Walky Talky Hawky (1946)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Robert McKimson

Writer:

Warren Foster (writer)

Release Date:

31 August 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy

Plot:

Young Henery Hawk's father regretfully admits their family's shame: they hunt and eat chickens. Henery set off to find one...

Plot Keywords:

Rooster | Dog | Chicken | Hawk | Foghorn Leghorn

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Mel Blanc

...

Foghorn Leghorn / Henery Hawk / Barnyard Dog (voice)

Directed by
Robert McKimson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Warren Foster		writer

Produced by
Edward Selzer	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Carl W. Stalling		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Treg Brown		(uncredited)

Sound Department
Treg Brown	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Animation Department
Richard Bickenbach	....	animator
Cal Dalton	....	animator
Richard H. Thomas	....	background artist
Don Williams	....	animator

Music Department
Carl W. Stalling	....	musical director (as Carl Stalling)
Milt Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1946) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia) | USA:Approved

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Foghorn Leghorn was closely based on Senator Claghorn, a character on ‘The Fred Allen Show’, whose trademark lines included, "Somebody, Ah say, somebody knocked," "That's a joke, son," and "Pay attention, boy!"

Quotes:

Henery Hawk: Are you coming quietly, or do I have to muss ya up?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: (#8.11)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Light Cavalry Overture

Neither Henery Nor Foghorn Is Funny In This One

After telling his pop that he has a craving for something and can't figure out what it is, little "Henery" hears the facts of life from his dad. No, nothing to do with the birds and bees, just telling his boy that they are "hated and hunted down" because they are chicken hawks and chicken hawks eat chickens. That's what they do!

"Hey, that's for me," says the little bird. Henery doesn't even know what a chicken looks like, so he goes out looking. Just his luck - the first one he encounters is the huge "Foghorn Leghorn." From that point, this is Foghorn's cartoon, not Henery's. He's loud, he's abrasive, he's obnoxious, but who doesn't love Foghorn?

Along the way, as Foghorn puts on the little guy by telling him the nearby dog is a chicken, we get parody of a cigarette commercial from those days ("round, firm and fully-packed"), but overall I didn't find this a very funny cartoon. I doubt others did either which is probably why Henery never became a star. Foghorn wasn't either, but at least many of us have heard of him.

Henery sounds a little like Bugs. I guess Mel Blanc couldn't disguise his Brooklyn accent enough to make Henery sound different, although he did fine with Foghorn.