Release Date:

March 29, 1941

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Products in a grocery store come to life at night to sing and dance. Trouble arises when a ferocious gorilla breaks out of a box of animal crackers and scares everyone.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. “You You Darlin’” played under the opening credits:

Supervision: Robert Clampett

Story: Melvin Millar

Animation: Vive Risto

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

This is Clampett’s very first color cartoon and his very first cartoon without Porky Pig (you can probably imagine how glad Clampett was when he was given the freedom to make a non-Porky cartoon).

This is one of two color cartoons made by Clampett’s old unit (when Norm McCabe took over Clampett’s old unit after Clampett took over Avery’s unit, all of the cartoons directed by McCabe were in black and white). The other, “Farm Frolics”, would be released less than two months later.

This is the last cartoon to use the late 1940-early 1941 Merrie Melodies opening theme and the last cartoon to use the late 1938-early 1941 Merrie Melodies ending theme.

Superman is parodied at one point, months before the first Superman cartoon from the Max Fleischer studio was released.

This is the first time Clampett attempts an “inanimate objects come to life after closing hours” cartoon. He would revive the books coming to life formula in “A Coy Decoy” (released later in 1941) as well as one of his all-time greatest, “Book Revue” (1946). Incidentally, Daffy Duck appears in both of those cartoons.

What I Like About This One:

The female cow on a can of “Contented Milk” singing “If I Could Be with You” to the bull on a package for “Fulla Bull Tobacco”.

A Ned Sparks crab on a can for “Crab” commenting, “This love stuff makes me sick!”

A “chicken pie” clucking.

The “maestro” being a mop with a Leopold Stokowski head.

The dog on a package for “Barker Dog Food” coming off the package to imitate a circus barker.

Tomato cans coming to life to perform a can-can and sing a rousing rendition of “I’m Just Wild About Harry”.

After the gorilla breaks out of the package, he stops growling at one point to comment, “Gosh, ain’t I repulsive?”

The animation of the gorilla menacingly watching everyone having fun.

“Jack Bunny” (a rabbit who talks like Jack Benny) riding a bottle of “horse radish” (which imitates a horse) to go after the gorilla.

The awesome rendition of “Song of the Marines” that plays when “Navy Beans” (beans with soldier hats) run out of their package and a turtle on a can for “Turtle Soup” becomes a tank to pursue the gorilla.

Gingerbread men using cleansing tissues as parachutes.

Jack Bunny then gets an ax off a package of cherries (likely a reference to George Washington and the cherry tree), but that gets turned into a very small ax when the gorilla shoots fireworks at it.

A goofy Superman from “Superguy Soap Chips” being reduced to a crybaby when the gorilla roars, “YEAH!?” at him.

Just as it looks like Jack Bunny is about to be done in by the gorilla threatening him with a dynamite stick (which the gorilla used Jack Bunny’s cigar to light), the gorilla’s mother calls, “HENRY!” (a reference to “The Aldrich Family”). The gorilla runs off anxiously, answering “Coming, mother!” His mother then pulls him back into the animal cracker box by the ear and scolds him for all the trouble he’s caused.

Thinking he’s now safe, now that the gorilla is gone, Jack Bunny breathes a sigh of relief only to realize he’s still holding the dynamite stick! He says, “Yipe!” and tries to get of it only for it to explode on him and turn him completely black. He then says in Rochester’s voice, “My, oh my! Tattletale gray!”

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕