Thursday 14 April 2022

How To Quiet A Mouse in Technicolor

A colour swirl indicates speed in The Unbearable Bear, a 1943 cartoon from the Chuck Jones unit at Warners, starring the blabbermouth version of Sniffles the mouse.

(Any version of Sniffles is obnoxious, but let us not get sidetracked).

At one point of the plot, a burglar fox convinces Sniffles he’s Robin Hood, and he’s robbing the safe in his home (where two bears live) to give to the poor. Sniffles stops his patter long enough to twist the dial of another “safe” to get more money. Except the safe is a radio (which plays “Frat,” a Carl Stalling favourite that no radio in 1943 would be playing).

The fox is worried the radio will wake Mrs. Bear so he turns into a swirl to stop the sound—from both the radio and Sniffles.



Bobe Cannon is the credited animator. Rudy Larriva, Ken Harris and Ben Washam were in the unit as well. Mike Maltese wrote the story.

1 comment:

  1. Of all the " Sniffles " shorts , this is one the few I will take the time to watch. Why?, because of all the elements. Mel as the fox doing his best Cockney attempting to rob the house. Sniffles trying to help " Robin Hood " by turning the radio on full blast. Nope, it wasn't a safe. Police officer bear coming home slightly stewed from a party, and Mama bear holding a rolling pin, talking in her sleep what's going to happen to him when he gets him. As Mama Bear starts to sleep walk around the house, the three chase each other, while attempting to avoid her, then Carl Stalling adds as icing on the cake " My Mama Done Told Me "on a smooth clarinet. Great voice acting by Mel, I believe June Foray, and Sara Berner.

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