The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't

Premiered November 21, 1972.

On Thanksgiving Day, a squirrel tells his son the story of Jeremy Squirrel and the first Thanksgiving.

British settlers arrive in Plymouth, MA in 1620.  The first year is a difficult one, many settlers die. But with help from the resident Native Americans, the colony manages to make it through that first year and the settlers and the natives plan a big harvest feast.

On the morning of the first Thanksgiving, a boy named Johnny Cooke goes out to play "hunter" in the forest.

He's hunting for a turkey when he encounters an Indian boy named Little Bear.  They quarrel over which one is the better hunter.  Jeremy Squirrel arrives and tells the boys they should be friends rather than rivals.  Johnny and Little Bear agree and shake hands.

Peacemaking squirrel. 

The day of the Thanksgiving feast arrives and everyone is working hard to prepare the food.  Little Bear and Johnny go to play in the woods.  Jeremy realizes they'll get lost and he chases after them.

Their parents grow worried.  A search party of pilgrims and Indians sets out to find the boys.  Johnny and Little Bear try to find their way home in the dark, but go in the wrong direction. Luckily, Jeremy finds them and leads them on the correct path.  He gets some of his animal friends to accompany the boys on their journey homeward.

Everything seems to be okay until the boys encounter a wolf!  It chases Johnny and Little Bear with deadly intentions.

Will the boys be saved?  Or will the wolf turn the boys into his Thanksgiving Dinner?

J.A. Morris says:

This is special aired in syndication in the 1970s and 1980s.  But I only recall seeing it once, so I don't bring a lot of nostalgia to this review.   

The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't isn't a great special, but it's okay if you're seeking light holiday entertainment aimed at kids.

The voice acting credits don't really tell you who voiced which character, but this special features some of the greatest voice actors of all time.  It's always nice to hear the voice work of June Foray, Don Messick and Hal Smith.  I'm pretty sure we hear the voice of Thurl Ravenscroft (most famous for singing "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and Tony the Tiger). Some of the background music here is easily recognizable from other Hanna-Barbera productions.  The "chase music"  heard near the end was used in countless episodes of Scooby Doo and it's used well here.

Goofy wolf.

But The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't has problems.  Jeremy and the other animals are cute and likeable, but the human characters aren't particularly interesting.  The wolf that threatens the boys is more goofy looking than scary.

The special also relies too much on recycled animation.  I expect to see some of that in old cartoons, but it's ridiculous in this case.  Sometimes we see the exact same scene a few seconds after we've just seen it.  The special's theme song is catchy, but  it's overused.  We get to hear it three times during the special's 25-minute running time.

The Settlers and the Indians search for the boys.

On a positive note, American Indians aren't portrayed in an ugly stereotypical manner, which is often the case in depictions of the first Thanksgiving.  It's also worth noting that the character Johnny Cooke is based on a real person and his father Francis was among those who signed the Mayflower Compact.

This special is available on dvd.  You can find it as a supplement on Casper's Halloween Special.  In recent years, it's been shown on Cartoon Network and it's sister channel Boomerang, so check your local listings.

The Thanksgiving That Almost Wasn't is okay, worth watching at least once.  Fans of the aforementioned voice actors will want to check out this special. 

J.A. Morris's rating:

2 and a half pumpkin pies.


RigbyMel says:

This animated special has its heart in the right place, but just doesn't gel for me. As J.A. Morris says above, there is a lot of recycled animation used.  A LOT!  This wouldn't be as big of a deal if the story was better.    There is plenty of drama in the real interactions between early British settlers and the Native Americans -- even if some of it wouldn't make for warm and fuzzy family viewing.

The talking squirrel angle, which is intended to be cute and appeal to the child audience this special is aimed at, feels tacked on instead.  It's also inconsistent.   Why can Jeremy the squirrel be understood by the two boys, but not by the adults looking for them?

Why aren't Johnny and Little Bear more surprised by the talking squirrel?    Why on earth should we care about the silly framing device with modern squirrel and human families that have no interaction to speak of?   It just doesn't quite work for me!  I have no problem with talking animals in cartoons generally, but this just feels unnecessary.

Then there is the song ... which is grating in the extreme,  yet the lyrics are oddly unmemorable.  It's mildly annoying the first time they use it in this special, but the annoyance factor ratchets up as it is repeated.  I think we hear it 3 or maybe even 4 times!

I don't remember ever seeing this special before and I wouldn't recommend seeing it unless you are a huge fan of the voice actors.

RigbyMel's rating:

1 and a half pumpkin pies

Donald Duck: "Trick Or Treat"

 Premiered October 10, 1952

"When ghosts and goblins by the score ring the bell on your front door,  you'd better not be stingy or your nightmares will come true ..." -  The Mellomen singing the "Trick or Treat" song featured in the cartoon

Special  Halloween Donald opening

Soaped window title card

This Halloween short opens with Witch Hazel (June Foray) going for a Halloween joyride around a small American town.    She flies around on her broomstick  "Beelzeebub" ringing church bells and frightening bats and a black cat.

Anywhere (Duckburg?) U.S.A. 

Hazel is startled herself when a jack o'lantern appears over a fence.   She is delighted to see Huey, Dewy & Louie (Clarence "Ducky" Nash)  in full Halloween regalia dressed as a Witch, Ghost and Devil.   They are out trick-or-treating and Hazel watches them go up to their Uncle Donald's house in search of treats.

Huey, Dewy & Louie out trick or treating

Donald Duck (also voiced by Clarence "Ducky" Nash) is relaxing inside when he hears the doorbell ring.   He realizes that it must be his nephews and decides to play a trick  on them.

Donald Duck at home with Halloween treats

Rather than give them candy and goodies,  he puts firecrackers in the boys' trick-or-treat bags and douses them with water!

Donald is enjoying the "trick" aspect of Halloween rather too much

Witch Hazel feels sorry for Huey, Dewy & Louie and introduces herself to the boys, who are excited to meet a real witch.   "Oh joy! Thou do believeth in witches!"  says Hazel,  "Just for that, I'll help thee get thy candy!"   She tries to get Donald to get into the Halloween treat giving spirit.   Donald is unmoved and repeats his water dousing trick on Hazel.  

Hazel asks nicely 

Witch Hazel is mad now and she enlists the boys' aid in brewing a potion that will make Donald cough up the  goodies.

Witch Hazel brewing up trouble for Donald Duck

She recites an incantation that begins in a familiar vein "Double double toil and trouble ..."  but takes a turn for the unexpected, "eye of needle, tongue of shoe, hand of clock that points at two ..."

"This is the real thing, you know.  Right out of Shakespeare!" 

The result is a potion that is LOADED with Halloween magic.  The boys' jack o'lantern becomes animate and the fence posts become ghosts and march towards Donald's house.

"Every post is a ghost, if you've got a witch's brew ..."

Donald realizes it may have been unwise to annoy Witch Hazel

Donald realizes he may have made a miscalculation about things and rushes over to his goodie cupboard to make good with the Halloween treats. Witch Hazel brags to the boys that Donald has turned out to be "a pushover."

"A pushover?!?"

Donald is annoyed at Hazel's assessment of him.  He shuts the cupboard, locks the door and swallows the key to keep anyone from getting treats.

Halloween hijinks and hilarity ensue as Witch Hazel uses additional potion to try to make Donald give up the Halloween treats.   If you cannot remember what happens,  you should see if you can find a copy of this short to watch.  It is available on several DVD compilations.

RigbyMel says:

Full disclosure:  It's probably impossible for me to be objective about this short.  It's one of my all-time favorites.  I am a big Donald Duck fan - even if he is kind of mean in this short.

I have many fond memories of watching this on various Disney Halloween programs when I was growing up,  but I think my first acquaintance with it was via an LP record that had the soundtrack of the cartoon (with a little bit of narration) on one side and the story of The Haunted Mansion on the other side.   I'd listen to the Donald Duck side and giggle and then flip it over and scare myself silly with the Haunted Mansion side.    Here's a photo of the album jacket I found via the magic of the internet:

The front of the "Trick or Treat" LP 

And yes, it did come with cardboard Halloween masks!

In addition to the great voice acting by Clarence Nash and June Foray,  there is a vocal appearance by the inimitable Thurl Ravenscroft who sings the fun "Trick or Treat" song that pops up throughout the cartoon as part of the Mellomen.   Mr. Ravenscroft is perhaps best known as the voice of Tony The Tiger, spokescharacter for Frosted Flakes, but he was kind of omnipresent in the voice-over world in general because of his awesome bass voice.

"Boo!" 

This short is a delight and I don't feel like it is Halloween until I've seen this at least once.   I highly recommend checking this out (or revisiting it) if you get the chance.    It is available as a bonus feature of the DVD of The Black Cauldron and on The Chronological Donald Volume 4.  Hopefully, Disney will put this and other shorts out on Blu-Ray in the not too distant future.

My rating:
4 Jack O'Lanterns

Looney Tunes: "A-Haunting We Will Go"

Premiered April 16, 1966.

Daffy Duck's nephew (Mel Blanc) is out trick or treating.  He knocks on Witch Hazel's (June Foray) door.  Her appearance scares him and sends him running home to Uncle Daffy (Blanc).  Daffy says there's no such thing as a witch, telling his nephew "she's just a nice old lady trying to get along".

 Daffy's nephew gets a scare.

Witch Hazel is frustrated with being a witch, she needs a vacation.  When Speedy Gonzales (Blanc) show up in a hole in her wall, asking to "borrow a cup of cheese", she gets an idea.

 Witch Hazel feeds Speedy some poisoned cheese that turns him into a Witch Hazel lookalike!

 Speedy in mid-transformation

Despite his change in appearance, Speedy still acts like himself, running around, bouncing off walls.  She says Speedy can fill in for her, while she goes on a Hawaiian vacation.

 Witch Hazel turns Speedy into...Witch Hazel?

Daffy shows up looking for a witch and gets Speedy instead.  Speedy decides to have fun as a witch and makes up a potion for Daffy.  This turns Daffy into a bizarre looking flower-headed creature.

Witch Hazel returns from Hawaii, realizing it was a mistake to entrust Speedy to take over her role.  She turns him back into a mouse and Daffy back into a duck.

 Witch Hazel suddenly gets an appetite for duck and  a mad chase ensues.

J.A. Morris says:

This short was produced near the end of the Looney Tunes series,  and it shows.  It's basically an inferior remake of Broom-Stick Bunny (which we reviewed here).  Much of the plot and gags are borrowed from that short.  Speedy even sings "A cup of tea, a cookie, and you-oooo", while preparing a potion for Daffy.  That's taken directly from Broom-Stick Bunny.  Daffy's transformation is lifted from the classic Duck Amuck short.

 Daffy's house, decorated for Halloween.

The plot is pretty weak here, and has one big hole.  Why does Witch Hazel need a replacement to fill in for her when she wants a vacation?  Why can't she just go to Hawaii when she feels like it?  She is a witch, after all.    

A-Haunting We Will Go was directed by Robert McKimson.  His work in animation dates back to 1920s (working for Walt Disney), and he helped shape the appearance of Bugs Bunny.  McKimson also created Foghorn Leghorn and Speedy Gonzales.  He directed dozens of classic Looney Tunes (including one of my favorites, the offbeat Rebel Rabbit),  but this isn't one of them.

It does contain some nice visuals, plus, any cartoon that features Mel Blanc and June Foray together is worth watching at least once.  A-Haunting We Will Go can be found on dvd and Amazon streaming video.  But you're better off re-watching Broom-Stick Bunny.

My rating:
2 and a half Jack O'Lanterns.

Broom-Stick Bunny

Premiered February 25, 1956

On Halloween,Witch Hazel (June Foray) asks her talking magic mirror (Mel Blanc) "who's the ugliest of them all?"

The mirror says it's her.

"By my troth, I will avow, there's none that's uglier than thou!"

Bugs Bunny (Blanc again) is trick or treating, wearing a "witch" mask.  When he knocks on Witch Hazel's door, she is surprised to see another witch and comments that she hasn't "seen her at any of the union meetings."

"Evening Granny,  do you have any goodies for a Halloween witch?"

She is concerned at Bugs' apparent witchy hideousness, and the mirror says this witch is definitely uglier than Witch Hazel.  Hazel invites Bugs in for tea and whips up a potion that will make her rival pretty.  Hazel serves it in a tea kettle.

"A cup of tea, a cookie and you ...!" 

Bugs has to take off his mask to sample the brew, thereby informing Witch Hazel that he's a rabbit dressed as a witch for Halloween.  This gives her a new idea.  Hazel checks her potion book and notices the recipe calls for a rabbit's clavicle to complete the potion she's been working on all evening.

Just one more ingredient needed!

She chases Bugs all around her house.

Bugs' delicate inner sense of danger warns him that there is something faintly unhealthy in the atmosphere of this cottage!

Bugs cannot resist a carrot!

Witch Hazel manages to catch Bugs due to his weakness for carrots.   She ties him up in the kitchen while she sharpens up her meat cleaver. 

Uh-oh! 

If you cannot remember what happens next, this cartoon is readily available on DVD and various other sources!

RigbyMel says: 

This is a wonderful Chuck Jones-directed short.   Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel are an amusing duo.   I love the bits where Hazel attempts to figure out Bugs' ugliness regimen and the fact that she is so concerned that a masked bunny might be worse looking than she is.   There are some great sight gags and puns as well - something that always appealed to me.  For example,  check out Witch Hazel's union membership card: 

This is a cartoon that  I enjoy watching every year.  It's well worth re-visiting or visiting for the first time.  

RigbyMel's rating: 

4 Jack O'Lanterns

J.A. Morris says:

We're in total agreement here, this is not only a classic Halloween short, it's one of the best Warner Brothers cartoons ever produced.  Mel Blanc And June Foray are gods of cartoon voices and they're great in this short.  Ted Pierce also deserves credit here for writing a great story, same goes for musical director Milt Franklyn. 

"Boy, this trick or treatin' is a pretty nice racket, pity it only comes once a year."

Some "trivia" notes about this short:

While Witch Hazel prepares her poison, she sings "A cup of tea, a cookie and you-oooo!"  This is a take-off on an old song called "A Cup Of Coffee, A Sandwich And You".  This was something I was curious about for years.

 Near the end, Witch Hazel is transformed into a "prettier" woman, a fate worse than death for a witch.  According to Foray, it's based on the way she looked at the time. 

Broom-Stick Bunny has been a favorite of mine for years and is highly recommended.  My Halloween "season" isn't complete without at least one viewing of this classic cartoon.

J.A. Morris' rating:
4 Jack O'Lanterns.