Multiplying Sylvesters

The title animation says “Henery Hawk in…” but he’s not the star of “Crowing Pains” (released in 1947). That honour goes to the evolving version of Foghorn Leghorn in his second cartoon.

When Bob McKimson took over as a director at Warners, his take on the Warners characters was a little screwy at times. He had a few great Bugs Bunny cartoons, but he also cast Bugs as a little ignorant. Here he has Sylvester tormenting a dog, which doesn’t really fit his personality. Fortunately, he and writer Warren Foster must have realised it as the cartoons became a battle of wits between the dog and Foggie, a far more satisfying pairing.

In this short, Foghorn once again convinces the naïve Henery that something is a chicken—in this case, Sylvester. The cat tries to escape the chicken hawk, who Foggy has disguised in an egg outfit. Sylvester suddenly turns into multiples of himself, each pose held for a pair of frames. Here are some of them.



The cat then jumps back into itself and zooms away.



Izzy Ellis, Jack Carey, Chuck McKimson and Manny Gould get the on-screen credits.