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| “ | Hello? You don't say, you don't say? You don't... say? (Meatball): Deh uhh uh who was that? He didn't say! |
„ |
| ~ Screwball pulling off a phone call prank and toying with Meathead. |
| “ | (Meathead): Deh uh, you aren't gonna hit me again, are ya? Now he outta know better than that! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! |
„ |
| ~ Screwball before doing his iconic, maniacal mocking cackling laughter. |
| “ | Too bad! Just missed 'em! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! | „ |
| ~ Screwball, after getting Meathead to brutally fall onto the ground in his debut appearance "Screwball Squirrel" (1944). |
Screwball "Screwy" Squirrel is a character, an anthropomorphic squirrel created by Tex Avery for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, generally considered the wackiest and most outrageous of the screwball cartoon characters of the 1940s, which included Warner Bros.'s Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Disney's Aracuan Bird, Terrytoons's Heckle and Jeckle, DePatie-Freleng's The Pink Panther, Famous Studios' Blackie The Lamb and Walter Lantz's Woody Woodpecker.
He was voiced by Wally Maher in the original 5 cartoons with 24 episodes, in 1993's Droopy Master Detective; he was voiced by Charlie Adler (who voiced Buster Bunny in Tiny Toons, Cow and Chicken from the show of same name, I.R. Baboon from I.M Weasel, Harold from Fallout, Spike and Silverbolt from G1, Bev Bighead from Rocko's Modern Life, Nails from Cool World, Mr. Whiskers from Brandy and Mr. Whiskers, and Deputy Fuzz from BraveStarr), in Tom and Jerry's Giant Adventure; he was voiced by the late Paul Reubens, and in the third season of The Tom and Jerry Show episode "Double Dog Trouble"; he is voiced by Sean Kenin.
Overview[]
The character was notable for being an crazy and eccentric squirrel, hence his name "Screwball", and he is also known for being unhinged and sadistic as a prankster who pulls off pranks onto anyone, and is considered by some to be "annoying" (or comes off as sociopathic) for his obnoxious and smug behavior with a few sympathetic and likable personality characteristics such as Bugs Bunny's nobility, wisecracking "Karmic Trickster" persona or Daffy Duck's wacky and zany pathos. (which was also perfected by the likes of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery himself.)
Most of his classical cartoons revolve around him inflicting various forms of torture on his enemy with several pranks (usually Meathead Dog, voiced by Dick Nelson) for seven minutes. In The Screwy Truant, Screwy hits a dog across the head with everything he can find in a trunk labeled "Assorted Swell Stuff to Hit Dog on Head". When he finishes, the dog remarks, "Gee whiz! He hit me with everything but the kitchen sink!" Screwy responds with, "Well, don't want to disappoint you, chum," then pulls out that very item and bashes him over the head with it, and he was once (mostly) killed off in his last episode "Lonesome Lenny" (mainly due to Tex Avery himself despising the character).
However, he does make several reappearances in future titles, for example his resurrected appearance in September 11 1993, after 47 years of rehab ever since his last appearance in the classical cartoons as of March 9 1946, and he began reappearing in Droopy's "Droopy Master Detective", where his segments focus on Screwy making life miserable for hot-headed park attendant Dweeble and his dog Rumpley he loves teasing and messing while he has a home in a public park.
Personality[]
He is very much an deranged and energetic thrill-seeker in terms of being a master of trickery to the point of being quite lucid and lively (and being able to defy reality and going past the fourth wall multiple times while carrying a silly and wacky tone to him).
He is very brash, erratic, sassy, creative, playful, deceitful, clever, optimistic, sneaky, devious and is always very proud about how much of a obnoxious jerk he is (he also manages to come off as much more hyperactive, unruly and zany than Woody Woodpecker in terms of wackiness and unpredictability), and he is very fond with tormenting Meathead, a bird dog, with glee and having a signature maniacal cackling laughter he does mockingly once he tricks him into dismay or any other enemy that Screwball encounters.
Despite being a lunatic and a bit of a opportunistic sadist with a selfish side to him, he still has moments of being nice, kind and thoughtful to other people outside of being extremely mischievous, hedonistic, overconfident and a smart aleck.
Heroic or Noble Acts[]
- “Big Heel-Watha”, he was willing to let himself get caught and nearly sacrificed by a Native American hunter (who was trying to win the hand of the chief's daughter by capturing Screwy for his hungry tribe), and he opens up to the hunter when he is then seen crying and whimpering in sadness when he admits to why he wanted to catch Screwy in a remorseful manner, and Screwy even had the decency of allowing himself to be in a cooking boiling pot for the tribe so this hunter can impress his tribe.
- Even before the tribe was scared over a hot lady's "ugly face" seen underneath before it was revealed to be a face mask, and despite Screwy deliberately getting her to wear said mask and nearly getting to kiss the woman himself, he even lets the hunter have a happy ending despite being in the pot with Screwy and the lady from earlier.
- “The Screwy Truant”, stopping the Big Bad Wolf from chasing Red Riding Hood by breaking the fourth wall to tell the wolf that he's in the wrong show, and him trying to fight him got them both shrunk, and him stealing the Big Bad Wolf's role to mess with Meathead practically saved Red Riding Hood from getting attacked by the wolf.
Quotes[]
| “ | I uh, I think this belongs to you, Meathead. AHAHAH! | „ |
| ~ Screwball to Meathead. |
| “ | I knew that would get 'em! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! | „ |
| ~ Screwball. |
| “ | Y'know, those guys in there think I'm crazy, and I am too! | „ |
| ~ Screwball at the start of "Happy-Go-Nutty". |
| “ | I like this ending, it's silly. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! | „ |
| ~ Screwball, after Meathead goes crazy at the end of "Happy-Go-Nutty". |
| “ | Can you imagine them dumb kids going to school on a nice day like this? Oh ho! What a bunch of chumps! | „ |
| ~ Screwball, in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
| “ | Oh brother! Now I've seen everything! | „ |
| ~ Screwball seeing Meathead has a "spare foot" in his trunk as if Meathead's backside works like a car trunk, in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
| “ | Oh brother! What a dumb mutt! | „ |
| ~ Screwball after tricking Meathead into slamming into a brick wall hidden behind a door, in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
| “ | Y'know, hehe, I like him, he's silly! | „ |
| ~ Screwball teasing Meathead for his stupidity in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
| “ | Well that's that! Now that dumb screw 'ol officer will never know why I wasn't in school! | „ |
| ~ Screwball in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
| “ | (Meathead: Oh, yeah?? Come on now, why wasn't you in school?) Because! *kisses Meathead's snout* I got measles! Ahahahahah!!! | „ |
| ~ Screwball in "The Screwy Truant" (1945). |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In The Tom and Jerry Show, he made several cameos in 2019-2021 with several episodes such as "Kid Stuff" (where he is silent) and other speaking roles in episodes like "Double Dog Trouble", "Ballad Of The Catnip Kid", "Sock it to Me", "Ball of Fire", "Dry Hard", and "Camelot Cat".
- In the Tom and Jerry 2021 movie, he makes a cameo.
External Links[]
- Screwy Squirrel on the MGM Wiki
- Screwy Squirrel on the Screwy Squirrel Wiki