"The Shooting of Dan McGoo" is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoon directed by Tex Avery that originally released on March 3, 1945.
The short stars Tex Avery's Droopy, Red and The Wolf in a retelling of the Narrative Poem, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by Robert W. Service with Droopy as Dan McGoo, Red as his girlfriend, the lady who's known as Lou and The Wolf as the antagonist of the story. The story takes place in Coldernell, Alaska, in the Malamute Saloon where plenty of drinking, gambling, gun firing, and screwball comedy can be seen.
This short provides examples of:
- Absurdly-Long Limousine: The Wolf arrives in a ridiculously long convertible with "Long wasn't it!" written on the side towards the audience.
- Animate Inanimate Object:
- The beer mug that slides across the bar pauses at a stop light to let other drinks pass.
- When The Wolf starts shooting, a patron takes cover behind a table, only for the table to move its legs and take cover behind the patron.
- Bar Brawl: As soon as it cuts to the inside of Malamute Saloon, we pan to an extremely violent bar brawl with countless patrons trying to shoot each other; a sign is shown that reads "Noisy- isn't it?"
- Bar Slide: A beer thus slid navigates a sharp curve, then stops at a miniature intersection to let other beers cross.
- BFS: Not a sword per se, but just before Lou's number, The Wolf pulls out a comically sized switchblade the size of a machete.
- Black Comedy
- At the entrance of the town, a rapidly decreasing population sign can be seen alongside distant gunshots.
- A sign in front of a pair of gallows reads, "Double Header Today at 2 O'clock" with a much smaller gallows next to it with a sign that reads, "Kids 15¢"
- The Wolf shoots up a bunch of bar patrons as they are downing drinks; their ghosts immediately rise and continue drinking without pause.
- Bowdlerise: The Wolf originally offers Lou a carton of cigarettes, which were strictly rationed during the war. When the cartoon was reissued after the war, the carton of cigarettes was changed to a pearl necklace.
- Damsel in Distress: Lou becomes one as The Wolf tries to kidnap her and force her to be his girlfriend.
- Electric Love: After Lou plants a kiss on Droopy, Droopy shoots in the air like a rocket.
- Eye Pop: Upon first seeing Lou, The Wolf's eyes pop out of his head and stop in front of Lou while she's doing the Head-and-Hip Pose. Lou tells them, "Beat it, boys. Ya bother me", and they promptly return to The Wolf's head.
- Gargle Blaster: The Wolf orders whiskey with the label "Old Block Buster" and after downing it, turns him into a living firework.Wolf: This stuff's been cut.
- Glamorous Wartime Singer: More so than any other of Red's musical numbers since the song mentions the U.S. Forces by name. Her introduction refers to her as That Little Army Charmer, That Navy Baby, and That Marine Queen.
- Handy Feet: A group of patrons can be seen playing poker both above and below the table, holding and dealing cards with their feet.
- Head-and-Hip Pose: Lou does this often to emphasize her sex appeal.
- Human Snowman: When Wolfie enters the saloon as a living snowman. He then unzips the snow covering like it was a coat.
- Interspecies Romance: Droopy the dog has Lou the human as his girlfriend.
- Jaw Drop: During Lou's show, The Wolf's jaw drops and an Overly-Long Tongue rolls out; Droopy politely rolls it back up and shuts his mouth for him.
- Lady in Red: Red wears a Stripperific burlesque outfit that's almost the same as her original one from "Red Hot Riding Hood", but with white fur lining the top and bottom.
- Literary Allusion Title: "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" becomes "The Shooting of Dan McGoo".
- Must Have Nicotine: The piano player was puffing cigarettes and downing drinks faster than he could receive them; he pauses to comment to the audience: "What a repulsive way to make a living."
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Red sounds very much like Mae West in this short.
- Not So Stoic: After Lou gives Droopy a Smooch of Victory, Droopy gets uncharacteristically emotional and acts as cuckoo as The Wolf did during Lou's show; of course, he then returns to his usual Stoic demeanor and says:Droopy: You know what? I'm happy.
- Population: X, and Counting: The population sign outside the town decreases as gunshots are heard.
- Punny Name:
- Takes place in Coldernell, Alaska, which sounds much like "colder than hell".
- During The Wolf's shootout, a Mortician uses an adding machine with his name printed on the side as "Rig R. Mortis"; Rigor mortis is the state in which a body's limbs stiffen.
- Recycled Animation: Wolfie's wild take (after the Eye Pop) is the same as the one seen in "Red Hot Riding Hood", the difference being Wolfie's clothes change to a uniform that of the Army, Navy, and Marines.
- Rotoscoping: Lou's dancing was done with this technique to make it look more realistic.
- A Round of Drinks for the House: The Wolf orders drinks on the house, so the patrons all go drink on the roof.
- The Runt at the End: A mug of beer slides down the bar and stops at a traffic light to let two other beers and a tiny cocktail at the end pass.
- Scenery Censor: The bartender stands strategically in front of a painting of what appears to be a beautiful nude woman, and when the screen focuses on him, he comments "You might as well move on, Doc. I don't move from here all through the picture". Returns as a Brick Joke later when the bartender ducks from The Wolf's gunshots and the painted woman's torso is shown just to be empty space with a sign that reads "I Ain't Got No Body" in its place.
- Sex O Phone: Saxophone music can be heard accompanying Lou when she appears on screen.
- Sexy Backless Outfit: Red wears one, just like in the majority of her other cartoons.
- Shout-Out: The Wolf's comment to Droopy, "Ain't funny McGoo" is taken from the radio show Fibber McGee and Molly with the original catchphrase "Tain't funny, McGee". What corny dialogue, indeed.
- Skewed Priorities: Even with the wolf shooting up the bar, a table of poker players, not wanting their game interrupted, run out of the bar with the poker table, all while still in their seats.
- Smooch of Victory: Lou gives one to Droopy on his forehead after he saves her from The Wolf.
- Standard Female Grab Area: Upon finishing her performance, Red is accosted by The Wolf, who drags her across the room by the wrist before switching to carrying her underarm.
- Stock Money Bag: The Wolf uses a large one to pay for drinks, so most likely not earned through legitimate means.
- Through a Face Full of Fur: Droopy blushes after Lou kisses him.
- Visual Pun:
- Droopy comments that he thinks the dealer is crooked; we then pan to the dealer, in Dastardly Whiplash getup, whose body is humorously bent out of shape.
- The narrator says that the wolf looked like a man with a foot in the grave; of course a plot of land with a tombstone is shown attached to his right foot.
- The wolf tells the patrons that the drinks are on the house, so all the patrons (and the bartender) go to the roof to drink.
- Who Writes This Crap?!: After The Wolf complains about the whiskey being cut, Droopy comments:Droopy: What do you want for 5¢, gasoline?
The Wolf: Ain't funny, McGoo. What corny dialogue. - Wild Take:
- When Lou first appears and says "Hello, boys", all the patrons howl with their heads morphed into wolf heads.
- The Wolf does an extended one throughout Lou's number.
