Drilling a Gag Into an Audience

How far can we stretch a gag? That seems to be the difference between Deputy Droopy and Tex Avery’s other “don’t make noise” cartoons.

Droopy fires up a blow-torch to heat up a hand drill.



How long can Avery and writer Heck Allen keep this going? First, the short bandit grabs the hot drill. He hands it to the tall bandit so he can run outside and yell (and not disturb a sheriff as try to rob his office).



The tall bandit now realises he’s holding the drill. Out he goes, but not before giving it back to the short bandit.



The short bandit now feels the heat. He hands the drill back to the tall bandit, who stands immobile with a pair of pliers so he doesn’t get burned (the only thing that moves is his right arm).



Tex keeps things going. The short bandit runs back into the sheriff’s office and the tall bandit uses the pliers to hand him back the drill.



That pretty much finishes the gag. It’s on to the next one.

Avery and Mike Lah get co-director credits on the cartoon as Avery and almost all his unit were laid off in March 1953. Lah stayed behind to finish this cartoon and “Cellbound” with animators from the Hanna-Barbera unit—Irv Spence, Ed Barge, Ken Muse and Ray Patterson.