The Fox and The Crow



The Fox And The Crow is a series of short subjects created for Columbia Pictures by their Screen Gems cartoon outlet. The shorts are centered around the eponymous characters, Fauntleroy Fox and Crawford Crow.

The first film in the series, "The Fox and the Grapes" was directed by ex-Looney Tunes veteran Frank Tashlin, and was an experimental short in using a classic "blackout gag" format: this makes it feel like a woodland precursor to the Chuck Jones Road Runner cartoons--Jones even cited that short as an influence on the series! The plot established the relationship between the duo, with the dim-witted Fauntleroy going about his business, only for the crow to decide to pester him for the sake of it.

After this, the series branched out to become a more standard issue gag series, lasting for several more shorts.

The series was also popular enough to recieve a hit comic series, which ran for an impressive 20 years.

Filmography

 * The Fox and the Grapes (1941): Debut of the series.
 * Woodman Spare That Tree (1942)
 * Toll-Bridge Troubles (1942)
 * Slay It With Flowers (1943)
 * Plenty Below Zero (1943)
 * Tree for Two (1943)
 * A-Hunting We Won't Go (1943)
 * Room and Bored (1943)
 * Way Down Yonder In the Corn (1943)
 * The Dream Kids (1944)
 * Mr. Moocher (1944)
 * Be Patient, Patient (1944)
 * The Egg-Yegg (1944)
 * Ku-Ku Nuts (1945)
 * Treasure Jest (1945)
 * Phoney Baloney (1945)
 * Foxy Flatfoots (1946)
 * Unsure Runts (1946)
 * Mysto Fox (1946)
 * Tooth or Consequences (1947)
 * Robin Hoodlum (1948): First of the three UPA Fox and Crows.
 * The Magic Fluke (1949): Second UPA Fox and Crow.
 * Grape Nutty (1949): Screen Gems holdover.
 * Punchy De Leon (1950): Last Fox and Crow short, last UPA Fox and Crow.

Tropes:

 * Alliterative Names: The eponymous duo.
 * Cartoon Conductor: Fauntleroy in "The Magic Fluke", thanks to his baton being replaced by a magician's wand.
 * The Determinator: Fauntleroy, in the first short anyway.
 * Follow the Leader: The series was undoubtably an attempt at emulating the success of series like Bugs Bunny.
 * Funny Animal: Crawford Crow.
 * Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Fauntleroy.
 * Limited Animation: The UPA shorts.
 * Nice Hat: Fauntleroy's derby hat.
 * No Ending: The abrupt end of "Room and Bored".
 * Screwy Squirrel: The Crow.
 * The Golden Age of Animation
 * Zany Cartoon