Felix Out West is the 4th episode in the Joe Oriolo Felix the Cat cartoon series, released in 1959.
The episode starts in the Professor's lab, where he uses a mechanical crystal ball to spy on Felix, who is walking through the wild west with his bag of tricks. Professor takes notice that it's indian country, with sights like Chief Sitting Bull (presented as an actual bull) and decides to track Felix down there, reaching it with his wind-up sports frog.
In the desert, Felix is still walking around humming, only to get worried and run when he hears an indian battle cry. Felix hides behind a rock and fires away with a toy corkgun. Nearby, Professor, now wearing an Indian headdress, is making the battle cries, which music is playing on a record player nearby. Professor uses a cactus to launch a barrage of arrows at Felix, who fights back by turning his tail into a fist that punches the arrows back at Professor, one of which hits him square in the buttocks, knocking him down into his record player. Felix runs off, but ends up slipping and rolling around on a rock and then down a hill. To soften his landing, he turns the Magic Bag into a pillow and throws it down below, where he lands safely. Professor chases him down the hill, but Felix pulls a unicycle out of his bag and escapes with the bag as Professor lands nearby. Refusing to give up, Professor goes to a nearby bush and pulls out a bicycle so he can chase down Felix. Felix notices Professor behind him and picks up speed, and decides to hide behind the skull of a steer as Professor passes by him. Felix, unsure where the Professor went, gets back on his unicycle and moves on, unaware that Professor has set a trap for him. Felix almost runs off a cliff, but Professor ties a rope between a cactus and a nearby pinnacle, which Felix gets trapped on once Professor cuts the rope.
Deciding to finish the job, Professor sets a live bomb at the bottom of the pinnacle, covering his ears before it goes off. Fortunately for Felix, he turns his Bag into a mini-helicopter, which allows him to fly away safely as the bomb destroys the pinnacle, burying Professor under the rubble. Felix lands on a nearby cliff, and Professor realizes he failed to get Felix, whacking himself on the head with a hammer. The Magic Bag turns back to normal, but slips and falls down the cliff, landing right next to Professor. While Felix is pacing around worried at the situation, Professor sneaks off and tries to figure out how to use the Bag, whacking it with a tree branch and stretching it. The bag violently reacts by swelling up into a massive balloon, which Professor is helplessly trapped on top of. The bag then deflates itself and sends Professor careening through the air, landing on a cactus. Felix whistles for the bag, which turns into a rabbit and hops back to him, licking him on the face before returning to normal. Professor, deciding to move on, comes across a tribe of friendly indians, pressing a button on a nearby teepee that summons an indian marching band, much to Felix's amusement. The Indian chief orders his men to tie the Professor to a steak—no, that's not a typo, they grab a giant T-Bone Steak from a nearby fridge and tie Professor to it as they play drums. Felix decides to help Professor, sneaking up to the steak and untying Professor. Both of them escape, taking the giant steak with them. Grateful, Professor lets bygones be bygones, and enjoys a nice lunch with Felix.
Tropes:
- Cartoon Bomb: Professor uses one to blow up the pinnacle Felix is trapped on.
- Cartoony Tail: Felix turns his tail into a fist to deflect the Professor's arrows back at him.
- Easily Forgiven: Felix holds no ill will towards Professor trying to kill him for the Magic Bag, and saves him from the Indians in the end.
- Go-Karting with Bowser: After saving him, the Professor decides to relax and enjoy a nice steak lunch with Felix.
- Letting the Air out of the Band: When Professor first attacks Felix while posing as an Indian, the Professor has a record player playing the music behind him. When Felix sends an arrow into his butt, Professor crashes into the record player, with the record landing on his head as the music dies down.
- Loyal Phlebotinum: The Magic Bag violently reacts to Professor trying to abuse it, and it turns into a rabbit and licks Felix's face like a dog when the cat whistles for it to come to him.
- The Savage Indian: Subverted. The Indians Professor encounters have a sign that says they're friendly. The worst thing they do is tie him up to a steak, but after all the stuff Professor pulled on Felix, he kind of had it coming.
- Save the Villain: In the end, Felix unties Professor from the Indians steak and escapes with him.
- Stock Femur Bone: For some reason, the bone of the steak is presented as this after Professor and Felix are done eating it.
- Tonto Talk: The Indian chief Professor encounters speaks like this."Ugh. Tie Professor to steak!"
- Visual Pun: The Indians tie Professor to a giant T-Bone Steak (as opposed to a wooden stake).
