Early to Bet (1951)

The Gambling Bug causes gambling fever in anyone he bites. He bites a cat, who becomes eager to play gin-rummy with a bulldog for penalties. Even though he keeps losing and has to endure ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert McKimson

Writer:

Warren Foster (story)

Stars:

Mel Blanc, Stan Freberg

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mel Blanc	...	Cat / Dog / Customer / Luigi / Patrons at Bar (voice)

Storyline

The Gambling Bug causes gambling fever in anyone he bites. He bites a cat, who becomes eager to play gin-rummy with a bulldog for penalties. Even though he keeps losing and has to endure more and more painful penalties, the cat is compelled by the Gambling Bug's bite to continue playing.

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | gin rummy | sequel | comeuppance | cartoon dog | 

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Genres:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prohibido apostar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remake of It's Hummer Time (1950)

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Soundtracks

"You're a Horse's Ass"
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

gambling is the opposite today

"Early to Bet" starts off somewhat lame - as a warning not to gamble - before they start showing the usual crazy stuff (the cat's increasingly nasty punishments) and have a pretty humorous ending. This is of course a product of the days when people considered gambling a sin and moral failure. They probably had no idea that gambling would one day be a major part of the economy.

So more than anything, this cartoon comes across as a period piece. Not as much as we usually expect from a Looney Tunes cartoon (maybe there would have been more with the presence of Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck or one of those guys).