User Reviews

There is no "McDougal" in this cartoon, unless perhaps that's Dimwit the hound under another name. Here we have a very early Heckle and Jeckle cartoon, when the two magpies' personalities were still in flux. They're drawn a bit differently here, with their beaks a bit longer and sharper than they would later become. Both magpies speak with prole American accents here; I never particularly liked Jeckle's alleged "English" accent (which changed alarmingly from one toon to the next), so I thought this was an interesting difference.

Most significantly, in "McDougal's Rest Farm" Heckle and Jeckle are merely two magpies (the leaders?) out of an entire squadron of identical magpies. They're looking for a place to build a bird house, and they decide to do so on McDougal's Rest Farm, which is reserved for peace and quiet. Dimwit, apparently the guard dog here, tries to stop all the racket.

There's the usual Terrytoon violence, although a bit less of it than usual because some screen time is wasted on gags involving a nappied piglet who is meant to be cute but is merely twee and annoying. The fade-out joke (a pun, not a sight gag) has Heckle and Jeckle showing some atypical generosity and kindness towards poor old Dimwit. I did like one gag earlier on, in which we expect a plummeting platform to land on Dimwit's head, but instead it just barely misses him. I give this Heckle and Jeckle toon some credit for varying their usual formula ... but, because it's less violent than usual, it's also less funny than usual. My rating: only 6 out of 10.

Heckle and Jeckle got off to a very good start with the previous year's 'The Uninvited Pests', to me the best first cartoon for any of Terrytoons' theatrical series, one of the best Terrytoons from 1946 and one of their best overall. In my opinion, their series is generally the best of the studio's regular character theatrical series. It does help too that Heckle and Jeckle themselves are compelling lead characters in the way that some of the studio's other re-curring characters weren't.

1947 got off to an odd start with the Mighty Mouse cartoon 'Crying Wolf'. Thankfully 'McDougal's Rest Farm' is vastly better, it is only Heckle and Jeckle's second cartoon and already the basic tone of the series feels settled, or generally so at least, and Heckle and Jeckle already proving that they were lead characters worthy of their own series. As far as the 1947 Terrytoons cartoons go, 'McDougal's Rest Farm' is towards the better end. It is not one of Heckle and Jeckle's best though and a slight step down from 'The Uninvited Pests', it doesn't quite have the same amount of energy and it is a little tame in comparison.

'McDougal's Rest Farm' agreed takes a little too long to find its groove and lacks momentum at the start. Am also in agreement in that the piglet and his scene are far too cute and is lacking in the humour factor.

Even when it does get going, namely when Heckle and Jeckle appear and it does get a lot more involving, the action somehow isn't as furious or as anarchic. It's never less than entertaining and isn't my definition of dull as such, just that compared to 'The Uninvited Pests' and by the series' general standards it is a touch on the tame side at times.

Have nothing to fault the animation for. Vibrant colours, nice attention to detail, far from static or simplistic backgrounds, the drawing is so much smoother than when the studio first started and the transitions are much more fluid and less choppy, nowhere near as much recycling or cutting corners either. The music never disappointed with Terrytoons, always the best asset of their worst efforts and it is one of the best things here still. Actually would go as far to say that it's even better than the animation. It is so lovely to listen to and there is such an uplifting vibe hearing it because of the snappy character it has.

We are far from gag deprived in 'McDougal's Rest Farm', and they are mostly very well timed with a good deal of energy and range from very amusing to hilarious without getting too corny. While not having the same amount of energy as the previous Heckle and Jeckle cartoon the energy is still there and it increased the more anarchic things got. The ending is interesting and quite atypical in how Heckle and Jeckle behave. The story is not novel, but the character interaction, constant entertainment value and eventful content once things got going helped always make it interesting. Heckle and Jeckle are highly entertaining characters, their movements, the way they talk (in the use of language and the voices themselves) and their expressions make them quite unique characters for Terrytoons. Dimwit is just as amusing and takes the butt of the laughs well.

All in all, not as good as the previous cartoon in the series but worth watching. 7/10