The Horse That Whoa-ed

“Aw, come on horse, whoa!” is associated with Yosemite Sam (who used the same line for a camel and a dragon, among other things), but it was heard in other cartoons.

Example? 1945’s Wild and Woolfy at MGM. In this case, the outlaw wolf shoots the horse to get him to whoa.



Director Tex Avery pulls back the camera to reveal that, somehow, the horse’s head is now on the other end.



The horse expresses his displeasure.



I would have liked it if the horse had a satisfied grin at the end of the scene, but who am I to argue with Tex Avery and his gag-master, Heck Allen?

The “whoa!” business, by the way, didn’t originate in cartoons. It’s another radio reference, borrowed from Red Skelton’s show.