''Little 'Tinker'' is a 1948

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

cartoon directed by

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

. It was produced by

Fred Quimby Frederick Clinton Quimby (July 31, 1886 – September 16, 1965) was an American animation producer and journalist best known for producing the ''Tom and Jerry'' cartoon series, for which he won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film ...

with the soundtrack composed by

Scott Bradley Scott Bradley may refer to: * Scott Bradley (composer) (1891–1977), American composer, pianist, and conductor * Scott Bradley (baseball) (born 1960), American baseball catcher * Scott Bradley (politician) (born 1952), American politician and u ...

Plot

The story begins at the home of B.O.

Skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

, which contains many fans. B.O. takes a shower with O-Bouy soap (a parody of

Lifebuoy A lifebuoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water, to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights, to aid rescue at night. Other names Other nam ...

soap, complete with its jingle) and overly douses himself with expiring perfume. Then he goes out for a walk. The flowers along the path from his home wither and fall as he passes them. As B.O. walks to the forest, he sees a pretty squirrel who calls him closer. But as B.O. goes to the squirrel with wilted flowers and she smells his stench, she runs out to her home and puts up a sign that reads "NO VACANCY". The point is that B.O. has an offensive odor from which everyone runs. B.O. then sees a pretty female

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...

. He first gives her a flower to smell, and then substitutes himself. The female rabbit screams in horror and runs into her hole and "zips" it. B.O. cries, not knowing what to do. Then,

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known in L ...

appears and gives the skunk a book: ''Advice to the Love-Lorn'' by Beatrice Bare Fax (a reference to famed newspaper advice columnist

Beatrice Fairfax ''Beatrice Fairfax'' is an American silent film serial directed and produced by Leopold Wharton and Theodore Wharton. First released on August 7, 1916, the series consists of 15 weekly episodes and features the character of "Beatrice Fairfax" ...

). The first chapter says to try the great lover routine. B.O. then goes to another female squirrel sitting on a branch and attracts her by speaking in the manner of

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

. All goes well until the squirrel smells B.O. and runs away. B.O., thinking he is kissing the squirrel, kisses the branches of the tree and then a sleepy

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

. The owl falls onto the ground, unconscious. The second chapter says to try the balcony routine. B.O. dresses like

Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...

and climbs a tree to

serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the :it:Serenata (musica), Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term c ...

a female

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight o ...

with a part of the sextet, "" from Act II of

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''bel canto'' opera style dur ...

's . At first, the raccoon is attracted to B.O.'s wooing, but when she smells him, she throws a pot at him, sending B.O. falling into a nearby pond. Even the

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

are repelled by B.O.'s smell and then they run away from the pond. Then, a big female rabbit goes to B.O., grabs him and wants to kiss him. But even she runs from his smell and tosses B.O. into a trash can and hides herself in a rabbit hole, which moves as she flees. The next chapter of book says "Swoon 'em!" B.O. then gets a Frank Sinatra suit and pours water on it to shrink it to fit him. Then, B.O.-Sinatra sings "Rhapsody in Pew" (really "

All or Nothing at All "All or Nothing at All" is a song composed in 1939 by Arthur Altman, with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. Frank Sinatra recording Frank Sinatra's August 31, 1939 recording of the song, accompanied by Harry James and his Orchestra was a huge hit in 19 ...

", sung by Bill Roberts). All the females in the forest run to hear B.O.'s singing. All of them swoon, and even an old female rabbit jumps in the air and yells "FRANKIE!" B.O. continues to sing with more gags and then ends as all the females jump on him. But then they all run out, having detected his smell. Despairing, B.O. then attempts suicide by drinking a bottle of poison because no one loves him. But Cupid stops him and shows the last piece of advice:

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

! B.O. then sees a pretty

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

and disguises himself as a male fox. B.O. whistles to the fox. The fox likes B.O. and she kisses him. B.O. is excited and then walks with the fox on a

trunk Trunk may refer to: Biology * Trunk (anatomy), synonym for torso * Trunk (botany), a tree's central superstructure * Trunk of corpus callosum, in neuroanatomy * Elephant trunk, the proboscis of an elephant Computing * Trunk (software), in rev ...

lying horizontally above the river. B.O. and the fox then lose their balance and fall into the river. Downcast, B.O. thinks that now the fox will run away from him, as the paint has washed out. But the "fox" is really a painted skunk too, as is revealed when paint washes out of her fur. Now aware that they are both skunks, they kiss longingly. Iris out, and B.O. throws the advice book out of the scene.

Voice cast

*Walter Craig as B.O. Skunk *Bill Roberts as the singing voice of B.O. Skunk in balcony scene and Frank Sinatra scene *Dick Nelson as the Cupid *

Sara Berner Sara Berner (born Lillian Ann Herdan; January 12, 1912 – December 19, 1969) was an American actress. Known for her expertise in dialect and characterization, she began her career as a performer in vaudeville before becoming a voice actress for r ...

as the Rabbits *

Lillian Randolph Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of ra ...

as the Black Rabbit *

William Hanna William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator and cartoonist who was the creator of ''Tom and Jerry'' as well as the voice actor for the two title characters. Alongside Joseph Barbera, he also founded the ani ...

as yelling sounds

Notes

* The black rabbit in the Frank Sinatra scene (who says, ''"Love dat man"'') has been edited out of some copies for stereotypical reasons.

References

External links

*
''Little 'Tinker''
at the Big Cartoon DataBase {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Tinker 1948 animated films 1948 short films 1948 films 1940s American animated films 1940s animated short films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short films Films directed by Tex Avery Cultural depictions of Frank Sinatra Films scored by Scott Bradley Films about skunks Films with screenplays by Henry Wilson Allen Films produced by Fred Quimby Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio short films

Plot

Voice cast

See also

Notes

References

External links