Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"The Turn-Tale Wolf" is a Warner Bros cartoon from almost 65 years ago that was made by McKimson and Pierce like so many others and the voice actor is Mel Blanc again. It runs for seven minutes as they usually do and it is a reference to the famous movie with the wolf blowing away the houses of (2 of) the three pigs. But here, the wolf explains the story to his embarrassed nephew that actually he was the victim and the pigs are the bay guys constantly bullying him and wanting to cut off his tail. I thought this was an okay watch if you know about the original story. No real greatness and also only funny on 2 or 3 occasions, but for such a short work, it is perfectly fine. I kinda enjoyed the watch and give this one a thumbs-up. Also interesting to see how the animation style differed from earlier Warner Bros. works. Go check it out if you love cartoons.
Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . with its animated short, THE TURN-TALE WOLF. As the title suggests, bullies are sneaky, and you seldom can accurately take a situation at face value. (Americans saw this during the 2016 Election Campaign, when some thoughtless folks accused Billionaire Donald Trump of brow-beating Brain Surgeon Dr. Ben Carson. But NOW everyone knows "the Rest of the Story:" Carson has a long history of attacking people with knives and bricks, while Trump has teeny tiny hands, leaving him in no position to defend himself.) In this clairvoyant treatment of the Carson\Trump debacle, Warner documents how the Three Not-So-Little Pigs are the actual aggressors in respect to the Thin Misunderstood Wolf. Pretending to befriend Wolfie by including him in their sadistic piggy games, the trio of stinky porkers systematically abuse their out-numbered pawn at every turn. "Pig" is a term of extreme derision throughout the Civilized World, and Warner does a great job of showing how it got to be that way. Sometimes the Media refers to "Lone Wolf" mass shooters or terrorists, but you can bet that behind every so-called Lone Wolf there's a pack of pig bullies!
ccthemovieman-1
"Now wait a minute, kid. I never done nuttin' of the kind. It was a bum rap!"That's "Uncle Big Bad" reacting to his little nephew, who comes home from school all upset because they read the "The Three Little Pigs" in the school and his uncle is the villain. "For shame," he cries, walking home.Like the 1941 cartoon, "The Trial Of Mr. Wolf," we get upside down look at a famous fairy tale, told from the wolf's viewpoint as "Big Bad" gives HIS version of what "really happened" in the story of "The Three Little Pigs." According to Uncle Big Bad "it was them three little pigs that was the mugs."With dialog like that, and the funny inflections in the wolf's voice as he tells the story (kudos to Mel Blanc) and the excellent graphics, it all adds up to a really fun cartoon to watch and hear. The wolf really spun a tale would make anyone laugh. Highly recommended, and part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5, which is turning out to an excellent DVD package.
Lee Eisenberg
OK, so there's a seemingly infinite number of ways to rework children's stories in cartoons. The Termite Terrace crowd did this with "Little Red Riding Rabbit", "Three Little Bops" and "Robin Hood Daffy", to name a few. "The Turn-Tale Wolf" puts a spin on the "Three Little Pigs" routine. In this case, the Big Bad Wolf tells his nephew - who has just learned in school of what his uncle apparently did to the pigs - of how the Three Little Pigs were in fact a group of bullies tormenting him. Maybe this is why protesters in the '60s started calling the police "pigs"! So, maybe this is one of the least-known Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, but I say that it's worth seeing. Robert McKimson certainly directed his fair share of interesting cartoons.PS: there was a book called something like "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs", in which the wolf explains how he had a cold and was asking the pigs for some sugar but accidentally sneezed and blew their houses down. So, the sensationalism-obsessed media framed him for murder.
AD
