From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gopher Broke
Gopher Broke
Gopher Broke The Gophers spend most of the rest of the cartoon
using psychological weardown tactics to drive Barnyard
Looney Tunes (Goofy Gophers) series Dawg insane and remove him as a threat to their well-
being. A deadpan pig watches as the dog is repeatedly
the victim of the Gophers’ pranks, and can only shake his
head as the dog’s psyche is broken down. Meanwhile, the
pooch tries to convince himself that all that is going on is
nothing but a bad dream (consulting Sigmund Fraud and
using sleeping pills to laugh off each attempt).
In the end, the Gophers get rid of their foe for good by
tying a harness around the sleeping Barnyard Dawg’s bel-
ly, then attaching it to a hot air balloon before launching
it. Eventually, the balloon’s hull begins to leak, and the
Directed by Robert McKimson dog awakens atop a light pole. After he wakes up and re-
alizing his surroundings, Barnyard Dawg mentally snaps
Voices by Mel Blanc
Stan Freberg (uncredited)
and begins to fly! The pig - confused about everything he
has seen - goes to psychiatrist Dr. Cy Kosis for counseling.
Music by John Seely Kosis realizes he needs counseling (and joins his client on
Harry Bluestone the couch) when he sees the Barnyard Dawg flying by the
Animation by Warren Batchelder window.
Ted Bonnicksen
George Grandpre
Tom Ray Reception
Distributed by Warner Bros. In two publications covering the Warner Bros. library of
cartoons, critics Will Friedwald and Jerry Beck gave Go-
Release date(s) November 15, 1958
pher Broke negative reviews. In their 1981 publication The
Color process Technicolor Warner Brothers Cartoons, the cartoon was panned as an in-
ferior remake of the 1949 short Mouse Wreckers; that plot
Running time 6 mins
had twin mice Hubie and Bertie physically and mentally
Language English torturing a potential antagonist, Claude Cat, into submis-
sion, all to gain access to the house and therefore an am-
Gopher Broke is a "Looney Tunes" cartoon animated short ple food supply. Gopher Broke also marked "the decline of
starring the Goofy Gophers and the Barnyard Dawg (in McKimson’s work," the review continued.[1]
one of four appearances without Foghorn Leghorn). Re- In Beck and Friewald’s 1989 followup, Looney Tunes
leased November 15, 1958, the cartoon is directed by and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warn-
Robert McKimson. The voices were performed by Mel er Bros. Cartoons, the two disparaged Seely’s stock score
Blanc and Stan Freberg. The title is a pun on the phrase (which would later be used in early Hanna-Barbera
"Go for Broke". shorts and The Ren and Stimpy Show), noting it served "as
part and parcel of the lame antics.".[2]
Plot
The Goofy Gophers are about to harvest the vegetables Notes
on the farm when the farmhands beat them to the punch. • This was the last of six cartoons scored by John Seely
Worried that their food source is being "vandalized," of Capitol Records using stock music from the Hi-Q
they follow the truck to the barn so they can recover library because of a musicians’ strike in 1958. The
what they consider to be their food. However, they spot others are Weasel While You Work, Hip Hip-Hurry!, Hook,
the guard dog and realize that if he were to awaken and Line and Stinker, Pre-Hysterical Hare, and A Bird in a
spot them stealing the vegetables, he would cause them Bonnet.
trouble.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gopher Broke
Preceded by Goofy Gophers cartoons Succeeded by
Lumber Jerks 1958 Tease for Two
• Gopher Broke was the last Warner Bros. cartoon in the
Golden Age to feature the voice of Stan Freberg, who
Succession
had only been credited once on a Warner Bros.
cartoon (in Three Little Bops). Over 40 years later, References
however, Freberg would voice a Looney Tunes
[1] Friedwald, Will and Jerry Beck. "The Warner
character in the 2000 short Little Go Beep.
Brothers Cartoons." Scarecrow Press Inc.,
Metuchen, N.J., 1981. ISBN 0-8108-1396-3, pg. 215
Censorship [2] Friedwald, Will and Jerry Beck. "Looney Tunes and
• When this cartoon aired on ABC’s The Bugs Bunny and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to
Tweety Show, the part where an anxious Barnyard the Warner Bros. Cartoons," Henry Holt, 1989. ISBN
Dawg swallows an entire box of sleeping pills to help 0-8050-0894-2, pg. 311-312.
calm his nerves was cut to remove the dog actually
ingesting the pills [1]. External links
• Gopher Broke at the Internet Movie Database
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gopher_Broke&oldid=450552246"
Categories:
• English-language films
• 1958 films
• Looney Tunes shorts
• Films directed by Robert McKimson
This page was last modified on 14 September 2011 at 23:12. Text is available under the Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
2