The Fighting 69½th

The Fighting 69½th is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short directed by I. Freleng.
== Title ==
The title is a reference to the 1940 war film The Fighting 69th.
== Plot ==
A couple is having a picnic in a peaceful forest. When they leave, red ants and black ants declare war on each other over the picnic basket. This takes the form of trench warfare.
== Caricatures ==
* Groucho Marx - "Of course, you know this means war."
* Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
== Availability ==
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-5-F.jpg|(1997) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 5, Side 3, Freleng Follies (USA 1995 Turner print)
lt fighting 69th.jpg|(2007) DVD The Fighting 69th (USA 1995 Turner print)
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6.jpg|(2008) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6, Disc 2 (USA 1995 Turner print)
== Censorship ==
* On Cartoon Network and Boomerang in the United States, the scene where, after the black ants head back to the trenches with a hot dog, a blackfaced ant with white lips and a Rochester-esque voice goes above the trenches to get mustard is cut.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-e-f.aspxhttps://vk.com/video-5286402_156054309
== Notes ==
* The cartoon got reissued twice: once in the 1943–44 season, evident from the red background blue color rings, and once in the 1952–53 season, evident from the red background green rings and the "THE END" in Lydian font ending title; as such, the opening and ending title cards from the original 1941 release and the 1944 reissue and the credits from the former are lost.
* The second re-release ending card never got released in any home video format. However, the re-release ending titles exist on the censored a.a.p. print.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek6eFcFWbbY
* The EU Turner "dubbed" version replaces the original 1938-41 "Merrily We Roll Along" ending cue with the 1941-55 one, while the USA Turner "dubbed" version keeps the original 1938-41 ending cue.
* This was Jack Miller's last cartoon that he wrote for Leon Schlesinger Productions before he left to work as a writer for George Pal's Puppetoon series.
* The film was copyrighted on 23 December 1940, along with "Sniffles Bells the Cat."Catalog of Copyright Entries
== Gallery ==
TF6912LC.jpg|Lobby card
== References ==
es:The Fighting 69½th
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Friz Freleng
Category:1941
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger
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:Insects
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:One-Shot Cartoons
Category:Cartoons with missing Leon Schlesinger credits