An Itch in Time (1943)

Elmer threatens to give his dog a bath if he doesn't stop scratching, but the poor pooch is the victim of a hungry flea whose tools of the trade include pickaxes and dynamite.

Director:

Robert Clampett

Stars:

Sara Berner, Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Sara Berner	...	A. Flea (singing voice) (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Dog / Cat / A. Flea - screaming (voice) (uncredited)
Arthur Q. Bryan	...	Elmer Fudd (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

Elmer threatens to give his dog a bath if he doesn't stop scratching, but the poor pooch is the victim of a hungry flea whose tools of the trade include pickaxes and dynamite.

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Plot Keywords:

flea | christmas | scratching self | hobo | screaming in pain | 

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Genres:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1943 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Leon Schlesinger Studios, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some prints have the final scene, when the cat shoots himself, deleted. This occurred during a period of time time when there were a rash of teen suicides. Broadcasters removed any scenes of suicides from all programming, including cartoons.

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Quotes

Elmer Fudd: Scwatching, scwatching, scwatching! One more scwatch, and I'll give you a bath.
Dog: No, no, no, no, no! No, please, no!

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Connections

Followed by A Horsefly Fleas (1947)

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Soundtracks

"Jingle Bells"
(uncredited)
Music by James Pierpont
Played when Elmer emerges as Santa Claus

User Reviews

they all knew of each other's existence in their metaphysical, animated world

One of the many Merrie Melodies cartoons that entertained American moviegoers during WWII, Bob Clampett's "An Itch in Time" portrays a hobo flea settling on Elmer Fudd's dog. The little guy turns into a real sadist while making a home on the dog's back, but Elmer warns the dog: "One more scwatch and I'll give you a bath!" Meanwhile, the flea is setting up dynamite on the dog!* And that's not the end! I noticed that in one scene, Elmer is reading a comic book featuring Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig. Obviously, Elmer and Bugs frequently co-starred but Elmer never co-starred with Porky (unless you count the very short "Any Bonds Today?"). But to me, the thought of Elmer reading about these other famous characters from his same genre stresses the metaphysical nature of his world, as though he knew of their existence within his universe even though they don't appear in this cartoon.

Of course, I'm probably going too far in my analysis. I'm sure that the cartoon was intended as pure entertainment, and it certainly entertains. As for the "I might get to like this" line, it sounds as though that was something that the censors wouldn't have allowed but somehow missed; I, for one, don't actually know what it was supposed to sound like. Was it something sexual? As for the end, had I thought that I'd seen everything, I would have been tempted to look for more, rather than do what the cat did (although it was a neat trick).

*The guys behind these cartoons sure had a thing for TNT, didn't they?