The Unexpected Pest

The Unexpected Pest
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Production company	Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributor	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date	June 2, 1956
Starring	Mel Blanc June Foray
Producer(s)	Edward Selzer
Music composed by	Milt Franklyn
Story by	Warren Foster
Animation	Keith Darling Ted Bonnicksen George Grandpré Russ Dyson
Director(s)	Robert McKimson
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Title card
Second title card

The Unexpected Pest is the four hundred and tenth Merrie Melodies theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and The Vitaphone Corporation on June 2, 1956. It is written by Warren Foster, produced by Edward Selzer, and directed by Robert McKimson.

Sylvester's life is put on jeopardy when there are no more mice left around the house, but finds one to use it to fool the wedded couple who owns him.

Detailed summary

Memorable quotes

Sylvester: Society? Getting rid of me? Thufferin' thuccotash! I gotta get a mousthe to keep my happy home!

Mouse: I know, I'm in Heaven... No, I must be in the other place!
Sylvester: Well, I tell ya gonna be, unlessth I do what I tell ya. And that'sth down the hatch.
Mouse: Oh, please spare me, Mr. Pussycat! I'll do anything you say!
Sylvester: Okay. But remember, you disobey me, it'sth down the hatch!
Mouse: No, no! Not that! I'll be your slave!
Sylvester: Okay, slave. I've got a job for ya. Now you go to that kitchen and scare the lady for good, or the hatch! Now get in and scare her!

Mouse: After all he's been through, I thought he deserved a happy ending.

Characters

Organizations

• Humane Society of the United States (mentioned)

Locations

• Earth
  • United States
    • John and Marsha's residence
    • Park bridge
• Heaven (mentioned)
• Hell (indirectly mentioned)

Objects

• "Kitty" food bowl
• Fishbones
• Cheese
• Mousetrap
• Iron
• Mouse trap
• Dynamite

Vehicles

• John's car

Production

Development

Filming

It was copyrighted in 1955 (MCMLV).

Music

The music was composed by Milt Franklyn.

Crew credits

• Layouts: Robert Gribbroek
• Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas

Release

Dates are in order of release:

• United States: June 2, 1956

Behind the scenes

• The title is a pun on the phrase, "the unexpected guest."
• The MPAA number is 17566.
• Marsha and John's names are a reference to the 1951 Stan Freberg song, "John and Marsha". The cartoons Wild Wife, Punch Trunk, and Unnatural History also reference this record by having similarly named couples.
• The short makes reference to the Humane Society of the United States, when John and Marsha agree to call them to get rid of Sylvester. The Humane Society was recently founded two years prior in 1954.

Home availability

• In the United States:
  • November 14, 2006: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 on DVD.

References