Odor of the Day (1948)

On a cold winter's day, a stray dog is looking for shelter, then finds and sneaks into a cabin with an open fireplace and a cozy bed. But he has a stinky rival for occupancy of the cabin - ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Davis

Writer:

Lloyd Turner (story)

Stars:

Mel Blanc

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mel Blanc	...	Skunk / Dog / Bulldog (voice)

Storyline

On a cold winter's day, a stray dog is looking for shelter, then finds and sneaks into a cabin with an open fireplace and a cozy bed. But he has a stinky rival for occupancy of the cabin - a skunk, (but not Pepe Le Pew). The dog and skunk do battle by spraying each other with scents, Pepe with his foul odor, and the dog with perfume. Both run outside and dive into a frozen lake to remove the smells, and both catch a cold in the process. The sneezing dog and skunk then decide to share the bed in the cabin. However, it led to Pepe Le Pew's creation.

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Plot Keywords:

cartoon dog | looney tunes | cartoon skunk | surrealism

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Genres:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Cheiro do Dia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Cinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is another of those cartoons in which the identity of the main character is open to debate. The skunk in this picture does not resemble Pepe Le Pew, or exhibit any of his mannerisms, personality or his voice in his one line of dialogue. At best, Warner Bros. seems to classify it as an "unofficial" Pepe cartoon by including it on a Pepe home video collection. But ultimately, the identity of the character is a matter of opinion. Pepe Le Pew never sprayed anything on purpose, except a shark, in deep water.

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Quotes

[after both the skunk and dog sneeze hard, then they speak together, in unison and then go to sleep, with a hug together]
Skunk: Gesundheit.

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Crazy Credits

As soon as the skunk leaves the house the doorknob changed from right side to left side (inside the house) and the skunk sprays the dog.

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Connections

Followed by Louvre Come Back to Me! (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Rock-a-Bye Baby"
(uncredited)
Music by Effie I. Canning

User Reviews

Fun if not one of my favourites

I love Looney Tunes, and I like Pepe LePew(though he's not one of my favourites), although his character I think is one that appeals more to an adult than to a child. Odor of the Day is fun enough, but it is an early Pepe cartoon where there is the sense that the series of cartoons with him was still trying to find its feet. I mainly got that sense from how Pepe is written here, if it is Pepe what he does is atypical, it's like it looks like Pepe but doesn't act like him. Pepe is more comedic than in his later cartoons and he does well with it actually, but I think the admittedly one-joke concept of him trying to pursue his love suits his character more and it's certainly what a lot of people are used to. This said, the animation is very good here, both Pepe(assuming that it is him) and the dog are well drawn and the backgrounds from the inside of the house/cabin to the wintry landscapes are beautifully realised. Carl Stalling's music is exactly as you'd expect it to be, lushly orchestrated and very characterful. The gags are funny if not hilarious, and there is some fine support between Pepe and the dog, who is a good foil for Pepe. Mel Blanc is not as active as he usually is, but he does fine with what he has. All in all, Odor of the Day is fun but I couldn't shake off the feeling that Pepe has done better than this. 8/10 Bethany Cox