Tuesday 14 June 2022

Pill Pushing Cat

Tex Avery didn’t rely on dialogue for many of his gags; think of the huge eye-takes in some of his MGM cartoons.

In the 1947 short King-Size Canary, other than his old stand-by “Well, I’ve been sick,” a few labels, and the farewell at the end, there isn’t a lot of talking. Tex and gagman Heck Allen rely on sight gags augmented with Scott Bradley’s score.

An example is this routine when Atom the bulldog (whose eyes have turned into spotlights) runs toward the mangy cat. Avery cuts to the frightened cat against a suburban house. Fortunately, the cat has a pocket in his fur (they always appear at opportune moments in cartoons) with something that’s stall the dog. We’ll let these selected frames show the plot.



Like Bad Luck Blackie (1949), Avery and Allen allow the situation to grow and grow and grow until a surprise at the end. Both are heralded by some fans as among Avery’s best MGM shorts.

Bob Bentley, Ray Abrams and Walt Clinton are the credited animators in this one, with Johnny Johnsen providing the backgrounds.

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