Release Date:

April 20, 1957

Main Character(s):

Ralph Phillips

Summary:

Sent to his room for accidentally breaking a window from playing baseball indoors, Ralph Phillips daydreams of being a hero first in a jungle setting and then as a pilot.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1421 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon is a sequel to “From A to Z-Z-Z-Z” and is the second and final appearance of Ralph in the Golden Age. This time, it takes place at Ralph’s home rather than at school.

A callback to that cartoon is also made as Ralph at one point said he got a C in arithmetic. In this cartoon, the martians he has to capture in his pilot daydream are known to have all gotten an A in that subject.

Ralph’s father in his jungle daydream has a different character design than his actual one.

The title is a pun for “boyhood days”.

Mr. Phillips’ line, “Dr. Livingson, I presume” is a pun for “Livingston”.

Favorite Scene:

Ralph scolding his father, “Mr. Father, you are too young to play in Africa. Go to your room”. Mr. Phillips then cries as he walks away, “Other fathers get to play in Africa! I never get to do anything!”

What Happens in This One:

In the Phillips house, a thrown baseball flies out the window, breaking it. Mrs. Phillips is heard upset, “Oh no!” before she scolds, “Ralph Phillips, that’s the last straw! You march right upstairs until your father comes home!” The title card and credits then appear as the camera pans diagonally upward in movement with Ralph sadly ascending the stairs. Once in his room, Ralph is seen upset and teary-eyed on his bed as he thinks to himself, “I get blamed for everything I do. Maybe if I was drownded-uh-saving THEM from getting drownded. Then they’d appreciate me. What if they were in danger? Caught by ferocious cannibals in Africa? Then they’d be sorry I wasn’t around to help them-” (animated by Ken Harris).

The small tiger statue on his dresser turns into a larger, actual tiger roaring as Ralph imagines an African jungle setting (animated by Harris). His parents have been caught by large African cannibals, whose faces are never shown due to them always wearing Tiki masks. As the cannibals do a tribal dance around the pot, Mr. Phillips tells his wife, “There’s something I have to tell you, Alice”. Mrs. Phillips: “You-you mean?” Mr. Phillips: “Yes. This may be it. I hated to tell you, knowing how you worry”. Ralph, in a safari outfit, arrives, much to the cannibals’ horror. His parents are elated as Mrs. Phillips happily exclaims, “Saved!” Mr. Phillips adds, “It’s our boy! The famous explorer!” Ralph then reminds the cannibals, “I warned you Dackory’s, that if I ever caught you boiling parents again, I’d-” He pulls out two guns and walks towards them while the cannibals back away in fear (animated by Abe Levitow).

Ralph continues going after them into the jungle where they start ambushing him with their spears offscreen. “Oh ho! Try to ambush ME, will ya!? Take that! And that! And maybe that!” The ambush then stops after Ralph shoots them offscreen. Ralph walks back into view with a spear through his left shoulder, his right arm bandaged in a sling, and his head also bandaged as he confides, “I hated to have to kill them all, but they had to be taught a lesson”. Mr. Phillips says to him, “Dr. Livingson, I presume”. Ralph then scolds, “Mr. Father, you are too young to play in Africa. Go to your room”. Mr. Phillips walks away sobbing, “Other fathers get to play in Africa! I never get to do anything!” As he passes out, Ralph tells his mother, “My insurance will pay for the broken window, Mother-”. This then fades back to reality where he’s under his pillow as he continues, “-with whatever’s left. Buy yourself a catchers’ mitt”. Ralph then looks up in a somewhat awkward manner when he sees the audience witnessing this (animated by Levitow).

Later, Ralph folds a paper airplane on his bed as he sobs in his thoughts, “I guess the trouble is I-I’m just not wanted around here. Maybe it’s because I’ve- never amounted to anything. Never done anything with my life. If I’d maybe been a… a jet acer… or something”. Ralph’s mouth forms into a large closed-mouth smile as his paper airplane becomes a “US Air Forse” (childlike misspelling) jet that he’s flying, at one point skywriting his initials “RP” in the air. He is then radioed by his captain, “Calling Group Commodore Phillips. Calling Group Commodore Phillips. Listen here. Turn back! You are being pursued by a multitude of unfriendly martians who all got A in arithmetic. And besides, too, your- your super-tomic filament is coming loose!” Unconcerned, Ralph responds, “Com. Ralph to HQ. Com. Ralph to HQ. Now hear this. I’ve just gotta engage these fiercable creatures in mortal combat! Because otherwise, what will happen to the Earth if I don’t? Over” (animated by Richard Thompson).

The martians’ ships all pass over Ralph flying into the distance as they meet up with their ships circled around in a group. A Martian in one of the ships communicates to the one in the ship with him via wires connected to their helmets before the message gets passed on to the other ships by means of an electric zap going to all of them at once. They then start pursuing Ralph and dive bomb him, causing Ralph’s ship to smoke and start falling to the ground. The captain radios to him, “HQ to Com. Ralph. Are you alright? Come in, Com. Ralph. HQ calling. HQ calling”. Ralph, with his cockpit almost entirely shattered to nothingness, manages to get his ship back in the air as he pops back up with most of his head and his left arm bandaged, and with an American flag behind him while he sports an evil smirk, indicating that he’s more determined than ever. He puts his aviator goggles on as he radios, “Com. Ralph to HQ. Bandits at high noon. Going in to attack. Over”. A large cannon pops out of the front of the ship which one of the Martian ships notices. Realizing they’re screwed, one of the martians in this ship holds up a sign, “It’s Ralph Phillips and His Secret Weapon!” Ralph’s cannon is actually a lasso cannon which fires a lasso and catches all of the ships simultaneously, leaving them hanging upside down from Ralph’s ship. Ralph radios, “Com. Ralph to general staff. Com. Ralph to general staff. Routine report. Martians captured. World safe. Over” as he flies into the distance with the captured martians (animated by Thompson).

At the White House, a gigantic ceremony is being held for Ralph, who still has his left arm bandaged and is also wearing an eye patch. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are seen beaming proudly with happy tears. The “Honerble” President bangs his gavel to quiet down the crowd, “Shut up, everybody, can’t ya!? Or else how can I unveil this statue of Ralph Phillips the hero?” He pulls off the white sheet covering the statue with a string, with said sheet falling atop Ralph (animated by Thompson).

Back in reality, Ralph comes out from under his bed sheets as he hears the front door from downstairs open. His bedroom changes into a prison cell with Ralph as a prisoner. A fellow inmate whispers, “They’re coming to get ya, Phillips! They’re coming to get ya!” Ralph puts down his cigarette and marches off his prison bed to confront the warden who opens the door and tells him, “You’re gonna have to pay for this, Ralph Phillips!” It turns out to actually be his dad telling him, “Yeah. I’m sorry son, but I’m afraid we’ll just have to pay for that window out of our allowance”, before he chuckles, “Now, get out and play! And kinda watch it, will ya, old man?” Ralph runs out with his baseball glove and bat but spots a cherry tree in the yard. He then notices an ax and walks over there with it, imagining himself as a young George Washington, ending the cartoon (animated by Harris).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

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