Release Date:

September 25, 1937

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

Little Peter Parrot wants to be a sailor just like his father. His mother doesn't want him to because his father was irresponsible. Peter marches out of the house and creates a makeshift boat with a blabbermouth duck as his first mate. He still doesn’t learn his lesson after getting caught in a big storm.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. The song that played under the opening titles was “Song of the Marines”. The credits were as follows:

Supervision: Fred Avery

Animation: Virgil Ross and Paul Smith

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

This is the earliest color cartoon to be in the public domain.

This is the first cartoon to use the 1937-1938 sunburst rings, the late 1937 Merrie Melodies intro music and the 1937-1938 Merrie Melodies end music.

What I Like About This One:

When Mother tells Peter about his father, she says that he set sail to Hawaii. But Father (in the story) talks back and says, “No Ma, it was Catalina!” (animated by Irven Spence).

Mother saying she’d hoped her husband would come back someday, and then suddenly shouts, “But he never did, the needle-brain!”

When Peter is asked if he doesn’t want to be a sailor after hearing about his father, Peter sobs but then says “Yes” (he also does this at the end).

When Peter marches out of the house, the background changes from the interior of the house to the outside.

Peter using the skull and crossbones label on a jar of poison as a flag (animated by Spence; Spence is pretty much the only animator in these early Avery cartoons who I 100% know for sure what scenes he animated).

Peter talking to the audience asking, “This picture’s kind of like Mutiny on the County, don’t ya think? Or don’t ya?”

Peter eating licorice and spitting it into an underwater spittoon.

A lightning bolt briefly turning into the word “BAM!”

The duck wondering why Peter’s being frantic about the rain: “What for? I like rain. I like the water” before he starts talking a mile-minute before pausing to say, “Ain’t I the talkingest little guy?”

When Mother hears Peter’s calls for help, she yells that she’s coming, and then goes into a few bars of “Old Black Joe”: “I’m coming, I’m coming, cause my head is bending low”.

The duck calling Peter a “big sissy”.

Mother’s reaction on hearing that Peter still wants to be a sailor.

Where Can I Watch It?

On YouTube!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕