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
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Title card

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.

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

Legend
Character debut	Speaking debut	Ep. debut	No lines	Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character	Actor
Sylvester	Mel Blanc
Speedy Gonzales	Mel Blanc
Mexican Mice	Stan Freberg

Locations

• Earth
  • United States
    • Ajax cheese factory
    • Mexico–United States border
  • Mexico
    • Carnival shooting game stand

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

Second lobby card.

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, who they both made Speedy look cuter and dressed him in traditional Mexican attire.

Music

The music was composed by Carl Stalling.

The music used for the title theme and for most of this short is the national theme of Mexico, the "Mexican Hat Dance".

Release

Dates are in order of release:

• United States: September 17, 1955 in theaters

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient	Result
Academy Award	March 21, 1956	Best Animated Short Film	Edward Selzer	Won

Everlasting 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:
  • Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
  • Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1