Hühnerauge, sei wachsam

Robert McKimson's 'Walky Talky Hawky' introduced Foghorn Leghorn, a character with whom McKimson did much of his best work. This short was originally intended as a star vehicle for Henerey Hawk but Foggy obviously steals the show, so much so that Henerey became the supporting player. Foghorn is close to fully realised already in this debut outing, as is his regular rival, the barnyard dog. When Henerey comes to the farm looking for a chicken to eat, Foggy convinces him that the dog is a chicken, thereby exposing him to the little hawk's persistent kidnapping attempts. It's a funny set-up and makes for a very good cartoon, although a couple of cartoons down the line McKimson flipped the premise and had Foggy trying to convince Henerey that he was a chicken. That cartoon, 'The Foghorn Leghorn', was a classic and it also christened the character. In comparison, 'Walky Talky Hawky' still holds up well, setting up the premise for McKimson to later subvert. I always think McKimson seems most at ease when directing the Foghorn Leghorn series and 'Walky Talky Hawky' benefits greatly from that assurance. It's a lovely cartoon with a great ending and it also proved to be a great beginning, giving birth to yet another classic Warner Bros. star

In Foghorn Leghorn's debut, he tries to get Henery Hawk to to go after Barnyard Dog, with unexpected consequences. One thing that I noticed was that Henery Hawk's father called the family "chicken hawks", meaning that they hunt chickens. That phrase now refers to politicians who never served in the armed forces but send other people to fight in wars (often for lies). The connection that I see - however loose - is that Foghorn lies to Henery about Barnyard being a chicken. So he sends Henery off to do something for a lie. On the other hand, Foghorn had tortured Barnyard many times, so he wasn't being as much of a hypocrite as George W. Bush.

But anyway, it's a really fun cartoon, a sign of the later Foghorn Leghorn shorts. Cool.

McKimson tends to be overlooked as a director, despite having done so many important and hilarious cartoons.

He clearly did something right, considering his fourth release was nominated for an Oscar.

The Foghorn character and situation is almost entirely crystalized from the start, save for the voice. His rivalry with the barnyard dog and tricking the naive Henery Hawk became a staple for the series. Foghorn's voice would eventually be set in stone by his fourth appearance.

Having inherited Tashlin's former crew, McKimson's cartoons from 1946 more or less have Tashlin's sense of energy. This entry is the most frantic paced of the series. Art Davis, Cal Dalton, and Dick Bickenbach had a lot to with the zaniness and this was the sole Foghorn that they animated on.

This entry makes a strong case for Robert McKimson as a director.

Walky Talky Hawky (1946)

**** (out of 4)

Hilarious short has a small chicken hawk being told by his father that he needs to eat chicken so he sets out to find out. He comes across Foghorn Leghorn who convinces him that a dog is really the chicken. This here is a wonderful short that remains one of the absolute best to ever come from Warner. There are so many classic moments here but the real highlight is simply the fact that all three characters are so downright funny and lovable in their own right. There are many funny moments here but for me the highlight will always be the scream that Foghorn lets out once the dog finally gets a hold of him. That scream itself is one of the funniest noises to ever come from the studio. As you'd expect the animation is terrific but the final line of the film is just priceless.

This Foghorn Leghorn short offers a twist on the usual Tom and Jerry/Sylvester and Tweety/Roadrunner and Wil E. Coyote model. Like those classics, we are offered a conflict between scavenger and prey. Unlike them, the scavenger is a sweet little cutie, while his victim is a bloated, blustery sneak. The film begins with lachrymose melodrama, as the hero's father tragically tells toddler Henery Hawk that he is a chicken hawk, that he must hunt chickens. With innocent bravado, he sets out to fulfil his duty, but his ominous first act is to fail to fly, falling and thudding from a great height.

Meanwhile Foghorn Leghorn is having his usual self-imposed troubles with Barnyard Dog, taunting the latter because safe in the knowledge of his being tied up. Foghorn is lovably unsympathetic, a windy, Burl Ives-type, full of cod-military guff; he'll turn any trick to save his own hide. This mixture of malice and cowardice makes him a true cousin of Bugs.

He sees in the chickenhawk an opportunity to further exasperate Barnyard, and, persuading the little fellow that he is a horse, and Barnyard a chicken, urges Henery to root out his meal. Much sadistic lunacy ensues, wonderfully brutal, with the scheming Foghorn not always coming out best.

This energetic short plays havoc with sentimental ideals of the pastoral, especially prominent just after the war - its celebration of metamorphosis, duplicity and cunning is heartening in that oppressive All American social atmosphere. There is also some bracing philosophy about the struggle between free-will and genetic destiny. A Tex Avery would have made this a classic, but a funny script and peerlessly protean Mel Blanc voicing make this a rare treat.