oscaralbert Review of The Foghorn Leghorn

The Foghorn Leghorn (1948)

Henery Hawk's Granddad strangles two defenseless hens . . .

[7/10 · 15 March 2016]

. . . during the first minute of FOGHORN LEGHORN, Warner Bros. animated short warning to America to be on guard against "America's Grandpa." Just before launching into the latest chapter of his serial killing spree, Grandpops Huxtable--oops, Gramps Hawk, that is--addresses the camera, saying, "You're going to hate me for what I'm about to do, but I am, after all, a Rich Guy--Er, Hawk," as if that should somehow make viewers feel better about this whole sordid episode. Since Warner has more than six minutes left to bring this Miscreant to Justice, most viewers will assume that Grandpops Hawk will get fed his just desserts. This is hardly the case. Grandpa, in fact, disappears with his lifeless victims a few seconds after launching his fatal assault, as local law enforcement--represented by title character FOGHORN LEGHORN and Barnyard Dawg--quibble over issues of jurisdiction and semantics. Ironically, while Warner's warning fell upon deaf ears among scores of women victims in its target audience, the U.S. Gay Community took it more to heart, making the smug villain here synonymous with sexual predation.