I’m a giant fan of the classic old cartoons and watch Toon in with Me every weekday morning at 0700.

If it has taught me anything it’s that Warner Brothers cartoons ruled for quality, variety, laughs and Mel Blanc.

This is not to leave out Betty Boop or Popeye, also funny looks at a lost world. But I never cared much for MGM animation, characters or style.

They can be visually stunning and of course old cartoons are the wonderful musical source for most Americans’ only exposure to classical music.

But it seems MGM’s were sweeter and aimed at a younger set of children than Warner Brothers, whose sarcastic streetwise Bugs Bunny and irate Daffy Duck drew laughs from kids and parents alike. And me.

But like Road Runner and Pink Panther and Tom & Jerry, during which I mute and web surf or make more coffee, sometimes even MGM can find funny with both hands.

In this 1955 T&J cartoon- ‘Pecos Pest’, mouse Jerry gets a visit from his Texas Western music pickin’ ‘n singin’ and (almost) yodeling Uncle Pecos (voiced by Shug Fisher) who is in a show.

Pecos’s song here, Froggie Went ‘a Courtin’- ‘Crambone’, is a showstopper. During rehearsal he keeps breaking [tenor] guitar strings and terrorizing Tom for cat whisker replacements.

Watch the cartoon song clip first:

Lyrics
“Hiiii!
Woooo…..Lock-dock-doodle-atta-dee-atta-doodle-atta-hee-otta-eeta- aaaahhh…..

Heh, heh it’s kinda pretty before it gets started, ain’t it?!

Ohhhh…Froggie went a-c-c-courtin’, he did ride, C-C-Crambone…
Froggie went a-c-c-courtin’, he did ride, C-C-uhh, C-C-uhh, C-C-Crambone…
Froggie went a-c-c-courtin’, he did ride, with a sword an’ a, an-uh, an-uh a revolver by his side, C-C-Crambone…
Crambone kill-a fa-la-la-a-low-low-row-huh [achoo], slop-a-doodle-yellow-bug-toodle-atta-de-hic-tootle-atta-de

That’s the hard part right in there, n-n-nephew! Ha ha!

Eh-Crambone kill-a fa-la-la-a-row-flop-a-doodle-yellow-bug-toodle-atta-ee a-coverup-dopp-batta-mit C-C-C-rambone.
Ah-de-ol-lay-heeeee!!!! [ACHOO!!]

that yodel goes right in there somewhere, but it’s a little too high for me! ahmmm…

Ohhhh…where will the w-w-wedding supper be, uh, c-c-uh-C-C-Crambone…
Where will the w-w-wedding supper be, C-C-Crambone…
Where will the w-w-wedding supper be? Way down yonder near the hico-inna-hico-uh, a woo..a-woo-in-a-cottonwo-uh, the eucalyptus tree, Crambone…
Crambone kill-a fa-la-la-a-row-low-low, slop-a-doodle-yellow bug…

That’s that hard part again, right in there, ha ha!

Scrabble—flop-a-doodle-yellow bug-toodle-atta-ee a-coverup-dopp-batta-mit Crambone.”

Search out the whole cartoon. That’s one funny animation from MGM at least.

Image via Wikipedia, lyrics and video clip via YouTube link above.

Unless noted, all text and images by todgermanica.com.