Lonesome Lenny

This is one of my favorite cartoon. Unlike others I think the screwy squirrel is a very funny character. Tex Avery was a very gifted and talented animator with a dark humor and all his cartoons are excellent. This one is not an exception. Too bad that there are only five cartoons of this crazy character.

I can't recall too many cartoons in which I laughed out loud a half-dozen times in a seven-minute cartoon. I was sorry to find out this was the last of this short-lived Screwy Squirrel series, five cartoons in all. All three of the ones I saw were fantastic. I didn't think director Tex Avery could top "Droopy" for cleverness but this is close. Speaking of Tex, how about a plug for the writer of these cartoons: Heck Allen? Here's a guy who was the "gag man" for Tex for most of his cartoons, and never hear of his name. He must have had an awesome sense of humor and it's a shame he doesn't get any recognition he deserves for his written material on these cartoons.

After the opening credits, we see a store that has has spelled out on its awning: "P.U. Pet Shop - "If You Smell It , We Sell It." Then we see a friendly dog in an enclosure, wagging his tale while reading "A Tree Grows In Podunk." Since "A Tree Grow In Brooklyn" is my favorite classic film, this cartoon got big points with me in the opening 10 seconds.

Then we see a sampling of some of the other pets for sale in the store. There are so many sight gags in this cartoon in the first 30 seconds alone, it would make your head swim. The last one, of course, shows the lead character, the Screwy Squirrel, although his cage labels him here as "Crazy Squirrel." If you've seen other Screwy Squirrel cartoons you know he is crazy, violent, a bit sadistic but also hilarious.

This cartoon also features a big, dumb dog who is based on the character "Lenny" from John Steinbeck's famous novel, "Of Mice and Men." Any doubts of that reference are erased when Lenny calls Screwy "George" when he first sees him. George is Lenny's buddy in that novel.

Here, Lenny's owner wants a playmate for him and, naturally, the squirrel is picked. Well, Lenny has been pining away for someone to play with, and certainly got his wish - and a lot more - when "Crazy" arrives at the dog's mansion.

If you ever seen "Screwy Squirrel" advertised to be shown on TCM or somewhere else, don't pass it up. If you like outrageously humorous cartoons, you'll love this.

A rich lady arrives at the P. U. Pet Shop to buy a playmate for her dog Lenny. Dim-witted Lenny is lonely despite being spoiled and he squeezed his previous playmate to death. The rich lady brings home Screwy Squirrel.

This is a Tex Avery cartoon. I'm not a fan of Screwy Squirrel. He's basically Bugs Bunny without the class and I don't like the design. Again he's Bugs Bunny but uglier. As for the Of Mice and Men referencing, I can do without squeezing little animals to death. I get what Tex is going for but the crass tone leaves it feeling ugly.

This short was the last one to feature Screwy Squirrel. His nemesis here is a dog patterned after the character Lenny from Of Mice and Men, which was a device used quite often in cartoons, particularly by Tex Avery (who used the two leads as the pattern for George and Junior as well). Good, if not particularly novel, short, which is probably why Avery stopped-he'd taken Screwy as far as he could and there wasn't much more to do with him. Characters were seldom important to Avery in any case. Well worth tracking down. Recommended.

A take on Lenny from "Of Mice and Men," the title dog wants a friend. The problem is he is homicidal. He meets his match with Screwy Squirrel who finds every way to torture the big guy. Great Tex Avery vehicle with a nasty twist.