“They got me!” he exclaims.
The mouse then goes off scene and emerges at a water barrel. You know the gag about a cartoon character drinking water after being shot and the water pours out of the holes in his body? This may have been the first cartoon it was used in (for all I know, it could have been a silent comedy gag).
The gag is completely lost in the poor direction. The mouse, for no reason at all, goes to the pitcher, drinks the water, then exits the scene to run after the cat that has mouse-napped his sweetheart. The gag isn’t set up or emphasized; it happens in a continuous stream of action with no real reaction.
Why did the bullets have no effect? And don’t ask me why a mouse would have been lured away by a duck messenger shouting “Call for Mr. Goldfish.” The mouse is named Goldfish? I’m missing something here.
Here is it 1932 and the Terrytoons were already becoming mediocre. I’ll take a 1932 Van Beuren cartoon over this (though there is a neat cat walk cycle near the start).
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