Greetings Bait

Greetings, Bait! is a 1943 Merrie Melodies short directed by I. Freleng.
== Title ==
The title is a play on Jerry Colonna's catchphrase "greetings, gate!"
== Plot ==
A fisherman uses a Jerry Colonna-esque worm as live bait. After getting used to the water's cold temperature, the worm sets up his first bait, being an underwater sandwich. A fish takes the bait and gets ensnared, but when the worm sees a larger and fatter fish, the worm discards the original catch for the larger fish.
The worm tries to lure a lazy fish that won't want to nab him, so he performs an acrobatic act trap that the lazy fish falls for. Next, the worm disguises himself as a mermaid singing "Trade Winds", and a fish falls for this bait. However, a crab has clipped off the line and reels up the line instead. A chase pursues as the crab (with periodic split-screen view on its point-of-view) tries to pinch the worm, but the worm outwits the crab by tying his eyestalks around a rock and later ramming the crab into another rock in a high-speed chase. The worm tells the crab to fight like a man without his shell. After shedding the shell, the worm and crab duels, but the crab is the victor, and the worm is fished out of the water, badly injured. He states, "I could be wrong, you know," as the Jerry Colona-esque fisherman replies "Ah yes, embarrassing, isn't it?"
== Caricatures ==
* Jerry Colonna
* Lon Chaney Jr.'s character Lennie - fish
== Availability ==
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-3-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 3, Side 7
lt humphrey v2.jpg|(2006) DVD Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (1995 Turner dubbed Version)
lt action.jpg|(2018) DVD Action in the North Atlantic (1995 Turner dubbed Version)
346061 front.jpg|(2023) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 (restored)
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023) (restored)
lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - ) (restored)
== Notes ==
* This short was nominated for an Academy Award in 1944, but lost to the Tom and Jerry cartoon "The Yankee Doodle Mouse".http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1944
* The worm from "The Wacky Worm" returns in this short.
* This short is notable for being the earliest released cartoon to feature music written by Raymond Scott, as Warner Bros. had purchased the license to his music.
* Publicity material suggests that the short was originally called "Greetings, Bait!" with punctuation. However, the punctuation seems to be removed in the Blue Ribbon reissue.
* The Blue Ribbon title card dates the cartoon MCMXLI (1941) instead of MCMXLIII (1943).
== Music-Cueshttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035954/soundtrack/ ==
* Keep Cool, Fool (by Josef Myrow and James P. Johnson)
** Plays during the opening creditshttps://www.patreon.com/posts/whats-score-81644429https://books.google.com/books/about/Tunes_for_Toons.html?id=Rz2WJ_-NxsAC
* Memories (by Egbert Van Alstyne & Lyrics by Gus Kahn) 
** Sung by Mel Blanc (as the Wacky Worm) as the Wacky Worm is setting up the sandwich
* Trade Winds (by Cliff Friend & Lyrics by Charles Tobias) 
** Sung by Mel Blanc (as the Wacky Worm) Harp played by an unknown musician (as the Wacky Worm)
* Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals (by Raymond Scott) 
** Plays when the crab chases the Wacky Worm
* Light Cavalry Overture (by Franz von Suppé)
** Plays when the seahorses go by
* Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals (by Raymond Scott) 
** Plays again when the Wacky Worm and crab fight off-screen
== Gallery ==
43207405 2194065324144154 918150178366554112 n (3).jpg|Lobby card
430da576a7294dd17d9d1d731259334b.jpg|Lobby card
Hghhhhhhh.jpg|Production background
Novmelodies21074.png|Animation artwork
Bait.jpg|Animation artwork
GBPA1.jpg|Animation artwork
(1943-5-15) Greetings Bait (Nominated for Best Animated Short).mkv 20230708 181600.802.png
Greetings Bait (1943) - Signs.jpg
(1943-5-15) Greetings Bait (Nominated for Best Animated Short).mkv 20230708 181539.123.png
(1943-5-15) Greetings Bait (Nominated for Best Animated Short).mkv 20230708 181631.749.png
(1943-5-15) Greetings Bait (Nominated for Best Animated Short).mkv 20230708 181611.433.png
(1943-5-15) Greetings Bait (Nominated for Best Animated Short).mkv 20230708 181620.064.png
Greetings Bait (1943) - Fisherman.jpg
== References ==
 
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
Category:Academy Award nominees
Category:1943
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Cartoons written by Tedd Pierce
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Owen Fitzgerald
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger
Category:Caricatures of real people
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:Cartoons with missing Leon Schlesinger credits