Release Date:

February 18, 1950

Main Character(s):

Beaky Buzzard

Summary:

Leo the Lion is celebrating his 10th birthday in the jungle when he receives an unexpected gift from Beaky Buzzard. It’s a book that explains that lions rarely live beyond the age of 10 years, meaning Beaky has been patiently waiting 10 years to eat Leo. Leo attempts to get away from and outsmart Beaky to no avail.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1112 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. When it was restored for the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 2 Blu-ray set in 2012, the original opening and closing rings were put back in.

With Beaky having made a return after being absent for a few years (previously appearing in “The Bashful Buzzard” five years earlier), he is now voiced by Mel Blanc due to his original voice actor, Kent Rogers, having been killed in an unfortunate training flight during the war and with Bob Clampett (who directed Beaky’s first two cartoons) having been gone from the studio for over three years, Freleng decided to use him for this one. Notably, Beaky is a lot smarter here and ends up getting the best of Leo. In his next and final Golden Age appearance, McKimson’s “Strife with Father” (which will be Friday’s cartoon), Beaky reverts back to the dopey persona he’s known for.

The title is a pun for “the line’s busy”.

Leo speaks in an Irish accent.

A Bugs Bunny lookalike is seen as one of the animals attending Leo’s birthday.

This cartoon can be seen on a TV in the 1993 film, “Falling Down”.

In reality, a male lion’s life expectancy is actually 8-10 years, while a female lion’s is 15-16 years.

What I Like About This One:

As Leo is telling his party guests a tall tale about how he was outnumbered ten to one by giant hooligans, “the likes of which you’d never want to see again”. A gift from out of nowhere hits him on the head, with Leo demanding whoever was responsible to “come out and fight like a man, ya skulkin’ sneak, or ‘tis meself will tear ya limb from limb with me bare hands!”, which scares all of the guests away (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Leo’s mood changes to pleased upon seeing it’s another present that hit him on the head. He finds a card that reads, “Roses are red. Violets are blue. I’ve waited 10 years for this day, so happy birthday to you!- The Buzzard”. Leo sees that the present is a book, “just what I always never wanted!” The book is “Dr. Kidney’s Report on the Lion”. He opens up to the page, “Life Expectancy of the Lion” and reads aloud, “Lions rarely live beyond the age of 10 years”. “10 years!?”, Leo realizes in horror and counts the candles on his cake and then counts another time to double check before Beaky confirms, “Uh, yep, yep. That’s, uh, 10 alright, Leo. Absolutely right. You’re not gettin’ any younger, Leo. Nope, uh, no younger” (animated by Chiniquy).

Leo retorts that he’s not getting any older either before returning dressed as a sailor boy and dancing an Irish jig and also scatting said jig. Beaky places a banana peel on the ground, causing Leo to slide off a cliff. As he falls, Leo plays “Taps” on a tiny trumpet (animated by Chiniquy).

After landing on the ground, Leo briefly bounces back up dazed before landing again (animated by Chiniquy). Upon coming to, Leo sees Beaky scatting to “Arkansas Traveler” and preparing to eat Leo’s tail like a hamburger, complete with bun and condiments. Leo questions, “And just WHAT might I ask do ya ‘tend doin’ with that?” Beaky replies, “Oh, er, uh, I’m gonna eat it (chuckles) Yep, er, uh, gonna eat it, yep”. Leo takes it away and tells him, “Oh, no you’re not! Be after fixin’ one for yourself! ‘Tis me is eatin’ this one!”, unaware it’s his own tail. Leo bites it as Beaky watches him jump into the air in pain and walks over to where he’ll land with a pan. After Leo lands in the pan, he finds Beaky putting paper frills on his feet and lashes out at him, “Ooh, the everlastin’ nerve of ya! Can’t even wait ‘til I’m decently deceased before you’re tryin’ to devour me!” Seemingly ashamed, Beaky says, “Awww, now ya went and hurt my feelings” (animated by Virgil Ross).

“I’ll hurt more than your feelin’s, ya carnivorous canary!”, Leo threatens, rolling up his “sleeves” and spitting on his hands before attempting to hit Beaky with a club. Beaky teases, “Temper, temper, Mr. Lion” and continues dodging Leo’s attempted hits (animated by Ross).

Perched on top of a leafless tree, Beaky advises, “Ya shouldn’t exert yourself like that, Mr. Lion”. Leo demands, “Come down here, ya molten seagull!” but Beaky only chuckles that he couldn’t do that. Leo decides to climb up the tree after him, but as soon as he reaches the top, Beaky squirts a drop of oil onto the tree’s bark, causing Leo to slide down it rapidly. After watching Leo slide down and crash offscreen, Beaky tsks, “You really ought to be more careful, Mr. Lion” (animated by Arthur Davis).

Leo then attempts to scale the tree with climbing spikes attached to his feet, but finds Beaky has attached more pieces of wood to the tree to make the climb even higher. Once he reaches the top, Beaky isn’t there and Leo sees the very long drop down to the ground, causing him to shake in fear while clinging onto the top. Beaky offers to get him down by chopping it with an ax. Leo tries to tell him he’ll be getting himself down, but Beaky insists, “No friend of mine’s gonna get himself down. Nope, no friend of mine”. As the tree and extra pieces of wood fall, Beaky says “TIM-” but forgets the remaining three letters. Upon remembering them, the whole thing crashes to the ground offscreen, causing Beaky to shrug with a smirking expression (animated by Davis).

Once Leo regains consciousness from the fall, he smells something cooking and finds Beaky cooking his tail like a string of hot dogs. After Leo puts his tail out in an ashtray, Beaky tells him, “Now, uh, let’s quit stallin’, Mr. Lion. Your time’s up and I’m gettin’ pretty hungry. Yep, pretty hungry”. Leo retorts, “Well, Mr. Buzzard. I’ve got news for ya. You’re never going to get me. Never! Never! NEVER!” (animated by Champin)

Leo takes a rocket to the moon, only to find Beaky already there waiting! “Oh, er, uh, Leo! What kept ya?” Leo hides out in a cave on the moon and barricades the entrance. He hides in there for a whole year but Beaky proves to have incredible patience as he is STILL there waiting. Years pass by this point and in 1957, Leo comes out of the cave, now an old-timer. He surrenders, “‘Tis no use. Ya might as well eat me now and have done with it. But ‘tis hopin’ you’re chokin’ on me I am”. Beaky has aged as well: “Oh, uh, sorry, Leo. Uh, uh, can’t eat nothin’ but marshmallows. Um, uh, have one?” (animated by Champin)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕