The Foghorn Leghorn

Last updated
The Foghorn Leghorn
The Foghorn Leghorn title.jpg
Title card of The Foghorn Leghorn.
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Warren Foster
Produced by Edward Selzer (uncr.)
Starring Mel Blanc
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation by Charles McKimson
Manny Gould
Phil DeLara
John Carey
Pete Burness
Fred Abranz (uncr.) [1]
Layouts by Cornett Wood
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • October 9, 1948 (1948-10-09) [2]
Running time
7:00
Language English

The Foghorn Leghorn is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. [3] The cartoon was released on October 9, 1948, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg. [4]

Contents

Plot

Henery Hawk's father will not allow him to go along to raid a chicken coop and capture chickens. He says that Henery is too small, and goes on to reinforce the tall tales he has told about what a chicken looks like and how formidable they are. After his father leaves, Henery remarks, "A fine thing. I'm a chicken hawk and I've never even seen a chicken." He determines to get his first one that day.

Henery's father invades a coop and struts out with a couple of traumatized chickens. Foghorn approaches, demanding he "unhand those fair barnyard flowers", and insists on an explanation from the chicken hawk. Foghorn does not allow the bird to get a word in edgewise, however; with his stomach, the rooster bumps Henery's father across the barnyard and kicks him out. (Two years later, in A Fractured Leghorn , Foghorn uses this technique several times against a cat when the two are after the same worm).

Having arrived on the scene, Henery asks, "Hey, was that a chicken, Pop?" His father summons some false bravado and claims he would never allow a chicken to treat him that way, that Foghorn is nothing but a "loud-mouthed shnook". A yellow stripe down his back is quite apparent as a sign of cowardice as he walks away.

On his way to find a chicken, Henery is intercepted by Foghorn and his insufferable wordplay. Finally, the chicken hawk walks away and comes upon Barnyard Dawg's house, which, due to his father's false stories about chickens, he assumes is a "chicken's cave". He takes a hammer, hits the sleeping dog over the head, and proceeds to haul his prize across the barnyard. Foghorn interrupts this, asking, "What's the gimmick? What's it all about?" When Henery replies that he has just caught himself a chicken, Foghorn guffaws, saying, "That's no chicken, son. I'm a chicken. Rooster, that is." Henery does not buy this and when Foghorn asks him, "What am I then, boy?" Henery responds that he is "a loud-mouthed shnook". Foghorn then prattles on about his identity and tells the hawk that what he thinks is a chicken is actually a dog (all while slapping Barnyard Dawg around). His position is not helped, though, when Barnyard Dawg wakes up, kicks the rooster, and calls him a shnook.

In an effort to convince Henery he is a chicken ("rooster, that is"), Foghorn pulls out a cardboard cutout of the sun and crows. This does not work; Henery walks off, leaving two signs reading "Shnook!", and "Loud Mouth'd That Is!" respectively. As Foghorn stalks across the yard, kicking the signs away and muttering to himself about how he has to straighten Henery out, the hawk comes by pushing a huge trunk. After turning to the viewers to remark, "Nice kid, but a little dumb!", the rooster proceeds to explain to Henery that he still has not captured a chicken. Foghorn emphasizes his points by regularly hitting what he thinks is the trunk; he misses the fact that it has opened and he has been, in fact, hitting Barnyard Dawg, who was inside it. Upon noticing the dog, Foghorn screams, makes a run for it, and climbs a ladder to the top floor of the barn. The dog is waiting there with a watermelon which the rooster plows his head into, then mutters, "Some days it don't pay to get outta bed!" as the dog leaves.

As a last resort, Foghorn shows Henery a photo of a roasted chicken and demonstrates how he himself would look on a platter. Henery utters, "Shnook!", and goes off to throw a lit stick of dynamite into Barnyard Dawg's house. Knowing he will be blamed, Foghorn dives into the house in an attempt to stop the explosion. He fails and, when the smoke clears, amidst the rubble, the rooster is holding what remains of the dynamite. The enraged dog starts body-slamming Foghorn and finally calls him a "good-for-nothing chicken". This is at last enough to convince Henery, who brings a shovel down on Foghorn and begins dragging him off.

Disgusted with himself, the rooster admits, "I'm just a loud-mouthed schnook." Henery declares, "Chicken or shnook, in our oven he'll look good!"

Home media

Censorship

Notes

This was one of only five post-1948 WB cartoons to get a Blue Ribbon reissue prior to 1956, with the original credits cut. The others were "Daffy Dilly", "Kit for Cat", "Scaredy Cat", and "You Were Never Duckier". In 1998, for the "THIS VERSION" of the short, the original opening and credits were restored. This print was used on the Golden Collection, without the notice at the end.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henery Hawk</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Henery Hawk is an American cartoon character who appears in twelve comedy film shorts produced in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. His first appearance is in the 1942 theatrical release The Squawkin' Hawk, which was directed by Chuck Jones and produced by Leon Schlesinger. Henery's second screen appearance, one directed by Robert McKimson, is in Walky Talky Hawky (1946), which also features the characters Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg in their first cartoon roles. The last Warner Brothers theatrical short to showcase the little chickenhawk is the 1961 release Strangled Eggs in which he co-stars again with Foghorn Leghorn as well as with another popular character of that period, Miss Prissy. Following that production, Henery continued to be seen periodically in other animated presentations such as The Looney Tunes Show and Looney Tunes Cartoons.

Egghead Jr. is a character in the animated cartoon Looney Tunes, created by Robert McKimson in the 1950s. He debuted in 1954's Little Boy Boo, and made two subsequent Looney Tunes appearances in 1955's Feather Dusted and 1960s Crockett-Doodle-Doo.

<i>Walky Talky Hawky</i> 1946 film by Robert McKimson

Walky Talky Hawky is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on August 31, 1946, and features Henery Hawk and Foghorn Leghorn. This is the first appearance of both Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foghorn Leghorn</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Foghorn Leghorn is an anthropomorphic rooster who appears in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and films from Warner Bros. Animation. He was created by Robert McKimson, and starred in 29 cartoons from 1946 to 1964 in the golden age of American animation. All 29 of these cartoons were directed by McKimson.

<i>Crowing Pains</i> 1947 animated short film by Robert McKimson

Crowing Pains is a 1947 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on July 12, 1947, and stars Henery Hawk, Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. This is McKimson's first short to feature Sylvester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnyard Dawg</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Barnyard Dawg is a Looney Tunes character. A feisty anthropomorphic basset hound, he is a friend and the archenemy of Foghorn Leghorn. He was created by Robert McKimson, who also created Foghorn, and was voiced by Mel Blanc. Dawg also feuds with other notable Looney Tunes characters as well, such as Henery Hawk, Daffy Duck and Sylvester. He appeared in 23 Golden Age–era Warner Bros. shorts.

Mother Was a Rooster is a 1962 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on October 20, 1962, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc. It is the last-released cartoon scored by Milt Franklyn; Bill Lava would take over as composer for Looney Tunes cartoons starting with Good Noose until the cartoon department's closure in 1969.

Strangled Eggs is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on March 18, 1961, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and Miss Prissy. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc. This was the only cartoon to star both Miss Prissy and Henery Hawk.

Sock-A-Doodle-Do is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on May 10, 1952, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc, though Banty was voiced by an uncredited Sheldon Leonard.

The High and the Flighty is a 1956 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on February 18, 1956, and stars Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

Feather Bluster is a 1958 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on May 10, 1958, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

The Leghorn Blows at Midnight is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on May 6, 1950, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg.

Henhouse Henery is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on July 2, 1949, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg.

Leghorn Swoggled is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. It is story by Warren Foster. The cartoon was released on July 28, 1951, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg. The cartoon's plot is similar to Henhouse Henery (1949) and The Leghorn Blows at Midnight (1950).

Lovelorn Leghorn is a 1951 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on September 8, 1951, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Miss Prissy and the Barnyard Dawg.

The EGGcited Rooster is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on October 4, 1952, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg.

Plop Goes the Weasel! is a 1953 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson and produced by Edward Selzer. The cartoon was released on August 22, 1953, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

All Fowled Up is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short film directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on February 19, 1955, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Henery Hawk and the Barnyard Dawg.

Weasel Stop is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short film directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on February 11, 1956, and features Foghorn Leghorn.

<i>Fox-Terror</i> 1957 film by Robert McKimson

Fox-Terror is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on May 11, 1957, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. The title is a play on the dog breed name "Fox Terrier."

References

  1. "Robert McKimson's "The Foghorn Leghorn" (1948) |".
  2. bcdb.com May 9, 2011
  3. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 190. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 81–82. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 "The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Guide: E-F".