Busy Bakers

Busy Bakers is a 1940 Merrie Melodies short directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton.
== Plot ==
Swenson, the local town baker, is at risk of going out of business due to poor sales. Due to his lack of resources, he has very little to offer a man who has arrived in his store, who wants nothing more than bread and crumbs. The baker offers him his last doughnut, allowing the beggar says that the baker will be rewarded for his act of kindness.
In a thought-provoking "twist," the blind man changes into baker gear and wakes up his group of little baker men. The bakers scramble to the bakery while Swenson is asleep to help revive the business. As the bakers sing "The Happy, Slappy Little Baker Man", they also make all kinds of pastries in a Rube Goldberg-like way. The next morning, Swenson wakes to find the bakers, but they all quickly leave when they are caught. The bakery is flooded with all sorts of people looking to buy baked goods, allowing Swenson to regain his wealth. The same beggar comes back to ask for another piece of bread, and the baker gives him a pie. As the beggar leaves, Swenson states that the pie pan had a five cent deposit in it, so the beggar throws the pie at Swenson. The baker replies, "That's gratitude for ya."
== Caricatures ==
* Henry Binder - as an elf.
* Harpo Marx - as an elf.
* Jerry Colonna - as an elf.
== 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 8
Gfdsgdssgs.jpg|(2008) DVD Brother Orchid (USA 1995 Turner print)
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023) (restored)
lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - 2024) (restored)
== Notes ==
* This is a parody of the fairy tale "The Elves and the Shoemaker", set in a bakery instead of a shoe shop.
* This is the final cartoon to be directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, as Friz Freleng returned in 1939. 
** Hardaway was subsequently named head of the story department. He left after being demoted and joined the Walter Lantz studio in 1940, where he would co-create Woody Woodpecker in the short "Knock Knock".
** Dalton continued to work as an animator until 1947.
* This is the latest released cartoon reissued in the 1945 season. Furthermore, this is the only 1940 Merrie Melodies short reissued with the MCMXXXX copyright instead of MCMXL.
* During the scene where all the bakers sing the song "The Happy, Slappy Little Baker Man" while quickly working on baking the baked goods, all of their singing voices are higher-pitched, implying that this song sequence has been sped-up during this cartoon's production.
* The gag where one of the bakers opens a pumpkin straight from the can was previously used in "Cinderella Meets Fella" (1938).
== Gallery ==
Busy-Bakers-600.jpg|Lobby card
BusyBakersRESTORED.jpeg|Cropped screenshot of 2020 restoration
23A83FC9-CC58-4B82-950C-242F4B5BCA53.jpeg|A caricature of Henry Binder
Busy_Bakers_cel_production.jpg|Production cel
== References ==
Category:1940
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Cal Dalton
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:Cartoons in a.a.p. package
Category:Cartoons with missing Leon Schlesinger credits
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:One-Shot Cartoons
Category:Caricatures of real people