Shop Look & Listen

Shop Look & Listen (1940) blends Animation elements. Top cast includes Mel Blanc, Tedd Pierce, and Bill Thompson. The narrative builds around escalating stakes, urgent decisions, and action-driven momentum.

Actor: Mel Blanc

J.T. Gimlet's department store is closed, and the mice are going on a tour, led by the same W.C. Fields mouse as in Little Blabbermouse. First, the shoe department, where we see mules, both red and green, who pop out of the box and bray at us. Next, the artworks: Whistler's Mother proves to be a good whistler herself; The Thinker is puzzling over his tax return; a painting that starts with two Indians becomes The Last of the Mohicans. In housewares, an automatic ashtray deals with a cigar (prompting a string of babble from Blabbermouse). An automated poker table plays the whole game, complete with the requisite ace-up-the-sleeve. And finally, the gift-wrap department, which includes one robot to measure out ribbon and another to wrap packages. This prompts another string of babble from Blabbermouse, which gets *him* wrapped up (and, when that's not enough, slapped with a "Do Not Open Until Xmas" sticker on his mouth).