The Crackpot Quail

The Crackpot Quail is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short directed by Fred Avery.
== Plot ==
Looking at a sleek pointer dog on a billboard advertising Barko Dog Food, goofy Willoughby dreams of being a great hunting dog. He goes off to hunt quail, but crashes into a tree, exclaiming, "Tree." Hearing a noise, he sees a quail, who is trying to keep his topknot up out of his face. When the dumb dog finds out that he is a quail, they take off on a chase all over the forest, but the dog keeps running into trees and pointing them out in a "running" gag. They chase underwater, where the dog sees fish go by, one of which is the quail. They chase back out, the quail using his topknot as a windshield wiper, and the dog corners him. But he gets the dog to "Fetch the stick, boy!" Eventually, Willoughby realizes that the quail has left. The dog runs furiously after the quail, smashing bushes, trees and a log cabin, all of which fall on him. He says, "Lots of trees!"
== Music-Cues ==
*Crackpot Quail (by Carl W. Stalling)
*A-Hunting We Will Go (traditional)
*They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around (by Cy Perkins)
*Mischief Maker (by Carl W. Stalling)
*In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (by Egbert Van Alstyne)
*Funny Noise (by Carl W. Stalling)
*They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around (by Cy Perkins)
*Another Tree (by Carl W. Stalling)
*In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (by Egbert Van Alstyne)
*Wild Quail Chase (by Carl W. Stalling)
*They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around (by Cy Perkins)
*Dog's Life (by Carl W. Stalling)
*In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (by Egbert Van Alstyne)
*They Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around (by Cy Perkins)
*On the Run (by Carl W. Stalling)
*Umbrella Man (by Vincent Rose and Larry Stock)
*Just a Card (by Carl W. Stalling)
*Here Rover! (by Carl W. Stalling)
*William Tell Overture (by Gioachino Rossini)
*In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (by Egbert Van Alstyne)
== Availability ==
Golden Age LT Vol 1.jpg|(1991) LaserDisc The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 1, Side 3: Tex Avery
The golden age of looney tunes vhs 3.jpg|(1992) VHS The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 3: Tex Avery
LTCE VOL 8 TEX-BOOK LOONEY.jpg|(2000) VHS Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 8: Tex-Book Looney (1995 Turner dubbed version)
284090 front.jpg|(2021) Blu-RayTex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 (restored with original soundtrack)
Bluray-texavery-volume3.jpg|(2021) DVDTex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 (restored with original soundtrack)
=== Streaming ===
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2023) (restored, "whistle" version)
lt max.jpg|Max (2023 - 2024) (restored; "whistle" version)
==Censorship==
The original version of this cartoon had the quail repeatedly make a razzing noise in order to keep his top knot from falling over his eyes. Since the razzing noise was considered rude and the Hays Code had rules against rude gestures, rude language, and rude sound effects, it was replaced by a whistle before its original theatrical release.https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/some-advance-notes-on-tex-avery-screwball-classics-volume-3/https://web.archive.org/web/20240418084427/https://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-c.aspx The "whistle" version is the version that airs frequently on television, including the 1995 Turner dubbed version, which airs on Cartoon Network and Boomerang and is on The Golden Age of Looney Tunes LaserDisc release.
When the original "razzing" version was discovered in 1997 by Jerry Beck and George Feltenstein, it was originally planned to be included as supplemental material on The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Volume 5 laserdisc set, but was scrapped when Turner Entertainment and Warner Bros. were unwilling to cooperate.http://www.dohtem.com/bugs/history/history2.htm The cartoon would eventually be restored for HBO Max with the "whistle" audio. In 2021, Warner's Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) rescanned and remastered the original version, which was released on the Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 3 Blu-ray as a special feature.
== Notes ==
* The quail in this cartoon is very similar in personality to Bugs Bunny, even uttering phrases similar to Bugs, such as "doc".
** In addition, both characters are put up against Willoughby. Willoughby would be paired with Bugs shortly after this film, in "The Heckling Hare".
* The film was copyrighted on 15 February 1941, along with "The Haunted Mouse."Catalog of Copyright Entries
** Coincidentally, both shorts were theatrically released on the same day.
==Gallery==
4AB82300-619F-4B9A-8134-2A5B481B4413.png
File:The Crackpot Quail (1941) - Tree.jpg
File:The Crackpot Quail (1941) - Another Tree.jpg
File:The Crackpot Quail (1941) - Crash.jpg
File:The Crackpot Quail (1941) - Whole Lotta Trees.jpg
Willoughby model sheet.jpg|Model sheet
Quail model sheet.jpg|Model sheet
File:Octwarner17165a.png|Production artwork
TCQPA1.jpg|Production artwork
TCQPA2.jpg|Production artwork
TCQPA3.jpg|Production artwork
== References==
Category:1941
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Tex Avery
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by John Didrik Johnsen
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