A Fractured Leghorn
| A Fractured Leghorn | |
|---|---|
| Merrie Melodies (Foghorn Leghorn) series | |
 | |
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Produced by |
Edward Selzer (uncredited) |
| Story by | Warren Foster |
| Voices by | Mel Blanc |
| Music by | Carl Stalling |
| Animation by |
Rod Scribner Phil DeLara J.C. Melendez Charles McKimson |
| Layouts by | Cornett Wood |
| Backgrounds by | Phil De Guard |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | September 16, 1950 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 7:00 |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | The Leghorn Blows at Midnight |
| Followed by | Leghorn Swoggled |
A Fractured Leghorn is a 1950 Foghorn Leghorn cartoon made by Warner Bros. and directed by Robert McKimson. Foghorn is in pursuit of a snack of earthworm, but if he wants the worm he will have to outwit an anonymous cat, who technically speaks only once in the whole short (he yells when the worm bites his finger). As usual, Foghorn is voiced by Mel Blanc, as is the cat.
It should be of note that the cat featured in this cartoon is not the same as Sylvester, though they share similar color patterns. When he speaks at length to Henery Hawk in Leghorn Swoggled the next year, his voice lacks the slobbery lisp that defines the voices of both Sylvester and Daffy Duck. Also, the hair and whiskers on his face don't stick out far to each side as with Sylvester's face. Although the cat has no formal name, fans have informally dubbed him "Barnyard Cat," "The McKimson Cat" or "Capistrano Cat", after another picture he appeared in a year earlier titled Swallow the Leader. He had also appeared in the previous shorts It's Hummer Time and Early to Bet
The worm ultimately outwits both cat and chicken when they get into an argument questioning whether he was actually there or not.
That is one of few Foghorn cartoons where Leghorn is not put at odds with Henery Hawk and/or the Barnyard Dawg.
Plot
The cat is fishing in a pond. The fish may not catch the hooks, since he is lacking a worm as bait. The cat searches for a worm. A worm is trying avoid Foghorn and is almost cornered by both Foghorn and the cat but both chasers run into each other. Foghorn scolds the cat for chasing after his food and pushes him around.
To get Foghorn out of the way, the cat disguises one of his fingers as a worm and lures Foghorn so that his head is caught under a hole in the fence and a whirling wheel operated by a fan splashes paint on his face. The cat chases the worm around a tractor and tries to send him out of the fuel line by blowing through the exhaust tail. Foghorn shows up and starts the tractor putting a lot of smoke in the cat's mouth. The cat tries to grab an axe, but Foghorn snatches it off him.
The cat spots the worm and chases him. The cat puts his finger down a hole, but the worm bites it. As the cat tries to blow out the worm with a pump, Foghorn once again interrupts him and pushes him around. As Foghorn tries to blow out the worm, the cat grabs the worm and begins to fish. The worm is about to do his part by force, when Foghorn comes out of the pond, takes the worm and yet again scolds and pushes the cat around.
Foghorn decides to divide the worm into two halves, but the worm will not cooperate. As Foghorn scolds and pushes the cat around for the last time, the cat fed up with Foghorn's non-stop chatter, tells him to shut up and slams him to the ground. Foghorn still continues talking after the cat walks off.
Censorship
- On ABC, the following parts were cut:
- The part where the cat tries to suck the worm out of a tractor's exhaust pipe and Foghorn turning the tractor on, leaving the cat spewing out exhaust clouds.
- The part where the cat grabs an axe and Foghorn takes the axe, hits the cat in the head with the blunt side after commenting:"Who do you think you are, George Washington?" and embeds the axe into a wooden fence.