Release Date:

November 14, 1953

Main Character(s):

Foghorn Leghorn, Miss Prissy, Barnyard Dawg

Summary:

The other hens’ cruel insults towards her hurt Miss Prissy so much that she attempts to commit suicide by jumping off the barn roof. Foghorn Leghorn saves her, which causes her to fall for him. He doesn’t share the same feelings as he belongs to “Bachelor’s Anonymous”. Barnyard Dawg, tired of being harassed by Foghorn, eventually helps Prissy out by manipulating Foghorn into wanting to marry her.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1242 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon is a followup of sorts to “Lovelorn Leghorn” with Prissy trying to get Foghorn as a husband and eventually succeeding with Dawg’s help.

Warren Foster wrote this cartoon rather than Tedd Pierce, making this one of the few times he wrote for McKimson after becoming Freleng’s storyman.

The title is a pun for “Of Mice and Men”. The cartoon itself has nothing to do with the novel.

This is the second of only three Foghorn cartoons after “Henhouse Henery” to not feature “Camptown Races”.

The opening scene of the cartoon was used in the 1983 compilation movie, “Daffy Duck’s Movie Fantastic Island” before leading into “Lovelorn Leghorn”.

A clip from this cartoon is shown in the 2025 film, “One Battle After Another”.

You can find out who animated what scene here.

One of the hens refers to Prissy as a “D-R-I-P”. Calling someone a “drip” means they’re unattractive or boring.

One of Foghorn’s one-liners in this cartoon is “Gal reminds me of the highway between Ft. Worth and Dallas- no curves”. The highway he’s referring to is Interstate 30.

The cartoon features some of Rod Scribner’s all-time greatest animation, particularly the scenes of Foghorn catching Prissy, and the fight between Foghorn and the disguised Dawg.

I absolutely love the exceedingly catchy Calypso-like tune that plays under the opening credits (as well as Foghorn’s original song sung to the tune of it).

Favorite Scene:

Dawg has Prissy deliberately ignore Foghorn, which causes him to believe she has another fella. Upon seeing Dawg dressed up as his apparent rival, Foghorn argues with him before starting a fight.

What Happens in This One:

In the chicken yard where several of the hens have children, one of them who’s pushing her offspring in a makeshift stroller (out of a small cart and sunflower), comes across a sad Prissy sitting in her doorway. “Oh, if isn’t Prissy!” (animated by Keith Darling) Prissy answers, “Yeeeeesss” before this hen tells her, “Oh, Prissy. You don’t know how lucky you are never to have had children. They’re such a trial”. She then walks away and chuckles to the audience, “That always burns her up”. As Prissy is walking along sadly, she overhears two of the other hens talking, “You know, Junior scratched a little today for the first time”; “Wonderful! He’ll be crowing next thing you know”. During their conversation, the first hen’s chick walks up to Prissy and smiles upon her patting him on the head, but his mother is unreasonably appalled at this, “Don’t touch my child! What the very idea!” The other hens soon join in and openly insult Prissy, “The nerve of her!”; “Why doesn’t she have her own children?”; “Oh, my dear. She’d never land a man. She’s too much of a D-R-I-P, if you know what I mean”; “I had a cousin the same way”. Hurt by these ugly words, Prissy sadly walks away (animated by Herman Cohen).

Prissy climbs up the ladder to the barn’s roof, just as Foghorn enters, singing a lively original number to the Calypso-like tune under the opening credits, “Now that old hound dog is an awful pest. He barks so much I get no rest. Homely as an old mud-fence. That old hound dog’s just got no sense”, and then removes one of the planks in the gate before continuing, “Oh, Doggy. You’re gonna get your lumps. Oh, Doggy. You’re gonna get some bumps. Oh, Doggy- huh?” He stops upon witnessing Prissy on top of the barn, “Now wha-, I say, now what’s that skinny old hen doing up on the barn?”, and initially figures, “Huh! She must’ve flipped her wig and thinks she’s a weather vane!” (animated by Phil DeLara)

After shedding a tear and waving goodbye, Prissy dives off the barn roof, much to Foghorn’s shock. “WHAM-A-DOODLE! She’s jumped off!” He races towards her and manages to catch her before she hits the ground. Foghorn sets her on the ground properly and asks, “What’s the i-, I say, what’s the idea of divin’ in no water? Divin’s okay, but ya just gotta have water! (brilliantly animated by Rod Scribner) Any of this siftin’ through that little sunbonnet of yours?” Prissy answers, “Yeessss”, kisses him, and then puts her handkerchief on the ground next to Foghorn, before leaving daintily. “She remind-, I say, she reminds me of Paul Revere’s Ride. A little light in the belfry”, Foghorn remarks (animated by Charles McKimson).

Foghorn wonders, “Now, where was I? Oh, oh, yes!”, before scatting to his Calypso-like tune and walking into the yard after picking up the plank he took out earlier. As usual, he picks Dawg up by the tail and spanks him in the behind several times to provoke him into chasing him. Foghorn runs out of the yard and shuts the gate causing Dawg to get his head stuck in it. He then holds down Dawg’s mouth after putting a paper bag on it, with the latter’s breathing into the bag causing it to enlarge before Foghorn pops it. Foghorn walks away laughing, “That dog just CAN’T take it!”, only to stop walking upon seeing (animated by DeLara) Prissy dressed in a Flamenco outfit and doing a Flamenco dance in tune to “The Lady of Spain”. Foghorn stops her with, “Wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE, sister! Turn off your fandango! Are you, I say, are you by any chance looking at me as a matrimonial prospect?” Prissy giggles at this and answers, “Yeeesssss” (animated by Cohen). Foghorn turns her down, “Well, cross me off your list, gal. I belong to Bachelor’s Anonymous. So turn your damper down, gal. Get yourself a hobby”. While walking away, Foghorn confides, “Gal reminds me of the highway between Ft. Worth and Dallas- no curves” (animated by DeLara).

Later, Foghorn lights a dynamite stick to put into the seemingly sleeping Dawg’s house only for Dawg to reveal he wasn’t actually asleep, put his doghouse atop Foghorn, and then cover it up with a garbage can lid so Foghorn can’t get away. After the explosion, Foghorn comes out with a good number of feathers and his tail feathers missing and on all fours and groggily imitating a dog, “Bow-wow, I say, bow, I say, bow wow, bow wow!” (animated by Scribner)

Foghorn is shown eating food from a picnic Prissy has prepared him as he informs her, “Making all these goodies is gettin’ ya no place, gal. The way to my heart through my stomach has a detour sign on it”. She begins to leave, so Foghorn pulls her back so he can finish, “Pay attention, gal. I keep throwin’ ‘em and you keep missin’ ‘em! Can’t you take a hint?” Saddened, Prissy answers “Yes” (animated by Scribner) and walks away distraught. Feeling somewhat guilty, Foghorn tells us, “I know. I know I’m a heel. But it was the only way to get rid of her for keeps” (animated by DeLara).

Dawg then walks up to Prissy, “Hey, sister. If ya wanna land that big lug, you’re goin’ about it the wrong way. Ya gotta play ‘hard to get’”. Perking up at this, Prissy asks intrigued, “Yeeesss?” as Dawg continues, “Since I’d like to see that rooster hitched to ya, I’ll help ya out. But ya gotta do as I tells ya”. After Prissy nods in agreement, Dawg inaudibly whispers a plan to her (animated by Charles).

As Foghorn is pretending to ride a horse, i.e., riding a fake one made from a barrel, Prissy comes along la-ing to “Frankie and Johnny”. Foghorn chuckles, “Here comes that little ol’ gal who’s NUTS about me! I’ll give her a big fat thrill today. I’ll say hello”. Once he greets her, “I say, hello”, she passes by him without looking. “She pass-, I say, she passed me by. I know. She just didn’t see me. I’ll say it again”. Foghorn runs in front of her and says “Hello” while bowing like a gentleman. Prissy ignores him again, which causes Foghorn to realize, “I’ve been, I say, I’ve been snubbed! She must have another fella! I better check on this” (animated by Charles).

Sitting on a bench in front of a tree with Prissy next to him and also already wearing fake rooster feet and a fake tail, Dawg sees Foghorn approaching, “Uh oh. Here he comes”, and puts on a fake rooster head to make it appear that Prissy does indeed have another fella. He pretends to romance Prissy, “I love ya’s! I buy ya jewels! We’ll travel!” This ends up getting Foghorn jealous as he rants, “Why, that no-good love thief!” (animated by DeLara) He then appears from behind the tree and berates the disguised Dawg, “Get your ha-, I say, get your hands off of her, ya interlopin’ snake in the grass! This gal loves ME!” Dawg: “I’m marryin’ this gal”. Foghorn: “I’M marryin’ this gal”. Dawg: “Oh, no you’re not”. Foghorn: “Oh, yes I am!” Dawg and Foghorn then start punching each other (animated by Scribner) and begin fighting offscreen. The other hens soon enter the scene and are surprised at what they’re witnessing as one says, “Why, Prissy, they’re fighting over you”. Prissy replies in delight, “Yeeesssss”. After a final blow (animated by Darling), it’s revealed that Foghorn has knocked Dawg unconscious on his back, winning the fight and Prissy. He allows Prissy to escort him by the arm to the nearby church, “Come on, gal. Let’s go before he wakes up. I’ll show him he can’t beat MY time!” (animated by DeLara)

At the church, the minister pronounces Foghorn and Prissy, “Rooster and hen”. Foghorn kisses Prissy and cheers, “I won! I won!” Prissy confirms, “Yeeesss!”, which causes Foghorn to realize, “Hey! There must’ve been some way I could’ve lost” as he slaps his left cheek (animated by Charles).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕