A Message to Gracias is a 1964 Looney Tunes short directed by Robert McKimson.
Title[]
The title and plot are a reference to the essay Message to Garcia.
Plot[]
Mexican Revolutionary mice make numerous attempts to deliver a message to General Gracias, but fail when every messenger is caught and eaten by Sylvester. Desperate, El Supremo then resorts to Speedy Gonzales to deliver the message.
After Speedy runs past him, leaving him on fire, Sylvester resorts to several plans to stop Speedy from delivering the message:
- First Sylvester drives after Speedy in a race car. When Sylvester asks if message is for him, Speedy answers him saying "Adios senor pussy gato signed..." he then picks up speed, the dust left behind forming the word "Speedy". Sylvester speeds up after the mouse. However, when Speedy spots a taco stand, he stops for a lunch break, resulting in Sylvester smashing into a cactus.
- Next, Sylvester chases after Speedy on a boat, and attempts to shoot him. Unfortunately, he bumps his head on a low-hanging branch, blows a hole in his boat, causing it to sink, and is almost eaten by crocodiles.
- After seeing Sylvester pass on a rail car with a sail, Speedy wonders what he's up to now. Sylvester hides in a tree, having set a snare trap. Upon hearing Speedy rushing by, he sets it off, only for a large beastly creature to be pulled up. Back on the ground, Speedy watches as the animal tears Sylvester apart, causing bits of fur to fall to the ground, followed by Sylvester himself. Speedy puts part of Sylvester's fur along with ears back on his head, who dazedly thanks Speedy before the mouse speeds off again.
- With Speedy almost to Gracias' headquarters, Sylvester tries to lasso him. He succeeds, only for Speedy to take him for a ride which ends with him being tied to a tree.
Speedy reaches General Gracias to deliver the message. Upon reading it however, it turns out to be a poem saying "Happy Birthday", much to Speedy's disgust because he had gone through all the trouble he had with Sylvester for such a relatively trivial message, "This is A important message?" Turning around, Speedy sees El Supremo with a birthday cake for his amigo. Racing up to Sylvester, Speedy asks him they're thinking the same thing. When Sylvester agrees, Speedy promptly cuts the "pussy gato" out of his bonds, who then chases after El Supremo and General Gracias while imitating Speedy's catchphrase. As Sylvester chases the two mice down the road and over the horizon, Speedy comments "Well, whataya know? It looks like the generals and the pussy gato is going to have lunch together. Sort of gets ya right here, no?"
Availability[]
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc Three
Speedy Gonzales
Streaming[]
Notes[]
- This is the only cartoon where both Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester put aside their differences and therefore both win in the end.
Gallery[]
TV Title Cards[]
| Speedy Gonzales Cartoons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Cat-Tails for Two | |||
| 1955 | Speedy Gonzales | |||
| 1957 | Tabasco Road • Gonzales' Tamales | |||
| 1958 | Tortilla Flaps | |||
| 1959 | Mexicali Shmoes • Here Today, Gone Tamale | |||
| 1960 | West of the Pesos | |||
| 1961 | Cannery Woe • The Pied Piper of Guadalupe | |||
| 1962 | Mexican Boarders | |||
| 1963 | Mexican Cat Dance • Chili Weather | |||
| 1964 | A Message to Gracias • Nuts and Volts • Pancho's Hideaway • Road to Andalay | |||
| 1965 | It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House • Cats and Bruises • The Wild Chase • Moby Duck • Assault and Peppered • Well Worn Daffy • Chili Corn Corny • Go Go Amigo | |||
| 1966 | The Astroduck • Mucho Locos • Mexican Mousepiece • Daffy Rents • A-Haunting We Will Go • Snow Excuse • A Squeak in the Deep • Feather Finger • Swing Ding Amigo • A Taste of Catnip | |||
| 1967 | Daffy's Diner • Quacker Tracker • The Music Mice-Tro • The Spy Swatter • Speedy Ghost to Town • Rodent to Stardom • Go Away Stowaway • Fiesta Fiasco | |||
| 1968 | Skyscraper Caper • See Ya Later Gladiator | |||
| 1979 | Fright Before Christmas | |||
| 1980 | The Chocolate Chase | |||