D' Fightin' Ones
Encyclopedia
D' Fightin' Ones is a 1961 Merrie Melodies
cartoon starring Sylvester
and an unnamed bulldog. The cartoon was directed by Friz Freleng
. It is a parody of The Defiant Ones
, a movie about two escaped inmates—one black
, one white
—who are shackled to each other.
After fighting over some food, Sylvester and the bulldog realize they must break the chains. However, attempting to blow up the chains with TNT and hammering it both fail. Later, while walking near railroad tracks, a train snags their chain. That night, the two sneak into the city and take brief refuge in an abandoned building when a spotlight almost catches them. They decide to disguise themselves in human clothes (with the other person hiding in a suitcase) and hop aboard a bus, but hightail it out of there when the bus is revealed to be headed for Sing Sing
.
In the final set piece of the cartoon, the bulldog gets an idea to hang below a train track that goes between two mountains, with the idea that the train will cut their chains. However, both realize it's a bad idea too late when Sylvester points downward, indicating that once the chains are broken, they'll fall hundreds of feet to the ground. Sure enough, Sylvester and the bulldog fall into a junkyard after their chains are cut. At first, both continue to argue about how dumb the plan was, but are briefly joyous when they realize they aren't shackled together anymore. However, they look down and realize they're now connected by leg via a pipe. They hear police sirens and hop down the road to escape as the short ends.
version of this cartoon cut the following scenes:
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 starring Sylvester
Sylvester (Looney Tunes)
Sylvester J. Pussycat, Sr., Sylvester the Cat or simply Sylvester, is a fictional character, a three-time Academy Award-winning anthropomorphic Tuxedo cat in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies repertory, often chasing Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales, or Hippety Hopper...
and an unnamed bulldog. The cartoon was 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....
. It is a parody of The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones is a 1958 drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams, Charles McGraw, and Lon Chaney, Jr...
, a movie about two escaped inmates—one black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, one white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
—who are shackled to each other.
Summary
Sylvester and the unnamed bulldog (both voiced by Mel Blanc) are on a truck headed for the pound. Both are shackled to each other and hate each others' guts. When the truck hits a bumpy road, the truck's back door opens, dumping Sylvester and the bulldog out. The two quickly run for cover, which is easier said than done due to being stuck together.After fighting over some food, Sylvester and the bulldog realize they must break the chains. However, attempting to blow up the chains with TNT and hammering it both fail. Later, while walking near railroad tracks, a train snags their chain. That night, the two sneak into the city and take brief refuge in an abandoned building when a spotlight almost catches them. They decide to disguise themselves in human clothes (with the other person hiding in a suitcase) and hop aboard a bus, but hightail it out of there when the bus is revealed to be headed for Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
.
In the final set piece of the cartoon, the bulldog gets an idea to hang below a train track that goes between two mountains, with the idea that the train will cut their chains. However, both realize it's a bad idea too late when Sylvester points downward, indicating that once the chains are broken, they'll fall hundreds of feet to the ground. Sure enough, Sylvester and the bulldog fall into a junkyard after their chains are cut. At first, both continue to argue about how dumb the plan was, but are briefly joyous when they realize they aren't shackled together anymore. However, they look down and realize they're now connected by leg via a pipe. They hear police sirens and hop down the road to escape as the short ends.
Censorship
The ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The 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...
version of this cartoon cut the following scenes:
- Hector punching Sylvester after the cat's attempt to "pull a switchbladeSwitchbladeA switchblade is a type of knife with a folding or sliding blade contained in the handle which is opened automatically by a spring when a button, lever, or switch on the handle or bolster is activated A switchblade (also known as an automatic knife, pushbutton knife, switch, Sprenger, Springer,...
claw" on the dog. - Hector whacking Sylvester on the head with a stop signStop signA Stop sign is a traffic sign to notify drivers that they must stop before proceeding.-Specifications:The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals proposed standard stop sign diameters of 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 metres. UK and New Zealand stop signs are 750, 900 or 1200 mm, according to sign...
. - The scene where Sylvester and Hector hide in two suitcases, then run off when the bus for Sing-Sing prison pulls up next to them.