The Dixie Fryer
| The Dixie Fryer | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Animation by | Tedd Bonnicksen Warren Batchelder Tom Ray George Grandpre |
| Layouts by | Robert Givens |
| Backgrounds by | William Butler |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Running time | 6:11 |
The Dixie Fryer is a Merrie Melodies cartoon animated short starring Foghorn Leghorn. Released in 1960, the cartoon is directed by Robert McKimson. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc. The cartoon is also the second and final cartoon to feature the buzzards (who are referred to as Chicken Hawks in this short), "Pappy" and "Elvis," the first being the Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Backwoods Bunny," released a year earlier.
Plot
Foghorn Leghorn is seen flying south for the winter, though he is not actually flying himself but hitching a ride on a basket that is being pulled by a flock of ducks. He then smells magnolia trees and figures that he is in the south, and hops out of the basket using an umbrella as a parachute, while also managing to bring a suitcase that contains a lounging chair and a mint julep. In a tree, two hungry chicken hawks, "Elvis" and "Pappy", spot Foghorn Leghorn and announce that they will be having him for dinner. Following a pattern in previous Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, Foghorn soon realizes that the chicken hawks are not extending an invitation but want to eat him for dinner. Foghorn tries a series of maneuvers to evade the chicken hawks, including a pistol duel which ends up backfiring on him, knocking his beak off ("first, I say, first time someone shot my mouth off!"). Then, Foghorn leads his two adversaries into a cellar, pretending a tornado is nearby, and bolts it shut to trap them. However, he hears a noise and discovers that there is a tornado approaching, but is unable to unlock the cellar in time, getting caught in it. When the tornado dies down, we see Foghorn rendered featherless (wearing a pair of polka-dotted boxer shorts), so he remedies this by putting on a new set of feathers (ACME Instant Feathers). Then, Elvis and Pappy break out of the cellar and continue their pursuit of the rooster. Foghorn then leads his predators into a shack containing explosives and shuts the door. The chicken hawks cannot see and Foghorn steps out of the shack. Then Elvis sticks his head out of the shack and asks Foghorn for a match. Foghorn obliges, the shack explodes, and the chicken hawks are blown back into their nest. Pappy then decides that they must settle on black-eyed peas.
Though victorious, Foghorn isn't completely unscathed—all his tail feathers have been blown off, though he doesn't seem to notice this. He comments about getting back to enjoying his vacation, which he calls a "Southern exposure", blithely turning about to reveal his buttocks (with the boxer shorts) to the audience as the picture fades out.