''Blitz Wolf'' is a 1942 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

propaganda short film produced and distributed by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

. A parody of the Three Little Pigs told via a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

perspective, the short was directed by

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

(in his first cartoon for MGM) and produced by Fred Quimby. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons but lost to '' Der Fuehrer's Face'', another anti-Nazi World War II parody featuring

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic American Pekin, white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shi ...

.Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 113-114

Plot

The plot is a parody of the Three Little Pigs, told from a

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

anti-German propaganda Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began w ...

perspective. In this cartoon, the danger is from Adolf Wolf (

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

), who is set on invading the pig's nation of Pigmania. The pig who built his house of stone, "Sergeant Pork" (an homage to ''

Sergeant York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine ...

)'', take his precautions and outfits his house with defense machinery, but the two pigs who built their houses of straw and sticks claim they don't have to take precautions against the wolf because they signed a

non-aggression pact A non-aggression pact or neutrality pact is a treaty between two or more states/countries that includes a promise by the signatories not to engage in military action against each other. Such treaties may be described by other names, such as a tr ...

with him. Adolf Wolf invades Pigmania, despite the two pigs protesting that he signed a treaty with them. He destroys their houses, the straw house with "Der Mechanized Huffer Und Puffer" and the stick house with an artillery shell, forcing the pigs to take shelter in the third pig's house, prompting a battle between the two parties. Towards the end of the cartoon, Adolf Wolf is blown out of his bomber plane by the pigs' artillery shells, fired from their multi-barreled "secret weapon" and filled with Defense bonds, and plummets down to Earth followed by a bomb from his own plane, which promptly blows him to Hell upon impact. There he realizes he is dead and says: ''"Where am I? Have I been blown to... ?",'' whereupon a group of devils adds: ''"Ehhhh, it's a possibility!''", in reference to a then well-known

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...

by Artie Auerbach on the Al Pearce radio show.

Voice cast

* Bill Thompson as Adolf Wolf (uncredited) *

Pinto Colvig Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...

as Sgt. Pork (uncredited) * Frank Graham as narrator (uncredited) * Sara Berner as pigs (uncredited) *

Kent Rogers Kent Byron Rogers (July 31, 1923 – July 9, 1944) was an American actor who appeared in several live-action features and shorts, and a voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons and Walter Lantz Productions. Career For Warner Bros. Cartoons, R ...

as devils (uncredited)

Cultural references

*This is Tex Avery's first cartoon at MGM, and also the first film at MGM for animator Ed Love. Love had arrived at MGM with Kenneth Muse just after the 1941

Disney animators' strike The Disney animators' strike in 1941 reflected anger at inequities of pay and privileges at the non-unionized Walt Disney Productions. Walt Disney responded to the five-week strike by firing many of his animators, but was eventually pressured i ...

. *The

MGM lion Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures, featured in the studio's production logo, which was created by the Paramount Studios art director Lionel S. Reiss. Since ...

, Tanner, roars to the tune of " Hold That Tiger", with 5 quick and short roars. Same background music of " Hold That Tiger" occurs in

Rudolf Ising Rudolf Carl Ising (August 7, 1903 – July 18, 1992) was an American animator best known for collaborating with Hugh Harman to establish the Warner Bros. and MGM Cartoon studios during the early years of the golden age of American animation. I ...

's ''Chips Off the Old Block'' (1942) start. 21 days (3 weeks) differ among their dates. This film, Tex Avery's ''Blitz Wolf'' (1942) was first, Saturday, August 22, 1942 and Rudolf Ising's ''Chips Off the Old Block'' (1942), was second on Saturday, September 12, 1942. Adolf Wolf, the antagonist of the cartoon, would serve as inspiration for Tex Avery's unnamed wolf, who would appear in other cartoons such as ''

Red Hot Riding Hood ''Red Hot Riding Hood'' is an animated cartoon short subject, directed by Tex Avery and released with the movie ''Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case'' on May 8, 1943, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1994, it was voted number 7 of The 50 Greatest Cartoons ...

'' and '' Northwest Hounded Police''. *Tex Avery would once again parody the story of the Three Little Pigs in ''One Ham's Family'' and ''The Three Little Pups''. *This short was widely available, uncut, on the MGM/UA video label's VHS release, ''Tex Avery's Screwball Classics, Vol. 4'' and on the MGM/ UA laserdisc collection ''The Compleat Tex Avery''. A fully restored and uncut version is available on Academy Awards Animation Collection DVD set by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

, and as a bonus feature (in standard definition) on Disc 3 of the '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2'' Blu-Ray set. The high definition version was later included on the '' Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 3'' Blu-Ray by

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...

. *There is a reference to the

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japan ...

Jimmy Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

on Tokyo. When the bomb lands and destroys Tokyo, there is a sign "Doolittle Dood It!" coming out from the water. "Doolittle Dood It!" was an actual newspaper headline of the

Los Angeles Herald Examiner The ''Los Angeles Herald Examiner'' was a major Los Angeles daily newspaper, published in the afternoon from Monday to Friday and in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It was part of the Hearst syndicate. It was formed when the afternoon ' ...

. *

provides the voice of "Practical Pig", as he did in Disney's '' Three Little Pigs''. *Adolf Wolf's voice was provided by Bill Thompson, who would later voice

Droopy Droopy is an animated character from the golden age of American animation. He is an anthropomorphic white Basset Hound with a droopy face; hence his name. He was created in 1943 by Tex Avery for theatrical cartoon shorts produced by the Metr ...

. Droopy starred in his own adaptation of the story called ''The Three Little Pups''. *In the beginning, the two little pigs mockingly sing to Sergeant Pork: ''

You're in the Army Now ''You're in the Army Now'' is a 1941 comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Jimmy Durante, Phil Silvers, Jane Wyman, and Regis Toomey. It featured the longest kiss in film (lasting three minutes and five seconds), between Toomey an ...

,''/ ''You're Not Behind the Plow,''/ ''You're Diggin' a Ditch,''/ '' ause and motion freeze''/ ''You're in the Army Now!'' The pause was inserted to replace the line "You Son of a Bitch", which would be inappropriate for a film at the time. This is much similar to a gag in the Warner Bros. cartoon '' The Draft Horse''. *The wolf saying "Is that you Mert?" on the phone is a reference to the radio show

Fibber McGee and Molly ''Fibber McGee and Molly'' (1935–1959) was a longtime highly popular husband-and-wife team radio comedy program. The situation comedy was a staple of the NBC Red Network from 1936 on, after originating on NBC Blue in 1935. One of the most ...

. *Most of the scenery doesn't resemble World War II at all. The trenches and the pigs' uniforms resemble those of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. *As the tanks arrive, one small tank has the line " Good Humor" written on its side and makes the sound of an ice cream truck. This is similar to a joke later used in '' Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips.'' *A lone

flame tank A flame tank is a type of tank equipped with a flamethrower, most commonly used to supplement combined arms attacks against fortifications, confined spaces, or other obstacles. The type only reached significant use in the Second World War, dur ...

not spewing fire holds up a sign with the line 'I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire'. *When the straw house is blown away, a sign says 'Gone with the Wind', referring to the 1939 film (with another smaller sign agreeing that this is a corny gag), which was also released by MGM. *One of the pigs' artillery shells blasts the Wolf's tank into tin cans, a reference to the Allied Scrap Metal Drives of World War II. *At one point, Sgt. Pork distracts incoming shellfire by holding up a copy of ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' magazine's (unseen-by-the-audience) Petty Girl

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion mode ...

artwork by George Petty.

Analysis

Out of 15 cartoon shorts released by the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was an American animation studio operated by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) during the Golden Age of American animation. Active from 1937 until 1957, the studio was responsible for producing animated shorts to ...

in 1942, this was the only one to have World War II as its subject matter. Besides targeting Adolf Hitler, the short includes references to

Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States has existed since the late 19th century, especially during the Yellow Peril, which had also extended to other Asian immigrants. Anti-Japanese sentiment in the United States would peak during World W ...

.Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 52-54 The Wolf holds a sign inviting the audience to hiss at him, as nobody cares about their reaction. This breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cent ...

and reveals the character's contempt for the audience. There is a mixed message regarding the characters. The Wolf is a

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

with enough panache to keep the audience interested in him. Conversely, Sergeant Pork is a humorless, stoic character who fails to stand out. The MGM pressbook termed the short as pro-democracy

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loa ...

. The two lazy pig brothers reject preparation for defense because of their

, an allusion to the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that enabled those powers to partition Poland between them. The pact was signed in Moscow on 23 August 1939 by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ri ...

. Their brother Sgt. Pork is named after Sgt.

Alvin C. York Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964), also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine ...

, a World War I hero who inspired the film ''

'' (1941). He represents the attitude of preparing for war. The Wolf violates a

to blow down the pigs' homes. The two lazy pigs become

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also kn ...

s of war and seek asylum in their brother's

fortified A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

home. Said home demonstrates a sign: "No Japs allowed". The three pigs use a huge cannon to bomb

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. The city is destroyed with the image of the

Rising Sun Flag The is a Japanese flag that consists of a red disc and sixteen red rays emanating from the disc. Like the Japanese national flag, the Rising Sun Flag symbolizes the sun. The flag was originally used by feudal warlords in Japan during the Ed ...

collapsing in the background, replaced by a sky with red, white and blue stripes. During the showdown, the Wolf fires an artillery shell against the fortified house. Sgt. Pork in his trench reaches down for his copy of the ''

'' magazine. The pig opens the magazine and shows the centerfold to the shell. The shell stops in midflight and whistles in appreciation. It then retreats and returns with ten other shells. This group of friends are fascinated by the image presented to them. They make catcall sounds and then fall down de-activated.Kakoudaki (2004), p. 339-341 The pinup here is used as more than a talisman for boosting morale. It exploits the male vulnerability of the enemy through eliciting erotic arousal. The shells stand-in for their human operators. In another scene where a weapon stands-in for military personnel, Pork's cannon collapses exhausted. Its owner revives it through feeding it B-1 vitamins. ( B1 helps the body generate energy.) The cannon stands erect again, a phallic image, and begins blasting away all on its own. The label may reference the number system of military hardware like the

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theat ...

. The Wolf utilizes a "Stinka Bomber PU". This is a parody of the German

Stuka The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...

, a

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that Dive (aviation), dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the Aerial bomb, bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to ...

used by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

. The shells that down the aircraft are filled with defense bonds. The cartoon concludes with two printed titles: "The end of Adolf" and "If you'll Buy a Stamp or Bond- We'll Skin that Skunk Across the Pond!" According to

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

, Tex Avery was criticized by an MGM producer for being overly rough in his depiction of Hitler. The producer reminded Avery that the victor of the war was yet to be determined.Thompson, Phelps (2005), p. 174 This cartoon has rarely been shown in the United States since World War II. However, it was shown on Cartoon Network's ''ToonHeads'' and

TCM TCM may refer to: Arts and music Film * ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (franchise), a horror film franchise ** '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'', the original 1974 film ** ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' (2003 film), the 2003 remake Games * ...

's ''Cartoon Alley'' with the word "Japs" airbrushed out from the "No Japs Allowed" sign, and the scene involving a missile hitting

cut (this edited version is also available on the Region 2 Tex Avery 5-disc DVD set).

Availability

;VHS: *Tex Avery's Screwball Classics 4 ;LaserDisc: *All This and Tex Avery Too! *The Compleat Tex Avery ;DVD: * Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection: 15 Winners, 26 Nominees ;Blu-ray: * Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2, Disc 3 * Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 3

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

* *
Screenshots and commentary
on Classic Cartoons {{The Three Little Pigs 1942 films 1942 animated films 1942 short films 1940s American animated films 1940s animated short films 1942 comedy films Animated films about wolves Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films Self-reflexive films Cultural depictions of Adolf Hitler American World War II propaganda shorts Films directed by Tex Avery Films set in a fictional country Films set in Germany Films based on The Three Little Pigs Films based on fairy tales Films about pigs American parody films Fairy tale parody films Animation based on real people Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films scored by Scott Bradley Films set in hell Tex Avery's Big Bad Wolf films Films produced by Fred Quimby Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio short films 1940s English-language films