Fair and Worm-er

Fair and Worm-Er is a 1946 Merrie Melodies short directed by Charles M. Jones.
== Title ==
The title is a play on the 1915 play Fair and Warmer.
== Plot ==
A small worm is attempting to dine on a large delicious apple, when he is attacked by a hungry black crow. The crow pursues the worm until he is suddenly attacked by a hungry cat. The cat chases the crow, only to be attacked by a vicious bulldog. The bulldog harasses the cat until he is suddenly set upon by the local dog catcher, who is then scolded by his wife until a mouse scares her off (and continues to scare her throughout the area). In a rigorous chase between all the protagonists, each generation of characters help some while hindering others.
The crow attempts to make his catch by painting his hand to look like an apple, but the worm retaliates by smashing it with a mallet. Meanwhile, the cat flees up the tree while impeding the dog for them to be caught by the dog catcher. Giving up on the worm in the meantime, the crow watches the cat-and-dog chase but reasons that because he is a bird, he should help the dog out. The crow helps out by cutting the net of the dog catcher and later kicking the dog catcher with a boot.
As the crow rests and flees, the worm tries to get back at the crow for interfering with his attempts to get an apple. He fires an explosive that runs through the grass, but it misses and nearly blows up the cat instead, forcing the worm to frantically swap the places of the two. By this point, the worm, crow, cat, dog, and catcher are now involved in a chase after each other at once, which is eventually stopped by a skunk. Now cornered in a hole with the worm, the worm ejects the four bystanders using a pin.
An unseen narrator asks the worm if he must go through this routine every day just to get something to eat. The worm does not wish to eat the apple, but rather move into it, as it is the last furnished apartment in town for him.
== Caricatures ==
* Jimmy Durante - "Everybody wants to get into the act!"
== Availability ==
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-2-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Vol. 2, Side 4: Chuck Jones
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 ==
* It's often said that this cartoon was an experiment that played with the trope of pantomime chase cartoons. Only a few of the characters actually speak, and some have "title cards" appearing above their heads to represent their thought patterns.
** This cartoon is also considered a template for Fast and Furry-ous, which kicked off the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote series of shorts.
* The mouse in this cartoon closely resembles fellow Chuck Jones' creation Hubie and Bertie; while the skunk looks and even hops like another of Chuck Jones' creations, Pepé Le Pew.
* The cartoon's concept is somewhat similar to that of "The Early Bird Dood It!" (1942) by director Tex Avery at rival studio MGM.
* The dogcatcher's line when he sees his wife chased by a mouse "Everybody wants to get into the act" is a catchphrase of Jimmy Durante.
* The 1995 "dubbed version" print (applies to both USA and EU prints), unlike the Associated Artists Productions version seen on LaserDisc and TV airings, contain split cuts which are very obvious to even the most naïve viewers. One example of this split cut when the dogcatcher's wife says, "I'm his wife! And I'm not scared of man or beast!" there's an abrupt cut mid-way in her dialogue, rendering her dialogue as "I'm his wife! ----man or beast!" with her line "And I'm not scared of" is missing in the 1995 Turner "dubbed version" print. This is probably due to the deteriorating 16mm film elements used to make the dubbed version print, as Turner Entertainment had no access to the cartoon's original negatives stored at the WB vaults at the time.https://disk.yandex.com/d/5OoeshdnfwQGF/WB%20-%20Merrie%20Melodies%20-%201946-09-28%20-%20Fair%20and%20Worm-er.m2p The 2020 restoration doesn't have these split cuts when released on HBO Max.
* This cartoon was shown in theatres with Cloak and Dagger during its original release. 
* According to the production number, this cartoon was produced in the Looney Tunes series but released in the Merrie Melodies series.
==Gallery==
FairandWormerRestored.jpeg|Cropped screenshot of 2020 restoration
== References==
es:Fair and Worm-er
Category:Cartoons directed by Chuck Jones
Category:Shorts
Category:1946
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Robert C. Bruce
Category:Cartoons written by Michael Maltese
Category:Cartoons written by Tedd Pierce
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons animated by Basil Davidovich
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Richard Morley
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard Morley
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:One-Shot Cartoons