The Oily American
The Oily American
| 09 July 1954 (USA)
The Oily American Trailers

Moe Hican, an Indian, has struck it rich. Oil has been found on his property, and he now owns an estate with oil rigs everywhere. Even the fountain spouts oil! His mansion is as uppercrust as any, but he prefers to live in a tepee and hunt moose, within the rooms of his vast home, which have forests of their own. Moe and his butler go on a hunting expedition, with the butler being hit with every instrument Moe uses to try to kill a pint-sized moose.

Reviews
Edgar Allan Pooh

. . . though THE OILY AMER!CAN may look like an exercise in Bigotry to the untrained eye. However, for those of use who've lived at least half our lives next door to Indian Reservations, it's easy to attest that title character "Moe Hican" looks NOTHING LIKE a Native American. On the other hand, "Moe Hican" is a dead ringer for U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald J. Duck. The fact that all the animal spirits on "Moe's" front gate totem poles are sacrilegiously clasping pots of gold to their tummies provides further evidence that Warner's always prophetic Looney Tuners are focusing (decades before the fact) on the Trumpster's current Threat Against America. Displeased with the outcome of the U.S. Civil War, this historically feeble elderly candidate has pledged to "Make America Hate Again." As countless TV interviews have caught Haters-for-Trump Taking a Vow to Commit Jihad in the form of "Civil Disobedience" or "Holy War" or "Revolt" on Election Day three weeks from now, what does THE OILY AMER!CAN predict about the Final Result? Picture this: Hillary paddles Trump's bare butt with his pants pulled down. Humanity prays that this Looney Tuner climax will come to pass in Real Life!

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TheLittleSongbird

Maybe not one of my all-time favourite cartoons, but one that still hits all the right buttons. The animation is fluid and colourful, with the character animation of the moose standing out among the WB characters. The music is lushly orchestrated and energetic with the ability to add to the humour and action, as any great music for a cartoon should do, the pre-existing tunes are recognisable and still appeal. The writing is fresh, witty with a little bit of a satirical edge without going overboard. The gags are just as hilarious and imaginatively timed, and the crisp pace and creative story(another very good example at Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes/WB doing something different and succeeding at that) help a lot. The characters are great, the moose is just hysterical- not in a long time have I seen a foil this funny-, the butler is delightfully snooty that shows disdain so entertainingly at still endearing Moe's incompetence. Mel Blanc's vocal characterisations in another one of his one-man-shows are dead on. To conclude, hilarious entertainment with a great premise done in a creative way. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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phantom_tollbooth

Robert McKimson's 'The Oily American' represents a serious missed opportunity for some strong satire. Sid Marcus's script has a wonderful premise; an oil-rich millionaire has animals shipped to his mansion so he can hunt them and mount their heads as trophies without ever leaving the comfort of his own home. However, Marcus seriously drops the ball by making this millionaire a Red Indian, which adds a rather unpleasant, un-PC element. Even discounting that, the script is full of missed opportunities for some amusing dialogue between the tycoon and his stuffy English butler. The whole thing amounts to little more than some chaotic flailing about, gallantly held together by a doing-the-best-he-can McKimson. The ending, in keeping with the rest of the cartoon, is suitably lame and the sole enjoyable image one takes away from 'The Oily American' is that of a pygmy moose, far from enough to justify this grossly unfunny cartoon's existence.

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MartyD82-1

Moe Hican, the wealthy Native American, is having his daily hunt. This time with a hideously deformed moose. Unfortunately, the hunt doesn't quite go as planned, particularly with Moe's butler inadvertently getting caught in the middle of it.Robert McKimson directed many excellent one-shots during his time with Warner Brothers (The Hole Idea being probably his most famous), but this has to be his funniest. The peppy Moe and his cynical butler are such great characters that I'm surprised McKimson never used them again. But they're nothing compared to the moose, who has to be one of the funniest "victims" ever in a WB cartoon. Seeing Moe's traps constantly turn on the butler is consistently chuckle-worthy, only strengthened by the Butler's increasing frustration with the Native's incompetence. And the ending, which I won't spoil here, will leave you rolling.An easy 10/10.

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