Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 22, 2026

Egghead Rides Again

Egghead Rides Again is a 1937 American animated comedy short film directed by Fred Avery. It was first released to theaters on July 17, 1937. It is the 78th film in the Merrie Melodies series. The cartoon marks the first appearance of Egghead, a character who would eventually evolve to become Elmer Fudd. It is also the first film to credit Irven Spence, who would become one of the most prominent animators at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Last revised
Jul 22, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
462 w
Citations
6
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Egghead Rides Again
Title card
Directed byFred Avery
Produced byLeon Schlesinger
StarringMel Blanc
Tex Avery
Billy Bletcher
Danny Webb
Sons of the Pioneers
Roy Rogers1
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byPaul Smith
Irvin Spence
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Productions
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • July 17, 1937 (1937-07-17)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Egghead Rides Again is a 1937 American animated comedy short film directed by Fred Avery.2 It was first released to theaters on July 17, 1937.3 It is the 78th film in the Merrie Melodies series. The cartoon marks the first appearance of Egghead, a character who would eventually evolve to become Elmer Fudd. It is also the first film to credit Irven Spence, who would become one of the most prominent animators at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.4

Plot

Wannabe-cowboy Egghead is evicted from his apartment for being a loud nuisance. He finds a newspaper advertisement from a ranch in Wahoo, Wyoming, requesting a cowboy. He literally mails himself to Wyoming for the job. Cowboys at the ranch are horrified to find Egghead inside, but are willing to let him test his skills to see if he is capable of being a cowboy.

The first challenge for Egghead is to shoot a cigarette rolled by one of the cowboy's tongue. The cowboy rolls a pipe to make it easier, but the revolver proves to be too heavy for Egghead, causing him to shoot the cowboy instead. The second challenge is to use a branding iron to brand a pony wrangled by other cowboys, only for Egghead to brand the cowboys instead. The third challenge is to chase the pony from earlier with a horse. The pony tricks Egghead's horse by hiding, but is eventually chased back into the ranch, but it beats up Egghead and ties him up with ease. Humiliated and overwhelmed by the workload of an average cowboy, he is nevertheless given a job of being the ranch's janitor to his chagrin.

Home media

References

References

  1. Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
  2. Sigall, Martha (2005). Living Life Inside the Lines: Tales from the Golden Age of Animation. University Press of Mississippi p. 35. ISBN 978-1-5780-6749-7.
  3. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 77–79. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  4. Parten, James (March 3, 2020). "Merrie Melodies 1936-37: Building a Better Terrace". Cartoon Research. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  5. McCutcheon, David (September 23, 2008). "Warner's Fourth Crime". IGN. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. "Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 3 Blu-ray". www.blu-ray.com. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
External links