“The Dixie Fryer” was a 1960 Merrie Melodies cartoon starring Foghorn Leghorn and directed by Robert McKimson. None of his usual foils or counterpoints are here—no Henery Hawk, no Miss Prissy, and no Barnyard Dawg. Just him and a father-and-son pair of hillbilly buzzards (the same ones from the late 1950s Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Backwoods Bunny"), in what becomes a Road Runner vs. Coyote characterization.
During a southward flight on which he’s riding in a basket with helium balloons, Foggy notices the smell of magnolia trees in the air. He leaps off, into his new surroundings, and promptly sets up.
Meanwhile, Elvis and his Pappy are sitting in a nest high in a tree, lamenting their dinner of black-eyed peas. Then they notice Foghorn relaxing away and see an opportunity for a feast. Hilarity Ensues as they go into a back-and-forth, which ultimately ends with the buzzards blasted right back into their nest. Rather than stew over their failures, the buzzards decide to have some black-eyed peas after all—after Pappy pokes Elvis in the eyes.
Tropes appearing in this cartoon:
- Bowdlerization:
- On the syndicated version of The Merrie Melodies Show, the part where Elvis accidentally shoots Pappy in the head after Foghorn Leghorn yells, "Fire!" was replaced with a still shot of Foghorn Leghorn looking offscreen.
- The version shown on Nickelodeon's Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon cut Foghorn Leghorn getting his beak shot off during the duel between Pappy and Elvis, along with the part near the end where Pappy pokes Elvis in the eyes after Elvis comments that the peas in the can aren't "black-eyed" peas.
- The version shown on ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show had the gun parts that The Merrie Melodies Show and Looney Tunes on Nick cut and the eye-poking part that Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon cut, making for a more severely edited version.
- Crazy-Prepared: Foghorn’s briefcase comes with a folding deck chair, a table, and a fully-prepared mint julep. When he gets his hide blown off, he has an ACME Instant Feathers suit.
- Double Entendre: Elvis and Pappy tell Foghorn that they plan to have him for dinner. He only finds out what they really mean when they each take an ankle of his and drag him over to a tree stump.
- Match in a Bomb Shack: Implied when Elvis and Pappy follow the rooster inside a bomb shack. Foggy offers them his lighter so they can see, then sneaks out in the dark. When the lighter won't work, Elvis asks Foggy for a match, and Foggy is happy to oblige. While the action itself is never shown, Elvis confirms it to happen.Elvis: Uh, Pappy? What do T-N-T spell?
- Meat-O-Vision: Elvis and Pappy look at Foghorn lounging away and see their dinner.
- Parasol Parachute: How Foggy leaves his ride.
- Standard Snippet: Although the music itself is heard, Foghorn sings entirely different lines to the tune of Camptown Races during the flight. He closes out the cartoon doing his usual hum.
- Ten Paces and Turn: How Foggy works Elvis and Pappy during the duel. He gets both their bullets in return, which shoot off his beak.Foggy: First, I say, first time somebody else shot my mouth off.
