Basically, this is an army recruiting film designed to show teens about to graduate from high school the favorable side of enlistment compared with waiting around to be drafted. What makes this one stand out from the average army-sponsored short is the professionalism involved in putting it together under the guidance of the master cartoonist Chuck Jones, the man behind such classic Warner Brothers cartoons as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Jones both directed and wrote it.
A young man, Ralph Phillips, is shown asleep in his bed dreaming, with his dog curled up on the floor near the door also sleeping. One problem: Each pleasant dream turns into a nightmare with a giant shadowy figure looking very much like a drill sergeant beckoning Ralph to follow him. Who should sneak into the house but a little guy named Willie N. List, dragging with him an ACME Anti-Nightmare Machine. (Chuck Jones had a running joke about the ACME Company as his many fans know.) Willie N. List takes over the dreams and proceeds to show Ralph the positive side of military life. One way he does this is my shooting down many of the myths surrounding today's army (1957). Choice not chance is highlighted. The message: Don't wait around to be drafted but enlist now to receive the kind of training desired. The cartoon also spotlights the many careers available in the military. Though basically an army promotional cartoon, it is entertaining and even funny in places if the viewer keeps an open mind--plus the cartoon artwork is high tech for the 50's.
