Who Killed Who?
Who Killed Who? is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animated short directed by Tex Avery.[1] The cartoon is a parody of whodunit stories and employs many clichés of the genre for humor; for example, the score is performed not by the MGM orchestra but by a solo organ, imitating the style of many radio dramas of the era.
| Who Killed Who? | |
|---|---|
 The original release poster | |
| Directed by | Tex Avery |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby (unc.) |
| Written by | Heck Allen Rich Hogan |
| Starring | Robert Emmett O'Connor Billy Bletcher (voice) Kent Rogers (voice) Sara Berner (voice) (all uncredited) |
| Music by | Scott Bradley (unc.) |
| Animation by | Preston Blair Ray Abrams Ed Love Al Grandmain (Effects) (All uncredited) |
| Backgrounds by | John Didrik Johnsen (unc.) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 8 minutes 7"55 minutes (edit) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A live-action host (Robert Emmett O'Connor) opens with a disclaimer about the nature of the cartoon, namely, that the short is meant to "prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that crime does not pay."
The story begins on a dark and stormy night as the victim (voiced by Kent Rogers doing an impression of Richard Haydn), presumably the master of the very large "Gruesome Gables" mansion, is reading a book based on the cartoon in which he appears. Frightened, he muses that, according to the book, he is about to be "bumped off." Someone throws a dagger with a letter attached, telling the master that he will die at 11:30. When he objects, another letter informs him that the time has been moved to midnight.
True to form, on the final stroke of midnight a mysterious killer in a heavy black cloak and hood shoots him dead with a rather large pistol (how dead he is, though, is a matter of question), and a police officer (voiced by Billy Bletcher, modeled on characters portrayed in film by Fred Kelsey) immediately begins to investigate. After checking out the premises and the servants, the officer gives a lengthy chase to the real killer.
The mansion is filled with surreal pitfalls, strange characters—including a red skeleton (a parody of Red Skelton) and a ghost that is terrified of mice—and booby traps that slow and obstruct the officer. Behind a closed door, he finds an angry Santa Claus. The officer eventually traps the killer and unmasks him, revealing him to be the opening-sequence host, who confesses "I dood it"—one of Skelton's catchphrases—before bursting into tears.
Cast
Voice cast
- Billy Bletcher as Police Officer, Ghost (uncredited)
- Sara Berner as Cuckoo Clock Bird, Maid (uncredited)
- Kent Rogers as victim with an impression of Richard Haydn, Red Skeleton, Falling Body, and Santa Claus (uncredited)[2]
Live-action cast
- Robert Emmett O'Connor as Host (uncredited)
Availability
- Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 1 Blu-Ray (restored)
References
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 146–147. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
- https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/hello-all-you-happy-tax-payers-tex-averys-voice-stock-company/