
Meatless Flyday
- Studio
- Leon Schlesinger Studios
- Distributor
- Warner Bros.
Synopsis
A housefly is buzzing near the ceiling. On a table below, a hungry spider plans his trap. He tries everything- except building a web- to catch the fly. The spider tries to catch the fly with a sugar cube, but no luck. The fly performs a trapeze act in the air to taunt the spider, and the spider says "Look at him! A poor man's Bugs Bunny!" The spider tries to join him, but the fly shoots him down in flames. "Look, I'm a Zero!" says the spider, referring to the Japanese suicide fighter plane. The ensuing warfare contains a reference to civil defense: the chase ends up inside a giant, outdoor sign... which a Civil Air Patrol guard, on duty, promptly orders shut off (an obvious reference to air raid warnings during the early part of the war). The spider paints buckshot like candy and tries to draw the fly in with a magnet after he eats the buckshot, but instead, every sharp knife, etc. in the kitchen is attracted and flies at the spider. The fly pretends to be the bride on a wedding cake, but the spider shows up as the groom, and the fly leaves a stick of dynamite in his place and the spider blows up. They chase around some more. Finally, the spider catches the fly, and is about to carve him up when the fly points out the date and that it is "Meatless Friday" (a reference to food rationing on "Meatless Friday"). The spider goes running to Washington, D.C. yelling, "You can't do this to me!"
Characters
Spider, Fly, Air Raid Warden
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Isadore Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Producing
- Producer
- Leon Schlesinger
Writing
- Writer
- Michael Maltese
Animation
- Animator
- Jack Bradbury
- Animators, uncredited
- Ken Champin, Gerry Chiniquy, Manuel Perez
Voices
- Voice
- Cyrus Kendall (Spider), Mel Blanc (Spider's Yell, Air Raid Warden)
Music
- Music
- Carl W. Stalling
Crew
- Inbetween Artist
- Lloyd Turner
- Background Artist, uncredited
- Lenard Kester
Production notes
Tex Avery claimed to have done the voice of the spider, but he had left Warner Bros. by the time that this film was recorded.
Pictures
Reviews
meatless flyday
I am 52 years old and I STILL remember "o-o-o-will you take a little walk" while the spider sharpens his knife, while the fly struggles in the web. And then the fly points to the calendar and it is FRIDAY!!! and the spider goes running for DC.
I STILL tell my kids about this cartoon. One
of my favs!





