Wagon Heels

Wagon Heels is a 1945 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Bob Clampett.^[1] The short was released on July 28, 1945, and stars Porky Pig.^[2]

Plot

Porky Pig leads a wagon train to California, keeping an eye out for the formidable Native American, Injun Joe. Along the way, they encounter the goofy hillbilly Sloppy Moe, who has a secret he will not reveal until the crucial moment. When Sloppy finally reveals that Injun Joe is ticklish, chaos ensues as Moe tickles the chief, causing him to fall off a cliff and stretch the U.S. from coast to coast. The narrator ends the tale by celebrating Porky and Sloppy Moe as heroes, with Moe tickling a giggling Porky.

Production notes

The cartoon is a color remake of the Looney Tunes black-and-white short Injun Trouble (1938). All voices except narration and Sloppy Moe are performed by Mel Blanc, whose screen credit is his first in a non-Bugs Bunny cartoon. In addition to the usual Native American stereotype music, Carl Stalling's underscore frequently plays segments of the American Civil War tune, "Kingdom Coming", even converting it to a minor key in one segment. "Oh! Susanna" is also heard repeatedly in the underscore.

The cartoon has been criticized for its stereotypical and insensitive depictions of Native Americans.^[3][4]

The film is set during the California Gold Rush, and depicts Porky Pig leading a wagon train to California. He is opposed by Injun Joe, a Native American chief who has claimed any area to the west of the Eastern Seaboard as his own.

Home media

DVD:

• Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5.
• Looney Tunes Superstars: Porky Pig and Friends: Hilarious Ham

See also

• Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949)

References

External links

• Wagon Heels at IMDb