Walky Talky Hawky

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.

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.

Foghorn Leghorn is not my favourite of the Looney Tunes characters. He is however a very funny one and one of their most distinctive(Pepe LePew probably gets the top spot on that front. Walky Talky Hawky was Foghorn and Henery Hawke's first cartoon, and while it's their first it's also one of their better ones. The animation is beautifully done, Foghorn is a little overweight here as he was in his early cartoons but the colours are vibrant with a good amount of depth and the backgrounds are fluid and detailed. The music has always been one of the main reasons why Foghorn's and Looney Tunes' (in general) cartoons score so well with me. It is lushly orchestrated, it is hugely energetic and very catchy and jazzy, it enhances the action so well and keeps you in a good mood throughout and afterwards. The writing would get wittier later on- as you'd expect for a first time there is the sense that it's trying to find its feet still, perfectly natural- but it is still very funny and fresh with the Foghorn series' writing style(ie. Foghorn's repetition and crazy similes) evident. The gags are clever and well timed. The two characters come off against each other very well, they're not at their best, their personalities got stronger as the series evolved, but they are still like the characters that we know. Mel Blanc does a great job, spot on as Foghorn as always and while he's fine as Henery there are times where he sounds as though he's experimenting with which voice he used before settling with a hybrid of Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales and Tweety. In conclusion, a great promising start in introducing a character that is funny and sticks out from the crowd. 9/10 Bethany Cox