Sam "bonding" with Wentworth
"Honey's Money" is a 1962 Looney Tunes animated short starring Yosemite Sam. It was directed by Friz Freleng. It is one of two cartoons in which Sam starred without Bugs Bunny (the other being Along Came Daffy, in which he co-starred with Daffy Duck).
Yosemite Sam finds out that a local widow has inherited five million dollars. He succeeds in marrying the widow, only to find out that she is a ballbusting shrew who forces him to do all the housework. She also reveals a hulking, dimwitted son that Sam has to look after. Sam tries and fails to get rid of the son, taking a lot of punishment in the process. While he storms out of the house with his bags packed, he concludes that the abuse is well worth five million dollars (whereupon he turns around and goes running back).
This short was the most recent one listed in animation historian Jerry Beck's book The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes, and one of only two released in the 1960s, giving this cartoon an argument as the last great Looney Tunes short of the classic era. The central premise and most of the gags are borrowed from the Daffy Duck cartoon "His Bitter Half", made a dozen years earlier. It was changed to make the stepson more likeable and the stepfather more hatable. There's also reused animation from "Hare Trimmed". Freleng recycled the script and gags yet again for the 1970 Roland and Rattfink cartoon "A Taste of Money".
"Honey's Money" provides examples of:
- The All-American Boy: Wentworth is a hilariously dimwitted version of this.
- Aside Comment: After a rather heated argument between Sam and the widow, Wentworth looks at the camera with a big happy innocent smile and casually comments, "Mommy and Daddy are fighting".
- Bait-and-Switch Comment: Like Daffy before him, Sam does this unintentionally: when he initially refuses to play horsey with Wentworth, he quickly changes his tune when his wife shoves the bank book in his face:Sam: If you think for one minute that I'm gonna live in the same house with that prehistoric horny toad... [bank book is shoved in his face] you... you... you guessed it.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: In line with the previous cartoon, the wealthy widow plays sweet long enough for Sam to marry her, upon which she immediately whips him into doing chores and taking care of her son that she had (somehow) kept secret from him. Hasty weddings are a blast, aren't they?
- Here, it's a little more downplayed than in the cartoon's spiritual predecessor. The widow in this cartoon is, at least, strongly protective of her son and is even touched when Sam plays "horsey" with him (not to mention, the Wentworth in this cartoon is far more pleasant and likable than the one in His Bitter Half). She's also less loud and abrasive than the widow in the prior cartoon. Also Sam is much more unplesant than the former protagonist, Daffy.
- Black-and-Gray Morality: Sam is just as wretched as ever, openly intending to use his wife's money for nefarious purposes and even attempting to murder his oafish, but kind-hearted stepson just because the boy's naive friendliness annoys him. The widow may be a vicious, ball-busting shrew, but she's also a loving and protective mother who isn't about to just let Sam touch a single cent of her money without doing something to earn it first. The ending also shows that Sam could just pack his bags and leave at any time, but he chooses to stay out of greed.
- Bowdlerization: On Nickelodeon, the part where Yosemite Sam tries to get rid of Wentworth by throwing a ball into traffic so he can go get it and get run over was cut to remove Wentworth getting the ball and not getting hit (as the censors don't want kids getting the idea that they can do the same thing and get the same results), but not the part where Sam tries again, only for his wife to catch him and force him to get the ball in traffic (only to get run over). Funnily enough, this cartoon was shown uncut on the channel from 1993 to 1995.
- Burn the Orphanage: Like in Hare Trimmed, Sam muses about using the widow's money to tear down the orphanage, among other things.
- Butt-Monkey: Sam spends most of the cartoon getting put through the wringer by the hands of his wife and stepson.
- Cheerful Child: Wentworth. In contrast to the Bratty Half-Pint used in "His Bitter Half", this rendition is a cheery if oafish lug who is oblivious to his stepfather trying to off him.
- Children Are Innocent: Wentworth quickly latches onto Sam and readily accepts him as his new father, blissfully unaware that Sam hates him and wants to get rid of him by any means necessary.
- Comedic Sociopathy: All Looney Tunes cartoons have this, of course, but this one takes it to a new level when Sam tries to off his innocent, trusting stepson with hilarious, epic fail results.
- A Day in the Limelight: This is the only cartoon in the entire Looney Tunes canon where Yosemite Sam stars instead of playing the antagonist. It is also the only one of two Yosemite Sam cartoons where he isn't paired against Bugs Bunny (the other being 1947's "Along Came Daffy" — and even that might just be a Suspiciously Similar Substitute).
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: In line with most other Henpecked Husband cartoons, though Sam makes for a worthy Asshole Victim.
- Gentle Giant: Wentworth is huge but means well.
- Gold Digger: Sam marries into the family because of the millions of dollars it could provide. It backfires badly.
- Gonk: The widow, who sends Sam running in the opposite direction when they meet, and only goes through with the wedding for the money. Also Wentworth, to a lesser extent, though his friendly and cheerful behavior could put him in
Ugly Cute territory. - Henpecked Husband: Sam quickly realizes he bit off more than he can chew when his wife starts ordering him around.
- House Husband: Sam is forced to be this by his overbearing wife.
- Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: Playing "horsie" with Wentworth puts a lot of weight on Sam's back.
- Jerkass: Sam for trying to marry that widow for her money as well as actively trying to kill her son.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The widow may be a grouchy old hag, but she does care about her son Wentworth.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The widow is certainly unpleasant, but what normal wife WOULND'T be angry about their new husband trying to get their son killed (or Squashed Flat) by traffic?
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: The majority of the cartoon consists of Sam getting mistreated once he marries the widow for her money but he deserves it for trying to marry her for her money rather than genuine affection and love for her.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Sam intended to use the widow’s money to shut down a retirement home for women and kick out the residents, tear down the orphanage, and get rid of the police force for the heck of it. Rather than letting him live the life of a rich man, the widow forces Sam into being a House Husband, and he has to put up with his new stepson, a dim witted and very large boy.
- Limited Animation: The scene where the wife watches Sam fetch the ball in traffic. The camera focuses on her scowling and watching (one held frame) but we hear chaos on the streets off-camera.
- Mama Bear: With a stepfather like Yosemite Sam, Wentworth should be glad for having a mom who clearly cares for her son's safety. This was shown when she foils Sam's first attempt by throwing the ball out into the street and forcing him to get it.
- Nice Guy: Wentworth. An innocent and good-hearted all grown up child.
- Perpetual Smiler: Wentworth is usually seen with a big happy smile on his face.
- Shark Pool: Sam puts alligators on the swimming pool to kill Wentworth. Wentworth jumps in and causes such a big splash that it sends all the alligators back towards Sam.
- Squashed Flat: Sam after being forced to run into traffic to get Wentworth's ball.
- Stock Footage: The scene where Sam walks up to the widow's door while muttering about what he'll do with her money is reused from Freleng's "Hare Trimmed."
- Suddenly Shouting: When the widow asks Sam to take Wentworth to the playground, he refuses, leading to an argument which she wins by yelling, "Yes, you are!" so loudly, he's nearly Blown Across the Room.
- Villain Protagonist: Sam is as unapologetically crooked and dastardly as ever, but without a heroic Looney Tune to play off with (i.e. his archenemy Bugs), he effectively stars as the protagonist of this short, albeit a villainous one.
- Vocal Dissonance: You'd expect a big Neanderthal like Wentworth to have a deep, oafish voice, but he instead has a very high-pitched child's voice. This shows that despite his hulking appearance, he really is just an innocent young boy.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Sam's wife disappears for the rest of the cartoon after ordering him to get the ball from traffic. She's obviously still there, though, since it's her he's running back to at the end.
- Wicked Stepfather: If trying to kill his stepson doesn't put Yosemite Sam into this trope, nothing does.
- Worth It: Sam attempts to storm out at the end of the short much as Daffy did in its predecessor; however, unlike Daffy, the thought of five million dollars is enough to send him running back. (Now compare that to "Hare Trimmed.")
- Would Hurt a Child: Sam. Not that he succeeds, mind you, but he does try.
- Younger Than They Look: Despite being a child Wentworth can easily pass for a full-grown adult thanks to his size.