Anvils rain down around Elmer Fudd who cheerfully proclaims, "It's Acme's annual anvil sale! When you buy one anvil--" he explains, "--you get one free!" Behind Elmer, Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote are both being clobbered by falling anvils.
Bartholomew Acme, who looks like Elmer Fudd, isn't doing well in his blacksmith business. As if things weren't bad enough, Charlie Dog shows up trying to convince him he needs a dog. Charlie insults Acme's service, starting an argument. Bartholomew says the problem isn't his service, but that the automobile is taking over and horseshoes are no longer in big demand.
Charlie keeps trying to help and sell himself, but keeps causing problems. Finally a very angry Bartholomew throws an anvil at the dog. Charlie ducks, the anvil crashes through the wall and clobbers Yosemite Sam. This amuses everyone who sees it and soon Acme is selling anvils to an eager crowd.
The forlorn horse wears a sign, "Will whinny for food." Yosemite Sam, very pleased, is at the wheel of the automobile. Although this story takes place in 1903 and electric lights did exist, the bright idea is signified by an apparently non-electric lantern, which was quite common. While it is silly to be throwing an anvil, silly is the point of it. The real problem is that, as far as the reader is told, Sam did nothing to deserve being hit by the anvil.
A blacksmith wears a protective leather apron, which would be brownish rather than white. In 1903 the automobile was not yet taking over from the horse, or the railroad for that matter. It was still a matter of speculation if the auto would or even could replace the horse. For example, in 1903 the first coast-to-coast crossing of North America by automobile was done by Dr. H. Nelson Jackson and Sewell H. Croker. It took them 65 days, with many stops for repairs, to go from San Fransisco to New York City. Many of the first auto mechanics were not auto mechanics as such, but blacksmiths. Thus Bartholomew's business should not have been affected, even if the automobile was starting to take over. (EC) The vehicle shown on the second page is just a bit more modern than any 1903 automobile. (EC)It's 1917 and World War One, as it is now known, continues. The Germans have a problem: the Acme plane is devastating their air fleet. Baron Sam von Shlamm says he'll shoot down the Acme plane. Sam is soon aloft, but the Acme plane piloted by Bugs Bunny soaks him and his plane with a giant squirting flower. Sam's plane's wing seem to melt away and he comes crashing down.
Sam gets another plane and tries again, asking Bugs if he saw the Acme plane. Bugs points him elsewhere, his own plane somewhat disguised. The Baron realizes what happened a moment too late and is driven from the sky by Bugs' cream pie attack. A determined von Shlamm tries again with yet another plane. This time he doesn't meet the Acme aircraft, but many German aircraft. It seems that Bugs, who had supplied the plane, gave Sam one painted with U.S. markings on one side.
This story shares a title with the classic era cartoon Hare Force (Freleng, 1944). That cartoon has a rather different plot, however. This story is pretty much the same, with differences in detail, as that of Dumb Patrol (Chiniquy ,1964). (EC) The dark blue uniform of the general is correct, assuming he's part of the higher command and not anywhere near the front lines. While the word, "furshlugginer" might sound German, it is actually a Yiddish word which means "wacky." This word was popularized by MAD Magazine. Aranda has done his homework: the tank on the first page is a good rendition of a World War One British tank. Also, the machine gun on Sam's plain is drawn quite accurately. The dark blue uniform of those other than the general is probably wrong. They seem to be drawn as modern airline pilots, which is not at all right for World War One pilots. The Pickelhaube (spiked helmet) was pretty much out by 1917, being replaced by the Stahlhelm (steel helmet). (EC) Aircraft of that era did have waterproofing and should have withstood the soaking. (EC) The U.S. flag on Sam's plane is backwards. The flag should always be shown as how it would wave if it were real cloth. Thus the field of stars should be closer to the nose of the plane than to the tail, as if it were blown back by the wind as the plane moved. Also, the upper and lower most stripes should be red, not white. If that wasn't enough, the stars seem to be in staggered rows, like in the current U.S. flag. The then-48 star flag had even rows in a 6 by 8 rectangle. That is, if that was intended to be a real, proper U.S. flag. The use of keys for the planes throughout the story, while humorous, is inaccurate. While the U.S.A. did enter WWI in 1917, it did not supply much equipment during the war, including aircraft. Nor did was it able to supply many troops until 1918. (EC)Acme salesmen Daffy and Porky are trying to sell humorous products in the Great Depression. The duck offhandedly says he'll bet his life that he can make anyone laugh. Rocky the gangster, who hasn't even smiled since 1905, takes him on that bet. Ordered to by Rocky to make him laugh, Daffy starts with a joy buzzer. The duck gets zapped, but Rocky isn't amused.
Daffy tries to offer Rocky an alleged can of mixed nuts, but Rocky shoots the can as he doesn't care for nut. The actual contents, a spring-loaded boxing glove, send the duck flying. Daffy floats down with the aid of a small parachute, only to set foot on the joy buzzer. Rocky is still not amused.
Daffy tries sneezing powder, googly eyeball glasses, pies, a squirting flower, exploding cigars, and the arrow through the head gag all to no avail. Rocky is about to collect on the bet when Porky comes to the duck's defense and gets zapped by the joy buzzer for his trouble. When Rocky finds out that Porky has to deal with Daffy constantly he bursts out laughing. Daffy, however, is not amused.
In the second panel of the story, in the crowd listening to Daffy's sales pitch is the monster Gossamer. The line about a rubber chicken in every pot echoes a campaign of Herbert Hoover who promised prosperity with the line, "A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage."Acme X-ray specs help the allied forces see where the enemy is hiding during World War II. The war effort results in shortages, such as the low supply of wind-up chattering teeth. Retired Acme workers fill the void by donating their dentures.
While the chattering teeth shortage is silly, their were some real shortages. It was not unusual for there to be signs that did advise, "Sorry, no _____ today" when a place ran out of what little it had of some item. That this landing takes place in 1943 suggests that the place is somewhere in Italy, given that it's in Europe. If those machine guns are supposed to be Thompson's, they're close but not quite right. The stick magazine and side action are right. What's missing is the vertical grip on the fore-end. This is a curious omission as the earlier Thompson gun, weilded by Rocky in $ales Farce, was correctly shown with that grip. X-ray Specs, or Spex, did not appear until sometime in the 1950s. The novelty illusion spectacles were once staples of comic book advertising. The amphibious landing takes place on land, rather than out in the, hopefully shallow, water. (EC) The number of submachine guns the platoon is carrying in the third panel is excessive. Mostly, troops carried M-1 Garand rifles. (EC)Acme supplied meditation whoopee cushions in the 1960s, dribble lava lamps in the 1970s, and newer gags for more modern times. A scene is shown in the Acme research labs, where pies are being tested on a crash test dummy. The dummy, however, starts throwing pies back.
Nightmares filled with worrisome beeping are interrupted by the beeping of Wile E. Coyote's alarm clock. The coyote starts the day planning to use a steamroller to catch Road Runner. Wile E. puts it into reverse and the warning beeps distract him. A precariously balanced boulder comes crashing down when the steamroller hits the cliff on the edge of which the rock had rested.
Protected by beep-proof earmuffs, the coyotes again sets out to catch Road Runner. Wile E. runs fast isn't too far behind the bird when he's hit by a truck. The crash is more than he can take and Wile E. snaps. He beeps, flaps his folded arms like wings, and his legs are a blur as he acts as if he's a road runner. The real Road Runner points out that the coyote is something else.
The rest of the issue's stories are by Fisch and are numbered WB 2068 through WB 2073. This story at first seems a bit of place, being by Matheny and having the earlier number of WB 2061. Although this story doesn't follow the "Acme Marches On" title theme of the issue, it does set up the gag in the next and final story. After testing the beep-proof earmuffs, Wile E.'s eyes are white rather than the normal cream yellow. One would hardly call the sound of semi-tractor's air horn a "beep."Axl Acme, who looks rather like Elmer Fudd much as Bartholomew Acme did, is the President of Acme now. He addresses Acme employees for the one hundred year anniversary of the company. The company has grown. It's now a billion dollar operation. Curiously, almost all of the business is due to just one customer.
Axl introduces Wile E. Coyote, who has always been the first to purchase every new Acme product. The coyote wears a leg cast, walks with crutches, has bandages on all over and an ear missing some fur. Wile E. is asked to speak about the various products he has bought though years. Axl is unpleasantly surprised when the coyote holds up a sign which reads, "I want a refund!"
The bandage on Wile E.'s muzzle vanishes in the last panel. (EC)
* Issue Index * Tabular Issue Index * Story Index * Creative People * Disclaimer *
* Animaniacs Comic Kompendium * Production Index (Text) * Warner Bros. Cartoon Companion *
Last updated 05 February 2005