The Foghorn Leghorn

Being a big fan of both Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk, it's no surprise I enjoyed this gem from 1948 immensely. You have chicken hawk Henery once again trying to nab himself a chicken and once again finding himself crossing paths with Foghorn, whom he thinks is not a chicken but "a loud-mouthed schnook." Also appearing in this one are Barnyard Dog and Henery's father, a colorful character in his own right who provides the short's funniest bit about schnooks. It's a very funny cartoon with excellent animation. Love the colors. Great music from Carl Stalling. Terrific voice work from the incomparable Mel Blanc. This is early Foghorn but still some great lines here wonderfully delivered by Mel ("You're built too low! The fast ones go over your head! You've got a hole in your glove! I keep pitching 'em and you keep missing 'em!"). I can't imagine any fan of the character not loving this one.

Foghorn Leghorn was on of the lesser stars at Warner Bros., but he was still one of the biggest cartoon stars from the mid '40's for the next 20 years. In this, his third short, once again Henery Hawk can't get it straight on what a chicken is supposed to look like, and anyone who has seen one of these classic Robert McKimson Fogorn/Henery cartoons knows the drill, and the gags in this one are very much par for the course. Also included is the Barnyard Dog, while not indispensable to this particular series, added a lot to them with his gruff matter-of-fact attitude. Besides, he was the only one who never failed to see Foghorn for what he really was, a loudmouth shnook.

Classic short is what this is. Foghorn Leghorn is a great character and always provides a good laugh in his shorts. As opposed to trying to trick Henry Chickenhawk into thinking he is not a chicken, he does the opposite. And what are the results? Laughter.

Once again, Henery Hawk is looking for a chicken to catch and once again, he doesn't know what a chicken looks like. When he sees his father looking at Foghorn Leghorn, the father, because he doesn't like his son tagging along, tells him he's not a chicken but a "snook". Supposedly because his ego is deflated, Foghorn keeps trying to convince Henery he really is a chicken. Of course, there's also the Barnyard Dog he has to deal with...Seeing the Southern rooster make some awful puns always gets a smile from me and occasionally even a laugh and it's always great to see him and the Barnyard Dog play tricks on each other. While Henery also provides some amusement, I was glad when he was eventually jettisoned for some other supporting characters like Prissy and her intellectual son. Anyway, The Foghorn Leghorn is another classic from the Robert McKimson unit.

Prior to Robert McKimson's 'The Foghorn Leghorn', the title character had made two previous appearances. By this, his third appearance, it was clear McKimson had a star on his hands and he went on to direct every one of the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. Originally a supporting player in what was intended as a star vehicle for Henerey Hawk, Foghorn stole the show so blatantly that it was the little chicken hawk who was subsequently reduced to the role of supporting player to the rooster's verbose antics. The Foghorn cartoons represent some of McKimson's best work and this short, which christened the rooster, is among the best. While the previous two Foggy shorts had involved him trying to prove to Henerey that he wasn't a chicken, 'The Foghorn Leghorn' flips the situation as Foghorn tries desperately to prove to a skeptical Henerey that he is a chicken. McKimson's direction is excellent adding extra hilarity to a fresh and funny setup. Mel Blanc's voice characterization for Foghorn is priceless ("I almost had a joke, son") even at this early stage. While there would ultimately be a few tedious entries in the eventually repetitive Foghorn Leghorn series, 'The Foghorn Leghorn' is certainly not one of them. A classic.