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Template:Infobox Shorts wTabs The Cagey Canary is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short intended to be directed by Tex Avery but instead finished by Bob Clampett.
Plot
A cat tries to catch a canary, but he is stopped by Granny and she threatens to throw him out in the rain. So the cat tries to pull some devious tricks to get the bird, but he keeps getting interrupted by the canary's whistle. The canary at one point even gets the cat to whistle by showing him a picture of a pretty girl. The canary even taunts the cat while flying to & from his cage; but the cat was waiting for him and the canary escapes. So in desperation, the cat put ear muffs on Granny while she was sleeping. The canary tries whistling but to no avail, so then he makes all sorts of noises before hitting the cat with a wall ironing board, allowing the canary to remove the earmuffs from Granny. Finally, the cat has had enough, so he let himself out in the rain. The canary was victorious, but his victory wouldn't last as Granny woke up and is somehow angry. So a frightened canary flew out in the rain too. Left all alone in a barrel with the cat, the canary asks the audience if they were interested in a homeless cat and canary.
Availability
Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 8: Tex-Book Looney (1995 Turner dubbed version)
HBO Max (restored)
Notes
- This cartoon features a cat-bird pairing before the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons.
- The cartoon's original opening and ending titles were cut when reissued in 1947, however, the original titles are known to exist.
- Despite the discovery of the cartoon's original titles, the restored version on HBO Max instead uses the Blue Ribbon reissue titles, possibly because the original opening stock audio is lost.
- This was one of the three cartoons that Tex Avery planned to make in 1941, but were completed by Bob Clampett in the end due to his departure. The other two cartoons are "Aloha Hooey" and "Crazy Cruise".
