Speedy Gonzales | |
---|---|
Directed by | I. Freleng |
Story by | Warren Foster [1] |
Produced by | Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
Starring | Mel Blanc (all other voices) Stan Freberg (Mice - uncredited) |
Music by | Carl Stalling |
Animation by | Gerry Chiniquy Ted Bonnicksen Arthur Davis Harry Love (uncredited) |
Layouts by | Hawley Pratt |
Backgrounds by | Irv Wyner |
Color process | Technicolor |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:45 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Speedy Gonzales is a 1955 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng from a story by Warren Foster. [2] The short was released on September 17, 1955, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. [3]
The short opens on a small, worried group of Mexican mice thinking of how to get cheese from the AJAX cheese factory across the Mexico–United States border that is guarded by Sylvester. Sylvester has eaten any mice who have tried. The leader comes up with a brilliant idea: Gain the services of the aptly named "Speedy Gonzales". The group agrees, so the leader goes to the carnival where Speedy resides.
Speedy Gonzales is at the carnival attraction "Shoot Speedy" in which people try to shoot Speedy with bullets from a gun in order to "win a beeg prize." The leader tells Speedy, in Spanish, about the dire situation the mice are in, not having access to the cheese guarded by Sylvester. Speedy agrees to help and runs through the field between the mice and Sylvester to fetch an armful of cheese with each turn. After failing to catch Speedy by hand, Sylvester employs a hand net, mousetraps, landmines, baseball equipment, and a pipe to funnel Speedy right into his mouth, but Speedy manages to thwart him every time.
Finally getting fed up, Sylvester gets all the cheese from the factory, stacks it, and uses dynamite to blow it all up. However, all the cheese ends up raining down on the mice, causing Sylvester to cry and bang his head on an electric pole in vexation. Speedy ends the short by saying: "I like this pussycat fellow; he's silly!"
Speedy Gonzales won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1955. [4] [5]
This short marks the first appearance of a redesign for Speedy, after his initial appearance in Cat-Tails for Two .
Speedy Gonzales can be found on Disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 .
Granny, whose full name is presented as Emma Webster, is a fictional character created by Friz Freleng, best known from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated short films of the 1950s and 1960s. She is the owner of Tweety Bird and, more often than not, Sylvester and Hector. Her voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1950 through 1955, then by June Foray for almost 60 years. Following Foray's death, Candi Milo took over in 2017.
Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.
Birds Anonymous is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on August 10, 1957, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.
Babbit and Catstello are fictional characters, based on the comedic duo Abbott and Costello, that appeared in Warner Bros. animated cartoons. The characters appeared in four cartoons between 1942 and 1946: once as cats, once as dogs, and twice as mice.
Cat-Tails for Two is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on August 29, 1953. It was the first appearance of Speedy Gonzales, in a prototype form. Because this cartoon's rendition of Speedy Gonzales looked rather coarse, they redesigned him for future cartoon releases.
The Wild Chase is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. The short was released on February 27, 1965, and stars Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
Cheese Chasers is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The cartoon was released on August 25, 1951 and stars Hubie and Bertie, with Claude Cat.
Gonzales' Tamales is a 1957 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated film directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on November 30, 1957, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House is a 1965 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on January 16, 1965, and stars Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and Granny. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc and Ge Ge Pearson.
West of the Pesos is a 1960 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on January 23, 1960, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
Chili Weather is a 1963 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 17, 1963, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
The Spy Swatter is a 1967 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Rudy Larriva. The short was released on June 24, 1967, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales. This was the final Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies short to be directed by Rudy Larriva.
Mexican Boarders is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 12, 1962, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. Voice actors are Mel Blanc, and Tom Holland as the narrator.
Nuts and Volts is a 1964 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on July 20, 1964, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
Here Today, Gone Tamale is a 1959 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 29, 1959, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
Cats and Bruises is a 1965 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. The short was released on January 30, 1965, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
Road to Andalay is a 1964 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. The short was released on December 26, 1964, and is one of the last shorts to feature Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
The Pied Piper of Guadalupe is a 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 19, 1961, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester.
Mexican Mousepiece is a 1966 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on February 26, 1966, and stars Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales.