Strife with Father

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Airdate:
1 April 1950 Blue Ribbon reissue: 30 September 1961

Series:

Merrie Melodies

MPAA Number:	Production Number:	Vitaphone Number:
13010	1111	1804

Runtime:

7 minutes, 16 seconds

Copyright Renewed:

12 January 1976^[1]

Starring:

Beaky Buzzard
Monte
Gwendolyn

Crew

Producer:

Eddie Selzer (uncredited)

Animated By:

Emery Hawkins
Charles McKimson
Phil DeLara
Rod Scribner
J.C. Melendez

Layout Artist:

Cornett Wood

Background Artist:

Richard H. Thomas

Film Editor:

Treg Brown (uncredited)

Musician:

Carl Stalling

Strife with Father is a 1950 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.

Title[]

The title is a play on the 1947 Warner Bros. film Life with Father, based on the 1939 stage play.

Plot[]

A buzzard egg is mysteriously delivered to two sparrows, Gwendolyn and Monte. The "upper crusty" and very proper English Sparrows are not accustomed to having a repulsively ugly (and incredibly stupid) little bird about, but Gwendolyn convinces her husband that the baby bird will grow into a "beautiful swan". Unfortunately, the little ugly bird grows into a very large ugly bird. Monte cannot even stand hearing the name of their "progeny", particularly when eating. But nonetheless, he takes Beaky out into the world to demonstrate the art of hunting for prey, such as barnyard fowl. Of course, Beaky, being incredibly shy and inept, repeatedly causes many grievous injuries to Monte, and it is all Monte can do to salvage what little self-respect remains.

Caricatures[]

Ronald Colman

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Notes[]

This short is the final classic-era appearance of Beaky Buzzard.
This is the only Beaky Buzzard short that was directed by Robert McKimson, as "Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid" and "The Bashful Buzzard" were both directed by Bob Clampett and "The Lion's Busy" was directed by Friz Freleng.
- Although Freleng made Beaky a little smarter in his previous short, in this short, McKimson reverted the buzzard to his idiotic self, as shown in his first two shorts, "Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid" and "The Bashful Buzzard". This short was produced before "The Lion's Busy", as evidenced by its production and MPAA numbers.
This is the first cartoon Rod Scribner worked on as an animator since "Birth of a Notion", as he had been suffering from tuberculosis and could barely work. He would remain in the McKimson unit until the temporary shutdown in 1953.