Cane atterrito

" . . . Comes back," is the chilling refrain of A MUTT IN A RUT. This theme is fairly common in American film and often results in multiple awards. Take that long version or remake of TITANIC. The pendant chick goes out rafting with the king of her world, but only one of them comes back to dry land. Then there's the case of LORD JIM. When he takes Pat Claw for a spin, once again just a single soul survives. Let's not forget THE LORD OF THE FLIES. Biggie and his bifocals are virtually inseparable--that is, until the pair go for a stroll along the beach, and just one of them turns up again. Therefore, A MUTT IN A RUT stands on reasonable grounds with his worries.

Elmer Fudd's dog Rover (or Wover, as Elmer says it) is watching a TV program about masters who shoot their dogs when they're old and have worn out their usefulness ("Two go out...but only one comes back"). This freaks poor Rover out. When Elmer suggest they go on a hunting trip, Rover is convinced this is a set-up. So he decides to kill Elmer before Elmer can kill him! Thankfully for Elmer, things don't quite go the way Rover plans them. This is a wonderfully crazy short, as the best Looney Tunes shorts were. Rover's attempts to kill Elmer are hilarious. Great animation, music, and voicework. This is one everybody should enjoy, especially the dog lovers out there.

The paranoia and desperation of the dog in this brilliant cartoon are summed up in his quote that is the title of this commentary. The humor is predictable, but it's the frantic quality of the pacing and the superb irony that give this cartoon real legs. A must see.