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Changes: Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner

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{{Infobox Shorts
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{{Shorts
 
|name = Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner
  
|name = Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner
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|image = Eatin_on_the_Cuff-restored.png
  
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|Director = [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett]]
  
⚫
|producer = [[Leon Schlesinger]]
  
⚫
|airdate = August 22, 1942
  
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|series = [[Looney Tunes]]
  
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|Voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Sara Berner]] (uncredited)
  
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|Starring = Piano-Playing Narrator (played by Leo White)<br>Moth<br>Honey Bee<br>Black Widow Spider
  
 
|previous = [[The Squawkin' Hawk]]
  
|previous = [[The Squawkin' Hawk]]
 
|next = [[Fresh Hare]]
  
|next = [[Fresh Hare]]
  ⚫
|image = Eatin_on_the_Cuff-restored.png
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|video = [[File:Eatin on the Cuff Or The Moth Who Came to Dinner - 1942 - Looney Tunes - (HD & CC)|center|280px]]
  
  ⚫
|airdate = 22 August 1942
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|Writer = [[Warren Foster]]
  
  ⚫
|series = [[Looney Tunes]]
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|Animators = [[Virgil Ross]]<br>[[Rod Scribner]] (uncredited)
  
  +
|mpaa = 8235
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|Layout-artist =
 
  +
|prodno =
−
|Background-artist =
 
  ⚫
|voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Sara Berner]] (uncredited)
⚫
|Sound effects = [[Treg Brown]]
  
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|Musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]
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|director = [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett]]
  ⚫
|producer = [[Leon Schlesinger]]
  ⚫
|writer = [[Warren Foster]]
  +
|animators = [[Virgil Ross]]<br>[[Rod Scribner]] (uncredited)<br>[[Robert McKimson]] (uncredited)<ref>http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2015/07/379-eatin-on-cuff-1942.html</ref><br>[[Sid Sutherland]] (uncredited)<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBQttZUsV0</ref>
  ⚫
|editor = [[Treg Brown]] (uncredited)
  +
|musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]
  +
|video = <gallery>
  ⚫
Eatin on the Cuff Or The Moth Who Came to Dinner - 1942 - Looney Tunes - (HD & CC)|Video A
  +
LOONEY TUNES (Looney Toons)- Eatin' on the Cuff or, The Moth Who Came to Dinner (1942) (Remastered)|B
  +
Eatin on the Cuff (1942) - Restored (HBO Max)|C
  +
Looney Tunes - Eatin' On The Cuff - Clampett - 1942x379 - HD (1080p)|D
  +
Looney Tunes "Eatin' On the Cuff" (1942)|E
  +
</gallery>
 
}}
  
}}
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'''Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner''' is a [[1942]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short directed by [[Bob Clampett]].
 +
'''Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner''' is a [[1942]] ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short directed by [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett]].
  +
  +
== Title ==
  +
The first half of the title, "Eatin' on the Cuff," means to eat without charge. In the film, it is also taken literally—the moth is seen eating pant cuffs. The second half, "The Moth Who Came to Dinner," is a play on the 1942 Warner Bros. film ''The Man Who Came to Dinner.''
   
 
== Plot ==
  
== Plot ==
−
The film begins and ends with a live-action piano player, his singing inexplicably voiced over by [[Mel Blanc]] and carried as narration throughout the cartoon, the moth character appears in both scenes, and in the final shot eats the guy's pants right off, sending him clumsily running off into the distance. Plotwise, a wiseguy moth is preparing for his wedding day ("Here comes the groom, straight as a broom, all purtied up with ten-cent perfume"!). He wakes up late, and after getting some breakfast at the bar (A few peoples' pant cuffs) he gets held up by a Black Widow spider, who seduces him with a cigarette lighter (moths are attracted to light, of course). A wacky chase ensues. His bride-to-be, a bee, thinks he's ditched her, and cries... until she realizes something might be wrong and comes to the rescue ("confidentially, she stings!") Also keep an eye out for another unique cartoon filming technique, the photographic backgrounds used for the moth's suit-pocket home and other key scenes.
 +
A live-action piano player sings and narrates a story about a wiseguy moth preparing for his wedding day. "Here comes the groom, straight as a broom, all purtied up with ten-cent perfume!" The moth wakes up late, and after getting some breakfast at the bar and a few people's pant cuffs, he is held up by a Black Widow spider, who seduces him with a cigarette lighter. A wacky chase ensues. His bride-to-be, a bee, thinks he's ditched her and cries, until she realizes something might be wrong, comes to the rescue, and duels with the spider. "Confidentially, she stings!" The moth and the bee reunite and kiss.
  +
  +
The piano player finishes narrating the story and tells the audience, "I never could understand what that cute little bee would see in that silly moth. What a dope." The moth gets upset and eats his pants right off, sending him clumsily running off into the distance.
  +
  +
== Caricatures ==
  +
* [[Adolf Hitler]]
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* [[Caricatures#Eddie "Rochester" Anderson|Eddie "Rochester" Anderson]] - "My, oh, my!"
  +
* [[Caricatures#Elvia Allman|Elvia Allman]] - "Look, a man!"
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* [[Caricatures#Veronica Lake|Veronica Lake]] - spider's disguise
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* [[Caricatures#Mischa Auer|Mischa Auer]] - "Confidentially, she stings!"
   
 
== Availability ==
  
== Availability ==
  +
<gallery>
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*VHS - [[Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition]] Volume 7: Welcome To Wackyland
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LTCE VOL 7 WELCOME TO WACKYLAND.jpg|(1999) VHS <br/>''[[Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition]] Volume 7: Welcome to Wackyland''
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*DVD - ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5]]'', Disc 4
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Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5.jpg|(2007) DVD <br/>''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5]]'', Disc Four
  +
</gallery>
  +
  +
=== Streaming ===
  +
<gallery>
  +
lt hbo max.jpg|[[HBO Max]] (2020 - 2023)
  +
lt max.jpg|[[Max]] (2023 - 2024)
  +
</gallery>
   
 
== Notes ==
  
== Notes ==
 
* This short combines live-action and animation.
  
* This short combines live-action and animation.
  +
* The Black Widow references the "Look, a man!" catchphrase of Cobina from ''The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope''.
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* Similar to [[You Ought to Be in Pictures]], the animation unit did not have access to location sound recording equipment, so all of the live-action footage was shot silent, to which the voices had to be dubbed in later, which is why the voices were dubbed by [[Mel Blanc]].
 +
* Similar to "[[You Ought to Be in Pictures]]", the animation unit did not have access to location sound recording equipment, so all of the live-action footage was shot mute, to which the voices had to be dubbed later, which is why the voices were dubbed by [[Mel Blanc]].
⚫
* This short is now in the public domain as [[Sunset Productions]] failed to renew the copyright in time.
  
  +
** Also similar to "You Ought to Be in Pictures" is that this animated/live-action hybrid cartoon is also produced in black-and-white.
  ⚫
* This short lapsed into the public domain in 1970 since [[Warner Bros.-Seven Arts]] neglected to renew the copyright in time.
  +
* This is the last black-and-white ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' short that [[Bob Clampett]] directed. Clampett would be promoted to [[Tex Avery]]'s unit after he left, and his old unit would be taken over by [[Norman McCabe]] and later [[Frank Tashlin]].
  +
* The working title of this cartoon was "The Moth and His Flame" and was later changed to "The Moth Meets His Flame."<ref>https://comics.ha.com/itm/a/7216-61148.s</ref>
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* The moth in this short (as "The Moth & His Flame") would appear in "The Rascals" section of the instruction manual for ''[[The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2]]''. Despite this, he does not appear in the game itself.
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* Vitaphone release number: 798
   
 
== Gallery ==
  
== Gallery ==
 
<gallery>
  
<gallery>
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Screenshot 2021-01-16 at 7.42.33 PM.png|Title card ([[Nickelodeon]])
  +
379-Credits.png
 
Cuff02.jpg
  
Cuff02.jpg
  ⚫
Lt hitler eatin on the cuff.jpg
⚫
Cuff08.jpg
  
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-23-22-166.jpg
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-23-35-561.jpg
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-23-37-739.jpg
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-23-41-455.jpg
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-24-20-993.jpg
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Shredded by moth pano.jpg
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Bandicam 2020-01-23 00-24-44-554.jpg|"My oh my!"
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Vlcsnap-2020-03-01-19h33m15s107.png
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Vlcsnap-2020-03-01-19h33m07s453.png
  +
Vlcsnap-2020-03-01-19h33m32s380.png
 
Cuff06.jpg
  
Cuff06.jpg
  ⚫
Cuff08.jpg
⚫
lt hitler eatin on the cuff.jpg
  
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Funnyfacespider2.jpg
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Vlcsnap-2020-03-01-19h29m41s301.png|"Leo White"
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Eatin-on-cuff-lobby.jpg|[[Lobby Cards|Lobby card]]
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Tumblr nzskspkaP81tb16fvo1 1280.jpg|Preliminary sketch by [[Rod Scribner]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Steve|last=Schneider|title=That's All Folks! The Art of Warner Bros. Animation|chapter=Part One: The Studio|url=https://archive.org/details/thatsallfolksart0000schn|date=1988|page=74|publisher=Henry Holt and Company|isbn=978-0805014853}}</ref>
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Tumblr nzskspkaP81tb16fvo2 1280.jpg|Preliminary sketch by Rod Scribner
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Tumblr nzskspkaP81tb16fvo3 1280.jpg|Preliminary sketch by Rod Scribner
  +
Tumblr nzskspkaP81tb16fvo4 1280.jpg|Preliminary sketch by Rod Scribner
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Moth and his flame model sheet.jpg|Model sheet
  +
Moth and his flame model sheet second.jpg|Model sheet
 
</gallery>
  
</gallery>
  +
  +
== References ==
  +
<references />
  +
  +
{{-}}
 
[[Category:1942]]
  
[[Category:1942]]
 
[[Category:Looney Tunes Shorts]]
  
[[Category:Looney Tunes Shorts]]
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[[Category:Black-and-white cartoons]]
  
[[Category:Black-and-white cartoons]]
 
[[Category:Post-1935 Black & White Looney Tunes]]
  
[[Category:Post-1935 Black & White Looney Tunes]]
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[[Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster]]
  
 
[[Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc]]
  
[[Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc]]
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[[Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling]]
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[[Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster]]
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[[Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn]]
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[[Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger]]
 
[[Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown]]
  
[[Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown]]
 
[[Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown]]
  
[[Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown]]
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[[Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger]]
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[[Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling]]
  ⚫
[[Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn]]
 
[[Category:Cartoons in the Sunset Productions package]]
  
[[Category:Cartoons in the Sunset Productions package]]
 
[[Category:Caricatures of real people]]
  
[[Category:Caricatures of real people]]
 
[[Category:One-Shot Cartoons]]
  
[[Category:One-Shot Cartoons]]
 
[[Category:Public domain films]]
  
[[Category:Public domain films]]
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[[Category:Insects]]

Latest revision as of 13:36, 16 March 2024

Eatin' on the Cuff or The Moth Who Came to Dinner is a 1942 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert Clampett.

Title

The first half of the title, "Eatin' on the Cuff," means to eat without charge. In the film, it is also taken literally—the moth is seen eating pant cuffs. The second half, "The Moth Who Came to Dinner," is a play on the 1942 Warner Bros. film The Man Who Came to Dinner.

Plot

A live-action piano player sings and narrates a story about a wiseguy moth preparing for his wedding day. "Here comes the groom, straight as a broom, all purtied up with ten-cent perfume!" The moth wakes up late, and after getting some breakfast at the bar and a few people's pant cuffs, he is held up by a Black Widow spider, who seduces him with a cigarette lighter. A wacky chase ensues. His bride-to-be, a bee, thinks he's ditched her and cries, until she realizes something might be wrong, comes to the rescue, and duels with the spider. "Confidentially, she stings!" The moth and the bee reunite and kiss.

The piano player finishes narrating the story and tells the audience, "I never could understand what that cute little bee would see in that silly moth. What a dope." The moth gets upset and eats his pants right off, sending him clumsily running off into the distance.

Caricatures

Availability

Streaming

Notes

  • This short combines live-action and animation.
  • The Black Widow references the "Look, a man!" catchphrase of Cobina from The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope.
  • Similar to "You Ought to Be in Pictures", the animation unit did not have access to location sound recording equipment, so all of the live-action footage was shot mute, to which the voices had to be dubbed later, which is why the voices were dubbed by Mel Blanc.
    • Also similar to "You Ought to Be in Pictures" is that this animated/live-action hybrid cartoon is also produced in black-and-white.
  • This short lapsed into the public domain in 1970 since Warner Bros.-Seven Arts neglected to renew the copyright in time.
  • This is the last black-and-white Looney Tunes short that Bob Clampett directed. Clampett would be promoted to Tex Avery's unit after he left, and his old unit would be taken over by Norman McCabe and later Frank Tashlin.
  • The working title of this cartoon was "The Moth and His Flame" and was later changed to "The Moth Meets His Flame."[3]
  • The moth in this short (as "The Moth & His Flame") would appear in "The Rascals" section of the instruction manual for The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2. Despite this, he does not appear in the game itself.
  • Vitaphone release number: 798

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ http://likelylooneymostlymerrie.blogspot.com/2015/07/379-eatin-on-cuff-1942.html
  2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBQttZUsV0
  3. ↑ https://comics.ha.com/itm/a/7216-61148.s
  4. ↑ Schneider, Steve (1988). "Part One: The Studio", That's All Folks! The Art of Warner Bros. Animation. Henry Holt and Company, page 74. ISBN 978-0805014853. 



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