A Ton of Bricks

The challenge facing Tex Avery and his MGM writers, Rich Hogan or Heck Allen—find as many gags to fit within the storyline of their cartoon. They managed to do it time after time. And in Avery’s best cartoons there’s something unexpected at the end which makes the cartoon even more satisfying.

A great example is Bad Luck Blackie, officially released by MGM on Jan. 22, 1949.

The gags work around two premises—a black cat crossing your path means bad luck, and if someone needs help, all they need to do it blow a whistle. About two-thirds of the way though the cartoon, the sadistic snickering bulldog (played by Tex himself), grabs the whistle and uses it to entice the black cat to show up and thereby exact some revenge.

It doesn’t work. One gag features the two of them at a construction site. The cat continues to cross his path and stuff continues to fall from the sky on the dog.

A model sheet for the cartoon is dated Dec. 30, 1946. Two trade publications revealed on July 19, 1947 the cartoon was intended to be released in the 1947-48 season (that is, before Sept. 1948). The cartoon was re-released twice, once on Nov. 9, 1956 and again in the 1966-67 theatrical season.