  1. Loren Broaddus1 August 2017 at 07:39

    This is some of the best Emery Hawkins stuff ever. In my opinion, at least.

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  2. Unknown1 August 2017 at 09:44

    those are brilliant drawings. Great framegrabs!

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  3. J Lee1 August 2017 at 10:15

    I suppose if Sheldon Cooper can come from Texas, Mac and Tosh can, too.

    The angular lines on the Shakespearean dog that Davis used give him a very 1950s look in some of the scenes (though image No. 3 above actually looks like something Jim Tyer might have done to Dimwit at Terrytoons in an excitable moment...)

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    Replies
    1. rnigma2 August 2017 at 15:27

      I see I wasn't the only one thinking of Dimwit-- those poses look very Tyer-esque!

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  4. EOCostello1 August 2017 at 17:46

    E-GAD! What a book!

    Granted, I think the dog's turn in "A Ham in a Role" was his best, though I like the other ones.

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  5. Pokey3 August 2017 at 23:30

    One web site forum on "gay" characters said (justifably) that the gophers were not gay but British. I saw neither, they're mid atlantic - upper class New York, Edward Everret Horton and Franklin Pangborn inpsired, like so many radio/stage/movie actors and singers of that era.:) It has the piano piece used in Friz
    s "Rhapsody Rabbit"(1946) and Art's own "A Hick, A Slick, and a Chick" (1948, shortly after the cartoon discussed), the piano boogie woogie, at the end.SC

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  6. Pokey6 August 2017 at 11:46

    The dog is really Dimwit-like...

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