Banty Raids

Banty Raids is a 1963 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson. 
== Title ==
The title is a play on "panty raids."
== Plot ==
An old rooster expels a young, pint-sized bantam rooster, who fancies himself as a hip beatnik and ladies' man, from the barnyard, after repeatedly disturbing the peace with rock music. The beatnik, after regaining his senses and shooting his guitar, sees the neighboring barnyard is full of female hens and is immediately overcome with lust.
But to gain access to the barnyard, he needs to get past its superintendent, Foghorn Leghorn. The young rooster disguises himself as a baby, and Foggy takes the bait. Adopting him as his "son," Foggy immediately shows the beatnik how to keep Barnyard Dawg in his place, using a rubber band contraption to punch the dog square in the head before tossing him in a garbage can.
The beatnik rooster constantly sneaks away to dance with the hens and kiss them. Foghorn eventually catches on that his young visitor is attracted to the "fairer sex", and decides to run a test on him. He shows the beatnik pictures of the Dawg, himself and a lady hen in an evening dress, the latter of which gets a wild reaction out of the banty ("Yahoo! Wildsville!") and confirms Foggy's suspicions ("Hah, just like I thought! He's wacky over females!"). The Barnyard Dawg also learns of this and, seeing an opportunity to get even with Foghorn, offers to aid the hip rooster. After the hen-obsessed rooster agrees, the dog has him stand in a nearby circle and sends a toy tank to seek out Foggy ("Uh oh. Looks like one of that silly dawg's booby traps!"). After dodging a shot from the tank, he is then kicked violently by a bull (the real target of the tank), launching and trapping him in a converted thresher retooled for the sole purpose of transforming Foghorn into a hen. After Foggy lands in the thresher and is subjected to a makeover, the beatnik rooster goes wild at Foggy's new appearance and demands an impromptu marriage ceremony and Barnyard Dawg readily obliges, donning a preachers hat and declaring them husband and wife, "or somethin...". Foggy tries to protest by saying "But I'm a rooster!" (which the beatnik rooster doesn't understand because Foggy's speech is obscured by his beak being tied shut); the banty rooster however, is willing to accept "her" shortcomings, telling Foggy as he carries him away, "Don't let it bug ya ma'mm. Like, we can't all be perfect!"
== Availability ==
Lt banty s8.jpg|Super 8
Lt pt109.jpg|(1983) VHS PT 109
SuperStars Foghorn.jpg|(2010) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars' Foghorn Leghorn & Friends: Barnyard Bigmouth (restored)
Lt ss3p.jpg|(2013) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars 3-Pack, Disc 2
Lt ssfm.jpg|(2014) DVD Looney Tunes Super Stars Family Multi-Feature, Disc 2
=== Streaming ===
Lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App ( - ) (restored)
Lt amazon.jpg|Amazon Instant Video (2017 - ) (restored)
Lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022) (restored)
Lt itunes.jpg|iTunes ( - ) (restored)
== Notes ==
* This cartoon was used in Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island, but was edited for time.
* This cartoon marked the last "classic-era" cartoon starring Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg. Foggy would make a cameo appearance in "False Hare" in 1964, but his next appearance after that was in 1980's "The Yolks on You".
* This is the only short to be written by Robert McKimson, although it was also co-written by Nick Bennion.
== Gallery ==
Extra6900.jpg|Lobby card
== TV Title Cards ==
12.png|The Merrie Melodies Show
== References ==
* Friedwald, Will and Jerry Beck. "The Warner Brothers Cartoons." Scarecrow Press Inc., Metuchen, N.J., 1981. ISBN 0-8108-1396-3.
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Foghorn Leghorn Cartoons
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Hollywood in Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:1963
Category:Barnyard Dawg Cartoons
Category:Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island Cartoons
Category:Cartoons with music by Bill Lava
Category:Cartoons animated by George Grandpré
Category:Cartoons animated by Keith Darling
Category:Cartoons animated by Ted Bonnicksen
Category:Cartoons animated by Warren Batchelder
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Robert Gribbroek
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons produced by David H. DePatie
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc