''Birth of a Notion'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series ''Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation.

'' cartoon directed by

Bob Clampett Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. (May 8, 1913 – May 2, 1984) was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer. He was best known for his work on the '' Looney Tunes'' animated series from Warner Bros. as well as the television shows '' ...

and

Robert McKimson Robert Porter McKimson Sr. (October 13, 1910 – September 29, 1977) was an American animator and illustrator, best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons from Warner Bros. Cartoons and later DePa ...

. The cartoon was released on April 12, 1947, and stars Daffy Duck. Director McKimson uses his "

Barnyard Dawg Barnyard Dawg is a '' Looney Tunes'' character. A feisty anthropomorphic basset hound, he is the archenemy of Foghorn Leghorn. He was created by Robert McKimson, who also created Foghorn, and was voiced by Mel Blanc. Dawg also feuds with othe ...

" character design as Leopold, the mad scientist's dog, while the scientist is a caricature, both visually and vocally, of Peter Lorre. The title is a play on '' The Birth of a Nation'', but there is no other connection to that 1915 film. ''Birth of a Notion'' is one of three shorts that had been scheduled for direction by

before he left

Warner Bros. Cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was ...

; the other two were '' Bacall to Arms'' and ''

The Goofy Gophers ''The Goofy Gophers'' is a 1947 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett and Arthur Davis. The short was released on January 25, 1947, and is the first appearance of the Goofy Gophers. Plot An anthropomorphic dog who is base ...

'', both of which were finished by Arthur Davis.

Mel Blanc Melvin Jerome Blanc (born Blank ; May 30, 1908July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and radio personality whose career spanned over 60 years. During the Golden Age of Radio, he provided character voices and vocal sound effects for comedy ra ...

voiced Daffy Duck, Leopold and Joe Besser Duck, while an uncredited

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

voiced the mad scientist.

Plot

Daffy is not going to fly south for the winter like other ducks. He manages to convince the rather simple-witted dog, Leopold, to let him stay for the winter by pretending to have saved Leopold's life. Unfortunately, Leopold's master is a mad scientist who needs the

wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wish ...

of a duck for his experiment. Daffy is insulted by the scientist's requirement and tries to get rid of him, while Leopold interferes to save his master. At one point, Daffy throws a baseball bat at the scientist from behind, and Leopold grabs it, but cannot stop it in time from hitting the man. The scientist misunderstands, taking the bat away and calmly scolding Leopold while breaking the bat into many pieces with his bare hands before going to sleep. Daffy's assassination attempt fails and the scientist turns the tables, trying to kill Daffy with numerous booby traps around the house. Meanwhile, Leopold feels left out of the cartoon. Daffy finally leaves, but the master decides a dog's wishbone will do, so Leopold flees as well. As Daffy starts to try to con his way into another house, a grey duck (with a Joe Besser-like personality) who is already occupying the place kicks Daffy into the sky, southbound. On his flight, he is surprised to find he has company - Leopold, aided by a fan strapped to his back, is flying south too.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birth of a Notion 1947 animated films 1947 short films 1947 films Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Daffy Duck films Films directed by Robert McKimson Mad scientist films Cultural depictions of Peter Lorre Films scored by Carl Stalling 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films