Confusions of a Nutzy Spy
Confusions of a Nutzy Spy is a 1943 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Norman McCabe.[1] The short was released on January 23, 1943, and stars Porky Pig.[2]
Confusions of a Nutzy Spy | |
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Directed by | Norman McCabe |
Story by | Don Christensen |
Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
Starring | Mel Blanc |
Music by | Carl W. Stalling |
Animation by | I. Ellis |
Layouts by | David Hilberman |
Production company | Leon Schlesinger Productions |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date | January 23, 1943 |
Country | United States |
The cartoon is a World War II propaganda film that deals with Porky and his bloodhound that has sneezing problems trying to track down a Nazi spy caricature in the form of a lynx. Their goal is to stop him from blowing up a critical railroad bridge.
The title is a pun of the film title Confessions of a Nazi Spy.[3] The lynx is called the "Missing Lynx", a pun on the description missing link. The bomb is called "Hallelujah, I'm a Bomb", a reference to the song "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum".
Plot
The cartoon opens by panning past a number of signs in "Ye Towne Cooler" that make fun of small town prisons and various criminal practices. Eggbert, a bloodhound, is asleep. A nearby radio alarm clock goes off and wakes him up. The broadcast annoys him so much that he breaks the radio with a mallet. Porky enters with a wanted poster, and Eggbert is about to hit Porky with the mallet, until Porky says they need to catch a spy. Eggbert sneezes forcefully enough that Porky is blown clear out of the town jail. The wanted poster lands on the spy's face.
Eggbert has trouble finding the spy (presumably due to his nasal congestion). When he and Porky do catch up to the spy, the spy tries to fool Porky with disguises. Eggbert sneezes again, which blows both him and Porky away from the spy.
The spy sets a bomb to blow up a railroad bridge. When the bomb's timer only has one minute left on it, he reveals his plan to Porky before he notices that Eggbert has retrieved the bomb and placed it at his feet. The spy throws the bomb away, but Eggbert retrieves it again (and again).
The spy, Porky, Eggbert, and the bomb all end up in a cave together. Eggbert sneezes yet again, everyone gets blown away, and the spy and the bomb land next to each other as time runs out. Nothing happens, so the spy thinks the bomb is a dud and becomes upset. He slams it on the ground and it blows up. The spy flies up into the clouds, where he jumps around, celebrating the fact that the bomb worked after all. He gives the Nazi salute and falls backward, his feet forming the V sign.
References
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 137. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 124–126. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- Birdwell, Michael E. (1 February 2000). Celluloid Soldiers: Warner Bros. Campaign Against Nazism. NYU Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-8147-9871-3.