I Wanna Be a Sailor

I Wanna Be a Sailor is a 1937 Merrie Melodies short directed by Tex Avery.
== Plot ==
A mother parrot is teaching her children to say, "Polly want a cracker." The first two kids, Patrick and Patricia, do so, but Peter instead says that he wants to be a sailor. His mother refuses, telling Peter a story about his sailor father. 
When Peter's mother and father were married, they resided in a hut in Hawaii. While his mother was taking care of the children, his father was a "rum-soaked old seagull" who had better things to do. Eventually, Peter's father chose to set sail for Catalina and never returned. This story causes Peter to cry, but he still wants to be a sailor, much to his mother's shock.
He takes a barrel and builds a ship. For his crew, he brings along a young duckling, who becomes the swabbie. As they take off, Peter acts hard to perform sailor duties. However, a thunderstorm erupts. Peter attempts to stop the ship and turn it around, but the steering wheel goes haywire, and the anchor causes the back of the boat to bust open. Eventually, Peter and the duckling are thrown overboard, and Peter calls his "Momma" and says that he wants a cracker. She comes running, but he is already saved by the duckling who calls Peter a big sissy. Unsurprisingly, the mother parrot knew that Peter was going to get himself into trouble, but despite it all, he still wants to be a sailor. This causes Peter's mother to faint in shock, but she wakes and responds, "Now what would you do with a child like that?"
== Availability ==
Golden-Age-of-Looney-Tunes-3-F.jpg|(1992) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 3, Side 5: Early Avery
lt kid galahad.jpg|(2010) DVD Kid Galahad (USA 1995 Turner print)
346061 front.jpg|(2023) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 (restored)
== Notes ==
* The voice of Peter Parrot was prolific child actor Robert "Bobby" Winkler, who had worked in over eighty films and over two hundred radio shows with most of the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. His IMDb page is listed under his often credited name Robert Winkler.
* Peter Parrot appeared in merchandise such as Koldee Ice Cream where he was referred to as Patrick Parrot.https://www.cartoonbrew.com/advertising/vintage-ice-cream-packages-14033.html He was also part of its premium mail-in items.
* This is the first cartoon to end with the 1937-38 "Merrily We Roll Along" rendition. However, the blue rings titles would remain for this cartoon and "The Lyin' Mouse". The rings would change to yellow, starting from "Little Red Walking Hood", and would remain this way up to "You're an Education".
* "I Wanna Be a Sailor" fell into the public domain in the United States in 1966, when United Artists failed to renew the copyright within the 28-year period from release. It is the earliest color Warner Bros. cartoon in the public domain.
* The duck in this cartoon is theorized by some people as being the same duck that appeared in the cartoons "It's an Ill Wind", "Porky's Hotel", and "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter".
* Some sources claim (including Clampett himself) that Bob Clampett worked on this cartoon. However, Clampett was a director by the time this short was in production.
* The music track for this short was recorded 17 August 1937.https://archive.org/details/filmdaily72wids/page/n479/mode/2up?q=I+Wanna+Be+a+Sailor
* MeTV aired a previously unreleased restored print on 11 February 2022, during the Toon In with Me block.
== Gallery ==
Screen_Shot_2024-04-06_at_9.30.11_AM.png|Peter Parrot (Patrick Parrot) on Koldee Ice Cream package.
WannaBeASailorLobby.jpg|Lobby card
45553279 2109590835924644 2088860149023244288 n.jpg|Lobby card
== References ==
Category:1937
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Tex Avery
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Public domain films
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
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:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:Cartoons with missing Leon Schlesinger credits
Category:One-Shot Cartoons