An example I’ve always liked is in A Feud There Was, released in 1938. A hillbilly gets his beard shot and shortened. He looks down at it and at us, and quips “The old grey hair, she ain’t what she’s used to be.”
Gramps cracks himself up with his line.
His joke gets no reaction. He looks down and at us again and remarks, “Well, it sounded funny at rehearsal anyway.” As if cartoons are real movies/plays with a rehearsal.
Later a chicken comments on the action to the viewers, and a member of the theatre audience (in a typical Avery silhoutte) shots at a feudin' enemy on the screen.
The usual theatre-manager/correspondents to the Motion Picture Herald were happy with Avery’s efforts. “A very good cartoon. It is one of the best ‘Merrie Melodies’ that I ever saw,” “Vitaphone colored cartoons are usually very good and this one was no exception,” “A very entertaining cartoon in color showing the feuds that go on in the timberlands in a risqué and humorous style.” Conversely, another bluntly made this assessment about Mickey’s Parrot: “These Disneys are not getting better. We like the Merrie Melodies just as good and they don’t cost as much.”
Avery’s cartoon released prior to this was Cinderella Meets Fella and Daffy Duck in Hollywood came next; both fine shorts.
The cartoon was re-released in 1943 and 1952.
Sid Sutherland is the credited animator, with Tubby Millar receiving the rotating story credit.
By cracky, that’s a knee-slapper!
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