Tree for Two

After being omitted from the Looney Tunes Golden Collections, this short deservedly found its way onto the last disk of the last of the Platinum Collections. It's one of my favorites because of the interplay between Spike the Bulldog and Chester, his adoring sidekick. Actually, Chester is the benefit of the old switcheroo, a panther that has escaped from a zoo is hiding in the same alley as Sylvester and tough-dog Spike is unwittingly being roughed up by the panther instead of Sylvester. The way that Chester beats up Sylvester and twirls him up and over the fence while cans and garbage fly is pure Freleng, timed with music and sounds to perfection. The short, terse vocal delivery by Mel Blanc when performing as Spike is hilarious. Spike comes off as a tough mobster sort and the way he speaks is absolute gold.