Crazy Mixed Up Pup

. . . over itself to find out who ACTUALLY wrote the 1965 novel THE PAINTED BIRD, originally published under the name Jersey Cold-Shin-Ski. What twisted, warped imp of the perverse could have contrived the implausible canine and human interactions serving as THE PAINTED BIRD's cornerstone, and what led infamous plagiarist Jersey to think that America would lap up such filth? It turns out that Mr. Cold-Shin-Ski, being functionally illiterate in English when THE PAINTED BIRD was released, did what many outsiders do when when seeking the most outrageous, unnatural, illicit material possible: He turned to Texas--specifically, CRAZY MIXED UP PUP. Though Jersey's paltry imagination pales in comparison to the bizarre doodles of Mr. Avery, it is always rewarding to clear up a decades-old literary mystery.

Crazy Mixed Up Pup is a-typical of the sublimely surreal nature of the animated shorts of director Tex Avery. Oddly it's not quite as well known of his other works which is a shame because it's premise although simple is still wonderfully ingenious and totally off the wall. A married dog owner takes his pet pooch out for a walk, only for the two of them to be run over while crossing the street. The cross eyed paramedic who rushes to the scene mixes up the the blood to give them the necessary blood transfusion, the result being that the man begins behaving like his dog and vice versa. The term Man Bites dog never became more literal as ensuing events unfold.

It's a conceit that is brilliantly utilised as his bemused wife and anyone else who comes in to contact with them struggle to cope with their bizarre behaviour. For a six minute short it manages to cram in just enough jokes and crazy visual humour that by the time it's over, you can't help but want to watch it again. One moment where the dog just out of nowhere begins to dance in front of the freaked out wife is so random that you can't help but chuckling at the insanity of it. It all leads to an equally wacky pay off which rounds everything up quite nicely. If there is a flaw however its that while not dreadful the animation Isn't quite up to the higher standard of some of Avery's earlier shorts. However it's a quibble I'm willing to mainly forgive as it's a testament to his genius that nearly 60 years later it still stands the test of time. Not one to miss if you get the chance to see it.

This one is has a distinct 1950s feel, is very well drawn, and funny to boot. I love the "cuckoo" scene, repeated 3 times, including for the kitten at the end.

Stereotypical 50s homemaker wife with the "screwball element" thrown in for good measure (watch the henpecked husband say "yes dear" in the beginning).

Flattened out cartoons were the best! Loved when the ambulance attendant's eyes went cuckoo. Tex Avery was a genius of awesome animation. His cartoons were the best, funniest, and at times cutest (yes!). And the best part? His characters weren't recurring, unlike Tom & Jerry, Bugs or Daffy, so I never got tired of his, unlike the latter which today I often find downright unwatchable and flip channels.

That's a 9/10 from me for this Tex Avery gem.

From its title, I wasn't aware that I had watched this one before – which, despite being a latter-day Avery effort, is every bit a classic cartoon. Again, the premise is simple yet totally insane: a man and his dog are trampled by a car while crossing the road; a cross-eyed male nurse mistakenly applies the wrong kind of plasma to each, with the result that the man takes on the habits of the dog and vice versa. Of course, this sends the wife (and the dog's own 'spouse') up the wall – even if both intermittently revert to their natural states and, obviously, think that it's their respective mates who are nuts! Predictably, then, the ending sees the wife and her pet getting the exact same affliction after being run over themselves by a car – and subsequently revived by the same eager but clueless medical attendant! And they all lived happily ever after

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Crazy Mixed Up Pup' may not be one of his very best, only because his masterpieces were so many, more so than most other animation directors. Occasionally, limitations show in some of the backgrounds (in comparison to his cartoons from the 40s), certainly a long way from awful but lacks the imagination and fluidity of his best cartoons. As said many times, when Avery was not at his best he still fared much better than most other animation directors at their worst, some can only dream of having their best work on the same level as the masterpieces from Avery.

Have not seen all Avery's work, though that's my goal as of now, but as of now have yet to see anything "bad" from him, even if there are perhaps a few very early efforts that are not at his usual top standard.

Some limited backgrounds and some unrefined drawing aside, there are some colourful and expressive moments in the animation. Clarence Wheeler is no Scott Bradley, but his music scoring proves him to be a more than worthy replacement. It's lively, lush and fits very well, if not quite action-enhancing as with Bradley.

'Crazy Mixed Up Pup' is one of those cartoons that is very funny, with plenty of clever, imaginatively timed gags that really deliver on the humour and makes the most of a very clever and brilliantly constructed story that is pure insanity and deliciously so. Nobody does insanity like Tex Avery.

Avery does wonderfully with the direction as always.

In summation, excellent cartoon if not quite one of Avery's very best. 9/10 Bethany Cox