Changes: The Night Watchman

Revision as of 01:46, 29 April 2020

Template:Infobox Shorts wTabsThe Night Watchman is a 1938 Merrie Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.

Plot

The watchman gets sick, so his son Tommy Cat is enlisted to watch the kitchen. When the gangland-style mice find out that he's the one on duty, they try to take over.

Availability

(1991) LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 1, Side 5: Chuck Jones
(1991) VHS - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 5
(2006) DVD - A Slight Case of Murder (USA 1995 Turner print added as a bonus)
(2006) DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc 4 (Original Opening, Credits and Ending; Restored)

Censorship

On the now-defunct WB channel, the sequence near the end of the short where Tommy Cat punches the mice was shortened.^[1]

Goofs

The recreated blue ribbon card had the VITAPHONE rings from "Count Me Out" for unknown reasons.
While the USA Turner print has borders in the recreated WB shield and preserves the original 1938-41 Merrie Melodies ending music cue, the EU Turner print, on the other hand, has no borders in recreated WB shield and has the 1941-55 Merrie Melodies ending music cue replacing the original ending music cue.^{[citation needed] (August 2017)}

Notes

When Frank Tashlin left Termite Terrace after producing "You're an Education", Leon Schlesinger had to find a new animation director to take Tashlin's spot. Schlesinger approached Robert McKimson, but McKimson declined the offer, allowing the offer to go to Chuck Jones. As such, "The Night Watchman" was the first short to be directed by Jones (credited as Charles Jones up until 1941), after he was promoted from an animator (where he was under Tex Avery and Bob Clampett's units).
This short was the first to make use of the 1938-39 green and yellow Color Rings with a black background and the shield was reverted to red, which would be used until September 1939.
For both American and European "dubbed versions" created by Turner Entertainment, recreated Blue Ribbon title cards were made for this short and "Daffy Duck & Egghead"^[2]^[3]. For the 2006 DVD release, the original opening, credits, and ending title cards were found for this short.
This was Margaret Talbot's (née Peggy Hill) first short for Chuck Jones, later to do the voice of Sniffles the Mouse. Co-incidentally, Tommy Cat bears some facial resemblance to Sniffles, as he served as a prototype for the character.^{[citation needed] (August 2017)}
Much like "Ain't We Got Fun", this short features mice in villain roles rather than the cats. Jones would use similar role reversals in cat-and-mouse in "Scaredy Cat", "Kiss Me Cat" and "Claws for Alarm".
The scene where the lead gangland mouse pulls of the button from Tommy Cat's suspenders (and Tommy Cat doing the same thing to the lead gangland mouse at the end) is a partial reference to the Mickey Mouse short "Mickey's Rival" by rival studio Disney, where Mortimer Mouse pulls off the buttons from Mickey's shorts.

Gallery

References

External Links

Animation breakdown of the cartoon

[1] ttp://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-n-o.aspx

[2] ttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5720gd

[3] ttp://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/blueribbon3.aspx

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Infobox Shorts wTabs
-{{Infobox_Shorts
 |name = The Night Watchman
-|image = 06nightwatchman.jpg
+|image = <tabber>
+|-|Original = [[File:06nightwatchman.jpg|thumb|center|274px]]
+|-|Reissue = [[File:IMG_2135.png|thumb|center|274px]]
+</tabber>
 |Director = [[Chuck Jones|Charles Jones]]
-|producer = [[Leon Schlesinger]]<br>[[Henry Binder]]
+|producer = [[Leon Schlesinger]]<br>[[Henry Binder]] (uncredited)
 |airdate = November 19, 1938
 |series = [[Merrie Melodies]]
-|Voice = [[Mel Blanc]]<br>[[Margaret Hill-Talbot]]<br>[[The Sportsmen Quartet]]
+|Voice = [[Mel Blanc]] (uncredited)<br>[[Margaret Hill-Talbot]] (uncredited)<br>[[The Sportsmen Quartet]] (uncredited)
-|Starring = Tommy Cat<br>Tough Mice<br>Vocalists
+|Starring = Tommy Cat
 |previous = [[You're an Education]]
 |next = [[The Daffy Doc]]
+|video = [[File:The Night Watchman (1938)|thumb|center|280px]]
-|Gallery =
+[[File:Merrie Melodies - The Night Watchman|thumb|center|280px]]
-|Video = |Writer = [[Tedd Pierce|Ted Pierce]]
+[[File:The Night Watchman (1938) Dubbed Version|thumb|center|280px]]
-|Animators = [[Ken Harris]]
+|Writer = [[Tedd Pierce|Ted Pierce]]
-|Background-artist = [[Art Loomer]]
+|Animators = [[Ken Harris]]<br>Keith Darling (uncredited)<br>A.C. Gamer (uncredited)<br>[[Robert McKimson|Bob McKimson]] (uncredited)<br>[[Phil Monroe]] (uncredited)<br>[[Rod Scribner]] (uncredited)<br>[[Ben Washam]] (uncredited)
-|Sound effects = [[Treg Brown]]
+|Layout-artist =
-|Musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]}}
+|Background-artist = [[Art Loomer]] (uncredited)
-[[File:Night-watchman.jpg|thumb|Blue Ribbon Re-Issue Titles]]
+|Sound effects = [[Treg Brown]] (uncredited)
-[[File:Oddnightwatchman.jpg|thumb|Recreated Blue Ribbon Re-Issue Titles]]'''The Night Watchman''' is a [[Merrie Melodies]] cartoon released to theaters on November 19, 1938. This short was the very first film directed by a then-credited [[Chuck Jones|Charles Jones]] after he was promoted from an animator (where he was under [[Tex Avery|Fred Avery]] and [[Bob Clampett|Robert Clampett's]] units).
+|Musician = [[Carl W. Stalling]]}}'''The Night Watchman''' is a [[1938]] ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' short directed by [[Chuck Jones]].
-== Storyline ==
+== Plot ==
-The watchman gets sick, so his son is enlisted to watch the kitchen. When the gangland-style mice find out that he's the one on duty, they try to take over.
+The watchman gets sick, so his son Tommy Cat is enlisted to watch the kitchen. When the gangland-style mice find out that he's the one on duty, they try to take over.
-== Voice cast ==
+== Availability ==
+* (1991) LaserDisc - ''[[The Golden Age of Looney Tunes]]'', Volume 1, Side 5: Chuck Jones
-* [[Mel Blanc]] as Hoodlum Mice
+* (1991) VHS - ''The Golden Age of Looney Tunes'', Volume 5
-* Peggy Hill (Margaret Talbot) as Tommy Cat
+* (2006) DVD - ''A Slight Case of Murder'' (USA 1995 Turner print added as a bonus)
+* (2006) DVD - ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4]]'', Disc 4 (Original Opening, Credits and Ending; Restored)
-== Trivia ==
+== Censorship ==
+On the now-defunct WB channel, the sequence near the end of the short where Tommy Cat punches the mice was shortened.<ref>http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-n-o.aspx</ref>
+== Goofs ==
-* For the so-called "dubbed version" created by Turner, recreated Blue Ribbon title cards were made for this cartoon and ''[[Daffy Duck & Egghead]]'' (see [http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/miscelooneyous/blueribbon/blueribbon3.html this page] for more details). For the 2006 DVD release, the original title cards were found for this cartoon.
+* The recreated blue ribbon card had the VITAPHONE rings from "[[Count Me Out]]" for unknown reasons.
-* Margaret Talbot's (née Peggy Hill) first cartoon for Chuck Jones, later to do the voice of Sniffles the Mouse.
+* While the USA Turner print has borders in the recreated WB shield and preserves the original 1938-41 ''Merrie Melodies'' ending music cue, the EU Turner print, on the other hand, has no borders in recreated WB shield and has the 1941-[[1955|55]] ''Merrie Melodies'' ending music cue replacing the original ending music cue.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}
-.
-==Gallery==
+== Notes ==
+* When [[Frank Tashlin]] left [[Termite Terrace]] after producing "[[You're an Education]]", [[Leon Schlesinger]] had to find a new animation director to take Tashlin's spot. Schlesinger approached [[Robert McKimson]], but McKimson declined the offer, allowing the offer to go to Chuck Jones. As such, "The Night Watchman" was the first short to be directed by Jones (credited as Charles Jones up until [[1941]]), after he was promoted from an animator (where he was under [[Tex Avery]] and [[Bob Clampett]]'s units).
+* This short was the first to make use of the [[1938]]-[[1939|39]] green and yellow [[Color Rings]] with a black background and the shield was reverted to red, which would be used until September 1939.
+* For both American and European "dubbed versions" created by [[Turner Entertainment]], recreated [[List of Warner Bros. cartoons with Blue Ribbon reissues|Blue Ribbon]] title cards were made for this short and "[[Daffy Duck & Egghead]]"<ref>http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5720gd</ref><ref>http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/blueribbon3.aspx</ref>. For the [[2006]] DVD release, the original opening, credits, and ending title cards were found for this short.
+* This was Margaret Talbot's (née Peggy Hill) first short for [[Chuck Jones]], later to do the voice of [[Sniffles|Sniffles the Mouse]]. Co-incidentally, Tommy Cat bears some facial resemblance to Sniffles, as he served as a prototype for the character.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}
+* Much like "[[Ain't We Got Fun]]", this short features mice in villain roles rather than the cats. Jones would use similar role reversals in cat-and-mouse in "[[Scaredy Cat]]", "[[Kiss Me Cat]]" and "[[Claws for Alarm]]".
+* The scene where the lead gangland mouse pulls of the button from Tommy Cat's suspenders (and Tommy Cat doing the same thing to the lead gangland mouse at the end) is a partial reference to the ''Mickey Mouse'' short "Mickey's Rival" by rival studio Disney, where Mortimer Mouse pulls off the buttons from Mickey's shorts.
+== Gallery ==
 <gallery>
 NIGHT-WATCHMAN-model-sheet-TOMMY-CAT.jpg
 Night-watchman-lobby 555.jpg|Lobby Card
 NIGHT-WATCHMAN-drawing-HOODLUM-300x235.jpg
-Night-watchman-draft2-600.jpg
 Night-watchman-draft1-600.jpg
+Night-watchman-draft2-600.jpg
+NIGHT WATCHMAN.png
+Night-watchman.jpg|Comparision of the "original" Blue Ribbon reissue titles and the recreated ones.
+Oddnightwatchman.jpg|Recreated Blue Ribbon Re-Issue Titles
 </gallery>
+== References ==
+{{reflist}}
+== External Links ==
+[http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/chuck-jones-the-night-watchman-1938/ Animation breakdown of the cartoon]
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Night Watchman, The}}
 [[Category:Cartoons directed by Chuck Jones]]
 [[Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts]]
@@ Line 46: / Line 72: @@
 [[Category:Blue Ribbon reissues]]
 [[Category:Cartoons written by Tedd Pierce]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Ken Harris]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Robert McKimson]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Phil Monroe]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Ben Washam]]
 [[Category:Cartoons animated by A.C. Gamer]]
 [[Category:Cartoons animated by Keith Darling]]
-[[Category:Cartoons animated by Rod Scribner]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Art Loomer]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown‏]]
 [[Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn]]
-[[Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Givens]]
+[[Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger]]
+[[Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc]]
+[[Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package]]
+[[Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist]]
+[[Category:One-Shot Cartoons]]
+[[Category:Mice]]