Studio: Famous Studios
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Short Synopsis
In a farmyard henhouse lives Henry, a meek, timid rooster who is bullied mercilessly by his wife, the hen Bertha. She bosses him around, makes him do the chores and threatens him with a rolling pin. She can't even lay eggs without a book to help her: How to Lay an Egg, "by Bob Hope". Watching from the walls is Herman, a streetwise mouse with a cheeky grin, who helps himself to the household's cheese and corn candy. Herman takes pity on the downtrodden Henry, or perhaps just enjoys a fight, and decides to teach him to stand up for himself. He coaches the rooster in how to talk back, how to act tough and how to strike back, and stands behind him for courage. The lessons lead to a burst of slapstick as Henry finally takes on Bertha; exactly how the battle ends is not described in sources this book could check.
Why It Matters
- Herman, the confident little mouse who does the talking for the timid rooster, is a lively comic character from his very first appearance, and the battle-of-the-sexes humour, with the henpecked husband finally fighting back, reflects the domestic comedy popular in wartime radio and film.
- It is the debut of Herman the Mouse, who became one of Famous Studios' longest-running stars, best known for the Herman and Katnip series, as well as of Henry and Bertha. It was the first cartoon directed by Seymour Kneitel and the first Noveltoon recorded in New York, after the studio moved back from Miami.
Notes and Trivia
- The "How to Lay an Egg by Bob Hope" book is a gag on the comedian, who, like the egg, was said to "lay an egg" when a joke failed.
- Herman and Katnip, the series that made Herman a star, began in 1950 and ran until 1959.
- See also: No Mutton fer Nuttin' (1943), The Friendly Ghost (1945).