Running From a Lawnmower

Any guesses what this is?



It’s the back of Spike’s head as he runs away in perspective from a lawnmower-riding gopher in the 1950 MGM cartoon Garden Gopher.

Here are some frames of Spike running away and the gopher (top-of-head shot first) after him.



And now the other way.



Some of Avery’s favourite gags, like the “drag-arousal-chase” also found in Ventriloquist Cat; the “huge-hole-in-body” as is Señor Droopy, Ventriloquist Cat and The Chump Champ, and the “explosion-creates-blackface” found in Droopy’s Good Deed show up. Rich Hogan helped Avery with gags, and the animators on this short are Grant Simmons, Mike Lah and Walt Clinton.