Cannery Woe (1961) User Reviews

The best job of all.

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 16 April 2007]

"Cannery Woe" has much the same plot line as Speedy Gonzales's first star turn, as the Fastest Mouse In Mexico outwits Sylvester to get cheese for his mice friends. As always, Sylvester sets all manner of traps, but Speedy knows how to make them backfire. Although I do think that Speedy was a really cool character, it sometimes seems like his cartoons were sort of one idea reworked several ways; the cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and most of the other Looney Tunes usually depicted a new idea each time.

So, even if this one is pretty routine, it's still pretty fun to watch, just knowing what Speedy's about to do to Sylvester. And it I may say so, I wouldn't mind having Speedy's job at the end!

Sylvester is particularly unfortunate in this short

[llltdesq · 7/10 · 3 December 2006]

This short has Sylvester once again trying to catch Speedy, this time in order to prevent him stealing cheese from the store he's protecting. In reality, it's Sylvester himself who needs protection-from himself and Speedy! As I want to discuss this short in some detail, this is a spoiler warning:

The short opens with two mice sleeping in a sardine can. As Jose and Manuel wake up, they begin to ponder where breakfast is coming from, each in turn trying to suggest something, only to have the other shoot the idea down before they even finish. This bit has a beautiful finish, with the two saying (in unison) "How about...?" and then simultaneously saying "No!" They then spot a "Cheese party" being thrown by Mayor Raton, but they are tossed out by the Mayor himself. So they watch from the wall instead. Catastrophe strikes when the "Cheese Committee" comes in looking rather battered and they tell the mayor there's no cheese because there's a new cat. Manuel and Jose offer to summon Speedy to get the cheese-for a favor, to which the mayor agrees.

This starts a very bad day for Sylvester. First, Sylvester tries to stop Speedt by simply blocking him, only to have Speedy run under him so fast that it strips him of fur and leaves the words, "Speedy was here!" spelled out on Sylvester's stomach with what's left of his fur. Adding insult to injury, Speedy does the same thing on his way out, across his behind, this time spelling, "Also Here!".

Sylvester then tries to lay a series of traps, all of which backfire, including spreading tacks, trying to use a cannon and filling a room with mousetraps. This last is particularly ill-conceived, as Sylvester winds up cornered by his own traps and Speedy then tosses in a ping pong ball to trigger a massive chain reaction. The only one with regrets after any of this is Sylvester.

Speedy gets enough cheese to save the fiesta, is given a medal by the grateful mayor and Jose and Manuel get "jobs" as the official "Cheese Inspectors". Speedy, however, gets the last laugh, as he's been appointed "Chick Inspector" and is last seen with a pretty senorita mouse at his side and a rather large grin! This short is available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 4 and is well worth seeing. Recommended.

Poor Sylvester!

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 8 May 2010]

Cannery Woe was quite nice for a Speedy cartoon. As is the case with most Speedy cartoons the pacing is uneven taking a while to get going here and the animation isn't that brilliant though I will say it is one of the better looking Speedy cartoons. The music is good, the dialogue has its amusing moments, the story is surprisingly not bad and the way Speedy outwits Sylvester here raises a number of smiles throughout the course of the cartoon. Speedy gives one of his more tolerable performances, and Sylvester is a worthy foil here. And as usual, Mel Blanc's characterisations are great. Overall, this is a nice Speedy cartoon, better than most of his outings. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Speedy steals the cheese and gets the girl!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 30 June 2012]

This Speedy Gonzales short opens with poor mice Manuel and José pondering what they should have to eat; they can't think what they could possibly have until the spot a sign saying that the mayor is giving away free cheese as part of his re-election campaign... clearly this doesn't apply to them though as he has them thrown out. It soon looks as if nobody will be having cheese though as the mice who were meant to steal it report that the store is now guarded by 'un pussy gato'. José says that he can help if the mayor does something for him; he agrees and Speedy is summoned. It isn't long before the cheese starts piling up and Sylvester the Pussy Gato is getting more and more hurt... usually by traps that he has set for Speedy. Having got the cheese the mayor keeps his promise to José and Manuel; they are now the official cheese tasters.

This is a fun Speedy short despite the fact that he doesn't show up till about half way through; that doesn't matter though as the set up is amusing enough. When he arrives we get the standard Speedy action as he easily zooms past any trap set by Sylvester. Like many of his shorts this one has a slightly anarchic feel to it; after all we are expected to root for Speedy as he steals the cheese Sylvester is guarding and laugh as Sylvester gets hurt once again... that doesn't stop it being funny though! Voice actor Mel Blanc does a great job providing all the character voices; if I didn't know it was one person providing all the voices I'd never have guessed. If you have enjoyed previous Speedy shorts I'm sure you'll like this too; if you aren't a fan of his you are likely to be disappointed as the basic theme is similar to his other appearances... thankfully I'm a fan so enjoyed it!

Before the Advent of American Hero Donald J. Trump . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 10 August 2016]

. . . (he was recently awarded his long-overdue Purple Heart Medal) one must go back to the 1960s Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated shorts--such as CANNERY WOE--to find such a frank presentation of America's Mexico Problem, unhampered by any concern for Political Correctness. Trump was castigated by many for launching his Presidential Campaign by complaining about the steady stream of rapists and thieves seeping through our porous Southern Border into our Homeland. But self-appointed "Chick Inspector" Speedy Gonzalez (whom Warner's own historians reveal was based upon a Dirty Joke making the rounds in the 1960s) filches enough of the yellow stuff here to keep Chuck E. Cheese in business for a month, while displaying his well-known Bisexual Proclivities by assaulting True Blue American Sylvester Cat front and back. If this doesn't sound like your idea of a kids' cartoon, I've heard several top Looney Tunes directors during archival interviews saying that they aimed their primary messages at U.S. adults. If you think that a sentence such as "Where at he is?" reflects an honest attempt to assimilate American Culture and Values, go ahead and criticize CANNERY WOE (as its dialog is based on "found" conversations heard near Warner's "Termite Terrace" cartoon studio). Otherwise, it's time to jump on Don Trump's Looney Tunes bandwagon.

Pretty average all told

[bob the moo · 1 November 2003]

A pair of shanty town mice try to get into the Mayor's re-election feast but are rejected. When the feats is halted due to a cat protecting the cheese shop, the two mice come to the rescue by getting Speedy Gonzales to help get past the cat and get the cheese.

I'm not a big fan of Speedy Gonzales. I always prefer the characters (or double acts) where their character is as much a part of them as their physical abilities. With Speedy I've always felt that a mock-Mexican accent and the ability to run fast does not a character make. We already have Road Runner that can do that and he works because his double act is so strong! However this Speedy cartoon is actually quite good.

The plot takes a moment to get going - i.e. until Speedy and Sylvester are actually introduced. Once they are they work quite well with Sylvester not so much trying to catch the mouse as just stop him getting into the cheese shop. Some of it is amusing but really it's all pretty much run of the mill stuff.

The two leads are quite good together - but Sylvester does it for me as Speedy is just a pair of quickly moving legs to me. Overall the cartoon is actually quite good and is certainly much better than some of the awful Speedy Gonzales cartoons that I have seen, but compared to other characters, his stuff is usually fair to middling at best.

No cheese?!

[slymusic · 14 May 2009]

"Cannery Woe", directed by Bob McKimson, is a nice Speedy Gonzales/Sylvester cartoon. Once again, Speedy is hired to be a "cheese thief" as the mayor pleads with him to save the day for the annual cheese fiesta.

My favorite moments from "Cannery Woe" include the following. I love how the one funny-voiced mouse on the cheese committee explains to the mayor that there is no cheese because "something new has been added." Speedy rushes past Sylvester so fast he exposes Sly's bare skin on his stomach and his rump. Sly ends up stepping on his own thumb tacks and mousetraps, complete with his own hilarious reactions.

As for the title "Cannery Woe", it would only be a woe if Speedy couldn't outwit Sylvester and save the day for his friends.