Mexicali Shmoes
Encyclopedia
Mexicali Shmoes is a 1959 Looney Tunes
cartoon
short directed by Friz Freleng
. Voice actors are Mel Blanc
as the voices of cats Jose and Manuel and Speedy Gonzales
plus an uncredited Tom Holland as the voice of Slowpoke Rodriguez.
The Academy Award-nominated cartoon has two singing cat
s, Jose and Manuel, chasing Speedy Gonzales in Mexico
. This cartoon introduces Slowpoke Rodriguez, Speedy's cousin. Slowpoke would appear in only one other classic Looney Tunes short, 1962's Mexican Boarders
.
-wearing cats, Jose and Manuel, are singing while relaxing on the "Avenida de Gatos" when they are taunted by Speedy Gonzales
. After Manuel fails to catch Speedy, Jose informs Manuel that Speedy is "the fastest mouse in all Mexico
" 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 try (and fail) to capture him. During their struggles, Manuel gets bonked on the head by Jose with a guitar
, Jose hooks Speedy with a fishing line and gets towed to Los Angeles
, Manuel gets blown up by dynamite
, and both cats get blown up in a minefield they constructed. Jose and Manuel are sitting on top of a wall after failing to outsmart Speedy and catch him. 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 him and warn about Slowpoke. No sooner than Jose arrives at the mouse house and catches him, Slowpoke shoots him. Manuel tells Jose exactly what he was trying to warn him about Slowpoke: "He packs a gun."
, the end gag where Jose captures Slowpoke Rodriguez was edited to remove the part where Slowpoke shoots Jose in the face with a gun just as Manuel tries to warn him that Slowpoke Rodriguez keeps a gun on him. Several Speedy Gonzales shorts were edited by the network to avoid offending modern sensibilities. The unedited cartoon was released on DVD
in November 2006 on the third disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Four.
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
short directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
. Voice actors are Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
as the voices of cats Jose and Manuel and Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers 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 fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
plus an uncredited Tom Holland as the voice of Slowpoke Rodriguez.
The Academy Award-nominated cartoon has two singing cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, Jose and Manuel, chasing Speedy Gonzales in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This cartoon introduces Slowpoke Rodriguez, Speedy's cousin. Slowpoke would appear in only one other classic Looney Tunes short, 1962's Mexican Boarders
Mexican Boarders
Mexican Boarders is a 1962 Looney Tunes cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. Voice actors are Mel Blanc , Daws Butler as the narrator, and an uncredited Tom Holland as the voice of Slowpoke Rodriguez.The cartoon has Sylvester trying to catch Speedy in a house they share in Mexico...
.
Plot
Two sombreroSombrero
Sombrero in English refers to a type of wide-brimmed hat originating in Mexico. In Spanish, however, it is the generic word for "hat", which originates from "sombra", meaning "shade"....
-wearing cats, Jose and Manuel, are singing while relaxing on the "Avenida de Gatos" when they are taunted by Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales is an animated caricature of a mouse in the Warner Brothers 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 fast and speaking with an exaggerated Mexican accent...
. After Manuel fails to catch Speedy, Jose informs Manuel that Speedy is "the fastest mouse in all Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
" 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
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
where they try (and fail) to capture him. During their struggles, Manuel gets bonked on the head by Jose with a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Jose hooks Speedy with a fishing line and gets towed to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Manuel gets blown up by dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
, and both cats get blown up in a minefield they constructed. Jose and Manuel are sitting on top of a wall after failing to outsmart Speedy and catch him. 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 him and warn about Slowpoke. No sooner than Jose arrives at the mouse house and catches him, Slowpoke shoots him. Manuel tells Jose exactly what he was trying to warn him about Slowpoke: "He packs a gun."
Censorship
On Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
, the end gag where Jose captures Slowpoke Rodriguez was edited to remove the part where Slowpoke shoots Jose in the face with a gun just as Manuel tries to warn him that Slowpoke Rodriguez keeps a gun on him. Several Speedy Gonzales shorts were edited by the network to avoid offending modern sensibilities. The unedited cartoon was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in November 2006 on the third disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Four.
Awards and honors
- Mexicali Shmoes was nominated in the Best Short Subjects, Cartoons category at the 32nd Academy Awards32nd Academy AwardsThe 32nd Academy Awards honored film achievements of 1959 on 4 April 1960.MGM's and director William Wyler's three and a half-hour long epic drama Ben-Hur won 11 Oscars in 1959, breaking the previous year's all-time record of nine...
in 1959.