''Ready, Woolen and Able'' is a 1960
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
'' cartoon directed by
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...
.
The short was released on July 30, 1960, and stars
Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog.
Mel Blanc provided for the voices of all the characters in this cartoon; however, like all Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog shorts, this short is mostly composed of
visual gags.
That is the fifth short featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog. The title is a play on the phrase "ready, willing and able".
Plot
Like all Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog shorts, this one revolves around Ralph Wolf trying to steal the sheep which Sam Sheepdog is guarding. The short begins with a juxtaposition of how Sam and Ralph get to work. Sam takes a leisurely drive to work in what appears to be a caricature of a shoddy
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. Th ...
. Behind him, Ralph speeds past in a
drag racer. After Ralph hastily parks and walks away, Sam pulls into his spot, careful to make the correct
hand signals as he turns.
1. As soon as the whistle blows, Ralph sprints off to catch a sheep. Sam lumbers to his perch, grabbing a
rake on his way and drops it in front of Ralph's path. Ralph steps on the rake causing the rake to smack him in the face. As the sheep jumps away, it lands on Ralph's back, bending him in half.
2. Next, Ralph attempts to use a
lever
A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam (structure), beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or '':wikt:fulcrum, fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, l ...
to launch a stick of
dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
into Sam. However, as Ralph jumps on to one end of the lever, the stick of dynamite simply rolls toward him from the other end.
3. In Ralph's third attempt, he rolls an open barrel of gunpowder down a hill toward Sam, which leaves a trail of powder as it rolls. Ralph lights the trail after the barrel starts moving, but the barrel hits a rock and flies over Sam and under a boulder. The barrel subsequently explodes and sends the boulder flying and ultimately falling on Ralph, who, naturally, attempts to protect himself with a very small umbrella.
4. Next, Ralph purchases a box of "Two (2)
Acme bed-springs", which he straps to his feet to increase his stride. After a few failed practice attempts, he gets the hang of it and heads off toward the field. As Ralph jumps over Sam, Sam pulls out a very large
magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
which he uses to pull the springs off Ralph's feet in midair. Luckily, Ralph has a
parachute
A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
. Unluckily, the wind blows him right next to Sam. As the parachute falls over Sam and Ralph like a shroud, Ralph attempts to run, but even though they are caught up in the fabric, Sam is able to grab Ralph and punch him. Ralph ultimately skids toward the edge of a cliff, where, after realization of his predicament, he falls.
5. Ralph's final attempt is very drawn out and plays on Sam's uncanny ability to be wherever he needs to be. Ralph first notices that Sam and one of the sheep are separated by a very large chasm, so Ralph attempts to cross the chasm with a
trapeze. Upon crossing the chasm and grabbing what he thinks to be a sheep, it turns out that he has grabbed Sam. After realizing this mistake, he deposits Sam on the first cliff, only to swing back and discover that Sam is on the far cliff ''again''. Ralph then decides to climb the trapeze, only to find that Sam is ''holding'' the trapeze. When Ralph then decides to slide down to the bottom of the trapeze, he finds Sam sitting there. Cutting all his losses, he decides to dive off the trapeze, and as he is falling he notices Sam sitting on three small cliff outcroppings, a branch, in a
hot air balloon
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
, fishing in a small
dingy, and sleeping under water. Ralph then swims as fast as he can into the mouth of a
sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the Genus (biology), genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the s ...
to find Sam standing against one of the whale's teeth. In shock, Ralph jumps out the whale's blowhole, to find Sam sitting in an
inner tube atop the whale's spray of water. Ralph then runs, through the air, to the closest beach, where he finds the beach is full of at least 24 instances of Sam, and for the first time they are ''all'' visible at once. As Ralph blows his top, the time clock whistle blows and Sam begins driving home. As he is driving, an ambulance passes him and Ralph can be seen in the back bound in a
straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with long sleeves that surpass the tips of the wearer's fingers. Its most typical use is restraining people who may cause harm to themselves or others. Once the wearer's arms are in the sleeves, ...
, being taken to a psychiatric hospital for his mental breakdown. The two politely wish each other good night.
Home media
This cartoon is featured on ''Road Runner & Wile E Coyote: Chariots of Fur''.
See also
*
List of American films of 1960
*
Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
* ''
Merrie Melodies
''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was part of the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise and featured many of the same characters. Originally running from August 2, 1931, to Septem ...
''
*
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1960–1969)
References
External links
*
{{Chuck Jones
Merrie Melodies short films
Short films directed by Chuck Jones
1960s Warner Bros. animated short films
Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese
Films scored by Milt Franklyn
1960s English-language films
American animated short films
Animated films about sheep
Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog films
English-language short films
1960 animated short films