"Haven't I seen that before?"

[comicfan]

Can anyone thing of gags/situations that were repeated in different cartoons by different directors? I'm not talking about "generic" gags such as characters falling off a cliff or getting hit by an anvil, nor am I talking about a given director's perennial or repeated gags [such as Avery's wild takes or Freling reusing the cannon gags from "Bucaneer Bunny" in "Rebel Without Claws"] but a gag used by one director, than used again by another director.

For example, in the Droopy cartoon "Wags to Riches"[Avery], Spike tries to kill Droopy with an artillery shell loaded into a camera. Of course, the camera swivels around and Spike blasts himself. The conclusion of the gag has Spike walking out of the scene with a cloth over his head, and a very visible hole in his head as well. The same "shell in the camera" gag also appeared in the Barney Bear cartoon "Wee Willie Wildcat", with the only variation being that the little wildcat delibratly reversed the camera on Barney. Even the "walking off with a hole in the head" was the same. The setup is far from generic, so I'm sure it was more than a coincidence. Can anyone else think of examples of this?
[BTW, which came first, "Wags" or "Wildcat"? I'm inclined to think "Wags" as the high slapstick of the gag is very Avery-eque. Plus, I seem to remember the director of "Wildcat" worked with Tex on at least one toon. Can anyone confirm this?]

[Matt Yorston]

You are right, comicfan. "Wags to Riches" (1949) did come before "Wee Willie Wildcat" (1953). I don't think the director of "Wildcat" (Dick Lundy) ever worked with Tex on the same cartoon but both storymen credited on "Wildcat" (Jack Cosgriff and Heck Allen) did work with Tex. In fact, one of the two (Cosgriff) also receives story credit on "Wags to Riches".

Getting back to the topic at hand, as an avid WB fan, I have noticed that a lot of Jones and Freleng's gags later resurface in McKimson's cartoons. The wildcat set up to spring an attack on a foe by another foe but instead heading straight for the OTHER foe and attacking him instead was used both in Jones' "Don't Give Up the Sheep" (1953) and McKimson's "A Mutt in a Rut" (1959). The bit with Sylvester inside a diving suit temporarily running out of air but then receiving too much air causing his suit to inflate was used both in Freleng's "Sandy Claws" (1955) and McKimson's "Fish and Slips" (1962). Charlie Dog's "50% pointer" monologue appears in both in Jones' "Often an Orphan" (1949) and McKimson's "Dog Tales" (1958); "Dog Tales" also reused the gag from Freleng's "Piker's Peak" (1957) in which the St. Bernard mixes himself a martini instead of rescuing an obvious victim. And, of course, McKimson's "A Haunting We Will Go" (1966) reuses gags from both "Broom-Stick Bunny" (1956) and "Duck Amuck" (1953), both of which are from Jones.

[DR. BELCH]

"Wildcat" (Dick Lundy) was released in 1953; Avery's "Wags" four years before. Now I don't know if Lundy ever worked with Avery, but there was a fella by the name of Michael Lah who co-directed "Cellbound", 1955 (which I've said before is very reminiscent of a Curly Howard routine). He was an animator on dozens of Avery's and Lundy's shorts, and directed both Barney shorts like "The Bear and the Bean" (which smacks of Tex's signature style) and Droopy shorts like "Deputy Droopy" (Tex voiced the short goon) and "Blackboard Jumble", and "Droopy Leprechan" (solo effort).

[Matt Yorston]

Speaking of "Blackboard Jumble", that fits into this thread rather well since there are a number of gags in that short that are re-used from Tex's "Three Little Pups" (which director Michael Lah served as an animator on). One gag from "Blackboard" that I remember being borrowed from "Pups" is the bit where the wolf sets up a bomb to explode on the pups. One of the pups fakes the explosion by blowing up a paper bag and bursting it. The wolf, thinking the explosion has occurred, goes to see the results and gets blown up by the real bomb.

[Rob]

McKimson also reused Freleng's "Those Endearing Young Charms" gag (which Freleng HIMSELF used twice, in BALLOT BOX BUNNY, and SHOW BIZ BUGS) in his first Road Runner cartoon, RUSHING ROULETTE.

[Jon Cooke]

Originally posted by Rob
McKimson also reused Freleng's "Those Endearing Young Charms" gag (which Freleng HIMSELF used twice, in BALLOT BOX BUNNY, and SHOW BIZ BUGS) in his first Road Runner cartoon, RUSHING ROULETTE.

... and Freleng reused the "Endearing Young Charms" gag from Bob Clampett's Private SNAFU cartoon "Booby Traps"...


-Jon

[Nelson]

I wonder does anyone know what the first three Popeye cartoons will be presented this Sunday on "I'm Popeye"?I'm pretty sure the the very first Popeye short will on the first premeire show.

[Rob]

Originally posted by Jon Cooke


... and Freleng reused the "Endearing Young Charms" gag from Bob Clampett's Private SNAFU cartoon "Booby Traps"...


-Jon

Ahh...very good, indeed! How was the gag used in this one? The title BOOBY TRAPS I'm sure gives some indication...

[Jack]

Originally posted by Rob


Ahh...very good, indeed! How was the gag used in this one? The title BOOBY TRAPS I'm sure gives some indication...
Snafu comes accross a piano in an oasis-like place (filled with fake females who have explodable parts). He just sits down, and tries to play "Those Enderaing Young Charms" on the piano, but always misses that rigged key. He tries several times throughout the cartoon, but always misses the key. Then towards the end, he escapes the oasis. Outside, this little doll (I think of Hitler, I don't recal), pops out of a small door and plays "Those Endearing Young Charms" on a triangle, reminding Snafu what the last note was. He then runs back in, plays the song, and BANG!


Jack:D

[Bobby B]

Originally posted by comicfan
Can anyone thing of gags/situations that were repeated in different cartoons by different directors? I'm not talking about "generic" gags such as characters falling off a cliff or getting hit by an anvil, nor am I talking about a given director's perennial or repeated gags [such as Avery's wild takes or Freling reusing the cannon gags from "Bucaneer Bunny" in "Rebel Without Claws"] but a gag used by one director, than used again by another director.


"Uncle Tom's Bungalow" (WB)
"Eliza on Ice" (Terrytoons Mighty Mouse)

In both cartoons, Eliza gets the ice to cross the river out of a vending machine that works like a one-armed bandit.



"Porky's Spring Planting" (WB)
"I'll Never Crow Again" (Fleischer Popeye)

In both cartoons a bird walks up to a scarecrow, feels the coat and says "Mmmm...Nice material!", puts on the coat and hat, then pulls a cigar out of a pocket inside the coat.