Now That Summer Is Gone

Blue Ribbon

Now That Summer is Gone is a 1938 Merrie Melodies cartoon short about a lazy squirrel who gambles for winter nuts against the other squirrels instead of gathering them himself.

Plot

Despite his father's advice not to gamble, the young squirrel still insists on the "easy way" on getting his nuts for winter. Before the first snow comes, the young squirrel is told to get their winter supply of nuts from the First Nutional Bank, and just before he leaves the front door, his father reminds him "And remember; no gambling!" On his way home with his nuts, the young squirrel sees a stranger who offers him a game of chance, and the foolish young squirrel (despite his father's warning) quickly jumps at the chance. Despite his best efforts, the foolish young squirrel loses at every chance game.

The squirrel is out of luck and now out of the entire supply of winter nuts. The snow starts to fall and the foolish squirrel heads home with no nuts and no luck in telling his father the truth. So, as he enters his home he makes up a lie and tells his father that he was robbed by bandits, jumped and badly attacked by them. But his lying ends very quickly as he discovers that the stranger who won the nuts from him is none other than his own father, who did it to teach his gambling son a lesson. The lesson, however, does not work. When his father is about to give his son ten lashes, he tells his father "I'll flip you for it, double or nothing". The cartoon ends with the foolish squirrel's end being heavily paddled.