A Gander at Mother Goose

A Gander at Mother Goose
A Gander at Mother Goose
	Title card
Directed by	Fred Avery
Story by	Dave Monahan
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	Mel Blanc; Sara Berner; Margaret Hill-Talbot
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Charles McKimson
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	May 25, 1940;
Running time	6 min
Country	United States
Language	English

A Gander at Mother Goose is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Fred Avery.^[2] The short was released on May 25, 1940. It is part of the Merrie Melodies series.^[3]

Plot

The film introduces a number of gags intertwined with classic nursery rhymes. Mother Goose is humorously credited as "technical advisor".

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, a caricature of actress Katharine Hepburn who resembles Avery's Red character, complains about her garden polluted by layers of trash. Humpty Dumpty falls off a wall, revealing his exposed buttocks instead of shattering to his demise as expected. Jack and Jill go on a date instead of fetching water. Little Miss Muffet scares off the spider with her unattractive appearance. The Three Little Pigs, including Porky Pig, thwart the Big Bad Wolf with a bottle of mouthwash. The Parade of Wooden Soldiers turns out to be sloppy and wobbly marchers. A dog reads the rhyme Star Light, Star Bright and successfully wishes for a tree. Jack Be Nimble boasts about jumping over a candlestick, unaware that his buttocks are on fire. The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe struggles to take care of her many children while her husband relaxes. Little Hiawatha shoots an arrow, which is returned by an eagle stuck in its tail feather. The Night Before Christmas depicts two mice having a conversation; one wishes the other Merry Christmas while the other accidentally misconstrues it as excessive noise to his embarrassment.

Home media

LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Volume 2, Side 7
DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5, Disc 2^[4]
Streaming - HBO Max
Streaming - Tubi

References

↑ Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media. p. 82.
↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 103. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
↑ Lambert, David (August 5, 2007). "The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour - Complete Disc-by-Disc Details of Golden Collection Vol. 5 Cartoons, Extras". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2026.

External links

A Gander at Mother Goose at IMDb

[1] Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media. p. 82.

[Beck-2] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 103. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[3] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

[4] Lambert, David (August 5, 2007). "The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour - Complete Disc-by-Disc Details of Golden Collection Vol. 5 Cartoons, Extras". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2026.

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