An Itch in Time

"An Itch in Time" is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Elmer Fudd and a dog which looks very similar to, if not a modified Willoughby the Dog.

Plot synopsis

A flea with a knapsack labeled "A. Flea", is looking for a meal, and singing a Wartime song::There's food around the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for me!:(Hallelujah, brother!):Food around the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for me!:There'll be no more Meatless Tuesdays, no more Meatless Tuesdays, no more Meatless Tuesdays for me!:(Dum-da-dum-dum-dum-dum):No more Meatless Tuesdays, no more Meatless Tuesdays, no more Meatless Tuesdays for me!

The flea attacks Elmer's dog. As the dog begins to scratch, Elmer warns him to cease, or else face getting a bath. When the dog can't help himself, Elmer drags him off to the bath. But, as he carries the dog away, A. Flea jumps on Elmer, who also begins to scratch. The dog carries Elmer off to the bath, but slips on a bar of soap in the process. A. Flea puts them both on a platter and carries them both away.

In a morbid gag of the type used in several Warner cartoons, Elmer's cat observes this bizarre sight, says to the audience, "Well now I've seen everything!" and commits suicide by shooting himself in the head with a gun.

Notes

*Throughout the film, Elmer is reading a Bugs Bunny/Porky Pig comic book.
*A. Flea's repeated song was covered by Green Day (with drummer Tre Cool singing the song which contains some slight lyric changes).
*The voice of A. Flea is uncredited and was provided by Sara Berner.
*After the flea's pile of dynamite goes off, the dog scampers around the room on his hindquarters, barking in pain, until he stops sharply in mid-run, looks at the audience and says, "Hey, I'd better cut this out, I may get to like it!", then resumes. This gag was deliberately written to see if it would be removed by the Hays Office. Surprisingly, it remained in the cartoon unedited.
*There is one brief moment on the cover of Elmer's comic book when Porky's mouth is opened and closed.

Censorship

*The end gag where the cat shoots himself after seeing the flea carry Elmer and the dog on a platter has been cut on most TV airings, particularly on Cartoon Network (excluding "The Bob Clampett Show" broadcast), TNT, and TBS. of the "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" DVD series has this cartoon uncut.

External links

*imdb title|0036050|An Itch in Time
*bcdb title|id=4323|title=An Itch in Time
*http://web.archive.org/web/20070509101953/http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/looney-dvd3.html