The Super Salesman (1947) User Reviews

Heckle and Jeckle go up against Dimwit and the bulldog

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 19 July 2012]

This episode sees The Talking Magpies trying to sell their hair restorer in the park; they figure this is the ideal location as the 'No Peddlers Allowed' sign should keep out the competition! Once they start they pitch they come up against the park authorities in the form of grounds man Dimwit and policeman Bulldog. Inevitably the two dogs attempts to stop the magpies always fail and they come off the worse; that is until the final gag when Heckle and Jeckle fall victim to their own weapon.

This short had plenty of laughs and some good sight gags; I particularly liked how the two barrels of Dimwit's shotgun followed Heckle and Jeckle independently and ended up tied in a bow and the results of the hair restorer on the two birds in the final scene. It was good to see both the dogs featuring in one cartoon although it did serve to illustrate that Dimwit is the funnier of the two. I agree with the previous reviewer's comment on the 'fork gag' it was just two obvious and lacked the necessary mean-spiritedness for a Heckle and Jeckle short!

At least they're not bald eagles.

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 8/10 · 25 December 2007]

For some reason, this cartoon's title is singular when it ought to be plural: Heckle and Jeckle are both salesmen here, or at least pitchmen. They show up in a municipal park, set up a keester, and start trying to sell hair tonic to the locals, who are a bunch of cute li'l animals. Why any woodland creatures would need hair tonic is not established.

Along comes Dimwit (the moronic hound) as the local parkie, and that constable bulldog (did he ever have a name?) as the cop patrolling the park. Mayhem ensues, and it's somewhat more imaginative than usual for Heckle and Jeckle, although with one gag so old and obvious that I well and truly cringed. SPOILING THAT GAG NOW: We see a sign announcing a fork in the road, and then -- yep! -- there's an enormous table fork in the road. Now, see, if I had directed this cartoon, I would have used exactly the same sign ... but then I would have put a SPOON in the road. Possibly accompanied by another sign: "Fooled you!".

For some reason, the Terrytoon magpies typically win every round of their battles until the very end, when they arbitrarily lose. That happens here, too, with the two birds constantly clobbering the two dogs, until (for no particular reason, except that we're running out of film leader) the tide of battle turns, and the dogs get their revenge. There's a rather weird fade-out gag for the featherheads. One of the better and funnier Heckle and Jeckles, with plenty of violence and easy access to firearms. My rating: 8 out of 10.

Very nearly super

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 2 April 2021]

Of all the various theatrical series starring recurring characters from Terrytoons Studios up to 1947 and in their entire filmography, the one for Heckle and Jeckle is the only one to have all its early cartoons consistently good in quality, something that those running longer (i.e. Mighty Mouse) never achieved. From when they were first introduced right up to their last appearance, the Heckle and Jeckle series for me was the best of all of Terrytoons' theatrical series, though their earlier cartoons are better than the later ones.

1947's 'The Super Salesman' (a somewhat misleading title as both characters are salesmen here) for me is one of their best along with the likes of 'The Uninvited Pests', 'Happy Go Lucky' and 'The Intruders'. Up to this early stage of the Heckle and Jeckle series, there had not been a bad cartoon. Not just from that year, a very big year for that series, but also overall. Also think that 'The Super Salesman' is one of Terrytoons' best 1947 cartoons, which did have its misses but was less inconsistent than other years for the studio and was mostly a decent year for the studio. Namely because of it being heavy in Heckle and Jeckle and all the Heckle and Jeckle cartoons that year were good.

Do agree with the previous reviewers regarding that truly cringe-worthy and completely pointless and unfunny fork gag, which was best left on the editing room floor.

The Heckle and Jeckle series is not really to be seen for its plots, otherwise one is going to be disappointed. In this regard, the series has always been quite formulaic and story-wise 'The Super Salesman' is quite samey. The ending, if you have seen any of the other Heckle and Jeckle cartoons, is predictable but is done well still, if slightly weirdly rounded off.

Having said that, there is very little here to dislike actually in my view. Really liked the animation. Vibrant colours, nice attention to detail, far from static or simplistic backgrounds, the drawing is so much smoother than when the studio first started and the transitions are much more fluid and less choppy, nowhere near as much recycling or cutting corners either. The music never disappointed with Terrytoons, always the best asset of their worst efforts and it is one of the best things here still. It is so lovely to listen to and there is such an uplifting vibe hearing it because of the snappy character it has.

When it comes to the gags, 'The Super Salesman' scores very highly. The cartoon is filled with them and they all range from amusing to hilarious. The dialogue avoids being too corny and the action is deliciously anarchic, sometimes darkly so when the two get more malicious. The pace is fast and furious and the action and increasing anarchy is wonderfully chaotic, yet remarkably it doesn't feel too much of an overload. The story is not novel, but the character interaction, constant entertainment value and eventful content helped always make it interesting still.

Once again, Heckle and Jeckle are highly entertaining characters, their movements, the way they talk (in the use of language and the voices themselves) and their expressions make them quite unique characters for Terrytoons. Dimwit the dog, aptly named oddly enough, is a nice contrast and has equally good comic timing, a worthy enough character to take the butt of the laughs well while also easy to feel sympathy towards.

All in all, very well done and nearly super despite one bad gag and not amazing in terms of story. 8/10.