Release Date:

June 28, 1958

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

The Mighty Angelo, the world’s strongest flea, takes a vacation from the circus and decides to rest on a dog who resides in a residential estate. When a bullying bulldog named Butcher keeps stealing the dog’s pillow, Angelo decides to teach the bulldog a lesson.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1485 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

This is the last ever cartoon that Carl Stalling scored as he would retire after this one.

This is also the final cartoon produced by Eddie Selzer, making this cartoon truly the end of an era in two ways.

There is no dialogue in this cartoon apart from the dogcatcher exclaiming “Why, you-!” from Angelo hitting him in the rump with a plank to frame Butcher for it (after Butcher has attempted to get the dog taken off to the pound), and the unseen man in the program, “Glassie” (parody of “Lassie”), that Angelo watches at the end of the cartoon.

The title is a pun for “to each his own” (a phrase which I very much agree with regarding everything and to be respectful about, especially the interests of those with autism, like yours truly).

Due to the way the credits are formatted (hanging off signs on a building), Richard Thompson is credited as “R.L. Thompson” (his middle name began with L but it’s unknown what said middle name actually was).

The name “Butcher” was previously used for a different bulldog in “Mouse Warming”.

Butcher’s dog dish is also labeled “Mine”.

Favorite Scene:

Angelo’s attacking of Butcher with a sledgehammer. Due to how small Angelo is, Butcher thinks he’s hitting himself with it, causing him to dispose of his alcoholic “Old Dog-Nip 100 Proof” and mutter the oath of sobriety.

What Happens in This One:

At “Norbet’s Flea Circus”, there is a poster advertising it that reads, “Featuring the Mighty Angelo, the World’s Strongest Flea”, with Angelo holding up a barbell significantly larger than him with one finger. The stage door is then kicked open and slightly torn off its hinges. Something bounces out into view, which turns out to be Angelo, who proves his strength by flexing his large muscles and with his curly mustache twitching straight. Angelo then bounces away into the city, knocking over two trash cans in the way. It’s then revealed that Angelo broke out of his microscopic circus cage and left a note- all of which is visible with a magnifying glass. The note reads, “Dear Sam; I’ve been working too hard so I’m going to take a rest on some nice quiet dog in the country. Yours Truly, The Mighty Angelo. PS I’ll fix the door when I get back. The M.A.” (animated by Ken Harris).

At dawn the next morning, Angelo is bouncing his way into the country when he spots “Villa Acres” as well as a sign in front of the fence, “Beware of Dogs”. He bounces in, and breaks a few of the metal gate’s bars before bouncing his way up to the dog residing there, who’s sleeping peacefully on a pillow in a gazebo in the yard. Angelo’s turning the dog’s tail into a set of stairs causes the dog to wake up in confusion. Angelo then bounces up the stairs he made and then into the dog’s fur where he pushes a few hairs aside like trees before sitting down in front of one to relax. The dog scratches himself from Angelo’s presence, creating an earthquake-like experience for Angelo. Angered at this, Angelo’s mustache twitches straight again before he stomps on the dog’s skin presumably as a way to tell him to cut that out. This causes the dog himself to vibrate. The confused dog gives his body a single scratch, where he is met with another stomp-powered vibrate. He then does it with just one foot, and gets the same result. He shrugs and goes back to sleep (animated by Ben Washam).

Meanwhile, from the open gate with a “Service” sign pointing towards it, Butcher is seen pacing back and forth with a bone in his mouth before marching towards his doghouse and entering it backward. Seemingly about to go to sleep, Butcher then realizes he’s missing something and looks out of his yard (animated by Washam) to find the dog sleeping on his pillow. He comes up to the dog and kicks him off to steal the pillow for himself. The dog ends up crashing into a brick wall offscreen, with the camera panning to show him in a somewhat upside down position. Angelo peers out of the dog’s fur and sees Butcher going back into his yard with the pillow, so he bounces off after him to get it back (animated by Richard Thompson).

After seeing Butcher sleeping on the pillow with the bone in his mouth, Angelo does another straight twitching of his mustache and then jumps up the fence and to the wall where he pushes a loose brick out of said wall. Angelo catches the brick and bounces over with it to the top of Butcher’s doghouse. He whistles to get Butcher’s attention and once Butcher looks up, Angelo shoves the brick down onto his head, ejecting the bone out of his mouth. Angelo also swipes the pillow from underneath Butcher, causing the latter to hit his head on the top of his doghouse (animated by Thompson).

The dog prepares to go to sleep without the pillow before Angelo returns and puts it under him. Having also taken the bone, Angelo slips that into the dog’s mouth for good measure. Pleasantly surprised but delighted with the pillow suddenly underneath him, the dog lays down on his back. With only his angry bloodshot eyes shown, Angelo finds this position very uncomfortable, so he forces the dog back into his original position of lying chest-first (animated by Abe Levitow).

Butcher comes to from Angelo’s attack and upon spotting the brick in front of him shoots a glare in the direction of the dog’s yard, clearly thinking this was the dog’s doing. The dog is suddenly woken up by Butcher’s shadow appearing over him and then sees Butcher himself standing right outside the gazebo and tossing the brick in his right hand, preparing to hit him with it. With his mustache twitching straight once more and with an “Oh no you don’t!” expression, Angelo jumps out of the dog and grabs Butcher by the tail to drag him across the ground on his feet. Butcher stops tossing the brick upon feeling this and gives the audience a look of confusion. Angelo pulls Butcher through a knothole and then bounces away (animated by Levitow).

Upon coming to his senses, Butcher begins running off and snarling angrily, with Angelo interrupting his run by pounding him on the head with a sledgehammer, which causes Butcher’s jaw to drop from the hit (animated by Levitow). Butcher picks up the sledgehammer as Angelo repeatedly wallops him with it, making it appear to Butcher that he’s doing this to himself. When Angelo bounces with the sledgehammer over to his head, Butcher gives a silent lip-quivering expression to the audience and covers his head to brace himself. Instead, Angelo swings it down onto his rear, sending Butcher running and him getting chased by Angelo carrying the sledgehammer. Butcher retreats into his doghouse and shuts the door, but this doesn’t stop Angelo from entering and attacking him in the darkness. After the attack, Butcher emerges from his wrecked doghouse and sees the sledgehammer presumably bouncing away on its own- though it’s of course, Angelo carrying it with him. Believing his alcoholic bottle of “Old Dog-Nip 100 Proof” was the cause of him seeing the strange sight, Butcher mutters the oath of sobriety and disposes of it (animated by Washam).

Butcher then notices (animated by Washam) the City Dog Catcher driving by and gets a devious idea. He takes the dog off his pillow, causing Angelo to fall off onto said pillow. Butcher carries the dog to the top of the fence and whistles to get the dogcatcher’s attention. The dogcatcher screeches to a stop and runs out to throw a net over the dog. Angelo bounces out with a plank and whacks the dogcatcher in the rump with it. Angry at the sudden attack, “Ouch! Why, you-!” (animated by Thompson), the dogcatcher takes the net off the dog and runs into the yard just as Angelo places the plank in the laughing Butcher’s hand. Butcher stops laughing upon seeing the dogcatcher next to him and the plank in his hand, hiding the latter behind his back while giving a sheepish grin. Believing Butcher was responsible for this, the dogcatcher takes him away instead (animated by Washam). With Butcher gone for good, the dog is back asleep on the pillow. A small antenna rises out of his back, with Angelo having set up a hammock in between two hairs and relaxing in it while watching “Glassie” on a small television set (animated by Harris).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½