An Itch in Time

Last updated
An Itch in Time
ItchinTime BR-43-TC.png
Title card
Directed by Robert Clampett
Story by Warren Foster
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Bob McKimson
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • December 4, 1943 (1943-12-04)
Running time
8:28
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

An Itch in Time is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Bob Clampett. [1] The short was released on December 4, 1943 and features Elmer Fudd, with a dog and cat that look similar to Willoughby and Claude Cat. [2]

Contents

A. Flea would make another appearance in 1947's A Horse Fly Fleas , directed by Robert McKimson, in which the "A" in the flea's name is revealed to stand for "Anthony".

Plot

Elmer Fudd is laughing while lounging in his easy chair and reading his comic book (which is later revealed to have Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig on its cover), his dog nearby, sleeping comfortably in front of the fireplace. All is peaceful until a flea comes bouncing by, dressed in a farmer's-type outfit with a big straw hat, and carrying a satchel inscribed "A. Flea". Pulling out his telescope and spotting the dog, he whistles and shouts in excitement before beginning to sing "Food Around the Corner", which becomes a recurring theme throughout the cartoon. Having awakened the dog by bouncing off his nose, the flea, hiding by the animal's ear, begins softly crooning so as to lull him back to sleep. This is successful, so the flea finds a suitable portion to begin eating. He takes a bite, which immediately jolts the dog awake, "Yipe! Agony, agony, agony!" He then begins scratching and biting, causing A. Flea to run, though he manages to make it so the dog bites himself.

Elmer reacts, after the dog has leapt, whining, into his lap, by employing the use of flea powder. The flea is not phased, he simply skates on the powder as if it is ice. Elmer threatens to give the dog a bath if he witnesses him scratching again, which the dog – thinking about how much he hates baths – promises not to do. A. Flea continues searching for and measuring out various selections of the dog's person; he makes use of pickaxes, jackhammers and even explosives while the dog tries to withstand the itching and the overall pain. At one point, he deliberately angers the cat in order to enjoy the claws scratching his back. An angry-looking Elmer catches them and they both retreat as if they have been scolded.

Finally, after A. Flea sets off an explosion in his fur, the dog cannot stand it any longer. Yelping and dragging his posterior across the floor, at one point he stops briefly and says to the viewers, "Hey, I better cut this out. I may get to like it." (reportedly an attempt by Clampett to bait the Hays Office censors, who ultimately left the gag intact). Elmer advances and the dog, realizing a bath is imminent, brakes and slides to a halt. He begs not to be taken for the bath, but Elmer grabs him and begins dragging him toward the inevitable. Suddenly, the flea is on Elmer, who begins to scratch. The dog then proceeds to carry him for a bath. There is a bar of soap on the floor on which the dog slips, landing both of them in the kitchen sink. The flea soon carries the two away on a plate, labelled as a "Blue Plate special", while singing about no more Meatless Tuesdays. Upon witnessing A. Flea carrying the dog and Elmer out of the house, Elmer's cat remarks, "Well, now I've seen everything." He then commits suicide by shooting himself in the head with a revolver (the shooting is cut from all modern airings).

Production

Director Bob Clampett wrote the flea's song, "Food Around the Corner". [3]

Reception

Animator Michael Sporn writes, "In Bob McKimson's animation, the film is as funny as it is artful. McKimson remade the film a few years later in a half-hearted attempt called A Horse Fly Fleas (1947), adding a now controversial scene with American Indians; his direction wasn't nearly as good as Clampett's in the earlier film." [3]

Related Research Articles

Charlie Dog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character was featured in nine cartoons between 1941 and 1958. He is generally characterized as a friendly wise guy.

<i>Tweetie Pie</i> 1947 short film by Bob Clampett and Friz Freleng

Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.

Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Robert Clampett, Arthur Davis, and Frank Tashlin, are considered major figures in the art and history of traditional animation.

<i>Wabbit Twouble</i> 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Bob Clampett

Wabbit Twouble is a Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions and released on December 20, 1941, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babbit and Catstello</span> Looney Tunes cartoon characters

Babbit and Catstello are fictional characters, based on the comedic duo Abbott and Costello, that appeared in Warner Bros. animated cartoons. The characters appeared in four cartoons between 1942 and 1946: once as cats, once as dogs, and twice as mice.

<i>A Corny Concerto</i> 1943 animated short film directed by Bob Clampett

A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck.

<i>The Old Grey Hare</i> 1944 film by Bob Clampett

The Old Grey Hare is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on October 28, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan respectively.

<i>Hare Remover</i> 1946 animated short film by Frank Tashlin

Hare Remover is a Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, released in 1946. The film was the second Bugs Bunny cartoon to be directed by Frank Tashlin, the first being The Unruly Hare (1945). It was also the last short Tashlin directed before leaving Warner Bros. in 1944 to direct live-action films. His animation unit was handed over to Robert McKimson upon his departure.

<i>The Wacky Wabbit</i> 1942 Bugs Bunny cartoon

The Wacky Wabbit is a 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. It stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

This is a list of all cartoons featuring Porky Pig. Directors are listed in parentheses.

<i>A Pest in the House</i> 1947 film by Chuck Jones

A Pest in the House is a Merrie Melodies animated short film released on August 2, 1947. It is directed by Chuck Jones and stars the characters of Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Birth of a Notion</i> (film) 1947 film by Robert McKimson

Birth of a Notion is a 1947 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on April 12, 1947, and stars Daffy Duck.

<i>A Horse Fly Fleas</i> 1947 film

A Horse Fly Fleas is a 1947 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short. It was written by Warren Foster and directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on December 13, 1947.

<i>The Hep Cat</i> 1942 film

The Hep Cat is a 1942 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett, written by Warren Foster, animated primarily by Robert McKimson, and set to a musical score composed by Carl W. Stalling. The short was released on October 3, 1942. This cartoon was the first Technicolor Looney Tunes short.

<i>Nutty News</i> 1942 American film

Nutty News is a 1942 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on May 23, 1942. Elmer Fudd's voice can be heard as the unseen narrator.

Don't Axe Me is a 1958 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on January 4, 1958, and stars Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Barnyard Dawg.

Wise Quackers is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The film was released on January 1, 1949, and stars Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd.

<i>A Mutt in a Rut</i> 1959 film

A Mutt in a Rut is a 1959 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on May 23, 1959 and features Elmer Fudd.

<i>Its Hummer Time</i> 1950 film

It's Hummer Time is a 1950 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Robert McKimson and written by Warren Foster. The short was released on July 22, 1950. The cartoon stars a tuxedo cat who attempts to catch a hummingbird, only to get in the way of a bulldog who subjects him to various forms of torture for accidentally hurting and bugging him while doing so to the tune of Raymond Scott's Powerhouse, the cat seeming to know what's in store for him each time. All voice characterizations are performed by Mel Blanc.

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 146. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 77–79. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 108. ISBN   978-1-64722-137-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.