Merrie Melodies - Walky Talky Hawky (1946)

Walky Talky Hawky is a 1946 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on August 31, 1946, and features Henery Hawk and Foghorn Leghorn. This is the first appearance of both Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

Production:
After Robert McKimson was promoted director in late 1944, writer Warren Foster developed a story about a large rooster, a barnyard dog and the inclusion of Henery Hawk (a character created by Chuck Jones). Dialogue was recorded on January 13, 1945.

Reception:
Animation producer Paul Dini writes, "Bugs and Porky — indeed, most of the classic Warner Bros. characters — underwent years of refinement before they became stars. Not so Foghorn Leghorn, who exploded fully formed and bellowing in Walky Talky Hawky. Though he soon lost his realistic chicken squawks, Foghorn retained his bellicose personality and barrel-bellied design for the remainder of his theatrical career... McKimson's comic equation of rooster plus board plus dog's butt may lack the poetic elegance of comic-strip artist George Herriman's mouse plus brick plus Krazy Kat's head. However, the merry brutality worked well enough to ensure seventeen years of constant laughs — and in the case of Walky Talky Hawky, an Academy Award nomination."

Awards:
The film was an Academy Award for Animated Short Film nominee, losing to MGM's cartoon The Cat Concerto, which shared one of seven Oscars for the Tom and Jerry series.