Gold Rush Daze

1939 film

Ben Hardaway
Cal Dalton

Story byMelvin MillarProduced byLeon SchlesingerStarringMel BlancMusic byCarl StallingAnimation byGil Turner

Production
company

Leon Schlesinger Productions

Distributed by

Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation

Release date

February 25, 1939 (1939-02-25)

Running time

7:11LanguageEnglish

Gold Rush Daze is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton.^[1] The short was released on February 25, 1939.^[2]

Plot

A video for the short.

A dog-faced prospector drives to the hills to dig for gold. A local gas station attendant warns him that he is wasting his time, then goes on to tell the story of his own fruitless chase for gold; since 1849, he pursued strikes around the world and never had any success. The cartoon shows the attendant's various stops including the California Gold Rush, the Comstock Lode, and various other efforts globally that never (literally) pan out. Then, as the attendant finishes his story, a fellow rides up with news that there has indeed been gold found in the hills. The attendant steals the prospector's car to chase this rush, telling him he can have the gas station.

Included in the film is a short, farcical musical number, “My Sweetheart Needs Gold for Her Teeth."

References

^ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 84. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.