Swallow the Leader

Swallow the Leader is a 1949 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert McKimson.
== Title ==
The title is a play on the children's game "Follow the Leader".
== Plot ==
The swallows are returning to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, which has several nests waiting to greet them. The Supreme Cat resides in the mission, hoping to nab one of the birds for a meal. Tracking the first one who landed, he sets up a ploy where he hides his mouth as a nest for the swallow to reside in. When the swallow realizes the mouth, it throws a jack-in-a-box inside the cat's mouth, while the bird eventually socks Supreme with a mallet.
The cat tries additional methods to catch the swallow:
# Supreme chases after the bird with a net, but eventually is cornered at the edge of a pole. The swallow throws a brick onto Supreme's net to make him fall.
# The swallow paints a metal bird ornament to look just like itself. The cat greedily swallows the ornament, then the swallow uses a magnet to pull the cat around the yard, through the fountain, bumping up every rung of the ladder, across the clay tile roof, and down to the ground. Supreme tries to protect himself using a glass windshield, but the bird throws the magnet behind the cat and it sticks to him. Supreme tries to discard the magnet again, hiding behind a flagpole, but the magnet locks the cat to the flagpole. The swallow takes out several rocks to slam the cat against the bell like a high striker.
# The cat straps boards to his arms and tries to fly, but the swallow turns on an electric fan and blows him off the roof.
# Supreme climbs the ladder after falling from the previous attempt and fires a shotgun at the bird, but the recoil propels him and the ladder back and forth from the ground and the rooftop.
# The cat chases after the swallow until it hides in a bell, where it quickly flees and hits the bell while the cat is inside of it.
# The cat dons a Superman costume, but the bird hooks a spring between him and the well so when the cat leaps, he is pulled back into the well.
# Supreme installs an electric floor with corn as bait, although the swallow reaches the switch as Supreme sets up the bait and electrocutes the cat.
Supreme finally catches the bird with some flypaper, but just then, the rest of the swallows arrive and attacks the cat. They swoop at him, drop tacks in his path, pelt him with light bulbs, and pick him up and carry him to the town line. He vows that he's not leaving town without a swallow, and he finally gets one from the bar across the street as the cat drunkenly sings past city limits.
== Availability ==
LTGC Vol.4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc Four
LTSC4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 4 Disc 2
lt cas5.jpg|(2007) DVD Looney Tunes Collection All Stars Volume 5
lt spotlight df2.jpg|(2014) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 4-5 Repack
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023)
lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - )
== Notes ==
* The working title was "A Swallow Swallowed".
== Gallery ==
SwallowtheLeaderCredits1.png
SwallowtheLeaderCredits2.png
SwallowTheLeaderLeadSheet1.jpg
SwallowTheLeaderLeadSheet2.jpg
SwallowTheLeaderLeadSheet3.jpg
File:Swallow the Leader (1949) - Building.jpg
File:Swallow the Leader (1949) - Nests.jpg
File:Swallow the Leader (1949) - Crash.jpg
File:Swallow the Leader (1949) - Sale.jpg
== References ==
 
Category:Looney Tunes Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:1949
Category:Shorts
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Cornett Wood
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 Robert C. Bruce
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer