Happy Thanksgiving!

Need a break from the relatives this afternoon? Take a breather with the Chuck Jones short Tom Turk and Daffy, which holds up amazingly well considering that it’s over 70 years old.

Porky and Daffy are, of course, voiced by Mel Blanc, while the turkey in hiding is handled by another venerable voice acting talent, Billy Bletcher, most famously known as the voice of Mickey Mouse antagonist Pete.

Credits on the short are sparse, which is a shame because everyone on the crew is operating at such an impeccable level of cartoon craft. The sparse but creatively designed snow landscapes are believed to have been done by either Art Heinemann or Bernyce Polifka, and it’s possible that both of them worked in tandem on the film, one as layout artist, the other as painter. Ken Harris is credited as the animator, but other likely animators include Bobe Cannon and Ben Washam. It’s also unclear who did the writing on the short, but we can likely credit either Michael Maltese or Tedd Pierce for the classic line, “The YAMS did it! The YAMS did it!”

There are a few references that would be helpful to point out to contemporary audiences. At one point Tom Turk calls Daffy a “Quisling,” which is a reference to pro-Nazi Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling whose name was synonymous with traitor during the second World War. (Remember, classic cartoons were aimed at adults!) Also, while Daffy hides the turkey in a snowman, he sings “Angel in Disguise,” a pop hit from a few years earlier that was originally sung by Ann Sheridan in the Warner Bros. movie It All Came True.