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Claws for Alarm is a 1954 Merrie Melodies short directed by Charles M. Jones.

Plot[]

Porky Pig and Sylvester are driving to Dry Gulch, a ghost town, when Porky decides to stop for the night at the local hotel, a fact that makes Sylvester tremble and to which Porky seems oblivious. Sylvester alone is alert to the danger from murderous mice that have taken up residence in the hotel. The mice remain mostly unseen, except for tiny, malevolent pairs of eyes in dark corners and the moose heads over the main desk and Porky's bed. No matter; Porky declares it to be "a perfectly splendid place to spend the night" and checks in.

Meanwhile, the mice do everything they can to kill or scare Porky and Sylvester. The mice are seen in silhouette beneath a sheet, standing on each other's shoulders as they appear to the frightened cat to be a ghost. As always, Porky does not see the danger until Sylvester has chased the mice away, leaving him holding the bag, or, in one case, the noose the mice have dropped around Porky's neck, out of the way of which the cat has just pushed Porky. Porky demands to know why Sylvester shoved him. Sylvester pantomimes the moose head and the noose dropping from it. Porky then asks the cat if he is "schizoph-phre-eh-schizoph-phre-eh-manic depressive or something?" (later asking, "Is th-there any, uh, in-eh-insanity in your family?"). Sylvester soldiers on all night, guarding his master with a shotgun he had earlier wrested away from the mice.

Dawn finally breaks, driving the ghosts out of the hotel, ending the bleary-eyed cat's vigil as Porky awakes: "Eh, this really is a restful place. Y-you know, I think we'll just stay here for a week or ten days and get really r-rested up." Sylvester gets upset and clubs Porky over the head with the shotgun butt while he is freshening up and singing "Home on the Range," leaving him repeating the first verse many times. Sylvester, meanwhile, loads the car with the luggage and Porky and speeds away from the hotel. After a last look back, Sylvester breathes heavily, thinking he is safe, unaware of the pairs of eyes blinking from the speedometer.

Reception[]

Some cartoon buffs view "Claws for Alarm" as the creepiest and darkest of the trio of cartoons centered on Porky and Sylvester's weird vacations, noting the simpler drawings and the almost never-seen mice. Emru Townsend, writing for the online animation magazine Frames Per Second, lists "Claws" as one of his favorites for Halloween and comments, "'Claws for Alarm' makes the cut for Halloween because, unlike in the other two cartoons, the sense of fear and dread comes in from the very first frame." Townsend also cites the "true horror-movie fashion" of the ending, where the "monsters" are not completely vanquished.[1]

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Censorship[]

Much like "Scaredy Cat" and (to a lesser extent) "Jumpin' Jupiter", "Claws for Alarm" has been shown edited on American television:[2]

  • On CBS and ABC, the scene where Sylvester plugs a gun with his finger and the gun fires, causing the bullet to go through his finger and out via his tail (with Porky sleepily commenting "Mice") was cut.
  • On Cartoon Network's pre-2002 airings (CN now airs this cartoon uncut), ABC, Nickelodeon, and the syndicated Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, the following parts were cut:
    • The scene where Sylvester uses a noose to demonstrate to Porky what could have happened to him had Sylvester not saved him was cut on ABC, Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, and Cartoon Network before 2002, but was left uncut on Nickelodeon (and later on post-2002 CN). This scene was also cut on Cartoon Network (pre-2002) whenever Daffy Duck's Quackbusters aired.
    • The scene where a noose lowers on Porky while Porky is sleeping, Sylvester cuts the noose with a razor, and Porky accuses Sylvester of attempted murder was cut on ABC, Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, pre-2002 Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon.
    • The scene where a moosehead has a rifle emerging from its mouth to try and kill Porky, and Sylvester beating it up was cut on pre-2002 Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

Notes[]

Gallery[]

TV Title Cards[]

References[]

  1. Frames Per Second, Oct. 27 2007
  2. http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-c.aspx
  3. Polson, Tod (2013). The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design. Chronicle Books LLC, page 29. ISBN 978-1452127385. 
Porky Pig Cartoons
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1942 Porky's Pastry PiratesWho's Who in the ZooPorky's CafeAny Bonds Today?My Favorite Duck
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1945 Trap Happy PorkyWagon Heels
1946 Baby BottleneckDaffy DoodlesKitty KorneredThe Great Piggy Bank RobberyMouse Menace
1947 One Meat BrawlLittle Orphan Airedale
1948 Daffy Duck Slept HereNothing but the ToothThe Pest That Came to DinnerRiff Raffy DaffyScaredy Cat
1949 Awful OrphanPorky ChopsPaying the PiperDaffy Duck HuntCurtain RazorOften an OrphanDough for the Do-DoBye, Bye Bluebeard
1950 Boobs in the WoodsThe Scarlet PumpernickelAn Egg ScrambleGolden YeggsThe DuckstersDog Collared
1951 The Wearing of the GrinDrip-Along DaffyThe Prize Pest
1952 Thumb FunCracked QuackFool Coverage
1953 Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
1954 Claws for AlarmMy Little Duckaroo
1955 Jumpin' JupiterDime to Retire
1956 Rocket SquadDeduce, You Say
1957 Boston Quackie
1958 Robin Hood Daffy
1959 China Jones
1961 Daffy's Inn Trouble
1964 Dumb Patrol
1965 Corn on the Cop
1966 Mucho Locos
1980 Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century
1996 Superior Duck
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1946 Kitty Kornered
1947 Tweetie PieCrowing PainsDoggone CatsCatch as Cats Can
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1949 Mouse MazurkaBad Ol' Putty TatHippety Hopper
1950 Home, Tweet HomeThe Scarlet PumpernickelAll a Bir-r-r-dCanary RowStooge for a MousePop 'Im Pop!
1951 Canned FeudPutty Tat TroubleRoom and BirdTweety's S.O.S.Tweet Tweet Tweety
1952 Who's Kitten Who?Gift WrappedLittle Red Rodent HoodAin't She TweetHoppy Go LuckyA Bird in a Guilty CageTree for Two
1953 Snow BusinessA Mouse DividedFowl WeatherTom Tom TomcatA Street Cat Named SylvesterCatty CorneredCats A-weigh!
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1958 A Pizza Tweety-PieA Bird in a Bonnet
1959 Trick or TweetTweet and LovelyCat's PawHere Today, Gone TamaleTweet Dreams
1960 West of the PesosGoldimouse and the Three CatsHyde and Go TweetMouse and GardenTrip for Tat
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1963 Mexican Cat DanceChili WeatherClaws in the Lease
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1965 It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the HouseCats and BruisesThe Wild Chase
1966 A Taste of Catnip
1980 The Yolks on You
1995 Carrotblanca
1997 Father of the Bird
2011 I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat
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