The Dancing Warden

“Cellbound” was Tex Avery’s last cartoon for M-G-M, released (November 1955) more than two years after his unit was disbanded (March 1953). It contains one of those juxtapositions that Avery liked using—the monotone, stiff prison warden suddenly breaks into a wild dance at the sound of Dixieland music being played on TV. Here are some of the poses.



Meanwhile, the music is being played by an escaped inmate trying to avoid detection inside the TV set by acting out all the shows the warden is watching. So he’s a one-man band.



Ed Benedict laid out the cartoon and designed the characters, while co-director Mike Lah handled the animation along with H-B unit members Ken Muse, Irv Spence and Ed Barge. M-G-M didn’t get a second unit again until an expansion in summer 1955. Less than two years later, the cartoon studio closed. Avery was making commercials for Cascade by then.