User Reviews

It has been a long time since Farmer Al Falfa was in a solo cartoon, 'Hounding the Hares' being perhaps the first since 1945's 'Swooning the Swooners'. It was nice seeing him again, although generally he worked better as a character in black and white in my view. He didn't always work for me as a character way back when he was a regular when Terrytoons was still in relatively infancy and his cartoons also varied, particularly at that particular stage (generally mediocre).

Despite being a later cartoon of his and not being in black and white (am more used to him being so), one of Farmer Al Falfa's better cartoons for me is 1948's 'Hounding the Hares'. Although there are better aspects of the cartoon than Farmer Al Falfa himself, he still works in it, works well as a lead character and doesn't really hinder it at all (apart from being mixed on how he looks). It is cute without being too much so and is a good deal of fun.

'Hounding the Hares' is admittedly very flimsy in story and takes a little bit too long to get into gear.

Personally am still not completely sold by how Farmer Al Falfa looks in colour. The rest of the animation compared to Terrytoons' 30s output has advanced so significantly and has grown in ambition, and the more primitive character design of Farmer Al Falfa that does in my mind betray that he originated in black and white doesn't quite gel.

Which is a shame as actually personality-wise he is fine and he has come on a lot as a character. The rest of the animation is fine. Although the drawing is smooth and the backgrounds rich in detail, it's the colours that make the most impression. They literally pop out at you without feeling too much. The music has a lot of characterful energy and luscious orchestration, not only fitting beautifully with the action it enhances it. Farmer Al Falfa is amusing and has a fun crusty demeanour that doesn't get over the top or annoying. The dog matches him well as do the cute looking but remarkably crafty bunnies that actually steal the show at times. The chemistry between the characters is great.

It all goes at a lively pace, especially the final third where the chaos that ensues is a sight to behold. There are more gags than most Terrytoons, often centered here around time, and although they are not original gags they are at least very amusing and well-timed, and despite revolving around the same thing they don't get repetitive. Again the final third is where the cartoon is at its best in this respect. The box trap gag agreed is a standout and although the ending is foreseeable it's fun.

Concluding, worth watching. 7/10.