Tex Avery apparently liked using Red Skelton, or rather his characters and catchphrases, in his cartoons. In this one, "Lem Kadodlehopper" is Skelton's character, Clem Kadiddlehopper. The expressions, speech patterns, the whole bit. How Skelton felt about this, I don't know, but I suspect he took it in stride. Skelton was a popular source for animators, particularly the routine they borrowed from most, The Mean Widdle Kid. The catchprase, "If I dood it, I'll get a whippin'" is used often, in whole or in part. Actually, being parodied in cartoons is a compliment and an indication of popularity, because animators used things that audiences would easily recognize and enjoy, as an inside joke or a hook to get audiences into the cartoon. This cartoon is loaded with sight gags and has not one, but two, running gags. The one with the steer is more a Tex Avery kind of gag and is funnier, at least to me. The steer is also a typical Tex Avery character and has the best dialogue in the short. Worth watching. Recommended.
8 Reviews
Two roosters vying for a chicken
TheLittleSongbird23 October 2017
Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'The Hick Chick' is not one of Avery's best, with a fairly weak and very predictable love triangle story that lacks the razor sharpness of his best work. It is nonetheless a long way from bad, actually it is still good. When Avery was not at his best he still fared much better than most other animation directors at their worst, some can only dream of having their best work on the same level as the masterpieces from Avery.
The characters are good fun, the two roosters and the chicken are both charming if slightly bland compared to most Avery creations but it's the bull who steals the show, pure classic Avery in characterisation. The work cannot be faulted.
Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious. Instead it's impeccably timed and very funny, with Avery's style shining all over it, especially in the writing for the bull.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
To conclude, not a masterpiece but very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'The Hick Chick' is not one of Avery's best, with a fairly weak and very predictable love triangle story that lacks the razor sharpness of his best work. It is nonetheless a long way from bad, actually it is still good. When Avery was not at his best he still fared much better than most other animation directors at their worst, some can only dream of having their best work on the same level as the masterpieces from Avery.
The characters are good fun, the two roosters and the chicken are both charming if slightly bland compared to most Avery creations but it's the bull who steals the show, pure classic Avery in characterisation. The work cannot be faulted.
Avery does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious. Instead it's impeccably timed and very funny, with Avery's style shining all over it, especially in the writing for the bull.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
To conclude, not a masterpiece but very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox
standard Tex Avery
SnoopyStyle3 July 2021
Country chicken Clem takes beautiful Daisy to a barn dance. That's when Charles, the slick villain with a big car, spots the beauty and the two compete for her. Charles takes Daisy to the big city.
It's a 6 min Tex Avery cartoon. This is very much his staple. It's the southern hick and his big city rival. It's fairly standard in its construction. The Clem character is the basic hick type. Some references are lost. Daisy should probably resist Charles so that she is more worthy for the rescue. It's very basic.
It's a 6 min Tex Avery cartoon. This is very much his staple. It's the southern hick and his big city rival. It's fairly standard in its construction. The Clem character is the basic hick type. Some references are lost. Daisy should probably resist Charles so that she is more worthy for the rescue. It's very basic.
It's a sad commentary on this our modern 21st Century . . .
cricket309 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . that female exploitation still is running rampant in countries across the Globe, including America (as documented in THE HICK CHICK). The villain of this piece is tasked with kidnapping the slower sort of women for importation to big city sweat shops. The title character here may not seem worthy to some viewers for much sympathy, but that's really beside the point. Even the most malfunctioning member of the distaff set is likely capable of wielding a Peacemaker of the appropriate size. Whether a Derringer, Colt or Bushmaster is in her mitts, a well-trained member of the fair sex will be equipped to deal with threats such as the miscreant pictured here. All the more reason for YOU to support your local chapter of BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps).
While Warner Bros. entertained America with such classics as . . .
oscaralbert13 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
. . . WHAT'S OPERA, DOC? and ONE FROGGY EVENING, its rival House of the Groaning Fat Cat One Per Centers (aka, The Billionaire Boys' Club) churned out insidious sleaze, of which THE HICK CHICK is a prime deplorable example. Designed to strengthen the pervasive U.S. Confederate "Red State" practice of bestiality, THE HICK CHICK deals with the crazed efforts of two male chickens (aka, "roosters" or "cocks") to mate with a Blonde Human Woman named "Daisy"! Exemplifying the total Southern ignorance about Basic Biology (given the fact that Sex Education is banned by most schools on the Mexican side of the Mason-Dixon Line), this misleading animated short concludes with three apparent offspring being produced by this unholy trio! Anyone with a basic knowledge of 20th Century Culture will recall that THE HICK CHICK's director--"T. Avery"--was defrocked by Warner Bros. when his deviant tendencies first surfaced. Naturally, the disgraced reject found refuge in the Groaning Fat Cat House, a sorry lot dedicated to keeping as many U.S. Citizens as possible in the thrall of the Dark Ages. If you want to spend time on an illustration of all that can go wrong in cartooning, watch THE HICK CHICK. However, if you desire Food for Rational Thought, you can find it gracing nearly every one of the 1,100 Looney Tunes.
It's a Tex Avery film during his time at MGM....'nuff said.
planktonrules28 August 2012
A slick rooster from the big city, Charles (whose voice is an impersonation of Charles Boyer) woos Clem's girl--winning her with promises to take her to New York and give her lots of clothes, clothes, clothes. She agrees but finds out he's nothing but a big dumb jerk. And, when Clem arrives in the city to reclaim her, Charles spends most of the picture punching Clem in the face. It's not exactly the deepest MGM cartoon I've ever seen, though Tex Avery's direction helps with this plot immensely. His goofy sense of humor and silly sound effects get the absolute most from the plot. While it's not one of Avery's better films, even a sub-par outing during his MGM era is a must-see! Well worth your time and if you don't enjoy this one you are probably dead!
The characters are better than the story
Horst_In_Translation23 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
MGM's "The Hick Chick" is a 7-minute cartoon from 1946, so released briefly after World War II. The director here is the somewhat legendary Tex Avery and this is one of his lesser known efforts nowadays. I will spare you the names of writer and cast (voice acting cast), but feel free to check these out yourself. This is basically red chicken guy (sounds like Goofy) vs. black chicken guy, with the former not exactly being the smartest man in the room and the latter having a bit of a French appearance as these two fight for the affection of a tiny female white chicken. Well, they chase each other around more than they actually fight with the exception of the Black guy punching the red guy repeatedly. Yep I wrote "guy" as these cocks sure act like humans most of the time. And when they don't, for example during a pretty funny corn pecking scene, this is for comedic purposes. All in all, it is not a bad film, but not a very good one either. I am not the very greatest Tex Avery fan, but I liked this one more than some of his other works I think. I also prefer the protagonist to Droopy here for example and honestly, the characters in here are doing a fine job carrying the mediocre action most of the time with how they are drawn and how they do what they do. The running gag with the bull's outfit getting taken from him repeatedly is okay too. But it was mostly the ending which finally made me go for the thumbs-up here. The little chick-hatching scene was kinda cute and also funny with the final moment. I think this one deserves to be seen, even if admittedly it does not put the "Golden" into "Golden Age of Animation". That great it is not!
It says somewhere in the Scriptures . . .
pixrox113 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
. . . that many of This Generation lack eyes that see. THE HICK CHICK could serve as a sort of litmus test to find out whether YOU are a perceptive person, or one of the ilk which the Good Book says are doomed to stumble through this life with proverbial blinders obstructing their True Vision. The perverse "Easter Eggs" hidden within THE HICK CHICK are SO controversial that colleagues of mine who have attempted to "spill the beans" about them on this site have been prevented from doing so. The way I look at it, what good does it do anyone to spell out what should be obvious to any decent Human Being tricked into viewing THE HICK CHICK? Clearly, just as one cannot put toothpaste back in the tube, it may prove impossible to go on with Life as if nothing ever happened if you are foolhardy enough to view THE HICK CHICK in its entirety. However, coping with any subsequent PTSD resulting from THE HICK CHICK experience most likely is not as arduous as surviving a mass shooting or Trade Center collapse. Remember, if you're not one of the Elect, you'll be as oblivious to THE HICK CHICK's sins as colorblind people are to Red. And, if you ARE one of the Chosen, please do not spoil the value of this tool which can separate the sheep from the goats by blabbing key information to every Peter, Paul, and Mary.
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