Tex Avery made two Chilly Willys for Lantz and they’re both entertaining. This is the first one. Avery borrows his southern wolf character from MGM, but turns him into a dog and makes him much more low-key. Chilly doesn’t speak. The dog comments to the audience constantly as the wolf did at MGM. Chilly squeezes the dog’s nose before running away, similar to what Screwy Squirrel did to Meathead at Metro.
There are some cute gags about trying to slice off a tail. The action moves along nicely throughout.
Clarence Wheeler’s score is good, too. He uses a flute when Chilly scurries about and there are percussion effects in the comic scenes to add to reaction shots.
Ray Abrams, Don Patterson and La Verne Harding are the animators, with Homer Brightman getting the story credit.
The second Chilly by Avery is The Legend of Rockabye Point, an even better cartoon in my estimation, as Tex resorts to his “sleep/noise” routine.
I heart Canada. Thanks for this blog.
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