''Gold Rush Daze'' is a 1939

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

'' Merrie Melodies'' cartoon directed by

Ben Hardaway Joseph Benson Hardaway (May 21, 1895 – February 5, 1957) was an American storyboard artist, animator, voice actor, gagman, writer and director for several American animation studios during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He was somet ...

and

Cal Dalton Cal Dalton (December 2, 1908 – June 1974) was an American animator and director at Warner Bros. Cartoons. Work Dalton's first commercial animation work was in 1930 at the ill-fated Romer Grey Studios. He later worked on an animated short versi ...

. The short was released on February 25, 1939.

Plot

A dog-faced prospector drives to the hills to dig for gold. A local gas station attendant warns him that he is wasting his time, then goes on to tell the story of his own fruitless chase for gold; since 1849, he pursued strikes around the world and never had any success. The cartoon shows the attendant's various stops including the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

, the

Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United ...

, and various other efforts globally that never (literally) pan out. Then, as the attendant finishes his story, a fellow rides up with news that there has indeed been gold found in the hills. The attendant steals the prospector's car to chase this rush, telling him he can have the gas station. Included in the film is a short, farcical musical number, “My Sweetheart Needs Gold for Her Teeth."

References

External links

* * * American animated short films 1939 animated films 1939 short films Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Films directed by Ben Hardaway Films directed by Cal Dalton Animated films about dogs Films set in 1849 Films about the California Gold Rush Films scored by Carl Stalling 1930s Warner Bros. animated short films American comedy short films 1930s English-language films 1930s color films Animated films set in the 1840s {{MerrieMelodies-stub