The Age of Commercialism

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

PLAYERS: Foghorn Leghorn (voiced by Mel Blanc), Miss Prissy (voiced by Bea Benaderet), Junior.Director: ROBERT McKIMSON. Story: Tedd Pierce. Animation: Rod Scribner, Phil De Lara, Charles McKimson, Herman Cohen. Lay-outs: Robert Givens. Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas. Voice characterizations: Mel Blanc. Music director: Milt Franklyn. Color by Technicolor. Producer: Edward Selzer. Copyright 1954. A Warner Bros "Merrie Melodies" cartoon. U.S. release: 15 January 1955. 1 reel. 6 minutes.COMMENT: Foghorn has some typical asides in this one ("Cold as a nudist on an iceberg"), as he tries to turn the bookish Junior into a regular games-playing kid. The games of course all rebound on Foghorn. Plenty of the usual Warner Bros pep and pace, but one feels the gags are starting to wear a bit thin. For example, after being shot full of holes by Junior's toy battleships, Foghorn does a neat sinking routine, but the actual fade-out is a bit too reminiscent of a more than thrice-told tale.

"Feather Dusted" is a Warner Bros. cartoon from 1955, so this one is over 60 years old and from the Golden Age of Animation. Foghorn Leghorn is the star here or is it his silent little pal? Anyway, Mother Hen (with no love interest in Foghorn here) is out for the day and Foghorn decides it is time to get her son away from books and theory and show him what the real world is like. The result is the little chicken being in control of everything and knowing exactly what to with every situation laid on him by the big rooster. And we all know who is gonna pay for it in the long run. But hey that chicken can get out of jail within seconds. Impressive stuff. Dealing with the little shy guy is a much bigger challenge. McKimson, Pierce, Blanc and Benederet delivers nicely with this one here. i recommend the watch. It's entertaining, smart and funny.

Feather Dusted is enormous fun, one of my favourites from a unique cartoon character who I appreciate much more from a young adult perspective. It isn't particularly original or surprising story-wise, but if you're familiar with the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons you'd expect not to look for those. It is a crisply paced cartoon and enormously entertaining from start to finish. The native American stereotyping might be a problem for some(the same people who will dislike the stereotyping of southerners in The Dixie Fryer), I personally wasn't offended by it, it was only words and it wasn't done heavy-handedly and have seen worse examples. Also Feather Dusted also came at a time where people weren't afraid to be politically incorrect. Whatever your feelings are on this issue, it isn't enough to detract from the quality of the rest of the cartoon. The animation is great, the vibrant colour, detail and fluidity are all there. As is the music, which is very energetic and characterful complete with beautiful orchestration. The visual gags are very imaginative and funny, seeing water coming out from holes out of Foghorn at the end is enough to crack anybody up. But the best of the humour is from Foghorn's dialogue, it is as ever sharp and witty, the repetition is endearing and you have to admire and wonder how the writers get these crazy similes for Foghorn, "I say this will be more fun than a barrel of half witted monkeys", "that boy's as timid as a canary on a cat show" and especially "probably as cold as a nudist on an iceberg!" are priceless. Egghead and his mother are good character, but not enough to steal the show from under Foghorn, who doesn't disappoint here at all. And that is true also with Mel Blanc's vocal characterisations. All in all, just great, any Foghorn fan will love it. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I will admit that there's a scene in "Feather Dusted" stereotyping Native Americans, but other than that, it's a real hoot, as Foghorn Leghorn tries to get Widow Hen's intellectual son to have some fun, but the boy always participates by ensuring that something bad happens to the big guy. And of course, there's no shortage of Foghorn's folksy slang ("...as cold as a nudist on an iceberg.") One thing that I wonder was why they didn't have Henery Hawk in this cartoon. But no matter. The boy here had some neat tricks up his sleeve. Those seemingly cute characters in these cartoons always turn out to be the biggest bad-asses. Worth seeing, if only once.