Fair and Worm-er



Fair and Worm-er is a 1946 cartoon short. The cartoon was directed by Chuck Jones and featured what might be a brief cameo by Pepe Le Pew. The cartoon is considered one of Warner Brothers' greatest chase sequence shorts, done largely in silent slapstick Only a few of the characters actually speak. Some have "title cards" appearing above their heads to represent their thought patterns. This cartoon is considered one of the possible inspirations for the Road Runner vs. Coyote series of shorts produced in the 1950s and beyond.

Plot summary
A small worm is attempting to dine on a large delicious apple when he is attacked by a hungry black crow. The crow pursues the worm until he is suddenly attacked by a hungry cat. The cat chases the crow, only to be attacked by a vicious dog. The dog harasses the cat until he is suddenly set upon by the local dog catcher. The cartoon follows a rigorous chase between all the protagonists, with each generation of characters helping some while hindering others. (For example, the crow reasons: Dogs chase cats... Cats chase birds... I'm a bird... Therefore, I gotta help the dog...) Intermixed in the action are also the dog catcher's wife (armed with a rolling pin) who professes the she is afraid of neither man nor beast, and a tiny mouse (who informs her that HE is a beast - sending her in to a screaming fit). Also, there is a brief cameo by a skunk who may or may not be Pepe Le Pew.

At the conclusion of the cartoon, an unseen narrator asks the worm if he must go through this routine every day just to get something to eat. It is then that we are informed that the worm does not wish to eat the apple, but rather move into it, as it is the last furnished apartment in town. Iris out...