The High and the Flighty

The High and the Flighty is a 1956 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.
== Title ==
The title is a play on the 1953 novel The High and the Mighty by Ernest K Gann, which was adapted into a feature film starring and produced by John Wayne and released by Warner Bros. the following year.
== Plot ==
Foghorn emerges from his coop and emits a yell like Tarzan, ending with a coughing fit. He dribbles a beach ball to a line marked "rope limit", then swaps the ball for a board. He marches to the doghouse, lifts Dawg by the tail and slaps his rear with the board so that the dog will chase him. The dog is in pursuit but reaches the end of his leash and is jerked to a stop. Foghorn then takes the beach ball, stuffs it in the dog's mouth, and punctures it, causing the dog to fly away. As Foghorn leaves, he walks past a wooden tower with a sign that reads "Don't Look Up". Foghorn naturally looks up just in time to see the dog drop a watermelon on Foghorn's head. Foghorn contemplates "massive retaliation" against his nemesis. Daffy, a traveling salesman for the Ace Novelty Company of Walla Walla, Washington, has been watching their antics and seizes his opportunity. He enters with his traveling salesman suitcase of novelty joke items and offers to help Foghorn prank the dog by selling him a trick bone that is spring-loaded.
The prank works and Daffy then intervenes to help the dog get back at Foghorn with a gift-wrapped corn-on-the-cob that is connected to an electrical wire, defeathering the rooster. Naturally, Foghorn wants to get back at the dog with an even bigger prank and Daffy sells him something called the Chattanooga Choo-Choo which ends up backfiring on Foghorn. To make up for the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Daffy offers to sell Foghorn an elaborate prank called the Pipe Full O'Fun Kit Number 7, which Foghorn purchases. As Foghorn is setting up the trap, he sees the dog setting up the same trap to use against him, and they both realize that Daffy has been playing them against each other (and enriching himself in the process). Daffy overhears Foghorn and the dog as they join forces to teach him a lesson. Taking a hint that he has pushed his luck, Daffy attempts to flee but is instead victimized by the Pipe Full O'Fun Kit, as Foghorn remarks "You know, there might, I say, there just might be a market for bottled duck."
== Caricatures ==
*Frank Nelson
== Availability ==
StarsOfSpaceJam Daffy.jpg|(1996) VHS Stars of Space Jam: Daffy Duck
Spacedaffy.jpg|(1997) LaserDisc Japanese Looney Tunes LaserDiscs Daffy Duck
Bumper05.jpg|(1997) VHS Special Bumper Collection (Vol. 5)
LTCE VOL 14 CARTOON SUPERSTARS.jpg|(1999) VHS Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition Volume 14: Cartoon Superstars
LTPC VOL 2 DVD.jpg|(2012) DVD Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc One
LTPC VOL 2 Blu Ray.jpg|(2012) Blu-ray Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc One
lt sosj dd dvd.jpg|(2018) DVD Stars of Space Jam: Daffy Duck
lt sosj cv1.jpg|(2018) DVD Stars of Space Jam Collection Volume 1
=== Streaming ===
lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App ( - )
lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max Latin America / Brazil (2021 - 2024)
lt max.jpg|Max Latin America / Brazil (2024 - )
== Notes ==
* This is the only pairing with Daffy and Foghorn Leghorn in the Golden Age of American Animation. 
* Daffy Duck's role as a traveling salesman is similar to his roles in "Daffy Dilly" (1948), "The Stupor Salesman" (1948), "Fool Coverage" (1952), and "Design for Leaving" (1954).
* The original rings were found on a black-and-white 16mm print. However, as Warner Bros. does not restore non-35mm color prints, the cartoon was restored with the Blue Ribbon titles.
* This is one of the four shorts in which Foghorn Leghorn "wins" out on another character, Daffy is the "loser" in this case. The others are "Crowing Pains", where he beats out Sylvester, "Raw! Raw! Rooster!", where he beats Rhode Island Red, and "Fox-Terror", where he outsmarts a fox.
** This is also one of the few shorts in which Barnyard Dawg gets along with Foghorn Leghorn.
* Daffy would later use a similar "market" line in "Boston Quackie", also referring to an unusual product packaged in a bottle.
* This is the first short where Robert Gribbroek works on layouts for the McKimson unit, having joined the reformed unit after McKimson's prior layoff. He had previously been in the Chuck Jones unit, his last work prior being 1953's "Don't Give Up the Sheep" before returning briefly during Maurice Noble's layoff to do "One Froggy Evening" and "Bugs' Bonnets" prior to joining the McKimson unit.
* This cartoon was originally slated to be included on the Looney Tunes Super Stars' Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl DVD, but was replaced early in development due to executive backlash from Warner Home Video.https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/whv-announcement-looney-tunes-super-stars.290816/#post-3537991
== Gallery ==
The High and the Flighty Original Opening Rings 1 (B&W).jpg
The High and the Flighty Original Opening Rings 2 (B&W).jpg
TheHighAndTheFlightyCredits1.png
TheHighAndTheFlightyCredits2.png
High&FlightyLC.jpg|Lobby card
The High and the Flighty (1956) - Pipe Full O'Fun Kit Number 7.jpg|Pipe Full O'Fun Kit Number 7
762-PC1.png|Production cel
762-PC2.png|Production cel
762-PC3.png|Production cel
762-PC4.png|Production cel
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet1.jpg|Animator draft
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet2.jpg|Animator draft
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet3.jpg|Animator draft
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet4.jpg|Animator draft
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet5.jpg|Animator draft
TheHighAndTheFlightyLeadSheet6.jpg|Animator draft
=== TV Title Cards ===
lt tbbats the high and the flighty.jpg|The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show
== References ==
Category:1956
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Foghorn Leghorn Cartoons
Category:Daffy Duck Cartoons
Category:Barnyard Dawg Cartoons
Category:Shorts
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons written by Tedd Pierce
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Cartoons animated by Ted Bonnicksen
Category:Cartoons animated by Keith Darling
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
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