Homesteader's Rights (Boomertoons)

Homesteader's Rights is a Aldo Boomer animated short film that was released in 1946.

Plot
The mices Puck and Buck wake up one winter morning inside the wood stove they have made their home. The stove is located in Tomley's hunting shack (called "Tomley's Hydout") which appears to have been unoccupied for a while. Soon after, Tomley and Grover arrive for the hunting season.

Grover soon discovers that the stove is occupied by the mices and helps Tomley build a fire to smoke them out. Puck and Buck realize what is happening and manage to blow out Tomley's matches and roll of newspaper before they can ignite the wood. Finally, Tomley gives Grover a can of kerosene to use, which the mices wouldn't be able to blow out. From a hiding place underneath the stove, the mices take a match and burns Tomley's foot with it. Tomley assumes that Grover is to blame (when the mices shove the used match into Grover's mouth) and scolds him (Tomley remains unaware of the mices throughout the short), but immediately forgives him.

After Tomley leaves to get more wood, Grover chases Puck and Buck across the room, with Puck hiding in Grover's milk bowl and Grover sucking up the milk, blowing Puck's cover. They lead Elton across a table and mantle above the fireplace. Grover accidentally gets his nose stuck in the muzzle of Tomley's rifle which is hanging over the fireplace. As Grover tries to pull his nose free, he finds one of the hooks on which the rifle is mounted, is directly in front of the trigger; the more Grover pulls, the closer the rifle gets to going off in his face. Gradually the table which Grover is standing on with his hind paws starts to slide back. Grover falls and therefore causes the rifle to fire, which luckily misses him. He lands on the floor, with the rifle landing on his head and arm, momentarily knocking him unconscious. Puck and Buck then come and pour ketchup on him so that it would look like he is bleeding.

Suddenly, Tomley returns having heard the gunshot, and when he sees Grover, he's given the shocking impression that the latter is dead. Grover wakes up however and at first starts to comfort Tomley, but when he sees the ketchup, he starts to panic thinking it's his blood. Tomley hurriedly carries him off to find help, thus Puck and Buck regain working ownership over the property, rejoicing this fact.

Availability

 * Laserdisc - Aldo Boomer: Eleventh of Boomertoons Classics

Characters

 * Puck
 * Buck
 * Tomley The Hunter
 * Grover The Hunting Dog

Voice Characterizations

 * Mel Blanc - Puck
 * Pinto Colvig - Buck, Grover The Hunting Dog
 * Harry E. Lang - Tomley The Hunter

Credits

 * Director: Wally Washer
 * Story: Bill Phillips, Irving Leaf
 * Animation: Amby Paliwoda (as Ambrozi Paliwoda), Paul Sommer, Ed Friedman, Robert Cannon
 * Layouts: Robert Griffin
 * Backgrounds: Robert Gentle
 * Music: Eric Maddox