And I Will, Too

Poor Hay-De La Mare! The screen star is trapped in an accidental fire on the set of her film. Who will save her?



Why, it’s none other than the stunt stand-in for the star (who cowardly slithered away like a snake when the fire started). It’s the Mortimer Snerd-like Charlie Horse, who stops his daring rescue to look at the audience and exclaim “And I will, too!”



There’s a running gag in the cartoon about workmen carrying a flat across the screen in front of Charlie. It’s used as a gag topper, as when the flat passes by Charlie going into his rescue, we discover he’s somehow rescued Hay-De.



The cartoon is Bob Clampett’s final theatrical, It’s a Grand Old Nag, released on December 20, 1947 by Republic Pictures. This was intended as part of a series of cartoons (four originally) that Republic was set to release. However, this wasn’t exactly the best time to be a cartoon producer. MGM and Warner Bros. eliminated units, Columbia closed its Screen Gems cartoon studio altogether and Walter Lantz would soon go on a year-plus hiatus due to a lack of cash after changing distributors. Showmen’s Trade Review of March 6, 1948 reported:

Republic revealed this week it is considering dropping production of short subjects. Over a year ago Republic made its first shorts’ commitment with Bob Clampett Productions, but complications that ensured kept the program from getting into gear.
Accordingly, the studio executives are watching closely the reaction to “It’s a Grand Old Nag,” first of six scheduled Trucolor cartoons which goes into national release March 9. If it gets solid reaction, the rest may be resumed. Otherwise, Republic will remain shorts-less.

Despite Clampett’s groaner punny names (his Beany and Cecil cartoons for TV were littered with them) and switches on some familiar gags (the insanely long limo), this was the only Clampett short released by the studio and he would soon concentrate his efforts on TV. We posted about the cartoon here before Thad purchased the print from which these images come.