Robert McKimson's 'Walky Talky Hawky' introduced Foghorn Leghorn, a character with whom McKimson did much of his best work. This short was originally intended as a star vehicle for Henerey Hawk but Foggy obviously steals the show, so much so that Henerey became the supporting player. Foghorn is close to fully realised already in this debut outing, as is his regular rival, the barnyard dog. When Henerey comes to the farm looking for a chicken to eat, Foggy convinces him that the dog is a chicken, thereby exposing him to the little hawk's persistent kidnapping attempts. It's a funny set-up and makes for a very good cartoon, although a couple of cartoons down the line McKimson flipped the premise and had Foggy trying to convince Henerey that he was a chicken. That cartoon, 'The Foghorn Leghorn', was a classic and it also christened the character. In comparison, 'Walky Talky Hawky' still holds up well, setting up the premise for McKimson to later subvert. I always think McKimson seems most at ease when directing the Foghorn Leghorn series and 'Walky Talky Hawky' benefits greatly from that assurance. It's a lovely cartoon with a great ending and it also proved to be a great beginning, giving birth to yet another classic Warner Bros. star
16 Reviews
"Well, I'm a horse myself . . . "
pixrox129 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . lies the fat cracker rooster to a tiny predator at the outset of WALKY TALKY HAWKY. Who does this crock of the walk think he is? Mr. Ed? A reasonable person would think that getting booted away from the gelded statuette awards table would have persuaded this fowl windbag to quit while he was behind. No such luck, as I seem to recall that there are MORE THAN A DOZEN subsequent Foghorn soundings. To quote Sylvester, "Suffering succotash!"
This is good clean violent fun, I say, this is good clean violent fun.
the red duchess25 July 2000
This Foghorn Leghorn short offers a twist on the usual Tom and Jerry/Sylvester and Tweety/Roadrunner and Wil E. Coyote model. Like those classics, we are offered a conflict between scavenger and prey. Unlike them, the scavenger is a sweet little cutie, while his victim is a bloated, blustery sneak. The film begins with lachrymose melodrama, as the hero's father tragically tells toddler Henery Hawk that he is a chicken hawk, that he must hunt chickens. With innocent bravado, he sets out to fulfil his duty, but his ominous first act is to fail to fly, falling and thudding from a great height.
Meanwhile Foghorn Leghorn is having his usual self-imposed troubles with Barnyard Dog, taunting the latter because safe in the knowledge of his being tied up. Foghorn is lovably unsympathetic, a windy, Burl Ives-type, full of cod-military guff; he'll turn any trick to save his own hide. This mixture of malice and cowardice makes him a true cousin of Bugs.
He sees in the chickenhawk an opportunity to further exasperate Barnyard, and, persuading the little fellow that he is a horse, and Barnyard a chicken, urges Henery to root out his meal. Much sadistic lunacy ensues, wonderfully brutal, with the scheming Foghorn not always coming out best.
This energetic short plays havoc with sentimental ideals of the pastoral, especially prominent just after the war - its celebration of metamorphosis, duplicity and cunning is heartening in that oppressive All American social atmosphere. There is also some bracing philosophy about the struggle between free-will and genetic destiny. A Tex Avery would have made this a classic, but a funny script and peerlessly protean Mel Blanc voicing make this a rare treat.
Meanwhile Foghorn Leghorn is having his usual self-imposed troubles with Barnyard Dog, taunting the latter because safe in the knowledge of his being tied up. Foghorn is lovably unsympathetic, a windy, Burl Ives-type, full of cod-military guff; he'll turn any trick to save his own hide. This mixture of malice and cowardice makes him a true cousin of Bugs.
He sees in the chickenhawk an opportunity to further exasperate Barnyard, and, persuading the little fellow that he is a horse, and Barnyard a chicken, urges Henery to root out his meal. Much sadistic lunacy ensues, wonderfully brutal, with the scheming Foghorn not always coming out best.
This energetic short plays havoc with sentimental ideals of the pastoral, especially prominent just after the war - its celebration of metamorphosis, duplicity and cunning is heartening in that oppressive All American social atmosphere. There is also some bracing philosophy about the struggle between free-will and genetic destiny. A Tex Avery would have made this a classic, but a funny script and peerlessly protean Mel Blanc voicing make this a rare treat.
Classic Animation at Its Best
Michael_Elliott28 July 2015
Walky Talky Hawky (1946)
**** (out of 4)
Hilarious short has a small chicken hawk being told by his father that he needs to eat chicken so he sets out to find out. He comes across Foghorn Leghorn who convinces him that a dog is really the chicken. This here is a wonderful short that remains one of the absolute best to ever come from Warner. There are so many classic moments here but the real highlight is simply the fact that all three characters are so downright funny and lovable in their own right. There are many funny moments here but for me the highlight will always be the scream that Foghorn lets out once the dog finally gets a hold of him. That scream itself is one of the funniest noises to ever come from the studio. As you'd expect the animation is terrific but the final line of the film is just priceless.
**** (out of 4)
Hilarious short has a small chicken hawk being told by his father that he needs to eat chicken so he sets out to find out. He comes across Foghorn Leghorn who convinces him that a dog is really the chicken. This here is a wonderful short that remains one of the absolute best to ever come from Warner. There are so many classic moments here but the real highlight is simply the fact that all three characters are so downright funny and lovable in their own right. There are many funny moments here but for me the highlight will always be the scream that Foghorn lets out once the dog finally gets a hold of him. That scream itself is one of the funniest noises to ever come from the studio. As you'd expect the animation is terrific but the final line of the film is just priceless.
Foghorn Leghorn's first appearance-and his only shot at an Oscar
llltdesq9 May 2001
This cartoon, nominated for an Oscar, was actually a Henery Hawk cartoon. But Foghorn Leghorn-a takeoff on a radio character of the 1930s-1940s-steals the show and launched himself to fame and fortune, while Henery saw his career fizzle. The Foggy in this is the Foggy everyone knows today. Very little change from the first appearance to the familiar figure, unlike Bugs, Daffy, Porky, Elmer or most of the others. Well worth watching.
"Are you comin' quietly or do I have to muss ya up?"
utgard1424 December 2015
A wonderful debut for Foghorn Leghorn in this Oscar-nominated short. This one has the formula that would make up many of the Foghorn cartoons, but probably never better than it is here. Young chicken hawk Henery Hawk is determined to get himself a chicken. He happens upon the farm where Foghorn Leghorn resides and finds the rooster feuding with the farm's dog (Barnyard Dog, also in his first appearance). Foghorn convinces Henery that the dog is a chicken, which results in lots of funny gags.
It's a hilarious short with great lines and gags, and colorful, well-drawn animation. One of director Bob McKimson's best. Lively music from Carl Stalling. Mel Blanc's voice work is flawless. As much fun as his voices for the main trio are, his work with Henery's father in the beginning of the cartoon was a highlight for me. So melodramatic! It's a Looney Tunes classic, both for being the beginning of a terrific series and for being very funny in its own right.
It's a hilarious short with great lines and gags, and colorful, well-drawn animation. One of director Bob McKimson's best. Lively music from Carl Stalling. Mel Blanc's voice work is flawless. As much fun as his voices for the main trio are, his work with Henery's father in the beginning of the cartoon was a highlight for me. So melodramatic! It's a Looney Tunes classic, both for being the beginning of a terrific series and for being very funny in its own right.
Here comes Foghorn
Horst_In_Translation21 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
One of my favorite cartoon characters and he brings his frenemies Barnyard Dog and Henery Hawk. "Walky Talky Hawky" is a 7-minute cartoon from 70 years ago that was made right after World War II and its success resulted in many more films with these characters. Director is McKimson, writer is Foster and voice actor is Mel Blanc of course, all very prolific for Warner Bros. This one may have lost the Oscar, but it was still a success. The story is about Foghorn tricking the chicken hawk into thinking that Barnyard Dog is actually the chicken, a storyline that has been used in other films as well with these characters. It was okay, even if some of the jokes were really just pure action with little comedic value. However, all in all, I felt it was a decent watch with a nice ending too that was actually funny. And you hear Foghorn making chicken sounds, which does not happen too often in these cartoons. I recommend the watch.
The best of the nominees that year.
planktonrules27 January 2014
This is the first appearance of Foghorn Leghorn and the dog as well as the second appearance of Henery Hawk (but the first voiced by Mel Blanc). As far as the dog and chicken are concerned, they related to each other exactly as they did in subsequent films--and seeing them tormenting each other was, as always, a pleasure. In the midst of this fighting arrives Henery who is used by both Foghorn and the dog to fight their battle. Quite a few later films featured similar scenarios, but this was the first.
This film was nominated for Best Animated Short but ultimately lost to "Cat Concerto"--which was an intellectual Tom & Jerry outing which critics apparently loved but which was short on laughs. If I had been alive and a member of AMPAS (the Oscar folks) back then, I certainly would have voted for "Walky Talky Hawky", as it was the funniest of the nominees.
This film was nominated for Best Animated Short but ultimately lost to "Cat Concerto"--which was an intellectual Tom & Jerry outing which critics apparently loved but which was short on laughs. If I had been alive and a member of AMPAS (the Oscar folks) back then, I certainly would have voted for "Walky Talky Hawky", as it was the funniest of the nominees.
"chicken hawk" sounds like a sign of things to come
lee_eisenberg7 September 2006
In Foghorn Leghorn's debut, he tries to get Henery Hawk to to go after Barnyard Dog, with unexpected consequences. One thing that I noticed was that Henery Hawk's father called the family "chicken hawks", meaning that they hunt chickens. That phrase now refers to politicians who never served in the armed forces but send other people to fight in wars (often for lies). The connection that I see - however loose - is that Foghorn lies to Henery about Barnyard being a chicken. So he sends Henery off to do something for a lie. On the other hand, Foghorn had tortured Barnyard many times, so he wasn't being as much of a hypocrite as George W. Bush.
But anyway, it's a really fun cartoon, a sign of the later Foghorn Leghorn shorts. Cool.
But anyway, it's a really fun cartoon, a sign of the later Foghorn Leghorn shorts. Cool.
A great start to the Foghorn Leghorn series
TheLittleSongbird6 May 2013
Foghorn Leghorn is not my favourite of the Looney Tunes characters. He is however a very funny one and one of their most distinctive(Pepe LePew probably gets the top spot on that front. Walky Talky Hawky was Foghorn and Henery Hawke's first cartoon, and while it's their first it's also one of their better ones. The animation is beautifully done, Foghorn is a little overweight here as he was in his early cartoons but the colours are vibrant with a good amount of depth and the backgrounds are fluid and detailed. The music has always been one of the main reasons why Foghorn's and Looney Tunes' (in general) cartoons score so well with me. It is lushly orchestrated, it is hugely energetic and very catchy and jazzy, it enhances the action so well and keeps you in a good mood throughout and afterwards. The writing would get wittier later on- as you'd expect for a first time there is the sense that it's trying to find its feet still, perfectly natural- but it is still very funny and fresh with the Foghorn series' writing style(ie. Foghorn's repetition and crazy similes) evident. The gags are clever and well timed. The two characters come off against each other very well, they're not at their best, their personalities got stronger as the series evolved, but they are still like the characters that we know. Mel Blanc does a great job, spot on as Foghorn as always and while he's fine as Henery there are times where he sounds as though he's experimenting with which voice he used before settling with a hybrid of Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales and Tweety. In conclusion, a great promising start in introducing a character that is funny and sticks out from the crowd. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Neither Henery Nor Foghorn Is Funny In This One
ccthemovieman-119 May 2007
After telling his pop that he has a craving for something and can't figure out what it is, little "Henery" hears the facts of life from his dad. No, nothing to do with the birds and bees, just telling his boy that they are "hated and hunted down" because they are chicken hawks and chicken hawks eat chickens. That's what they do!
"Hey, that's for me," says the little bird. Henery doesn't even know what a chicken looks like, so he goes out looking. Just his luck - the first one he encounters is the huge "Foghorn Leghorn." From that point, this is Foghorn's cartoon, not Henery's. He's loud, he's abrasive, he's obnoxious, but who doesn't love Foghorn?
Along the way, as Foghorn puts on the little guy by telling him the nearby dog is a chicken, we get parody of a cigarette commercial from those days ("round, firm and fully-packed"), but overall I didn't find this a very funny cartoon. I doubt others did either which is probably why Henery never became a star. Foghorn wasn't either, but at least many of us have heard of him.
Henery sounds a little like Bugs. I guess Mel Blanc couldn't disguise his Brooklyn accent enough to make Henery sound different, although he did fine with Foghorn.
"Hey, that's for me," says the little bird. Henery doesn't even know what a chicken looks like, so he goes out looking. Just his luck - the first one he encounters is the huge "Foghorn Leghorn." From that point, this is Foghorn's cartoon, not Henery's. He's loud, he's abrasive, he's obnoxious, but who doesn't love Foghorn?
Along the way, as Foghorn puts on the little guy by telling him the nearby dog is a chicken, we get parody of a cigarette commercial from those days ("round, firm and fully-packed"), but overall I didn't find this a very funny cartoon. I doubt others did either which is probably why Henery never became a star. Foghorn wasn't either, but at least many of us have heard of him.
Henery sounds a little like Bugs. I guess Mel Blanc couldn't disguise his Brooklyn accent enough to make Henery sound different, although he did fine with Foghorn.
I SAY, I SAY This is my first Cartoon!
TheMan305119 November 2002
Listen when I'm talking to you boy! This is Foghorn Leghorn's first short. And he got an Oscar-Nomination! WOW! I SAY, I SAY OSCAR NOMINATION! HAHA! You're a good reader but you ain't paying attention to a thing I say!
3(***)out of 4(****)stars
3(***)out of 4(****)stars
Many, if not most, people tasting poodle . . .
oscaralbert6 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
. . . for the first time in their local Chinese eatery remark, "It tastes like chicken." After gnawing off Evander Holyfield's ear in their heavyweight boxing bout, Michael Tyson observed, "It tasted like chicken." Asked what kind of taste eating crow left in his mouth as he watched Middle Tennessee cut down the nets after triumphing over his Michigan State Spartan Hoopsters, a squad he was touting as the sure national champs in the run-up to March Madness 2016, MSU star Denzel Valentine croaked, "Sort of like chicken." Whenever humans bite into fowl-tasting things, their initial thought is that "This tastes just like chicken!" That's why Col. Sanders' 57 secret ingredients are carefully selected to insure that KFC's namesake dish NEVER tastes like chicken! WALKY TALKY HAWKY's title character, Henery Hawk, decides that the tail of the dog that bit him--or even horse meat--are more desirable fates than tasting chicken. It's small wonder that the term "chicken" is one of Western Civilization's most derisive insults, as it originated as an epithet directed at folks afraid to taste chicken!
Henery Meets Foghorn for the First Time
Hitchcoc3 September 2019
Henery realizes that it is his role in life to be a chicken hawk. Unfortunately, he meets Foghorn Leghorn who tells him that the farm dog is a chicken. Both Henery and Foghorn torture the poor dog. Eventually, however, things settle down. This is the first appearance of the enormous rooster.
Foggy Makes His Entrance
Vimacone9 May 2022
McKimson tends to be overlooked as a director, despite having done so many important and hilarious cartoons.
He clearly did something right, considering his fourth release was nominated for an Oscar.
The Foghorn character and situation is almost entirely crystalized from the start, save for the voice. His rivalry with the barnyard dog and tricking the naive Henery Hawk became a staple for the series. Foghorn's voice would eventually be set in stone by his fourth appearance.
Having inherited Tashlin's former crew, McKimson's cartoons from 1946 more or less have Tashlin's sense of energy. This entry is the most frantic paced of the series. Art Davis, Cal Dalton, and Dick Bickenbach had a lot to with the zaniness and this was the sole Foghorn that they animated on.
This entry makes a strong case for Robert McKimson as a director.
He clearly did something right, considering his fourth release was nominated for an Oscar.
The Foghorn character and situation is almost entirely crystalized from the start, save for the voice. His rivalry with the barnyard dog and tricking the naive Henery Hawk became a staple for the series. Foghorn's voice would eventually be set in stone by his fourth appearance.
Having inherited Tashlin's former crew, McKimson's cartoons from 1946 more or less have Tashlin's sense of energy. This entry is the most frantic paced of the series. Art Davis, Cal Dalton, and Dick Bickenbach had a lot to with the zaniness and this was the sole Foghorn that they animated on.
This entry makes a strong case for Robert McKimson as a director.
"Did you lose something? I say, did you lose something, kid?"
slymusic17 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
From director Robert McKimson comes "Walky Talky Hawky", a very good Foghorn Leghorn/Henery Hawk/Barnyard Dog cartoon. The plot? Henery's tummy craves a chicken, but Henery doesn't know what a chicken looks like! Foggy tries to persuade Henery that Barnyard is a chicken, and vice versa.
Two scenes from "Walky Talky Hawky" that I especially like. First, after Barnyard crowns Foggy with a watermelon, he rushes back to his doghouse and feigns snoring; Foggy beats his behind and does the "Aaaaaah, shaddup!" bit. And second, Henery rings Barnyard's "doorbell" and the dog emerges from his house stepping in a jazzy rhythm (WHY, I don't know, but it's terrific) before getting caught in a series of booby traps.
Watching "Walky Talky Hawky" recently reminded me of a 1980s television commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken that featured Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk. Henery tells Foggy in his nasally arrogant voice, "I'm a chicken hawk and you're a chicken! Now are you coming or do I have to muss you up?" Foggy then explains, "You've gotta go to Kentucky Fried Chicken if you want the world's best chicken!"
Two scenes from "Walky Talky Hawky" that I especially like. First, after Barnyard crowns Foggy with a watermelon, he rushes back to his doghouse and feigns snoring; Foggy beats his behind and does the "Aaaaaah, shaddup!" bit. And second, Henery rings Barnyard's "doorbell" and the dog emerges from his house stepping in a jazzy rhythm (WHY, I don't know, but it's terrific) before getting caught in a series of booby traps.
Watching "Walky Talky Hawky" recently reminded me of a 1980s television commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken that featured Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk. Henery tells Foggy in his nasally arrogant voice, "I'm a chicken hawk and you're a chicken! Now are you coming or do I have to muss you up?" Foggy then explains, "You've gotta go to Kentucky Fried Chicken if you want the world's best chicken!"
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