Wagon Heels is a 1945 Merrie Melodies short directed by Bob Clampett.
Plot
In 1849, a spurious map shows a sliver of land on the Eastern Seaboard labeled "USA", with all land to its west labeled "INJUN JOE'S TERRITORY". Porky Pig is leading a wagon train to California, and he must keep an eye out for the Herculean Native American "Super Chief", Injun Joe.
Porky and Injun Joe are repeatedly interrupted by a goofy bearded hillbilly named Sloppy Moe, who keeps repeating, "I know something I won't tell, I won't tell, I won't tell!" to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down. This goes on until Injun Joe corners Porky with tomahawk in hand, and Sloppy Moe sings his refrain once more. Injun Joe demands, "What you know, huh???", and Sloppy reveals his secret at last, "Injun... Joe... is... ticklish!", and proceeds to prove that by tickling the chief with his hands and beard lacking a moustache. The Native American goes into a raucous laughing fit. Distracted, he backs off a cliff and falls deep into the ground, pulling the surface down with him, and causing the map seen previously to stretch the "USA" sliver across to the west coast, so that it now reads "UNITED STATES of AMERICA" from west to east. Moe tickles the giggling Porky.
Availability
Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals: Porky Pig and Daffy Duck Cartoon Festival Featuring "Tick Tock Tuckered"
Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals: Porky Pig Cartoon Festival Featuring "Tom Turk and Daffy"
Cartoon Moviestars: Porky Pig and Company
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 3, Side 9: Porky and Daffy
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5, Disc 3 (restored)
San Antonio (USA 1995 Turner print)
Looney Tunes Super Stars' Porky & Friends: Hilarious Ham (restored)
Looney Tunes Super Stars Family Multi-Feature Vol. 2, Disc 3
Notes
- This short is a color remake of the 1938 Looney Tunes black-and-white short "Injun Trouble", with several scenes altered or shortened for pacing.
- The name "Super Chief" is a play on the famous Santa Fe train run of the same name (a frequent reference in WB cartoons), and reinforced by each character spouting smoke and crying "Woo-woo!" like a steam locomotive, each time they say Injun Joe's name.
- In addition to the usual Native American stereotype music, Carl Stalling's underscore frequently plays segments of the American Civil War tune, "Kingdom Coming", even converting it to a minor key in one segment. "Oh! Susanna" is also heard repeatedly in the underscore.
- Because of its wildly stereotypical depiction of the Native American, it is seldom shown on television nowadays, with the most recent television sighting being in 2001 in Season 2, Episode 19 of The Bob Clampett Show.
- Like several pre-1948 Looney Tunes shorts controversial for racial stereotypes, "Wagon Heels" does have a 1995 dubbed version print, though it is rarely shown in the United States for this reason.
- The Cartoon Festivals print is a damaged a.a.p. print where the a.a.p. logo plays first, then the 1947-49 Blue Ribbon Color Rings from "Inki and the Lion" open, also notice the light blue borders. The 1939-40 version of Merrily We Roll Along plays instead of the 1941-45 version. The print then changes to another print that says "Wagon Heels". This is a MGM/UA print and probably was hacked off by United Artists in the 1980s.
- The scene of Injun Joe biting on a bear trap, causing it to yelp in pain and run off was not only reused animation from the original 1938 "Injun Trouble" cartoon, but also from the 1940 short "The Chewin' Bruin".
Gallery
References
External Links
- "Wagon Heels" at the Big Cartoon Database
