Speedy Ghost to Town

Speedy Ghost to Town is a Merrie Melodies 1967 animated short starring Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales. It is the first cartoon released under the newly reopened Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation department after Warner Bros. acquired Seven Arts Productions (including the Sunset Productions library) in 1967, as from 1964 to 1967, all Looney Tunes cartoons were developed at DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and Format Productions instead. It is also the first Warner Bros. cartoon to be directed by Alex Lovy.

The cartoons are more simplified by this time (a drastic departure of the cartoons created from the studio's heyday), with animation similar to Filmation and Hanna-Barbera, simplistic backgrounds and character designs, and a more limited sound effects library (including some of Hanna-Barbera's familiar stock sounds). The studio would approach a similar style again 35 years later with What's New, Scooby-Doo? (which, ironically, featured characters originally created by Hanna-Barbera.)

Plot

Speedy and his friend Miguel visit a ghost town in the desert, followed by Daffy. There, Speedy unveils what appears to be gold and a map to the location of the mine where more can be found. Daffy notices, and attempts to take the map; he is foiled by getting caught in the piano tape.

Daffy's next attempt involves setting up a phone with explosives. Speedy answers it when it rings, but quickly hands it to Daffy, saying he has a call; his plan backfires as he is blown up. Speedy teases him, "What's the matter, epa loco? You got the wrong number?" He takes off, Daffy in hot pursuit. Daffy finds him in a barrel, and throws a grenade in; however, he accidentally throws the pin, and not the actual grenade.

He then sticks his head through a hole in the fence, catching Speedy by the tail, but Miguel drops a horseshoe on him. Further antics ensue, including Daffy having a taxidermy bull head fall on him like a mask and Speedy (taking advantage of Daffy's appearance) acting as a matador, and Speedy hiding behind different-shaped bottles, only to get catsup in his eye on the last. Speedy and Miguel head to the mine, where Daffy repeatedly tries to throw dynamite in, to blow them up; it eventually blows up right next to him.

Daffy then demands that Speedy give up the cart, which he does. However, it is not gold, but cheese! Daffy then really does go crazy, bouncing away and laughing hysterically. When Miguel asks "Gee whiz, Speedy, what's the matter with the loco duck?", Speedy shrugs, "I dunno. I guess maybe he don't like cheese."

External links

• Speedy Ghost to Town on IMDb