Ant Pasted - Commentary

A while back on this blog I posted a video in which I did some commentary on a WB cartoon with the good people at Ferris Wheelhouse.  Well, embedded above is some more commentary I did but this time for the Elmer Fudd cartoon Ant Pasted.

What a neat coincidence that I got to talk about this cartoon in particular because it allowed me to revisit a theory I have about this cartoon that I posted on this very same blog a way long time ago.  I opined that this cartoon was a subversive satirical attack on Joe McCarty's communist witch hunt.

"WHUT?! DUH WB WENT N GONE N MADE SPORT A ME?? WHY I OUGHTA....."

I'll walk you through my thought process with screen captures this time (something I couldn't do for that old post).  {begin animation nerd dissertation now}

The cartoon starts with Elmer Fudd celebrating the 4th of July by lighting fireworks and throwing them.  Elmer Fudd represents Joe McCarthy and the fireworks represent Joe's aggressively overt patriotism.

However, one of Elmer's fireworks lands next to an ant colony injuring one of the ants.  The ant, in this moment, represents an average American citizen does not quite share the same zeal as Mr. McCarthy and so feels overwhelmed by it.

When Elmer sees his fireworks have disturbed the ants, he's inspired to throw several of his lighted explosives directly at the ants.  This of course represents McCarthy's Human Unamerican Activities Committee going after anyone they considered "communist subversives" (whether they had evidence or not).

Although one aspect is different from the real history of that era.  Back then, anyone who found themselves snared by the HUAC net had no choice but to go along with the proceedings which would get them blacklisted in some way.  In the cartoon in question here, the ants answer this onslaught with full militarized retaliation.

My comparison to McCarthy with this cartoon is further solidified for me when at one point during the battle Elmer Fudd shouts "Why don't you ant go under gwound where you bewong!"

I mean, that's why Joe started his crusade in the first place, so that he could drive all he considered undesirable to go underground and (to his hope) out of society.

But, like I said, the ants retaliate against Elmer in a highly successful attack that has Fudd running for his safety.

His retreat is all for naught because the ants manage to obliterate him with his own explosives. The cartoon ends with the ants throwing a patriotic salute to Elmer's (Joe's) destruction.

It would be of no surprise to me if my hypothesis of Ant Pasted were proved correct.  One of McCarthy's biggest target of interest was Hollywood, which the WB animation department was very much a part of.  You can bet everyone there was worried that no stone would be left unturned and soon HUAC would be coming after them.  I do think they did throw in some nods to patriotism for the soul purpose of keeping these men away from them.

One example I can think of off the top of my head is Forward March Hare in which Bugs Bunny accidentally joins the army.  When the general informs Bugs that the army is not equipped to accommodate rabbits as soldiers, Bugs responds with, "Isn't there something a patriotic rabbit can do for his country?"  I'm sure Joe pleasured himself after hearing Bugs say that.

Another example I recall is a gag in the cartoon Fowl Weather.  Sylvester cranks up a little toy soldier and sets it marching in front of the hens in the henhouse.  The hens all stand up to salute.  This gives Sylvester a chance to look for Tweety who may be hiding among the baby chicks (spoiler: he was).  Although, I think this may have been another subtle jab at Joe.

And of course there are the three cartoons that were commissioned to be economic lessons:

By Word of Mouse

Heir Conditioned

and Yankee Dood It

I looked through some of the comments of that video and found this dissenting assertion that I'd like to address:

OK, whoever made this comment (I cropped out the name so nobody finds and harasses this guy) contradicts himself a bit.  He says that the president ant declaring war may be a caricature of Harry Truman since he was president when production of this cartoon began at some point in the early 1950's but was released after Eisenhower had since won the 1952 election by the time of its release in 1953.  However, he then claims this cartoon was more about the Korean War coming to an end.  Ant Pasted was released May 9 of 1953 while the Korean War was halted with a cease fire in September of that year.  How could the director Friz Freeing be inspired to make a cartoon about the end of the Korean War at a time when Truman was still president and still determined to keep that war going? And yet he thought my comparison to Joe McCarthy was "off base" even though that was a deeply pressing concern in that time period starting way further back in the late 40's.  Meh.  What's the point of addressing this guy's ramblings any further?

Forget it, Jake. It's the Youtube comment section.

Well really neither of our statements hold much weight because who knows what the director of Ant Pasted, Friz Freleng, would say about our hypotheses if through some miracle of science he could still be alive today.  Maybe he would say "No, this cartoon was me telling Arthur Godfrey that he's a son of a bitch and should stay away from my wife."  But we'll never know, and what does it matter in the grand scheme of time and space?  No matter whose assessment is true or not, I think most animation enthusiasts can agree that many of the WB cartoons are some of the best and most clever short films of all time.  The fact that different people can read different things into what are essentially basic premises whose structure is used as a showcase for quick gags.  That's all part of their genius.  Whatever your opinion is, definitely continue to enjoy the cartoon Ant Pasted with or without commentary.

Happy viewing!!!