Ready, Woolen and Able
Encyclopedia
Ready, Woolen and Able is a 1960 Merrie Melodies
cartoon directed by Chuck Jones
and released by Warner Bros. Pictures featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
. Mel Blanc
provided for the voices of all the characters in this cartoon, however, like all Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf shorts, this short is mostly composed of visual gag
s.
This is the fifth short featuring Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf. The title is a play on the phrase "Ready, willing and able".
. 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
to launch a stick of dynamite
into Sam. However, as Ralph jumps on to one end of the lever, the stick of dynamite simply rolls into him.
3. In Ralph's third attempt, he rolls an open barrel of gun-powder 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 practise 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
which he uses to pull the springs off Ralph's feet in midair. Luckily, Ralph has a parachute
. Unluckily, the wind blows him right next to Sam. As the parachute falls over Sam and Ralph as a shroud, Ralph attempts to run, but 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 he 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's falling he notices Sam sitting on three small cliff outcroppings, a branch, in a hot air balloon
, fishing in a small dingy, and sleeping under water.
Ralph then swims as fast as he can, into the maw of a whale
to find Sam standing against one of the whale's teeth. In shock, Ralph jumps out the whale's blow hole, 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 two dozen instances of Sam, and for the first time they're all visible at once.
As Ralph blows his top, the punch clock whistle blows and Sam begins driving home. As he's driving, an ambulance passes him and Ralph can be seen in the back tied up in a straight jacket. The two politely wish each other good night.
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon directed by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
and released by Warner Bros. Pictures featuring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
Wolf and Sheepdog
Ralph E. Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies line of cartoons. They were created by Chuck Jones....
. 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...
provided for the voices of all the characters in this cartoon, however, like all Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf shorts, this short is mostly composed of visual gag
Visual gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humor visually, often without words being used at all.There are numerous examples in cinema history of directors who based most of the humour in their films on visual gags, even to the point of using no or minimal dialogue...
s.
This is the fifth short featuring Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf. The title is a play on the phrase "Ready, willing and able".
Plot
Introduction: Like all Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf 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 shoddy Ford Model TFord Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
. 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
Rake (tool)
A rake is a broom for outside; an horticultural implement consisting of a toothed bar fixed transversely to a handle, and used to collect leaves, hay, grass, etc., and, in gardening, for loosening the soil, light weeding and levelling, removing dead grass from...
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
Lever
In physics, a lever is a rigid object that is used with an appropriate fulcrum or pivot point to either multiply the mechanical force that can be applied to another object or resistance force , or multiply the distance and speed at which the opposite end of the rigid object travels.This leverage...
to launch a stick of 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...
into Sam. However, as Ralph jumps on to one end of the lever, the stick of dynamite simply rolls into him.
3. In Ralph's third attempt, he rolls an open barrel of gun-powder 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.
Acme Corporation
The Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that features prominently in the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a running gag featuring outlandish products that fail catastrophically at the worst possible times...
bed-springs", which he straps to his feet to increase his stride. After a few failed practise 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
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, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
which he uses to pull the springs off Ralph's feet in midair. Luckily, Ralph has a parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
. Unluckily, the wind blows him right next to Sam. As the parachute falls over Sam and Ralph as a shroud, Ralph attempts to run, but 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
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
. Upon crossing the chasm and grabbing what he thinks to be a sheep, it turns out he 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's falling he notices Sam sitting on three small cliff outcroppings, a branch, in a hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
, fishing in a small dingy, and sleeping under water.
Ralph then swims as fast as he can, into the maw of a whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
to find Sam standing against one of the whale's teeth. In shock, Ralph jumps out the whale's blow hole, 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 two dozen instances of Sam, and for the first time they're all visible at once.
As Ralph blows his top, the punch clock whistle blows and Sam begins driving home. As he's driving, an ambulance passes him and Ralph can be seen in the back tied up in a straight jacket. The two politely wish each other good night.
Censorship
- On ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
two scenes were removed. One pictured above where Ralph is punched out of the parachute and off a cliff, and the other pictured to the right where Ralph was hoping to propel a stick of dynamite toward Sam.
Availability
This cartoon is featured on Road Runner & Wile E Coyote: Looney Tunes, Chariots of Fur.See also
- Sam Sheepdog and Ralph WolfWolf and SheepdogRalph E. Wolf and Sam Sheepdog are characters in a series of animated cartoons in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies line of cartoons. They were created by Chuck Jones....
- Merrie MelodiesMerrie MelodiesMerrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
- Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1960–1969)