The Dog's Not Safe

The bulldog has possession of the whistle that’s been used to summon the cat that brings bad luck, and he’s going to use it to kill him.

The dog hoists a safe high above a spot to drop on the unsuspecting black cat after signalling him with the whistle. The cat simply moves the “X” that marks the spot. You can see the gag by following the frames below. A white card appears for three alternating frames to give a light effect.



Bad Luck Blackie (1948) is a fun Tex Avery cartoon with animation by Grant Simmons, Louie Schmitt, Preston Blair and Grant Simmons. Rich Hogan was Avery’s gag man.

Crashing Kitten

A poor abused kitten is toinged toward the ceiling by a bulldog in Tex Avery’s Bad Luck Blackie (is “toinged” a word).



The bulldog looks concerned about the fate of the kitten.



It’s all a ruse. His expression changes and the kitten splatters to the floor. The bulldog (played by Avery) lets out with a wheezy laugh. Somewhere else in the MGM studio, Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera think “Hey, we can steal that from Tex and use it in a dog at our own studio someday.”



Rich Hogan assisted Avery with gags and the animation was by Preston Blair, Grant Simmons, Walt Clinton and Louie Schmitt, all of whom had worked at Disney before this. In 1949 Disney was filling the screen with Donald Duck squawking at Chip and Dale. The cartoon was re-released in 1957 and 1967, and even appeared in 1963 at the Chilliwack Drive-In about 20 miles from where I grew up.

Cat Cash and Carry

Ah, the satisfied look of a kitten.



The bully bulldog arrives. The cartoon is Bad Luck Blackie (1949), and you probably know how it works. The kitten blows a whistle, a black cat crosses the dog’s path, something bad happens to the dog. The kitten has a great expression of horror as the dog devours it.



Here comes the cat. The bicycle wheel is an unexpected touch; only Tex Avery would come up it. Note the perspective animation. MGM budgets at work.



Now the bad luck. A cash register falls from nowhere. Avery then turns the dog into a cash register as the kitten, looking proud, emerges from a tray in the dog’s mouth.



Louie Schmitt designed the cutsy, Disney-type kitten and provided animation along with Walt Clinton, Grant Simmons and Preston Blair. Rich Hogan helped with gags, Johnny Johnsen painted the backgrounds. Avery voices the bulldog and Pat McGeehan (according to expert Keith Scott) is the black cat.

How To Swallow A Kitten

The bulldog in Bad Luck Blackie swallows the little kitten. And then swallows him again. Yes, the gag is impossible. That’s what makes it funny (along with Tex Avery’s fast pacing).



Louie Schmitt was still in the Avery unit when this cartoon was made, along with Preston Blair, Walt Clinton and Grant Simmons. Schmitt and Blair would soon leave and Mike Lah and Bobe Cannon would be placed in the unit. It was released January 22, 1949.

More Bad Luck

Another gag from Tex Avery’s great Bad Luck Blackie. You know the premise—black cat crosses the dog’s path. Dog gets hurt.

Here’s the telephone pole gag. The kitten races up the pole from the last gag. Nice layout here. And notice how Johnny Johnsen varies the colours on the wood slats on the fence. And there are shadows, too. Lots of attention to detail that you’d expect in a 1940s MGM cartoon.



As soon as the cat reaches the top of the pole, the wires on the left start to move slightly. The cat notices. Pan to the left.



The kitten blows the whistle. How are Avery and gag man Rich Hogan going to get the cat up there to cross the dog’s path? They find a way. I like how the cat is showing how casual it is about the whole thing by having its eyes closed.



The dog gets ready to grab the kitten. Failure. Avery cuts to a close-up for the explosion. Note the sense of balance on the dog.



Just so the last scene isn’t static, Avery has the burned head outline around the dog vibrate a little bit.

Louie Schmitt, Preston Blair, Walt Clinton and Grant Simmons animated the cartoon; Schmitt designed the characters.