Tex Avery makes use of limited animation. Droopy’s head and mouth are the only thing that move in this scene. Droopy turns his head on twos, while grey shades on the TV screen alternate on the opposite twos. That means each frame is a little different.
Avery saves animation at the start with a storybook introduction. That means the camera focuses on immobile pages of a book. Later, there is a hole that’s cut in the page so a cel with drawings of the pups can be slid underneath it.
Still, there are five animators on this show, with Ray Patterson added to the usuals of Walt Clinton, Mike Lah, Grant Simmons and Bob Bentley.
“Now don’t ask us how we got the television set back” is my all-time favorite Avery fourth-wall gag. That and "Break it up, son, jokes over" make this one of Avery's best.
ReplyDeleteThe first line is also a parody of cartoon license, i.e. the impossibility of watching a TV set that another character swallowed in a previous scene. Some seem to think there's a 'scatological' aspect as well.
DeleteWhoever went to the movies that night, whatever else was on the program, no matter how good the feature was, whatever they did after the movie... all they remembered from that night was, "Now don't ask us how we got the television set back."
ReplyDeleteAnd how I for one would love to hear the laffs from a virgin audience at the time of release of these toons, from any one of these T.Avevry's or the Barney Bears ones or of course the T AND Jerrys...da lucky stiffs....heh
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