Busy Bakers

Busy Bakers
Busy Bakers
Directed by	Ben Hardaway ; Cal Dalton
Story by	Jack Miller
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Starring	Mel Blanc ; The Sportsmen Quartet (both uncredited)
Music by	Carl W. Stalling
Animation by	Richard Bickenbach
Color process	Technicolor
Production; company	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	February 10, 1940;
Running time	7 min
Country	United States
Language	English

Busy Bakers is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton.^[1] The short was released on February 10, 1940.^[2] It is part of the Merrie Melodies series and the final to be directed by Hardaway and Dalton, who were demoted after Isadore Freleng returned from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1939.^[3]^[4]

Plot

Swenson the baker is in the verge of closing his business, as he has only a half-eaten donut left to sell with no profits whatsoever. A blind old man enters and begs for a few crumbs of bread, which the baker obliges by offering him the entire donut. This is all a ruse, as the old man is revealed to be a baker too, as he leads his bumbling employees to secretly rejuvenate Swenson's business while Swenson sleeps. The bakers struggle comedically, but persevere and successfully finish a plethora of breads and desserts. As the food sells out and Swenson experiences his first profit in a long time, he offers a pie to the old man again, but thwarts his attempt to get long-term free food by noting his 5-cent deposit upon receiving the pie, which the old man reacts to by throwing the pie at his face.

Home media

LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Volume 4, Side 8
DVD - Brother Orchid (USA 1995 Turner print added as a bonus)

References

↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 99. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
↑ Kevin S. Sandler (1998). Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813525389.
↑ Parten, James (June 9, 2020). "Merrie Melodies 1939-40: A Significant Year". Cartoon Research. Retrieved July 25, 2026.

[Beck-1] Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 99. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.

[2] Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.

[3] Kevin S. Sandler (1998). Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813525389.

[4] Parten, James (June 9, 2020). "Merrie Melodies 1939-40: A Significant Year". Cartoon Research. Retrieved July 25, 2026.

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