Release Date:

September 10, 1938

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Upon learning that his St. Bernard uses alcohol to warm up skaters in case they fall into the freezing pond, a WC Fields pig (called “Mr. Squeals”) tries to steal the dog’s alcohol barrel for himself.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the second time WC Fields is caricatured as a pig and is a con artist. The first was in “At Your Service Madame”.

This is the last cartoon to use the 1937-1938 sunburst rings and the last cartoon where the opening Warner Bros. shield is blue. In the next color cartoon, the shield would permanently revert back to red.

This cartoon has a special opening rendition of the late 1938 Merrie Melodies theme. This theme would also be used in Tashlin’s next two cartoons (and the last two before he would leave the studio for a few years), “Little Pancho Vanilla” and “You’re an Education”.

The “Blue Danube” is prominently featured in the cartoon.

Squeals makes a reference to “Termite Terrace” at the end. Termite Terrace was the name given to the animation building at Warner Bros. since it was so rundown and full of termites.

What I Like About This One:

Most of the ice-skating gags at the beginning. A caterpillar-like character’s body separating upon coming across multiple holes in the ice, two Russian dogs interrupting the song to the tune of the Blue Danube to do the Russian kick dance, an unhatched egg following its siblings on skates, and a fish ice-skating in a pelican’s mouth.

The St. Bernard being large but living in a tiny dog house.

When the St. Bernard leaves to rescue a drowning bird, he hangs a sign, “Gone with the Gin”.

The way Squeals looks at the St. Bernard’s barrel of alcoholic drinks: “I believe you got something there!”

Squeals trying to fake a cold to get the alcohol but the St. Bernard simply ignores him (“I can almost feel pneumonia embracing me in its icy grip!”).

Squeals throwing a large rock into a hole in the ice and making noises to look like he’s drowning, but instead of making a drink for Squeals, the St. Bernard downs the drink himself.

Someone in the audience (whose voice is similar to Charlie McCarthy, a reference to the Fields-McCarthy radio feud) heckling Squeals, taunting him about how he loves “watching that dog make a fool out of you”.

Squeals attempting to lure the St. Bernard to him with a metal plate of bones and controlling it with a magnet. This backfires spectacularly when the St. Bernard runs smack into him, the magnet falls into the water, getting a fish stuck to it, and the alcohol pours into the water, getting the fish drunk.

Although Squeals manages to get the alcohol barrel in his hands, the drunken fish with the magnet has attracted an axe, and the handle drags Squeals around the ice with his suction cup nose getting stuck on the ice.

Whenever the fish hiccups, Squeals’ nose repeatedly attaches and detaches from the ice.

When the axe stops at a tree stump, Squeals can now drink the alcohol he desired. But before he can do so, the fish’s magnet now controls his skates, resulting in him being part of a skating contest. His bottom repeatedly bumps on the ice, and he then sways back and forth due to the fish sitting on a clock’s pendulum like a swing.

The animation of Squeals above water when the fish encounters a larger carnivorous fish.

After Squeals’ skates detach from him and hit a log, he wins the contest and pours alcohol into his trophy. But the fish’s magnet pulls the trophy away from him, sloshing alcohol all over the ice. McCarthy is heard laughing again as the cartoon irises out.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕