A Gander at Mother Goose

A Gander at Mother Goose is a 1940 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Tex Avery and written by Dave Monahan.[2] The short was released on May 25, 1940.[3]

A Gander at Mother Goose
Directed byFred Avery
Story byDave Monahan
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
StarringMel Blanc
Sara Berner
Margaret Hill-Talbot[1]
Narrated byRobert C. Bruce
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byCharles McKimson
Backgrounds byJohn Didrik Johnsen
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • May 25, 1940 (1940-05-25)
Running time
6:20
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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The short film is a series of visual gag cartoons intertwined with classic nursery rhymes, narrated by Robert C. Bruce.

  1. Mary, Mary Quite Contrary (portrayed by Katharine Hepburn) complains about her polluted garden.
  2. Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, revealing his exposed buttocks when he stands up.
  3. Jack and Jill, portrayed as teen sweethearts, ditch fetching water for romantic escapades.
  4. Little Miss Muffet scares off the spider with her unattractive appearance.
  5. The Three Little Pigs thwart the Big Bad Wolf with a bottle of "Histerine."
  6. The Parade of Wooden Soldiers turns out to be sloppy and wobbly marchers.
  7. A dog in Star Light, Star Bright wishes for a tree.
  8. Jack Be Nimble boasts about jumping over a candlestick, only to reveal his burned butt.
  9. The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe struggles while her husband relaxes.
  10. Little Hiawatha shoots an arrow, which is returned by an eagle stuck in its tail feather.
  11. The Night Before Christmas depicts two mice stirring, with one whispering "Merry Christmas" and the other angrily shushing.

Home Media

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References

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  1. ^ Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media. p. 82.
  2. ^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 103. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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