Release Date:

May 14, 1938

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

While all the other squirrels are busy gathering nuts for winter, one squirrel named Junior thinks that gambling is the easiest way to get them, despite his father’s objections. One day, his father tells Junior to get their supply of nuts from the First Nutional Bank (pun) and to return before the snow falls. Junior meets his match when a smartly dressed stranger beats him in everything and wins the nuts from him.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. The title song played under the opening credits which were:

Supervision: Frank Tashlin

Story: Fred Neiman

Animation: Bob McKimson

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

This was the only cartoon written by a guy named Fred Neiman. According to animation historian Michael Barrier’s commentary for this cartoon on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 4 DVD set, Neiman and Tashlin were good friends.

This is also one instance where Billy Bletcher’s character he voices is not a villain. In this case, he voices the father squirrel.

Although Tashlin was never involved in the creation of Bugs Bunny, Junior’s voice sounds like Bugs’ wise guy accent.

What I Like About This One:

The chorus singing the title song at the beginning.

One squirrel trying to get acorns by shaking a tree but the tree retaliates by shaking him. The squirrel eventually turns the tables by using a shaking machine.

The father squirrel cleaning his glasses (animated by Robert McKimson).

Junior’s laugh when he wins a gambling game against six other squirrels as well as his own lyrics for the title song: “You boys must be tetched in the head, to keep working till you’re almost dead. This is the way to gather nuts for winter, now that summer is gone”.

The father catching Junior in the midst of his ill-gotten gains and giving such a smack that causes him to roll into a tree. Three of the squirrels Junior won the nuts from laugh at this and then sing: “You’ll be so very sorry someday, you’ll see that gambling simply won’t pay. That’s not the way to gather nuts for winter, now that summer is gone”.

Junior winning nuts from three more squirrels. They go in behind a tree with sacks full of nuts, lose from Junior offscreen, and leave with sour looks on their faces, with their sacks empty.

The next time his father catches him, Junior does a take, (with an expression that reads “Oh, crap!”), and this time gives himself the powerful smack that rolls him into the tree.

Right before Junior leaves to get his father’s supply of nuts from the bank, his father had told him, “And remember, no gambling!” Junior immediately ditches this warning when the stranger invites him to “indulge in a little game of chance”.

The montage of Junior losing every gambling game possible (cards, roulette, dice, etc.)

The stranger’s laugh after he leaves with the nuts.

By the time Junior gets home, the snow has fallen and he makes up a lie to his father that he was attacked by a gang of bandits who robbed the nuts from him. As Junior is in the middle of his fib, the father takes out a suitcase from under the table and puts on the exact same outfit the stranger wore, meaning that Junior was conned by his own father, who did it to teach his son a lesson. Upon realizing that the stranger was his father in disguise and that he is in big trouble, Junior says “Uh oh” and tries to run out the door but his enraged father catches him by the tail, saying he’ll give him ten lashes that he won’t forget. Junior doesn’t learn his lesson however, and tells his father “I’ll flip ya, Pop, double or nothing”. The cartoon irises out as the father starts spanking Junior with a plank and Junior’s screams continue over the “That’s all folks” end music.

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕