Heir-Conditioned

Heir-Conditioned is a 1955 Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng.
== Title ==
The title is a pun on "air-conditioned"
== Plot ==
In an urban neighborhood, an alley cat, whilst looking for food, comes across a discarded newspaper that reads: "Pet Cat Inherits Fortune. Mrs. Sarah Van Schmoot Leaves Pet Cat Entire Estate." Further reading reveals that Sylvester is the heir to his mistress' fortune, whilst Elmer Fudd has been assigned as his financial advisor. The cat promptly decides to spread word to the other alley cats, each stating increasingly speculative amounts about how much Sylvester had inherited (including a cameo by Tweety).
The next day, Sylvester revels in his newly acquired wealth, briefly thanking a portrait of his mistress for the inheritance. Elmer, however, is more concerned that he should be using it responsibly. When the alley cats arrive at the house to try and visit Sylvester, a paranoid Elmer kicks the cats out. As the cats stake out the house, Elmer, while putting the money into a Gladstone bag, tells Sylvester off on how his idle cash should be put to work for him and that his street cat friends are possibly plotting to take it for themselves. Believing that Elmer is simply not allowing Sylvester to even spend a dime on himself, the alley cats decide that they should help Sylvester out. Sure enough, the cats try to take the money out by cutting a hole in the floor beneath the bag. Noticing this, Elmer quickly substitutes it with an identical bag, into which he puts a lit stick of dynamite as it is being lowered beneath the floor. After the explosion, the bag's charred frames are lifted back up and nails are hammerd in from underneath.
Elmer then suggests to Sylvester that he should invest his money in good companies that would pay him a good return. The paranoid cat however is frightened he will simply lose his fortune of he does that and tries to run off it with, only to have it ripped from his hands by Elmer. The doorbell then rings and Elmer goes to answer it; he is met with two cats, each disguised as a poor widow and her underprivileged baby seeking help, complete with soap flakes being poured from above by another cat to emulate snow. Elmer very nearly falls for it, asking them if a few dollars would help, until the "baby" suddenly speaks and suggests that $50,000 would tide them over. Elmer, realising the trick, slams the door on them. The "widow" cat gives the "baby" cat a thrashing as they walk away, as the latter was specifically instructed not to talk. With this distraction, Sylvester runs up the stairs with the money in a different bag until Elmer follows him and drags him back down again, bag and all.
Afterwards, Elmer tries to make a point on how putting Sylvester's fortune to work would benefit both the cat and everyone else, using the telephone as an example of how people benefitted from investing in an idea. The doorbell is heard again, being rung by another disguised cat, this time posing as a salesman in the hope that Elmer will buy something from him with the money. The cat, named Charlie, introduces himself as a representative of the "Hi-Ho Silver Cleaner Company of Walla Walla, Washington" (while quietly telling Sylvester that his cat friends will get him out of his situation) and explains that he is offering "silver cleaner" at $135 a bottle, along with being authorized to allow Elmer to buy a half interest in the company for $50,000. Borrowing Elmer's pocket watch (and quietly telling Sylvester to be patient), he tries to demonstrate the "silver cleaner" by dipping the watch into it, but it ends up destroying the watch instead. Realizing he won't get the money now, the cat decides to take his leave claiming he has several more house calls to make, reminding Elmer to get in touch with the Silver Cleaner Company if he ever wants to buy an interest in them (also quietly telling Sylvester "better luck next time"). Elmer expresses his annoyance that he was almost tricked again.
Finally, Elmer manages an extensive lecture on the benefits of good investment on the economy with an educational film to illustrate the point. While Sylvester is not convinced, the cats outside see the film themselves and are persuaded to the point when Sylvester manages to get the money to them, they demand he doesn't "upset their economic structure" and give it over to Elmer to invest. Defeated, Sylvester gives in and angrily growls to the portrait of his mistress that she would have "saved him a lot of headaches if she found a way to take it with her".
== Availability ==
lt vs6.jpg|(1982) VHS The Looney Tunes Video Show, Volume 6
Elmer Fudd (1990) (UK VHS).jpeg|(1990) VHS Elmer Fudd (1990)
Bumper04.jpg|(1996) VHS Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 4)
Lt collection elmer fudd.jpg|(1996) VHS Elmer Fudd
51Rir IkqCL.jpg|(1997) VHS Classic Bumper Collection
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6.jpg|(2008) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6, Disc Two
lt spotlight 6.jpg|(2008) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 6, Disc 1
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2024 - )
== Censorship ==
* The version of this cartoon that aired as part of ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show cut the part where an alley cat comes out of a trash can to announce the news of Sylvester's inheritance, but gets stopped when someone offscreen hurls a clothes iron in the cat's face.https://web.archive.org/web/20240224055638/https://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-h.aspx
*When this short aired on WKBD in the 1980s, the first 2 minutes were cut due to time constraints, so the short now begins with Sylvester's cat friends singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fella".https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TuFgOqrIv4
*When this short aired on WSAZ in the 1980s, the first minute and 15 seconds were cut due to time constraints, so the short now begins in the middle of the scene where the bell that one of Sylvester's friends is ringing travels to another one of Sylvester friends through a water pipe in order to tell him about Sylvester's inheritance.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gImbi8yfpKg
== Notes ==
* It is the second of three Looney Tunes shorts underwritten by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, along with "By Word of Mouse" and "Yankee Dood It".
* This is one of many 1955-56 cartoons to end with the red Color Rings instead of the green rings.
* This plays in PAL audio in Turner channels like Cartoon Network.
* Tweety also made a cameo here, but just a five-second cameo, as another cat had him and nearly ate him, until hearing of Sylvester's inheritance, and Tweety marked his only remark here. It's the only cartoon to co-star Elmer Fudd and Tweety during the Golden Age of American Animation.
* This cartoon was reissued in September 1964, making it the first cartoon to be reissued in the 1964–65 season under DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. However, due to extremely low budgets from the studio, the opening/closing rings were not altered. All shorts reissued starting from this season will retain their original titles.
== Gallery ==
HeirConditionedCredits1.png
HeirConditionedCredits2.png
Heir-Conditioned (1955) - Alley.jpg
Heir-Conditioned (1955) - Vault.jpg
Heir-Conditioned (1955) - Kicked out.jpg
Heir-Conditioned (1955) - Dragged Down.jpg
Extra1000.jpg|Lobby card
== References ==
Category:1955
Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Sylvester Cartoons
Category:Elmer Fudd Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Hawley Pratt
Category:Cartoons with music by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Arthur Q. Bryan
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Daws Butler
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Irv Wyner
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 produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Tweety Cartoons
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist