Familiar Dialogue, Isn't It?

We’re set up for a familiar Warner Bros. gag in Sports Chumpions (1941).

A group of cyclists circle around and around the track over and over as Carl Stalling repeats the same two bars of music for 17 seconds.



The cyclists then stop, turn to the audience and say “Monotonous, isn’t it?” They then resume their endless cycle.



The same line can be heard from a mouse Wacky Wild Life (Avery, 1940) and the sphinx Crazy Cruise (Avery/Clampett, 1942). As far as I know, the “Isn’t it?” gag originated on radio with Jerry Colonna.

Mike Maltese is the credited writer in the Friz Freleng attempt to channel Tex Avery. And, say, is that rotoscoping I see? Is it? Is it? Hmmmm....could be!