Instant Money is a 1959 Felix the Cat cartoon, and the 28th episode of the Felix the Cat (Joe Oriolo) cartoons.
One night, Felix is sleepng, when he hears a leak in the sink. He gets up, and fixes it. Then, the camera goes outside and spans over nearby to The Professor's lab, where the Professor, and, as almost always, Rockbottom are both present, to witness The Proffesor's latest invention: an instant money-machine machine, an affair made up from various vials and tubes. Now all that needs is setting up the pipes. The Professor has Rock do just that. Rock: "Okay, boss!" and he sets up the pipes, one by one, but accidentally shoves the last underground, and it travels (unseen by anyone) underground (the camera making it look like Felix has his house built up on a new foundation above ground), where the pipe goes inside, where over in Felix's house, it's heard by Felix.
Rock, back at the lab, cues the Professor to turn the machine okay-"It's ALL SET UP, boss.."and the Professorturns it on, making a series of funky sounds as the machine goes to work.
Meanwhile, back at Felix's..the money is now what pops through the pipes..Felix hears again, thinking it's mice now, goes up, then turns of, then walks away only to walk back, doing a typical double take, noting money..The Professor's turned the machine on, back at his labratory, and then gooey, gold liquid comes out.The professor suggests a visit to Felix, before they found out what went wrong, so Rockbottom goes there, just to spy an understably estastic Felix bragging about how rich he's got, where Rock knocks on the door. "Yes", answers the cat, "Who is it". Rock: "Pardon, me, I just wanna"..Felix closes on the bulldog, the door, then boards it up, and upthen is given a chair, only to notice it's Rockbottom! Part one ends.
As Part two opens, we see the lab, where the Professor wonders aloud just where did the money go to, whereupon we see inside Felix's house, and Rock, holding Felix, looks at the money, whereupon he's then chased by Rock inside his own kithcen, leaving the pursuing dog out!
Felix: That's RIGHT! This is not MY money, yet keeps POURING out...
Then a nickel rolls toward Rock, who takes it back to the Professor's lab, where Professor looks at it..and then realizes his own henchman's bungled the pipes.He then warns Rock to keep Felix from getting any more of the money, BUT..
Professor: I've got the FORMULA..I'll make another BATCH
[Professor digs through the papers, while Rock lights a paper like one of his cigars]
Rock: Hey, Professor: whatcha LOOKIN' for?
Professor: The.the FORMULA..it was RIGHT HERE!
Rock: [realizing] THIS might be it boss! [holds formula]
Professor: Now..we've NO MONEY
Rock: Money, We've got Plenty over at FELIX's
Prof: You're right, let's go!
Back at Felix's. Feli's now vacumming the money up, while the Rock and the Professor look through the window, commenting that he's sending the money back.Rock and the Professsor then take a log as a makeshift "battering ram, boss-RIGHT THROUGH THE DOOR", where they crash, shocking Felix, whom they ask about the money, which Felix says is illegal, counterfeit in their making.
Felix: Back to where it came from.
Rock: That means- to t-t-t lab, boss..
They then dash back, as Felix calls the police, where the machine is doing making those stock funky sound effects, pumping up money to an elated Professor and Rock, the first of whom says that they're set for life, sardonically agreed on by the..POLICE!
"YOU can't make money..INSTANT or, REGULAR."Rock says "What the use, as, holding hose, as the Professor does now, they sink down..and Felix has his belly laughs as usual.
Tropes:
- Absurdly Ineffective Barricade: Rock Bottom is trying to get into Felix's house because Professor's counterfeited money was pouring into Felix's house due to a mishap on Rock's part. Felix slams the door in his face and immediately begins barricading the door to his house. Unfortunately, he left the window open, so Rock Bottom gets inside and helps Felix build the barricade until he realizes Rock is right behind him.
- Counterfeit Cash: Professor creates a formula that allows water to be turned into gold coins. Unfortunately, Rock Bottom blows the scheme by messing around with the water pipes in a way that sends the money to Felix instead. Professor and Rock Bottom resort to breaking into Felix's house to fix their mistake, but Felix finds out about their counterfeiting rig and immediately calls the police on them, getting Professor and Rock Bottom arrested. On top of that, Professor can't repeat it again because Rock Bottom had mistakenly burned the papers with the formula beforehand.
- No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Professor uses a formula to create money out of water, but Rock Bottom stupidly burns the paper with the formula on it when he rolls it up to light it like a cigarette, meaning Professor can't reuse the formula to make more money again.
