''The Draft Horse'' is a

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 ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...

'' cartoon directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

. The short was released on May 9, 1942. The title is a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

draft horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less often ...

and the

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

(conscription).

Plot

A farm horse sees a poster that says the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

needs horses. The horse goes to the recruiting station and tries to volunteer, but is eventually rejected, labeled " 44-F". Leaving the station dejected, he wanders into a wargames situation, and the flying bullets frighten him so much he makes a dash for home. At the end, he is serving the war effort in another way, knitting "

V for Victory ''V for Victory'', or ''V4V'' for short, is a series of turn-based strategy games set during World War II. They were the first releases for Atomic Games who went on to have a long career in the wargame industry. Like earlier computer adaptions ...

" sweaters for the boys overseas.

Music cues

The short uses multiple music cues for several scenes. This includes: *"We Did It Before (and We Can Do It Again)" - Played during the opening credits and at the end. Also played when the sergeant looks down the horse's throat *"

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" (also titled "Mulberry Bush" or "This Is the Way") is an English nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7882. It uses the tune which Nancy Dawson danced into fame in ''Th ...

" - Sung by Horse as "This Is the Way We Plow the Field". *"

Light Cavalry Overture ''Light Cavalry Overture'' is the overture to Franz von Suppé’s operetta '' Light Cavalry'' (German: ''Leichte Kavallerie''), premiered in Vienna in 1866. Although the operetta is rarely performed or recorded, the overture is one of Suppé's ...

" - Played when the horse sees the army billboard. *"

Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean" is an American patriotic song which was popular in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Composed 1843, it was long used as an unofficial national anthem of the United States, in competition ...

" - Played when the horse kisses the farmer goodbye. *"

William Tell Overture The ''William Tell'' Overture is the overture to the opera '' William Tell'' (original French title ''Guillaume Tell''), whose music was composed by Gioachino Rossini. ''William Tell'' premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, a ...

" - Played when the horse runs off to enlist. Also played during the sham battle. Also played when the horse races home. *"Battle Music No. 9" - Played when the horse play-acts battle scenes in the recruiting office. Played again when the horse play-acts battle scenes a second time. *" Taps" - Hummed by the horse, causing the sergeant to cry. *" It Had to Be You" - Played when the horse performs the

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "ex ...

. *" The Old Grey Mare" - Played when the horse removes his harness and gets brushed. *"

You're in the Army Now ''You're in the Army Now'' is a 1941 comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Jimmy Durante, Phil Silvers, Jane Wyman, and Regis Toomey. It featured the longest kiss in film (lasting three minutes and five seconds), between Toomey and ...

" - Played during the eye test.

References

The EU Dubbed Print Uses 1937-1938 MWRA Over Dubbed Ending Card While The USA Dubbed Print Uses 1938-1941 MWRA

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Draft Horse, The 1942 films 1942 animated films Merrie Melodies short films Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films Short films directed by Chuck Jones Animated films about horses American World War II propaganda shorts American black-and-white films Films scored by Carl Stalling 1940s Warner Bros. animated short films

Plot

Music cues

See also

References

External links