Dangerous Dan McFoo

I watched this – it was included among the extras on Warners' DVD of DODGE CITY (1939) – as part of a 5-cartoon marathon to commemorate the 100th Anniversary from the birth of one of the most important figures in animation history: Tex Avery. It was actually remade – and considerably improved upon – by THE SHOOTING OF DAN McGOO (1945), a Droopy 'vehicle'; while remarkably similar in many respects to the later classic, one of my favorite Averys, it is a minor (if still highly enjoyable) effort – for one thing, because of an anonymous i.e. less sympathetic protagonist, but also its more primitive quality (Avery's Fred Quimby-produced MGM efforts being generally superior to his stuff at Warners).

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. This is the first of two cartoons he made based on Service's poem, the other being the 1945 Droopy cartoon 'The Shooting of Dan McGoo'. Of the two, there is a preference for the funnier and more imaginative later cartoon, one of Droopy's greatest cartoons and one of the best Avery himself did. 'Dangerous Dan McFoo' is still very good, with not really anything wrong, just that the later cartoon did it better. The story is a little thin and the ending is not as strong as the rest of the cartoon.

The characters all engage and have compelling personalities. They are also very well voiced by some of the most talented voice actors of the time and ever, some, especially Arthur Q. Bryan using immediately unmistakable voices which may be strange at first but is actually effective.

'Dangerous Dan McFoo' is not as imaginative or as hilarious as 'The Shooting of Dan McGoo', but it is still inventive and very amusing.

Tex Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected. Humour-wise, it's clever and wonderfully exaggerated in typical Avery fashion.

Once again with Avery, 'Dangerous Dan McFoo' is beautifully and brilliantly animated as usual. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of master Carl Stalling, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed and even enhances it.

Summing up, very good if not brilliant like the later 'Dan McGrew'-based Avery cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a typical Tex Avery short: he takes an idea from anther source (here it's a poem by Robert W. Service, an idea he would use again at MGM), follow the basic concept and toss in every oddball sight gag or joke that could be shoehorned in in the 7 or 8 minute length. An interesting point here is that Arthur Q. Bryan does the voice for the title character, in the voice he would use as Elmer Fudd for a great many years. It really is strange hearing that voice from another character. Good cartoon, although the one Avery did at MGM was just a touch better than this one. Well worth seeking out. Recommended.

I ended up watching this because I picked up the blu ray for Dodge City-a Western from the same year this short was released. It is a funny short in large part because it basically does not have a plot. For such a short film it plays like a series of gags and parodies, i.e. Hepburn. It also had one of the darkest gags I have seen in a Tex Avery short. This short is not a classic by any stretch but if you like early American animation this is a good find.

We first see "Dangerous Dan" and it's not who except to see, but a meek little guy who sounds like Elmer Fudd. In fact, as Mr. Reynolds states in another review here, it IS the voice of Mr. Fudd (Arthur Q. Ryan). The barmaid at the "Malibu Bar" where the action takes place, also is a weird. She looks like Betty Boop, talks like Katharine Hepburn, but is supposed to be Bette Davis. What the.....? Whoever she is, she Dan's girl...but the wolf who just entered the bar doesn't care. He's the obvious villain.

The rest of the cartoon is a boxing match between the two foes, complete with a referee and a very strange way to announce each new round. It was fairly interesting but the very end was lame. The cartoon was a feature in the DVD of the Errol Flynn film, "Dodge City."