Release Date:

April 28, 1951

Main Character(s):

Charlie Dog

Summary:

After getting kicked off of an American ship in Italy, Charlie Dog attempts to get an irritable Italian restaurant owner named Pasquale to be his new master.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1160 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue.

This is the final appearance of Charlie Dog in the Golden Age (interestingly, Jones would also retire both Hubie and Bertie and the Three Bears later on in 1951 with “Cheese Chasers” and “A Bear for Punishment”, respectively).

When the cartoon was restored for HBO Max in 2020, the director credit had a very shoddy error where it was marred. This was corrected when the cartoon was put on the Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice Volume 2 Blu-ray set in 2023.

Michael Maltese voices the Italian who rants, “Atsamatta? You know I can’t-a speak-a de-English!?” and also the customer who becomes disgusted by Charlie’s grape-stomping.

The original song, “Atsamatta” that Charlie sings in faux-Italian would also be sung by Bugs in McKimson’s “Bedevilled Rabbit” (1957), which is also the second appearance of Taz.

The cartoon was on film critic Manny Farber’s list of best films of 1951.

This is the only Jones cartoon to feature animation from John Carey.

What I Like About This One:

With the ship having arrived in Italy, the captain of the ship orders his men to lift the crates intended for Italy off the boat, only to discover Charlie relaxing in a lounge chair behind one of the starboard crates: “What the-!? You again!? I thought I threw you off in Peru!” Charlie asks him, “What are you anyway, a dog hater?” before he is kicked off into the Italian streets with the captain yelling, “And stay off my ship!” (animated by John Carey)

Charlie confides, “I can always tell a dog hater when I see one. If they don’t like me, they just don’t like dogs” before deciding, “Well, now to find myself a new master. Which’ll be easy, on account of I’m so lovable and cuddly” while wagging his tail (animated by Carey).

He asks a fisherman, “How about you, friend? How are you fixed for a dog?” Due to this being a country with a different language, the fisherman only replies, “No capiche English”. Upon asking a man with his mule, “How about a dog to brighten up your seamy side of life?”, he gets the same answer, “No capiche”. He then asks two Italian women sitting down in a horse’s cart, “How about it girls? Care to take home a nice, soulful dog?” They only giggle and also answer, “No capiche”. Unaware that where he is isn’t part of the US, Charlie figures, “Awful lot of immi-grants around here. Oh well. When in Rome” (animated by Ben Washam up to here). He then asks a surly-looking man, “Hey, uh, pardon me, Signore, but do you happen to, uh, capiche?” The man only raves in faux-Italian, “Atsamatta? You know I can’t-a speak-a de-English!?” and walks away muttering, “Green-a horn!” (animated by Lloyd Vaughan)

Charlie then hears (animated by Vaughan) Pasquale in his restaurant and decides, “What could be more logical than a restaurant owner for a master?” He goes in without Pasquale knowing and paints his name on a spare bowl for his food dish. After making himself a bed on one of the large flour sacks, Charlie literally says, “Burp” to get Pasquale’s attention (animated by Washam).

When Pasquale turns around and questions in Italian, Charlie answers, “You’re my new master!” with his eyes widening in affection and his tail wagging. Pasquale is confused, “What-a you talk? I’m-a not your new master. I’m-a not even your OLD-a master!” Charlie attempts to be specific, “Look, mac. Let’s get this straight. You’re sans dog, right?” Pasquale replies, “If you mean-a, I’m-a no gotta pooch-a, THAT’S-a RIGHT-a!” Charlie responds, “And I ain’t-a got no master! So we must solve BOTH our problems!” Frustrated, Pasquale raves in faux-Italian before Charlie is kicked out with a pot of pasta on his head (animated by Washam).

Pasquale leaves his restaurant for a while just as Charlie walks back up, “Hey, just a minute, chum. You don’t get it. I’m man’s best friend. I-” but upon seeing the sign on the door, “Back in 15 Minootsa”, Charlie decides, “Watch me endear myself to him while he’s gone”. As Charlie’s in the midst of cooking (animated by Washam), a customer comes in, taking his hat and coat off before Charlie dances to his table, imitating a faux-Italian waiter. The customer orders a very bizarre-sounding and equally complicated Italian dish. Charlie dances back to the kitchen to prepare it before coming back to ask, “With onions-a?” The customer replies, “No, no onions-a” (animated by Phil Monroe).

Before he dances back into the kitchen, Charlie instead goes back to the customer’s table and replies that they don’t have what he ordered and says it exactly the way the customer did all the while looking at the audience, and also blows a silent raspberry at the audience at how he was able to understand what the dish was. Irritated, the customer instead settles for, “You got maybe-a the spaghet?” Charlie replies, “Messhu!” and stops dancing on his way to the kitchen once more, turning around to find the customer getting agitated with him and replying, “No onions-a”. Charlie serves the spaghetti on a fishing reel and has him eat it by inhaling, before Charlie cuts the end of the spaghetti with scissors. He then brings out some grapes and a barrel and stomps on them while dancing, much to the customer’s shock as he sees Charlie pouring the wine he made into a glass. Seeing Charlie’s juice-stained feet causes the customer to gag and become so disgusted that he puts his hat around his body and his coat over his head before walking out (animated by Monroe).

Charlie wipes off his juice-stained feet and figures, “Eh, probably in a hurry to catch a gon-dola” (animated by Monroe). Pasquale returns around this time and is angry, “What-a for-a you chase-a my customers away? I’m-a thought I (animated by Vaughan) told you to scram-ba!” Not listening, Charlie tells him, “Look, chum. I got it all figured out. We need somethin’ to keep our customers entertained”. Despite Pasquale requesting him to return to “San Fran-Pizza” or “Pasa-fedena”, Charlie decides what they need is a floor show. His “floor show” is dressing as a mustached Italian and singing an original tune, “Atsamatta” (animated by Ken Harris).

Before Charlie can repeat the tune, Pasquale seemingly gives in: “Alright! Alright! Stop! Stop! You can stay”. “I can, really?”, Charlie asks, delighted. Pasquale laments, “Yes-a. Yes. I give up. I’m-a gonna take you home. Where you can play all-a day in the sunshine of your own-a little piazza”. Excited, Charlie happily chants, “Oh, boy. I’m gonna have a piazza! I’m gonna have a piazza!” and has Pasquale carry him to where his supposed new home is, while asking if his room has an unobstructed view of the “Medi-t-t-t-terranean” and also making requests for his own pony, a private tutor, a golden yo-yo, and his very own “mutition”, oblivious that he is being brought to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a landmark which he is unfamiliar with. Pasquale then lets out a pretend-frightened scream, exclaiming that the tower is “falling on our little house-a!” He has Charlie “hold it up” while he runs off “for help-a”. He actually just resumes working in his restaurant like normal now with Charlie out of the way. That night, Charlie is still out there holding it up and yelling for help. He asks in desperation, “Hey, doesn’t anybody around here capiche?” and lets out another yell of “HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLP!” as the cartoon ends (animated by Harris).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½