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The Foghorn Leghorn is a 1948 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.

Plot[]

Henery Hawk is talking with his grandfather about wanting to get a chicken, but the grandfather dissuades him, as he would get in the way. Henery's grandfather lies about what a chicken looks like by making him believe they are "great big monsters with sharp teeth, live in caves and fight like demons", leaving Henery in the dark as to what a chicken really is.

Henery's grandfather raids a chicken coop and walks out with a couple of chickens. He is stopped by Foghorn, who does not let Henery's grandfather make off with the traumatized chickens or get a word in edgewise before deliberately bumping him in the stomach and kicking him out. When Henery asks his grandfather if that was a chicken, the grandfather claims Foghorn is not a chicken but a "loud-mouthed shnook." After this, he walks away with a yellow stripe down his back, signifying his cowardly nature.

Henery goes over to Barnyard Dawg's house, and knocks the dog out with a hammer. Foghorn stops them and asks Henery what he thinks Foghorn is — to which Henery replies that Foghorn is a "loud-mouthed shnook." Foghorn is not helped when the dog wakes up and kicks him, calling him a "shnook."

Foghorn continues to try and convince Henery that "I'm a chicken. Rooster, that is." He tries to crow at "sun-up," pulling up a cardboard cutout of the sun and crowing, but that does not work. Henery brushes off Foghorn and exits before Foghorn can even finish his demonstration, leaving only two signs in his absence. The first reads "Shnook!" and the second says "Loud Mouth'd That Is!". When Henery pushes along a trunk, Foghorn again tries to straighten Henery out, but his emphasizing by hitting the trunk winds up hitting the Barnyard Dawg, who chases Foghorn up a ladder and into a watermelon, after which Foghorn mutters "Some days it don't pay to get outta bed!"

When Henery throws a stick of dynamite into the Barnyard Dawg's house, Foghorn tries to stop the explosion, but the dog slams Foghorn (thinking he was responsible) to the ground several times and finally calls him a "good-for-nothing chicken," which is enough for Henery — he suddenly slams a shovel over Foghorn's head and starts dragging him away. Although Foghorn now calls himself a "loudmouthed shnook," Henery says, "Chicken or shnook, in our oven he'll look good!"

Transcript[]

For a complete transcript, go here.

Availability[]

Streaming[]

Censorship[]

  • The CBS version cut the entire ending where, after Foghorn tries to prove that he is a chicken and Henery dismisses him as a "schnook", Foghorn sees Henery heading to Barnyard Dawg's house with a stick of dynamite and tries to stop him ("Don't do it! I'll get blamed for it!"), only to get caught in the explosion when he slides into Barnyard Dawg's house. Barnyard gets so mad at Foghorn that he slams Foghorn into the ground several times and calls Foghorn a "good-for-nothing chicken", which convinces Henery (and drives him to hit Foghorn over the head with a shovel).[2]
  • The ABC version cut the explosion ending like CBS did, but left in a bit more. The ABC version only cut Foghorn sliding into Barnyard Dawg's house to retrieve the dynamite, the ensuing explosion, and some of Barnyard Dawg throwing Foghorn Leghorn into the ground. Also cut was an earlier scene where Foghorn stops Henery from pushing a trunk and wildly gesticulates that Henery does not have a chicken, only to realize that he has been slapping around Barnyard Dawg.[2]

Goofs[]

  • After Foghorn realizes that he has been slapping around Barnyard Dawg, who emerges from the trunk, Barnyard Dawg is heard growling angrily at Foghorn, but his mouth is not moving in sync to the growling sounds.

Notes[]

  • This is the first cartoon where Foghorn Leghorn's name appears on-screen. While the word Leghorn is used in subsequent cartoons, Foghorn would not be billed with his current name until "Plop Goes the Weasel!"
  • This was one of only five post-1948 WB cartoons to get a Blue Ribbon reissue prior to 1956, with the original credits cut. The others were "Daffy Dilly", "Kit for Cat", "Scaredy Cat", and "You Were Never Duckier". When the short was remastered in 1998, the original opening and credits were restored. This print was used on the Golden Collection, without the notice at the end.
  • International foreign language dubs used in the 1998 dubbed versions such as French, Polish, Italian and Dutch are low-pitched.
  • Despite that fact that this is a Merrie Melodie cartoon, the lobby card erroneously claims it is a Looney Tune. It is possible it was planned to be in that series before being changed.
  • The re-issued version of this short plays on Cartoon Network and Boomerang in PAL audio.
  • The working title was "The Fowl Bawls" and "Rootin’ Tootin’ Rooster".[3]

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]


Foghorn Leghorn Cartoons
1946 Walky Talky Hawky
1947 Crowing Pains
1948 The Foghorn Leghorn
1949 Henhouse Henery
1950 The Leghorn Blows at MidnightA Fractured Leghorn
1951 Leghorn SwoggledLovelorn Leghorn
1952 Sock a Doodle DoThe EGGcited Rooster
1953 Plop Goes the Weasel!Of Rice and Hen
1954 Little Boy Boo
1955 Feather DustedAll Fowled Up
1956 Weasel StopThe High and the FlightyRaw! Raw! Rooster!
1957 Fox-Terror
1958 Feather BlusterWeasel While You Work
1959 A Broken Leghorn
1960 Crockett-Doodle-DoThe Dixie Fryer
1961 Strangled Eggs
1962 The Slick ChickMother Was a Rooster
1963 Banty Raids
1964 False Hare
1980 The Yolks on You
1996 Superior Duck
1997 Pullet Surprise
2004 Cock-a-Doodle Duel
Henery Hawk Cartoons
1942 The Squawkin' Hawk
1946 Walky Talky Hawky
1947 Crowing Pains
1948 You Were Never DuckierThe Foghorn Leghorn
1949 Henhouse Henery
1950 The Scarlet PumpernickelThe Leghorn Blows at Midnight
1951 Leghorn Swoggled
1952 The EGGcited Rooster
1955 All Fowled Up
1961 Strangled Eggs
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