Release Date:

August 17, 1946

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

A battalion of mosquitoes train for their mission to attack the enemy, a middle-aged farmer who is armed to the hilts with wire net screens, a DDT bottle and sprayer, and a fly swatter.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 3-16, the 3rd Looney Tune in the 16th release season.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. In January 2022, a 16mm print in black and white with the original titles was found. These titles also revealed two things: when the Looney Tunes card comes in, the Warner Bros. shield stays on screen. It was also revealed that “The Toy Trumpet” plays under the opening credits. This makes me particularly glad that this one’s original titles were found because a Carl Stalling rendition of a Raymond Scott tune being lost would absolutely be disgraceful.

This cartoon is a remake of the Private Snafu cartoon, “Target Snafu” (1944) where the mosquitoes train to attack Snafu, even reusing animation from that one (which makes sense as Freleng directed that, too). However, there are three key differences between the two: one, Snafu was an easy target as he, in typical Snafu fashion, wasn’t prepared for protection while the farmer in this one has everything that a mosquito wouldn’t survive against in real life (and thank goodness for that); two, this one was released almost a whole year after World War II ended; and three, while the mosquitoes do attack their target, they don’t win either unlike in the Snafu cartoon.

The farmer is a caricature of Arthur Davis.

The restored print uses the incorrect ending theme.

The title is a pun on the Broadway musical, “Of Thee I Sing”.

Other than “The Toy Trumpet” playing under the original titles, “Boy Scout in Switzerland” plays during the “Ground School” scene up to the scene with three mosquitoes being put under a platter with limburger cheese to see if they can withstand the smell.

As of this writing, this is currently the only 1946 cartoon to not have a restored disc release. Since it was restored for HBO Max in 2020, this makes 1946 the earliest year where every Warner cartoon from a year has been restored. And once Warner Archive puts this one out on one of their future Looney Tunes Blu-rays, this will mean every 1946 Warner cartoon will be available on disc fully restored.

What I Like About This One:

The rendition of “The Toy Trumpet” over the original titles.

The narrator describes the farmer’s weapons as “anti-aircraft” (the sprayer), “poison gas” (the DDT bottle), “heavy artillery” (the fly swatter) and “a steel fortress” (the wire net screens; animated by Manuel Perez).

Only mosquitoes who are mentally and physically alert are accepted for training at “Anopheles Field”, as one who has a bent proboscis is immediately kicked out (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Basic training is the mosquitoes marching in mid-air but with the “Hut, 2, 3, 4” call only being made out as the high-pitched buzzing, while a field of arms has them remove their proboscises and holding them like bayonets for the general to inspect (animated by Ken Champin).

One mosquito has multiple utensils in its proboscis, acting as a Swiss army knife (animated by Chiniquy).

“Classes are held at ground school” which is literally an underground meeting as the mosquito teacher buzzes out a blueprint of the human, with the hand being labeled as “dangerous”, the leg as “vulnerable”, and the head as “thinly covered” (animated by Virgil Ross).

Other tests include three mosquitoes being put under a platter with limburger cheese to withstand the awful smell, with one of them passing out, one mosquito making it through an obstacle course of swatting hands and newspapers, and thinking it’s finished, walks away proud of itself, only to be hit by a mallet (animated by Champin), mosquitoes buzzing through a system of slapping hands and a swatter (animated by Ross), and swinging across pieces of flypaper. One even has multiple pairs of shoes on to make it across (animated by Chiniquy).

Multiple mosquitoes then crawl under sprays of aerosol being sprayed out of a frit gun (animated by Perez).

When mosquitoes are pinpoint bombing dummy targets, one mosquito tries to attack from the rear end flap, but keeps knocking into it, before finally resorting to malleting the back of its head to cut its way through (animated by Ross).

The rendition of “March Dignitaire” when mosquito pilots receive their wings (animated by Ross).

The masterminds of this operation meet in “cabin syrup” to discuss the attack. Their reporter comes back beaten up badly, and passes out when landing. But only his camera is taken away on a stretcher while the reporter is carried off by a giant-legged spider (animated by Chiniquy).

The missing piece of the blueprint of the farmer’s backside that the reporter brought is revealed to be the rear end. One of them stamps “Target for Tonight” on the rear end piece (animated by Perez).

When the mosquitoes prepare to take off for the attack, each has its own insignia such as Gravel Gertie, Bugs Bunny, Sweet Sioux (who resembles Tex Avery’s Red), and Mrs. Kalabash (animated by Champin).

Although the mosquitoes succeed in attacking the farmer on the rear end to which he jumps in pain screaming, the mosquitoes all end up crashing into the water due to a cross-eyed member of the ground crew giving them misdirections (animated by Ross).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕