Dr. Jerkyl's Hide
Dr. Jerkyl's Hide is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng.[2] The short was released on May 8, 1954, and stars Sylvester.[3]
| Dr. Jerkyl's Hide | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | I. Freleng |
| Produced by | Eddie Selzer |
| Story by | Warren Foster[1] |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Stan Freberg |
| Music by | Musical direction: Carl Stalling Orchestra: Milt Franklyn (uncredited) |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | May 8, 1954 |
| Language | English |
It is the first of three cartoons that Friz Freleng made based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the others are Hyde and Hare (1955) and Hyde and Go Tweet (1960). This is the final appearance of the antagonistic canine duo Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier (although Spike is named "Alfie" in this short) from the golden age of American animation; speaking with a British accent throughout.
This cartoon's plot follows the same formula as Tree for Two (1952), except that this time it is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde parody, as opposed to a black panther that escaped from the zoo. Sylvester is trying to escape a pair of British dogs (Alfie the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier). He accidentally ingests Dr. Jekyll's formula (thinking it is soda pop), causing him to become a monster cat that terrorizes Alfie and causes Chester to call Alfie a coward.
Plot
Alfie and Chester are walking down the street as Chester constantly asks Alfie what he wants them to do today. When Chester mentions chasing a cat, Alfie is interested. Then, the two dogs come across a sleeping Sylvester until he wakes up to realize he is being confronted by the dogs. Sylvester panics and runs as he is being chased by the dogs until he takes refuge inside a place under the names, "Dr. Jerkyl" and "Mr. Hyde". Out of breath, Sylvester accidentally ingests Dr. Jerkyl's formula (thinking it is soda pop), which causes him to become a monster cat. Alfie enters the place, only to confront and be terrorized by the monstrous Sylvester. Alfie comes out scared white as a confused Chester comes in to check the place out, only to find Sylvester, having turned back to normal.
Chester then encourages Alfie to continue with his pursuit of the cat. Sylvester hides inside a footlocker, only to be spotted by Alfie. Alfie coaxes Sylvester to come out, only to be confronted by the cat's monster form again; leaving him completely scratched and falling apart into pieces literally once he comes out of the room. As the monster cat makes its way in, Alfie runs in fear while Chester has his back turned, but the monster cat suddenly reverts to normal. When Sylvester tries to scare Chester away, he gets beaten and thrown away by Chester. Then, Chester forces Alfie at gunpoint to come back inside and confront the cat again before locking the door.
As Alfie panics, Sylvester escapes through the window. Relieved that he is gone, Alfie takes advantage of this by faking a fight between himself to fool Chester, while throwing and smashing glasses and beakers. Then, Alfie accidentally throws the bottle with the formula int, which breaks and makes its way onto a fly that suddenly transforms into a monster fly and proceeds to beat up Alfie and throw him out of the place. When both dogs see the monster fly slam the door shut, Chester slaps Alfie out of shame and calls him "yellow." The next day, Chester and Alfie are walking down the street with Chester wearing Alfie's former hat as Alfie constantly asks Chester what he wants them to do today, which earns him a slap in the face. Alfie breaks the fourth wall by telling the audience how brave and strong Chester is as his own hero.
References
- Beck, Jerry (1991). I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat: Fifty Years of Sylvester and Tweety. New York: Henry Holt and Co. p. 121. ISBN 0-8050-1644-9.
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 261. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 140–142. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.