The Dixie Fryer
The Dixie Fryer is a 1960 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson.[1] The cartoon was released on September 24, 1960, and features Foghorn Leghorn.[2]
| The Dixie Fryer | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Daws Butler (uncredited) |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | Tedd Bonnicksen Warren Batchelder Tom Ray George Grandpre |
| Layouts by | Robert Givens |
| Backgrounds by | William Butler |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | September 24, 1960 |
Running time | 6:11 |
| Language | English |
The cartoon is also the second and final cartoon to feature the buzzards (who are referred to as Chicken Hawks in this short), "Pappy" and "Elvis," the first being the Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Backwoods Bunny," released a year earlier.
Plot
Foghorn Leghorn is seen flying south for the winter, though he is not actually flying himself but hitching a ride on a basket that is being pulled by a flock of ducks. He then smells magnolia trees and figures that he is in the south, and hops out of the basket using an umbrella as a parachute, while also managing to bring a suitcase that contains a lounging chair and a mint julep. In a tree, two hungry chicken hawks, "Elvis" and "Pappy", spot Foghorn Leghorn and announce that they will be having him for dinner. Following a pattern in previous Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, Foghorn soon realizes that the chicken hawks are not extending an invitation but want to eat him for dinner. Foghorn tries a series of maneuvers to evade the chicken hawks, including a pistol duel which ends up backfiring on him, knocking his beak off ("first, I say, first time someone shot my mouth off!"). Then, Foghorn leads his two adversaries into a cellar, pretending a tornado is nearby, and bolts it shut to trap them. However, he hears a noise and discovers that there is a tornado approaching, but is unable to unlock the cellar in time, getting caught in it. When the tornado dies down, we see Foghorn rendered featherless (wearing a pair of polka-dotted boxer shorts), so he remedies this by putting on a new set of feathers (ACME Instant Feathers). Then, Elvis and Pappy break out of the cellar and continue their pursuit of the rooster. Foghorn then leads his predators into a shack containing explosives and shuts the door. The chicken hawks cannot see and Foghorn steps out of the shack. Then Elvis sticks his head out of the shack and asks Foghorn for a match. Foghorn obliges, the shack explodes, and the chicken hawks are blown back into their nest. Pappy then decides that they must settle on (literally) black-eyed peas.
Though victorious, Foghorn isn't completely unscathed—all his tail feathers have been blown off, though he doesn't seem to notice this. He comments about getting back to enjoying his vacation, which he calls a "Southern exposure", blithely turning about to reveal his buttocks (with the boxer shorts) to the audience as the picture fades out.
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 327. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 81-82. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.