Pretty Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

. . . to make a Looney Tunes KKK Recruitment Ad, as the U.S. Army did in this propaganda piece from the mid-1900s--the Klan Grand Wazoos surely would have been pleased as punch if the result was something as Lily White as DRAFTY, ISN'T IT? My Grand Pappy once explained to me a quaint adjectival acronym he picked up back in these benighted times: WASP (or White Anglo-Saxon People), as in "Only WASPs can buzz into this party," or "This neighborhood (or restaurant, motel, or what have you) is for WASP nests only." DRAFTY, ISN'T IT? portrays the U.S. Army as the ultimate WASP nest, complete with armored tanks and nuclear rockets. Potential enlisted "Ralph Phillips" is White, as are the four Boot Campers and the quartet of sergeants shown. Wikipedia has NO record of alternate versions of DRAFTY, ISN'T IT? also being paid for by U.S. taxpayers to recruit Asians, Hispanics, and Blacks into that Black Hole for American tax dollars, the U.S. Military. Though I got stung by a bee while doing brushwork in my yard today, this WASP sting hurts a lot worse!

In this semi-sequel to "From A to Z-z-z-z-z", daydreamer Ralph Phillips dreams - at night, that is - of being various things, until a figure named Willie N. List appears and shows him the benefits of joining the army (rather than waiting to get drafted). I assume that in 1957, an army life seemed more honorable than it does nowadays. Since "Drafty, Isn't It?" came out, we've had the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. So while Chuck Jones probably had good intentions in making this cartoon, the tragic reality has proved to be quite different from what it shows.So, this short is pretty funny if you just accept it as a silly cartoon (it turns out that Wile E. Coyote isn't the only one who receives stuff from the ACME Corporation). But I, for one, would never want to join the army. Even if you survive the next military escapade - even if you don't lose any limbs - there's the risk of being homeless after the service. So it's best not to obey this cartoon.

Basically, this is an army recruiting film designed to show teens about to graduate from high school the favorable side of enlistment compared with waiting around to be drafted. What makes this one stand out from the average army-sponsored short is the professionalism involved in putting it together under the guidance of the master cartoonist Chuck Jones, the man behind such classic Warner Brothers cartoons as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Jones both directed and wrote it.A young man, Ralph Phillips, is shown asleep in his bed dreaming, with his dog curled up on the floor near the door also sleeping. One problem: Each pleasant dream turns into a nightmare with a giant shadowy figure looking very much like a drill sergeant beckoning Ralph to follow him. Who should sneak into the house but a little guy named Willie N. List, dragging with him an ACME Anti-Nightmare Machine. (Chuck Jones had a running joke about the ACME Company as his many fans know.) Willie N. List takes over the dreams and proceeds to show Ralph the positive side of military life. One way he does this is my shooting down many of the myths surrounding today's army (1957). Choice not chance is highlighted. The message: Don't wait around to be drafted but enlist now to receive the kind of training desired. The cartoon also spotlights the many careers available in the military. Though basically an army promotional cartoon, it is entertaining and even funny in places if the viewer keeps an open mind--plus the cartoon artwork is high tech for the 50's.

This is the second of two cartoons starring the adorable daydreamer, Ralph Phillips. In the first, From A to Z-Z-Z-Z, he spent his school day dreaming of being a hero in a wide variety of situations and in this followup, you've got the exact same formula, except that he's been sent to his room after accidentally breaking a window. While he waits for his dad to come home, his overactive mind creates a lot of funny situations that will delight the audience. The part I liked the best, though, was when the nice dad returned and Ralph left the room--imagining he was little George Washington out to chop down a cherry tree! You can imagine what is probably going to happen next and the cartoon fades out.Yes, I know that Washington never chopped down a cherry tree--but it's still a funny scene.