Speedy Gonzales (theatrical short)
- This article is about the theatrical short, for other uses see Speedy Gonzales.
| Speedy Gonzales | |
|---|---|
 Lobby card. | |
| Production company | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation |
| Release date | September 17, 1955 |
| Run time | 6:44 |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Stan Freberg |
| Producer(s) | Edward Selzer |
| Music composed by | Carl Stalling |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Animation | Gerry Chiniquy Ted Bonnicksen Arthur Davis |
| Director(s) | I. Freleng |
| Series navigation | |
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| Title card | |
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Speedy Gonzales is the four hundredth Merrie Melodies theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on September 17, 1955. It was produced by Edward Selzer, written by Warren Foster, and directed by Friz Freleng.
Speedy Gonzales comes to help a hungry group of mice and get some cheese, which is being guarded by Sylvester at a factory across the Mexico–U.S. border.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Mouse: Speedy Gonzales friend of my sister.
Other mouse: Speedy Gonzales friend of everybody's sister!
Speedy: ¡Ole! ¡Arriba! ¡Yee-haw! What's the matter, amigos? You missed me, eh? ¡Arriba! ¡Yee-haw!
Speedy: For yous, seňors and seňoritas. There is plenty more where this cheese come from. ¡Epe, epe! ¡Arriba! ¡Yee-ha! ¡Andale! ¡Yee-haw!
Sylvester: Now juthst try and get all the cheesthe!
Speedy: I like this pussycats fellow. He's silly!
Characters
In order of appearance: | ||||||||||
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Locations
- Earth
- United States
- Ajax cheese factory
- Mexico–United States border
- Mexico
- Carnival shooting game stand
- United States
Objects
- Hay straw (for drawing straws)
- Sombrero pile
- Grade A egg box
- Butterfly net
- Mousetraps
- Catcher's outfit and mitt
- Baseball
- Ajax Cheese crates
- Army surplus landmines
- A very long metal pipe
- A wooden board with a mouse hole on the bottom
- Cheese boxes
- Detonator
Production
Development
After his initial appearance in Cat-Tails for Two, Speedy was given a character redesign in this short by Friz Freleng and layout artist Hawley Pratt,[1] who both made Speedy look cuter and dressed him in traditional Mexican attire. Unlike his prototypical design from the previous short, Speedy lacks both buckteeth and a golden tooth, and dons a white shirt and shorts, red bandana, and traditional yellow sombrero.
Music
The music was composed by Carl Stalling.
The music used for the title theme and for most of this short is the Mexican dance song, the "Mexican Hat Dance" (Jarabe Tapatío).
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: September 17, 1955 in theaters
Behind the scenes
Errors
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | March 21, 1956 | Best Animated Short Film | Edward Selzer | Won[2] |
Legacy
- Following this short, Speedy Gonzales' appearance would serve as a basis of how he would be portrayed in later cartoons. Robert McKimson would direct a sequel cartoon in the 1957 short Tabasco Road, using Freleng's model.
- A small clip of this cartoon was used in The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie.
- Animations from this cartoon would be reused in the 1959 short, Here Today, Gone Tamale.
Home availability
- In the United States:
References
- ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1991). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (1991 edition), page 121. Facts on File, Inc., New York NY. ISBN 0-8160-2252-6.
- ↑ "The 28th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners – Short Subject (Cartoon)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
