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

Walky Talky Hawky (1946)

**** (out of 4)

Hilarious short has a small chicken hawk being told by his father that he needs to eat chicken so he sets out to find out. He comes across Foghorn Leghorn who convinces him that a dog is really the chicken. This here is a wonderful short that remains one of the absolute best to ever come from Warner. There are so many classic moments here but the real highlight is simply the fact that all three characters are so downright funny and lovable in their own right. There are many funny moments here but for me the highlight will always be the scream that Foghorn lets out once the dog finally gets a hold of him. That scream itself is one of the funniest noises to ever come from the studio. As you'd expect the animation is terrific but the final line of the film is just priceless.

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.

Listen when I'm talking to you boy! This is Foghorn Leghorn's first short. And he got an Oscar-Nomination! WOW! I SAY, I SAY OSCAR NOMINATION! HAHA! You're a good reader but you ain't paying attention to a thing I say!

3(***)out of 4(****)stars

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.