The Goofy Gophers are one of the lesser known creations from Termite Terrace. Their schtick, involving excessive politeness and a need to make an articulate comment on virtually every little detail, emphasises the verbal as opposed to the physical and their constant yammering back and forth is a truly love-it-or-hate-it experience. Fortunately, I fall firmly into the former category. I've always found the Goofy Gophers absolutely hilarious and while they may have been too much of an acquired taste for stardom, their excessively talky comedy makes a refreshing alternative to the anvil and dynamite slapstick favoured in many of Friz Freleng's other cartoons. The Gophers were created by Bob Clampett although he left Warner Bros. before he got a chance to direct them. Their cartoons were subsequently divided up between Art Davis, Robert McKimson and Friz. Freleng has done a beautiful job with 'Lumber Jerks', ensuring the laughs barely stop throughout this remarkably slow moving cartoon. There's even a hint of an environmental message as the Gophers lose their home to logging and proceed to trace the progress of their tree as it is sawn up and made into furniture. For those who cannot abide the Goofy Gophers middle class politeness, 'Lumber Jerks' will be a painful experience but fans like me will find it delightful. Warren Foster's wonderfully restrained script wisely makes the Gophers the whole show with barely another character showing up throughout. Most of my favourite Freleng cartoons are wildly energetic pieces such as 'Canned Feud' or 'Yankee Doodle Daffy' but 'Lumber Jerks' takes a different approach and comes up with a different kind of classic and a fascinating showcase for two of the oddest characters in the Warner Bros. repertoire.
13 Reviews
Lumber Jerks is a highly amusing Goofy Gophers short
tavm8 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Obviously, from reading all the comments on this short-Lumber Jerks, the Goofy Gophers, Mac and Tosh, are an acquired taste for cartoon fans especially Warner Bros. ones. For the record, I like them, British accents and gentlemanly behavior and all that makes them tick. Their "thank you" and all their analysis of the world around them make them unique among cartoon teams. And seeing them get out of various jams and then commenting on them always bring a smile on my face if not outright laughter. In this one, they follow their chopped tree to a saw mill then to a furniture store as they bring them all back to their home. Loved the comment about the new television that they'll enjoy "as soon as we get electricity"! And, yes, I did notice the voice of one of the furniture men as Bugs Bunny! So on that note, I highly recommend Friz Freling's Lumber Jerks.
"I think we should take definite steps to regain our property."
utgard1414 October 2015
Fun Goofy Gophers short from Friz Freleng. In this one, Mac and Tosh's tree is cut down and sent to a sawmill. The duo try to recover their home, which turns out to be a pretty dangerous task. If you like the Goofy Gophers, you'll probably enjoy this cartoon a lot. If you're new to them, how much you will like this depends on whether you prefer your cartoons to be heavy on verbal humor or if you prefer sight gags. This has more of the former than the latter, although there are some funny bits in the sawmill, such as the artificial log and pencil sharpener gags. Great voice work from Stan Freberg and Mel Blanc. Lively score from Milt Franklyn. The animation is just lovely with beautiful Technicolor and well-drawn characters and backgrounds. The scenes inside the mill are excellent. It's a fun cartoon but not a classic or anything. I'm not the biggest Goofy Gophers fan but I will say they work best like this when it's just the two of them. Other shorts tried pairing them with the likes of Elmer or Daffy and the results weren't that hot.
Slightly goofy
slymusic8 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Friz Freleng, "Lumber Jerks" is a Warner Bros. cartoon featuring two British-accented gophers, known as the Goofy Gophers, who never became huge stars in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series.
There's not much I can write about this fairly slow-paced cartoon, but it does have a couple of memorable moments. Probably the most notable highlight of "Lumber Jerks" is the manner in which the two gophers talk to each other throughout; they use highly impressive vocabulary to compliment each other on their keen observations of their predicament. (The main thrust of the plot is that they must rebuild their home after their tree has been cut down into logs for furniture.) And in a brief moment of the gophers' pacing back and forth, wondering what to do next, the music of Milt Franklyn greatly enhances the rapid footsteps.
Again, "Lumber Jerks" is not a hit, nor are the Goofy Gophers. In fact, I had never heard of the Goofy Gophers until I saw this cartoon recently on DVD (Disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1). But don't let that prevent you from enjoying this cartoon and getting a few laughs from it.
There's not much I can write about this fairly slow-paced cartoon, but it does have a couple of memorable moments. Probably the most notable highlight of "Lumber Jerks" is the manner in which the two gophers talk to each other throughout; they use highly impressive vocabulary to compliment each other on their keen observations of their predicament. (The main thrust of the plot is that they must rebuild their home after their tree has been cut down into logs for furniture.) And in a brief moment of the gophers' pacing back and forth, wondering what to do next, the music of Milt Franklyn greatly enhances the rapid footsteps.
Again, "Lumber Jerks" is not a hit, nor are the Goofy Gophers. In fact, I had never heard of the Goofy Gophers until I saw this cartoon recently on DVD (Disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1). But don't let that prevent you from enjoying this cartoon and getting a few laughs from it.
they were right about the industry's purpose
lee_eisenberg15 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
For the most part, it seems like "Lumber Jerks" isn't quite as much as we expect from the Termite Terrace crowd, as fop gophers Mac and Tosh try to recapture their cut down tree, which is getting turned into furniture. But I liked what they said in one scene: it appears that the goal here is the destruction of our forests. They didn't know how right they were! At the end of the cartoon, after they've built a tree out of furniture that they captured, they sit in front of the TV and hope for the day when they finally have electricity. This mirrors the current state of affairs in Iraq, where people haven't had electricity for almost four years now.
Yes, I know, I'm reading way too far into this cartoon. It was just intended as silly entertainment to get shown before a feature film. Even so, I'm just saying that the creators had no idea that this silly cartoon which they were creating would be a sign of things to come.
Yes, I know, I'm reading way too far into this cartoon. It was just intended as silly entertainment to get shown before a feature film. Even so, I'm just saying that the creators had no idea that this silly cartoon which they were creating would be a sign of things to come.
chip n dale with english accents
awblundell15 March 2003
cute cartoon very reminiscent of chip n dale but with english accents.
two chipmunks find their tree home has been demolished and follow it along the river and to the sawmill.
Clever and inventive cartoon but I still prefer chip n dale
two chipmunks find their tree home has been demolished and follow it along the river and to the sawmill.
Clever and inventive cartoon but I still prefer chip n dale
they are definitely not Chip and Dale
mkosta9430 March 2005
I wouldn't compare this cartoon to Chip and Dale, those gophers are funny being themselves. Their flavor is certainly, English accent and behavior of gentlemen, that was funny as hell. It would be interesting to know what exactly means this world play "Lumber Jerks", 'cause I've came up with two variants. As usually this cartoon was simply killed in translation to Russian language, besides, somehow gophers turned out to be boy and girl :) I wish there was more of these characters to see, and I second that one of the drivers was Bugs Bunny, that was a nice touch. As for DVD release it is very worth buying the video quality is very good, that is remastered very good, vivid colors and stuff like that, audio quality is good as well considering that it is from year 1955, you know.
Who?
CuriosityKilledShawn3 December 2004
Mac and Tosh? The Goofy Gophers? Never heard of them. And I bet Walt Disney cried plagiarism the day this came out. And I don't blame him if he did as they are a total rip-off of Chip and Dale. They are kinda funny funny though.
Mac and Tosh both have English accents and are very well spoken. When lumberjacks show up in their forest and cut their home down they go off to the lumber mill to get it back. Only it's made into furniture (you can't help but notice the tiniest environmental subtext here) and they plan to steal it back, nonetheless, from the delivery drivers (one of whom sounds EXACTLY like Bugs).
They are cute but not strong enough to really last as long as the better known Looney Tunes. And perhaps Disney put an injunction on Warner preventing such blatant plagiarism. Is this why we never saw Mac and Tosh again?
Mac and Tosh both have English accents and are very well spoken. When lumberjacks show up in their forest and cut their home down they go off to the lumber mill to get it back. Only it's made into furniture (you can't help but notice the tiniest environmental subtext here) and they plan to steal it back, nonetheless, from the delivery drivers (one of whom sounds EXACTLY like Bugs).
They are cute but not strong enough to really last as long as the better known Looney Tunes. And perhaps Disney put an injunction on Warner preventing such blatant plagiarism. Is this why we never saw Mac and Tosh again?
The weakest of the Freleng-directed Goofy Gophers cartoons, still very good
TheLittleSongbird30 June 2016
Of the nine Goofy Gophers cartoons, four of them were directed by Fritz Freleng. And while the best of the Goofy Gophers will always be the first one 'The Goofy Gophers', all of Freleng's efforts are very good to great.
'Lumber Jerks' for me is the weakest of the four, but not really for any major flaws. Just that the previous three had a little more imagination and tighter pacing, this is unusually slow-moving for the series and it may be a turn off for some, for me the restraint was admirable but a couple of parts were a little too staid for my liking. 'Lumber Jerks' however is still a very good cartoon.
The animation is just lovely as always with the early and middle period Looney Tunes cartoons, with some bright vibrant colours and richly detailed backgrounds and everything is very fluidly and smoothly drawn with no obvious jarring anywhere.
While Carl Stalling for me has always been the slightly better composer, Milt Franklyn still does a fine job, it is always dynamic and beautiful to listen to with lots of energy, whimsy and lively character. More importantly, it fits beautifully, just that Stalling's music went one step further in enhancing the action more effectively.
The dialogue manages to be both sharp and restrained, clever in structure and filled with the usual fresh and zany Looney Tunes wit, never less than very funny. The gags, in laugh-a-minute mode, are imaginative and executed very well indeed, most of the humour coming from the endearingly over polite dialogue between Mac and Tosh.
The story is still entertaining, if not as lively in pace as the previous Goofy Gopher cartoons. One may miss the dark and sometimes brutal, but never over-the-top cartoonish or stomach-churningly sadistic slapstick and violence of their earlier outings with the intellectual and well-spoken dog, but the visual humour is still a lot of fun here.
Mac and Tosh work are a wonderfully entertaining duo, if a very acquired taste, being cute yet very funny in their over-politeness to one another. They are voiced adroitly by Stan Freberg and Mel Blanc.
All in all, very good though there's better in the Goofy Gophers series. 8/10 Bethany Cox
'Lumber Jerks' for me is the weakest of the four, but not really for any major flaws. Just that the previous three had a little more imagination and tighter pacing, this is unusually slow-moving for the series and it may be a turn off for some, for me the restraint was admirable but a couple of parts were a little too staid for my liking. 'Lumber Jerks' however is still a very good cartoon.
The animation is just lovely as always with the early and middle period Looney Tunes cartoons, with some bright vibrant colours and richly detailed backgrounds and everything is very fluidly and smoothly drawn with no obvious jarring anywhere.
While Carl Stalling for me has always been the slightly better composer, Milt Franklyn still does a fine job, it is always dynamic and beautiful to listen to with lots of energy, whimsy and lively character. More importantly, it fits beautifully, just that Stalling's music went one step further in enhancing the action more effectively.
The dialogue manages to be both sharp and restrained, clever in structure and filled with the usual fresh and zany Looney Tunes wit, never less than very funny. The gags, in laugh-a-minute mode, are imaginative and executed very well indeed, most of the humour coming from the endearingly over polite dialogue between Mac and Tosh.
The story is still entertaining, if not as lively in pace as the previous Goofy Gopher cartoons. One may miss the dark and sometimes brutal, but never over-the-top cartoonish or stomach-churningly sadistic slapstick and violence of their earlier outings with the intellectual and well-spoken dog, but the visual humour is still a lot of fun here.
Mac and Tosh work are a wonderfully entertaining duo, if a very acquired taste, being cute yet very funny in their over-politeness to one another. They are voiced adroitly by Stan Freberg and Mel Blanc.
All in all, very good though there's better in the Goofy Gophers series. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Goofy Gophers List
jim8858-128 June 2007
I notice by all the comments I've seen that most people are under the impression that "The Goofy Gophers" first and possibly only appearance was in "Lumber Jerks". Actually by my count, they appeared in a total of 9 cartoons (7 Looney Toons and 2 Merrie Melodies). There may possibly be more I don't know about. "Lumber Jerks" was actually their 7th cartoon. They appeared in:
1. The Goofy Gophers (1947)
2. Two Gophers from Texas (1948)
3. A Ham in a Role (1949)
4. A Bone for a Bone (1951)
5. I Gopher You (1954)
6. Pests for Guests (1955)
7. Lumber Jerks (1955)
8. Gopher Broke (1958)
9. Tease for Two (1965)
They seem to be more popular than most people think (although still no comparison to BUGS!)
1. The Goofy Gophers (1947)
2. Two Gophers from Texas (1948)
3. A Ham in a Role (1949)
4. A Bone for a Bone (1951)
5. I Gopher You (1954)
6. Pests for Guests (1955)
7. Lumber Jerks (1955)
8. Gopher Broke (1958)
9. Tease for Two (1965)
They seem to be more popular than most people think (although still no comparison to BUGS!)
Cute? Yeah; Funny? No!
ccthemovieman-17 February 2007
This features "Goofy Gophers," and I can see why this pair of characters never made it big in the Warner Brothers company of animated characters: they simply weren't funny. Cute? Yes? Funny? No. There wasn't anything to laugh about it this story of two gophers who have the top of their tree (where they store nuts) chopped off by lumberjacks.
They go searching for the half-tree, find it at the bottom of a river with others, and try to bring it home, first paddling down the river with it, then back at the mill battling a buzz-saw, and then following it as it became furniture.
All the while, they keep their cool and use a decent vocabulary, trying to sound British. They also get a plug in that will please all the "tree-huggers" out there.
Charming in spots, but where's the humor? Not in this cartoon, that's for sure.
They go searching for the half-tree, find it at the bottom of a river with others, and try to bring it home, first paddling down the river with it, then back at the mill battling a buzz-saw, and then following it as it became furniture.
All the while, they keep their cool and use a decent vocabulary, trying to sound British. They also get a plug in that will please all the "tree-huggers" out there.
Charming in spots, but where's the humor? Not in this cartoon, that's for sure.
Lower Cartoon
Michael_Elliott19 April 2009
Lumber Jerks (1955)
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Twin gophers are collecting nuts to move into their new home (a tree) when lumber jacks tear it down and move it down the river to turn into furniture. Freleng and Blanc were masters of animation but this here is one of their duds. I really can't say too many goods things about this short and the more I think of it the less I like it. For starters, found a lot of the animation to be mediocre at best. Nothing is downright bad but at the same time nothing really jumps off the screen saying it's good. I was also rather disappointed in the vocals because they're more annoying than anything else. I'm sure the heart of the filmmakers were in the right place but the end results are pretty lacking.
* 1/2 (out of 4)
Twin gophers are collecting nuts to move into their new home (a tree) when lumber jacks tear it down and move it down the river to turn into furniture. Freleng and Blanc were masters of animation but this here is one of their duds. I really can't say too many goods things about this short and the more I think of it the less I like it. For starters, found a lot of the animation to be mediocre at best. Nothing is downright bad but at the same time nothing really jumps off the screen saying it's good. I was also rather disappointed in the vocals because they're more annoying than anything else. I'm sure the heart of the filmmakers were in the right place but the end results are pretty lacking.
take solace in the fact that the 'goofy gophers' were never heard of again, at least
movieman_kev2 November 2005
Two British gophers are storing their nuts for the weekend, when they find that much of their tree has been taken away which they have to find and bring it back. 'Goofy Gophers' indeed, try 'utterly lame never heard from again' gophers. I hold Looney Tunes shorts to a higher standard and when said standard isn't realized (or in this case even close), I'm sorely disappointed, and such is the case with this one. It just plain not the good at all and that saddens me a bit. This animated short can be found on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1.
My Grade: D
My Grade: D
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