Speedy Gonzales

Despite the title, this is Speedy Gonzales' SECOND appearance, after Robert McKimson's Cat-Tails for Two. This is, however, his first time in the costume and design we know him from. In this short, after another mouse gets done for in trying to get cheese past the guard-Sylvester, Speedy accepts the challenge. The red-nosed cat is ready for the "fastest mouse in all Mexico" but gets defeated at every turn. This Oscar-winning cartoon from Friz Freleng gives us another classic Warner Bros. character that lasts for decades despite some PC controversy that almost got Speedy gone for good. Turns out many Hispanics consider Mr. Gonzales a hero for his exploits and don't find anything offensive about him. I certainly don't and I never understood why anyone would either. Anyway, while I don't consider this a great cartoon, it's certainly another highly enjoyable outing from Mr. Freleng.

An apparent criticism of the Speedy Gonzales cartoons is that they stereotype Mexicans as sombrero-wearing wackos. I guess that this one - actually called "Speedy Gonzales" - basically does that, but it's still a really funny cartoon, as the Fastest Mouse in Mexico gets hired to snatch cheese out of a factory (presumably across the US-Mexico border) guarded by Sylvester.

If in fact it's the US-Mexico border, then the cartoon raises the immigration debate. We see the people - or mice - in our southern neighbor needing to get into our country for better opportunities (as far as I'm concerned, there's no such thing as an illegal immigrant). Then again, maybe I'm reading way too far into the cartoon; it was probably intended as nothing more than silly entertainment. If so, then it succeeds. Worth seeing.

He's the friend of everybody's sister. Speedy certainly seems like he could be a playboy.

Speedy Gonzales (1955)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A group of Mexican mice are having trouble breaking into a cheese factory because none of them are faster than the guard, Sylvester the cat. With nothing left to do they hire Speedy Gonzales to steal some of the cheese. I might take a beating for this but I've never been a fan of Speedy and I might go even further as to call him my least favorite of all the popular animated stars no matter what studio they're from. I've always found him to be all one-joke but there are a couple good moments here. Having Sylvester in the mix brings a few laughs as he will stop at nothing to try and catch Speedy but of course we know he's going to fail. The stereotypes of Mexicans has been discussed to death so I'll just jump over that.

Don't take my title the wrong way, I don't hate Speedy Gonzales(the fastest mouse in all Mexico, as we now know him today), far from it, but his cartoons have been hit and miss. Some have been surprisingly good and funny, but others suffer from lacklustre, rushed animation and from being predictable. Speedy Gonzales is actually one of the better Speedy cartoons, actually worth watching. The animation is not too bad here, not absolutely brilliant but it is one of the better-looking Speedy cartoons. The music is nice too, as are the visual gags and dialogue. The story is simple but decently-structured, Speedy is funny and tolerable and Sylvester is a worthy foil(better at it than Daffy I'd say). These characters are all brought to life by the unique vocal talents of Mel Blanc, who does brilliantly as always. Overall, definitely worth seeing. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The native mice of Mexico want some American cheese, but Sylvester the cat is guarding the border. After a few disastrous attempts to get at it. They send for Speedy Gonzales to get pass this gringo pussycat. The second appearance of Speedy is a classic and cemented yet another great character in the already impressive array of Looney stars. Don't listen to the mind-stealing PC police, Speedy is funny. This Oscar-winning animated short can be found on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 and features an optional music only track as well as a commentary by Jerry Beck.

My Grade: A