''Mexicali Shmoes'' is a 1959

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 ...

'' Looney Tunes'' cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on July 4, 1959, and stars

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

and the singing cats Jose and Manuel. Voice actors include Mel Blanc as the voices of Speedy Gonzales and Jose plus an uncredited

Dal McKennon Dallas Raymond McKennon (July 19, 1919 – July 14, 2009), sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American film, television and voice actor, who had a career lasting over 50 years. During World War II he served in the Army Signal Corps and wa ...

as the voice of Manuel. The

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated cartoon has Jose and Manuel chasing Speedy Gonzales in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. This cartoon introduces

Slowpoke Rodriguez Slowpoke Rodríguez ("Lento Rodríguez" in Spanish, though some more recent translations call him "Tranquilino") is a fictional animated cartoon mouse, part of the Looney Tunes' cast. History and personality He is described as "the slowest mouse ...

, Speedy's cousin. Slowpoke would appear in only one other classic ''Looney Tunes'' short, 1962's ''

Mexican Boarders ''Mexican Boarders'' is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 12, 1962, and stars Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester. Voice actors are Mel Blanc (doing the voices of Sylvester and Speedy ...

''.

Plot

Two

sombrero A sombrero (Spanish , ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high pointed crown, an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck and shoulders of the w ...

-wearing cats, Jose and Manuel, are singing while relaxing on the "Avenida de Gatos" when they are taunted by

. After Manuel fails to catch Speedy, Jose informs Manuel that Speedy is "the fastest mouse in all

" and that they will have to use their brains, not their feet, to catch him. The pair set off for Speedy's home in Guadalajara where they again fail to capture him. During their struggles, Manuel gets hit on the head by Jose with a guitar, Jose hooks Speedy with a fishing line and gets towed to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, Manuel gets blown up by dynamite, and both cats get blown up in a minefield that they constructed. Jose and Manuel are sitting on top of a wall after failing to outsmart and catch Speedy. Manuel laments they should have gone after Speedy's cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez, the "slowest mouse in all Mexico". Jose is convinced to go after him and runs off. Manuel desperately tries to catch up to warn him about Slowpoke and his reputation. No sooner than Jose arrives at the mouse house and catches him, Slowpoke shoots him. Manuel finally catches up and tells Jose exactly what he was trying to warn him about Slowpoke: "He pack a gun". Slowpoke blows steam off his gun and returns to his mouse hole, leaving the charred Jose to lament, "Now he tolls me."

Reception

Animation historian

David Gerstein David Gerstein (born February 6, 1974) is an American comics author and editor as well as an animation historian. Gerstein has five books and countless comic book credits to his name. He has written many Disney comics stories, usually featuring ...

writes, "In ''Mexicali Shmoes'', stocky Jose is more serious and calculating than geeky Manuel, but in their attempts to catch Speedy Gonzales, both cats provide equal hilarity. The treatment easily transcends the characters' feline nature and Mexican culture: Rocky and Mugsy (''

Bugs and Thugs ''Bugs and Thugs'' is a 1954 Warner Bros. '' Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 13, 1954, and stars Bugs Bunny, with Rocky and Mugsy. The film is a semi-remake of the 1946 cartoon ''Racketeer Rabbit ...

'') and Henry Bear and Junyer ('' A Bear for Punishment'') follow flawlessly in the same tradition. It's amazing how, outside of Warner Bros., so many cartoon studios' straight man-funny man pairings flopped."

Awards and honors

*''Mexicali Shmoes'' was nominated in the Best Short Subjects, Cartoons category at the

32nd Academy Awards The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960 at the RKO Pantages Theatre, to honor the films of 1959. William Wyler's Bible epic '' Ben-Hur'' won 11 Oscars, breaking the record of nine set the previous year by '' Gigi''. This ...

in 1959.

References

External links

* {{Friz Freleng 1959 animated films 1959 short films Looney Tunes shorts Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films 1959 films Speedy Gonzales films Short films directed by Friz Freleng Films scored by Milt Franklyn 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films 1950s English-language films Films set in Mexico

Plot

Reception

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links