Walky Talky Hawky

Robert McKimson's 'Walky Talky Hawky' introduced Foghorn Leghorn, a character with whom McKimson did much of his best work. This short was originally intended as a star vehicle for Henerey Hawk but Foggy obviously steals the show, so much so that Henerey became the supporting player. Foghorn is close to fully realised already in this debut outing, as is his regular rival, the barnyard dog. When Henerey comes to the farm looking for a chicken to eat, Foggy convinces him that the dog is a chicken, thereby exposing him to the little hawk's persistent kidnapping attempts. It's a funny set-up and makes for a very good cartoon, although a couple of cartoons down the line McKimson flipped the premise and had Foggy trying to convince Henerey that he was a chicken. That cartoon, 'The Foghorn Leghorn', was a classic and it also christened the character. In comparison, 'Walky Talky Hawky' still holds up well, setting up the premise for McKimson to later subvert. I always think McKimson seems most at ease when directing the Foghorn Leghorn series and 'Walky Talky Hawky' benefits greatly from that assurance. It's a lovely cartoon with a great ending and it also proved to be a great beginning, giving birth to yet another classic Warner Bros. star

In Foghorn Leghorn's debut, he tries to get Henery Hawk to to go after Barnyard Dog, with unexpected consequences. One thing that I noticed was that Henery Hawk's father called the family "chicken hawks", meaning that they hunt chickens. That phrase now refers to politicians who never served in the armed forces but send other people to fight in wars (often for lies). The connection that I see - however loose - is that Foghorn lies to Henery about Barnyard being a chicken. So he sends Henery off to do something for a lie. On the other hand, Foghorn had tortured Barnyard many times, so he wasn't being as much of a hypocrite as George W. Bush.

But anyway, it's a really fun cartoon, a sign of the later Foghorn Leghorn shorts. Cool.

A wonderful debut for Foghorn Leghorn in this Oscar-nominated short. This one has the formula that would make up many of the Foghorn cartoons, but probably never better than it is here. Young chicken hawk Henery Hawk is determined to get himself a chicken. He happens upon the farm where Foghorn Leghorn resides and finds the rooster feuding with the farm's dog (Barnyard Dog, also in his first appearance). Foghorn convinces Henery that the dog is a chicken, which results in lots of funny gags.

It's a hilarious short with great lines and gags, and colorful, well-drawn animation. One of director Bob McKimson's best. Lively music from Carl Stalling. Mel Blanc's voice work is flawless. As much fun as his voices for the main trio are, his work with Henery's father in the beginning of the cartoon was a highlight for me. So melodramatic! It's a Looney Tunes classic, both for being the beginning of a terrific series and for being very funny in its own right.

This is the first appearance of Foghorn Leghorn and the dog as well as the second appearance of Henery Hawk (but the first voiced by Mel Blanc). As far as the dog and chicken are concerned, they related to each other exactly as they did in subsequent films--and seeing them tormenting each other was, as always, a pleasure. In the midst of this fighting arrives Henery who is used by both Foghorn and the dog to fight their battle. Quite a few later films featured similar scenarios, but this was the first.

This film was nominated for Best Animated Short but ultimately lost to "Cat Concerto"--which was an intellectual Tom & Jerry outing which critics apparently loved but which was short on laughs. If I had been alive and a member of AMPAS (the Oscar folks) back then, I certainly would have voted for "Walky Talky Hawky", as it was the funniest of the nominees.

McKimson tends to be overlooked as a director, despite having done so many important and hilarious cartoons.

He clearly did something right, considering his fourth release was nominated for an Oscar.

The Foghorn character and situation is almost entirely crystalized from the start, save for the voice. His rivalry with the barnyard dog and tricking the naive Henery Hawk became a staple for the series. Foghorn's voice would eventually be set in stone by his fourth appearance.

Having inherited Tashlin's former crew, McKimson's cartoons from 1946 more or less have Tashlin's sense of energy. This entry is the most frantic paced of the series. Art Davis, Cal Dalton, and Dick Bickenbach had a lot to with the zaniness and this was the sole Foghorn that they animated on.

This entry makes a strong case for Robert McKimson as a director.