| The Fire Alarm | |
|---|---|
| Looney Tunes series | |
Ham and Ex are sitting on the bench. The one standing in front of them is the panther. |
|
| Directed by | Jack King |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger |
| Voices by | Billy Bletcher Bernice Hansen |
| Music by | Norman Spencer |
| Animation by | Paul Smith Ben Clopton |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | March 9, 1936 |
| Color process | Black and white |
| Running time | 6:23 |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Boom Boom |
| Followed by | The Blow Out |
The Fire Alarm is an animated short subject of the Looney Tunes films. It features Ham and Ex in their first and only film as star characters.
Ham and Ex have an ambition of becoming firefighters. Although they are too small and lack necessary skills for the job, they decided to try their luck.
One day, they came to a fire station. There, they met a panther who is the foreman of the place. Even though the pups insisted they make good firemen, the panther had some doubts. Just to observe how things work, the little dogs went to test some of the equipment. Trying out the fire engine's hose, Ham carried it and went walking around the truck. After a few moments, the vehicle was pretty much covered by the long flexible tube. Just then, Ex pushes a button on the truck which quickly recoils the hose. Because of this, Ham, who was still holding it, was pulled away and then thrown. The airborne pup ends up dropping on the panther. To add to the inconvenience, Ex unknowingly steps on a saturated sponge, spraying water on both his brother and the big black cat.
Annoyed by the disturbance, the panther takes Ham and Ex away from the garage and puts them on a bench. Before leaving to inspect the rest of the station, he advised the pups not to tamper anything. When they are left at their seat, the pups began to play, clapping each other's paws. But in doing so, they accidentally pushed the fire alarm button which was right behind them. This prompted the employed firemen to board the fire engine and exit the station. In no time, the firemen realized the false alarm and returned.
With the behavior of the pups getting on his nerves, the panther brings Ham and Ex upstairs and into the sleeping quarters. He then tucks them into beds and tells them to nap. Still wanting to have more of the fireman experience and see if they're in any way suitable, Ham and Ex got out of their beds and slide down the vertical pole. They rush towards the fire engine and took it for a spin. They ran the truck out of the station and into the street, much to the panther's surprise.
The pups drove the fire engine across the city. Because of their lack of experience in handling the truck, they bashed away everything within their path (wire posts, houses, street cars, etc.). The pup at the driver's seat somehow figured how the steering wheel works and was able to bring the truck back to the station.
In shock of all the chaos they caused outside, Ham and Ex hurriedly returned to the sleeping quarters. Irritated more than ever, the panther enters the room to reprimand them. Finding them in their beds, the panther turns around and walks away. One of the pups then decided to play a prank by throwing a boot at him. The panther was struck in the head and was knocked off his feet. The panther then retaliates as he grabs the pups in the legs and repeatedly slaps them in their rears.
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1929–1939)