Ceiling Hero

Ceiling Hero is a 1940 Merrie Melodies short directed by Tex Avery.
== Title ==
The title is a play on the 1936 film Ceiling Zero.
== Plot ==
Through the medium of the motion picture screen are brought the latest developments in the science of modern flying. At a Midwestern airport, all pilots must receive a licence. Eventually, a six-motor airliner starts to take off, but only the wings of the plane fly off. Another tip given is that the larger the tires, the softer the landing. A small plane with over-sized tires demonstrates this advice.
After a preview of a rocket ship experiment that explodes into fireworks saying "Eat Tony's Hot Dogs", a mobile home appears. The narrator states that planes are used for vacation travel, advertising, and cabin cruising. In addition, military planes use camouflage, covering the entire plane in sky background except for the propeller. Lastly, a pilot showcases using a parachute after his plane encounters engine trouble.
An airline cruiser starts to take off for flight, following a "highway passage" with traffic waits. After passing bad weather, it makes it past the California coastline to land. Next, a team of stunt pilots explains that blind flight is important for pilots. A new model is then ready to take flight, and a test pilot takes the risk. The test plane flies so high that the plane begins to freeze as it exits the atmosphere, and then eventually flips over to descend rapidly. After reporting an accident, the test pilot crashes onto the ground. The narrator questions if the test pilot was hurt, but the test pilot, still alive and well, replies "Could be."
== Caricatures ==
* Artie Auerbach - as his character Mr Kitzel, "Mm, could be."
== Availability ==
658tgfrd5ertgifudr7cfivkfds.jpg|(1989) VHS Sniffles the Mouse in Toy Trouble
The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Vol. 4.jpg|(1993) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 4, Side 7
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (18 August 2020 - 2020) (restored, but taken down)
Lt warner bros discovery ride.png|Warner Bros. Discovery RIDE (2021 - 2023) (restored)
== Censorship ==
* A brief sight gag involving a Chinese airliner with a stereotypical Asian face, and the accompanying narration "Winging its way to the Orient, we pass the China clipper" was cut when this short aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang USA, though it is left uncensored on international Cartoon Network and Boomerang feeds as well as the Latin American channel Tooncast.
== Notes ==
* This is the final short to use the 1940 black, red, blue and white rings.
* In both the US and EU 1995 Turner "dubbed version" prints, there are visible screen shakes at certain points of the cartoon, especially in the title card, perhaps due to minor film damage of the source negative from which this Turner print is remastered from.
== References ==
 
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:1940
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Tex Avery
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling‏
Category:Cartoons animated by Rollin Hamilton
Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by John Didrik Johnsen
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Robert C. Bruce
Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:One-Shot Cartoons
Category:Spot Gag Cartoons