145 Scrambled Eggs

Title: Scrambled Eggs
Studio: Lantz
Date: 11/20/39
Credits:
Directed by
Alex Lovy
Music
Frank Marsales
Animators
Frank Tipper
Hicks Lokey
Story by Elaine Pogany
Designed by
Willy Pogany
Series: A "Peterkin"
Running time (of viewed version): 8:47

Synopsis: Satyr hates birds, mixes their offspring, has to deal with that old devil consequence.































Comments: One of the '39 Lantz cartoons on an official DVD release. So is the next one (the final from the year), but only on the Columbia House set, whereas this one is viewed from volume 1 of the newer multi disc collections. The title has animation in it, but separate from the cartoon, and it's quite brief (one of the briefest showings of an original title card so far, I think). Very unusual backgrounds. Not exactly nice looking, either. The trees look like they're made out of rice crispies and feces. Redheaded woodpecker appearance. I'm not sure if the stork OB is a Fred Allen voice. Apparently the birds all do it at the same time, as their eggs all hatch at the same time. Peterkin is an evil little prick. Blackbird has a southern voice. Everyone breaks up because the guys assume the girls all mated with the other guys (they aren't mad at each other tho; also, the girls don't seem to be denying it); this makes for (at least) the third bird cuckoldry cartoon of the year, after Disney's The Ugly Duckling and Terry's The Orphan Duck. Here they abandon the chicks to die, which is normal for these cartoons. "Hey stupid, I want some jelly beans"; good line, almost in the Screwy Squirrel voice. The chicks picket Peterkin. Outgrowth of union organizing in the industry? There are 8 birds pictured in the initial maternity tree shot; there's also one empty nest. There are three other species in the stork shot; a parrot (or similar), a finch (labeled), and green bird with orange highlights (and the stork OB, but he doesn't count). And there's a pink/purple male with a top hat and a grey faced male (sparrow) with a hat in the pacing scene. I'm not sure if the canary is the yellow bird in the maternity tree; might be. There's a pigeon in a speaking shot. There's a crazy eyed orange bird; it may be intended to be the ruffled looking bird in the maternity tree, or maybe not. Peterkin's nipples are disturbing. Peterkin's face design doesn't animate well. The blackbird's socks look a bit like draggly... well, you know. There's a red brown warbler when Peterkin starts messing. Red with white throat and blue tail in there too. There may be some extra chick species too. I wonder if they had people pitch a bunch of random gags like for I'm Just A Jitterbug? It feels more cohesive than that. It certainly has lots of visuals tho.

(Update 1/22/11: see Peterkin in image 210 at http://www.animationarchive.org/?p=1906 )