Raw, Raw, Rooster discussion

[oceansoul]

OK, here is my pick to discuss now. No hit or miss, because you hate that. I watched the cartoon on Myspace (http://la.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=6511437), since Jerry Beck announced it will be on the next Golden Collection.

Overall, I tought RRR is a pretty lukewarm effort before, but now watched it again, I found the cartoon rather entertaining. Not stunning or outstanding, but at least it broke the formula and McKimson brought something new to the series (Just like with Fractured Leghorn or Little Boy Boo), and delivered some good laughs. I wish the same story had appeared a few years earlier and the short would have been more dynamic.

[Marty26]

Pretty much agreed with everything you've just said. Not the best Foghorn Leghorn cartoon, but the plot is interesting (although one must wonder how Foggy ever managed to even get into college - let alone have a college rival) and there are plenty of good gags. Such as Rhode Island Red trying to whoo the ladies by singing Freddie The Freshman, and Foggy's "going away presents."

[J. J. Hunsecker]

The theme for the conflict is a good idea, and presents a change of pace for the Foghorn cartoons, but it's executed in a dull manner. Had this cartoon been made in the late forties, during McKimson's heyday as a director, it would have really been good. By the 50's the animation in the McKimson cartoons became creaky, literal, unexpressive, and limited. I feel this hurts some of the gags, which had the animation been more exaggerated would have given them some punch.

[oceansoul]

The theme for the conflict is a good idea, and presents a change of pace for the Foghorn cartoons, but it's executed in a dull manner. Had this cartoon been made in the late forties, during McKimson's heyday as a director, it would have really been good. By the 50's the animation in the McKimson cartoons became creaky, literal, unexpressive, and limited. I feel this hurts some of the gags, which had the animation been more exaggerated would have given them some punch.

I agree with you on this. The theme was very original, the usual punch the dog, and get the melon, someone interrupts method got a much needed rest. But probably the limited and unexpressive animation which hurts the cartoon most. Too bad McKimson lost his edge after Foster left him.

[larriva9/11]

Though the hen groupies are kinda cute...

[StillHowardFein]

Possibly my least favorite Foggy short. He's worked well with a variety of characters, but Red is so obnoxious, he overstages the nominal star of the picture. The Daws Butler voice also seems very out of place. And the ending falls flat, almost deconstructing cartoon mythology as in: "the bomb's supposed to kill him, but it just injures him a little, so doesn't that defeat the purpose?"

Foggy's usual colorful speech patterns were sorely missed. You'd expect to hear something along the lines of "That boy's more annoying than-" His best line is strictly ironic: "Just a second, I've gotta load the camera."

One would think Tedd Pierce could have thought of more creative ways to vanquish Red besides monotonous backfiring-explosion gags.

[LooneyLover81]

Thought the hen groupies are kinda cute...

One of them plays a mandolin as the short opens, following the screen credits.

Another one of my favorite scenes in R! R! R! is Foggy putting up various signs at his front door to keep his college bud away from him, such as:

"GO WEST YOUNG MAN!"
"QUIET - DO NOT DISTURB"
"BEWARE: VICIOUS DOG!"
"OUT TO LUNCH - BACK IN 5 YEARS"
"QUARANTINED - CHICKEN POX"
"FOGGY DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE!"

[Marty26]

Watching this cartoon again, I've noticed a couple things.

Some of the jokes (especially Red's lingo) are very dated. Most notably, the "electric clock" since we've had digital clocks for the last 40 or so years.

It's kind of funny (in an ironic way) seeing Foggy complain about somebody else being an obnoxious loudmouth in the beginning of the cartoon.

Being that, nowadays, golf is stereotyped as a sport for couch potatoes and corporate slimeballs, it's a little odd seeing Red shamelessly playing it.

[angilbas]

Red looks and sounds like a Jackie Gleason character, but a comparison of this cartoon with the Honey-Mousers trilogy indicates that McKimson had better luck with mice than with birds.

I've always found R!R!R! watchable though no more than mildly amusing. The gags are timed well enough but never seem fresh or particularly clever. McKimson's animators of the time were capable of giving their characters more personality than is seen here.


-Tony

[Marty26]

Red looks and sounds like a Jackie Gleason character, but a comparison of this cartoon with the Honey-Mousers trilogy indicates that McKimson had better luck with mice than with birds.

I've always found R!R!R! watchable though no more than mildly amusing. The gags are timed well enough but never seem fresh or particularly clever. McKimson's animators of the time were capable of giving their characters more personality than is seen here.


-Tony

I'm glad I'm not the only person who noticed an obvious Ralph Cramden influence in Red. Particularly with the sarcastic "Hardy Har Har Har" line.

[absolutpaul]

I think the animation of Red in the last shot ("With a friend like you...") looks like crap.

[StillHowardFein]

I think the animation of Red in the last shot ("With a friend like you...") looks like crap.

Likewise, the closing line itself falls flat. The whole point of the cartoon is that Red is blissfully unaware just how much Foggy despises him. A better 'dazed' response might be something like "This device of yours has a few bugs in it- yeesh."

Strange how Blanc was brought in to supply Red's last line; surely Butler is just as capable as sounding dazed. And "Hoo-Hoo-Hoo!" must have been a popular radio or TV catchphrase at the time; it's heard in at least one other McKimson cartoon (NOW HARE THIS).

[Marty26]

Likewise, the closing line itself falls flat. The whole point of the cartoon is that Red is blissfully unaware just how much Foggy despises him. A better 'dazed' response might be something like "This device of yours has a few bugs in it- yeesh."

Strange how Blanc was brought in to supply Red's last line; surely Butler is just as capable as sounding dazed. And "Hoo-Hoo-Hoo!" must have been a popular radio or TV catchphrase at the time; it's heard in at least one other McKimson cartoon (NOW HARE THIS).

Blanc may have been brought in because McKimson felt he could do a "dazed/drunk" voice better than Butler. That would be my guess.

[J Lee]

McKimson around that same time was also having Butler do a couple of Bugs' lines (as Groucho and Ed Norton) in "Wideo Wabbit", so he seemed to be opting for what he thought was the funniest reading. The fact that either the last line falls flat, or that McKimson and Pierce didn't make it obvious earlier that Red knew Foggy didn't like him shows they should have been working to brush up the script a little more before they started deciding on the tag line voice recording (and the concept of a rooster even louder and brasher than Foghorn wasn't a bad one).

[oceansoul]

Red looks and sounds like a Jackie Gleason character, but a comparison of this cartoon with the Honey-Mousers trilogy indicates that McKimson had better luck with mice than with birds.

-Tony

Really? I can't describe in words how much I got bored of those dry and unfunny Honey-mouser shorts. I mean, OK to parodise radio shows, but do it in an entertaining way. Those shorts are dated now, just like Mouse that Jack Built, another cartoon that spoofs a radio show... Jack Benny's clueless face at the end of that cartoon deserve to be on Thad's WTF serie.

At least RRR has Foggy, and a good spinoff story. Red is a bit annoying, I have to agree.

[Marty26]

Really? I can't describe in words how much I got bored of those dry and unfunny Honey-mouser shorts. I mean, OK to parodise radio shows, but do it in an entertaining way. Those shorts are dated now, just like Mouse that Jack Built, another cartoon that spoofs a radio show... Jack Benny's clueless face at the end of that cartoon deserve to be on Thad's WTF serie.

At least RRR has Foggy, and a good spinoff story. Red is a bit annoying, I have to agree.

A significant correction: The Honey-Mousers parody a TV program. Not a radio program.

[Chooch]

Those shorts are dated now, just like Mouse that Jack Built, another cartoon that spoofs a radio show... Jack Benny's clueless face at the end of that cartoon deserve to be on Thad's WTF serie.

The Jack Benny Program was on TV for 15 years. It was top rated at the time this cartoon appeared. WTF indeed.

[oceansoul]

Not the TV show itself was WTF, but the cartoon parody.