Henhouse Henery

Foghorn Leghorn's cartoons are always a lot of fun, and while Henhouse Henery is not one of his best it is still very entertaining. The animation is nicely coloured and fluid, but more vibrant later and Foghorn still looks a little overweight. The story is also on the predictable side with a situation that we have more than once with Foghorn. But it is also still fun and well paced, and the ending is well-rounded with Foghorn getting what he deserved. The music is outstanding, Carl Stalling was the quintessential Looney Tunes composer and Henhouse Henery boasts one of the most rousing and energetic scores of any of Foghorn's cartoons. The writing was even better later on, but the sharpness, wit and distinctive repetition for Foghorn, even in one of his earliest cartoons, are here and just as funny. The gags are similarly clever, the interplay between Foghorn and Barynyard Dog is inspired but it is Henery's battle with a turtle, which he mistakes for a chicken, that provides Henhouse Henery's best moment. Barnyard Dog doesn't have as much to do as he did later on and his voice has the sense of not-quite-settling, but he is a good foil for Foghorn, who is as distinctive and funny as ever. Henery, with a voice that recalls both Tweety and Speedy Gonzales, steals the show and has some great lines. Mel Blanc's vocal characterisations are consistently exuberant. Overall, a very entertaining cartoon, though Foghorn has done better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Another fun Foghorn Leghorn featuring the ever adorable Henery Hawk, one of my favorite Looney Tunes supporting characters. Once again, Henery is out hunting for a chicken and, once again, he has his sights set on Foghorn. Of course the rooster has to try and set the young chicken hawk loose on other targets but he finds it's harder to get rid of that little bugger than it seems. He's also got his hands full with Barnyard Dog in their never-ending feud. Lots of great gags and lines in this one. Wonderful voice work from the legendary Mel Blanc. Fluid animation with well-drawn characters and backgrounds. Lovely Technicolor always helps. Henery steals the show, as he often did. If his scene with the turtle doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

I think that, I say I think that by 1949, blustery old Foghorn Leghorn had become a Looney Tunes star about as much as Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck. "Henhouse Henery" continues him on his streak of trying to explain to self-proclaimed chicken hawk (no, in this case it's not a warmonger refusing to serve in the army) Henery Hawk the idea of a chicken...by sending him after Barnyard Dog. Not only that, he also sends Henery after some ducks and even a turtle. Go figure! Yes, maybe these cartoons leave unanswered the question of the origin of the enmity between FL and BD. But whatever it is, it makes for some great scenes, especially at the end. In conclusion, they're not starting too big.

Henery Hawk still gets top billing in his fourth cartoon appearance but judging from the still frame at the start, Foghorn was quickly gaining in popularity. Henery sure knows how to use a hammer (five time his size) to his advantage when hunting. But while the Chickenhawk dutifully explain his actions to the audience each and every time he appears, the intense hatred between Foghorn and the Barnyard dog remains forever unexplained.

Foghorn looks a bit fatter and Barnyard's (or Br'er Dog as he is referred to) voice was still changing when they appeared in `Henhouse Henery'. It must also be noted that Foghorn not only picks on Br'er Dog, but points Henery in the direction of some ducks and a turtle too. The sequence where Henery tries to catch this ‘chicken still in it's shell' is probably one of the highlights in his career.

`Henhouse Henery' also turned out to be one of the more influential entries in the series. No less than two of it's gags were edited into the compilation short `Feather blustered' (1958), even though only one of those was truly inspired. Furthermore, near the end Br'er dog and Henery come up with a rooster trap that Egghead Jr. would improve upon some years later in `Crockett-Doodle-Doo' (1960).

6 out of 10