If you read the synopsis provided elsewhere here, you know what happens. Mostly amusing with Gabby running frantically everywhere trying to avoid getting shot even though those banging noises come from other objects like the suitcase that quickly closes on the back of his shirt that gets stuck on him when he runs. There's also some gags about being chocked and getting hanged that probably wouldn't ever pass muster on Saturday morning cartoons even today. Made when the Fleischer Studio was in financial decline, only eight Gabby cartoons were made before Paramount fired Max and Dave and changed the name to Famous Studios. Worth a look for any Fleischer completists out there.
5 Reviews
Gabby as pompous rather than irritating in a decent if average short
llltdesq1 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is a cartoon in the Gabby series produced by Fleischer studio. There will be spoilers ahead:
Gabby started out in the feature film Gulliver's Travels. Looking for characters to do shorts around, Fleischer started doing Gabby cartoons in 1940. Gabby had the job of mail carrier in this short, which has minimal plotting.
Gabby delivers a message to King Little, who is in his bathtub, playing with a toy boat when Gabby arrives. Gabby, unable to control his impulses, tries on the king's crown and robe, only to be caught by the king. Gabby delivers the note and slips away while the king looks at the note. The message tells the king to stay at the castle because the note writer has "orders to shoot you", which so frightens King Little that he orders Gabby brought back by the guards.
The king then tells a groveling and sniveling Gabby he's to be king for a day. The king runs and hides after Gabby accepts. Gabby soon finds the note and realizes what's involved here. There follows a series of gags which terrify Gabby. He's convinced he's been grabbed, choked and in a sword fight, ultimately convincing himself he's frightened off the threat.
King Little comes out relieved and is taking his crown back when the note writer announces himself. The ending is cute but predictable, with the visitor recognizable if you've seen Gulliver's Travels, as a minor character there. Not too bad for a Gabby.
Worth watching.
Gabby started out in the feature film Gulliver's Travels. Looking for characters to do shorts around, Fleischer started doing Gabby cartoons in 1940. Gabby had the job of mail carrier in this short, which has minimal plotting.
Gabby delivers a message to King Little, who is in his bathtub, playing with a toy boat when Gabby arrives. Gabby, unable to control his impulses, tries on the king's crown and robe, only to be caught by the king. Gabby delivers the note and slips away while the king looks at the note. The message tells the king to stay at the castle because the note writer has "orders to shoot you", which so frightens King Little that he orders Gabby brought back by the guards.
The king then tells a groveling and sniveling Gabby he's to be king for a day. The king runs and hides after Gabby accepts. Gabby soon finds the note and realizes what's involved here. There follows a series of gags which terrify Gabby. He's convinced he's been grabbed, choked and in a sword fight, ultimately convincing himself he's frightened off the threat.
King Little comes out relieved and is taking his crown back when the note writer announces himself. The ending is cute but predictable, with the visitor recognizable if you've seen Gulliver's Travels, as a minor character there. Not too bad for a Gabby.
Worth watching.
Introducing Gabby
Hitchcoc5 January 2019
The little wise guy is a mailman in this one. The king, a coward, gets word that he will be shot today and he turns over the throne to Gabby for a day. All sorts of things make Gabby think he is under assault. It is a colorful, fast paced offering. Gabby was a character in "Gulliver's Travels." It will be interesting to see some of the other features.
Great Gabby Cartoon.
scottdavidscott27 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Gabby was created by Fleischer Studios in 1939 for the movie "Gulliver's Travels" and released by Paramount Pictures. The Fleischer brothers, Max and Dave, then used Gabby in 8 more short cartoons from 1940-1941. Fleischer Studios became Famous Studios in 1942 and that was it for Gabby. Never the star Popeye the Sailor was. Gabby was simply forgotten by Famous Studios. In this cartoon, my second favorite of the eight, Gabby the know-it-all town crier of Lulliput has a letter for the King. The letter says someone is coming to "shoot" the King. Terrified, the King changes places with Gabby for the day. Get the title now? Gabby finds out his fate and quickly panics! Watch for the sword play in this cartoon. Great cartoon, one of my favorites. Find a good print and enjoy!
The first Gabby cartoon and the best
TheLittleSongbird25 January 2015
King for a Day is Gabby's lead character debut, after seeing him as a support character in 1939's Gulliver's Travels, and to me it is his best and most enjoyable cartoon. Narratively it is very slight and a little rushed at times, the king is a bland and rather obnoxious character and while it was appropriate for how Gabby was feeling Pinto Colvig overdoes it just a tad with the voice work.
On the other hand, Gabby here is much closer to the cuter, funnier and more sympathetic-towards Gabby in Gulliver's Travels than the annoying, unapologetic and rude Gabby he became in the seven cartoons proceeding this one, which is a good thing. His lack of likability as a character most of the time is the main reason why his cartoons generally aren't my cup of tea(though they're not terrible either) as well as the overly-silly and predictably contrived plots and for a fair few of them bland humour. The good news though is that while the story is slight and rushed it's also not too silly or contrived, it doesn't insult the intelligence and it's much more eventful than most Gabby cartoons. It's also the closest the series gets in maintaining the spirit of that of Gulliver's Travels which is saying a lot. Also while the cartoon isn't laugh-a-minute hilarious it does tie with All's Well as the most amusing.
The animation is really beautiful with Fleischer's visual style all over it, everything looks incredibly smooth, there is so much detail in the picturesque backgrounds and the colours are warmly mellow and appropriately ominous when needed. Along with the music, it is the component that is the most consistently good in the Gabby cartoons. Speaking of the music, it really excels at being rousing, lively, sumptuous and atmospheric, also really enhancing what's going on. The use of the catchy It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day in the opening credits is effective and puts a smile on one's face. All's Well while not here is used a lot in the Gabby cartoons(with Gabby singing it) and is even catchier melodically and in terms of lyrics but I have a slight preference for the very upbeat It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day personally.
Overall, Gabby's lead character debut was the one this viewer enjoyed the most and King for a Day showed Gabby at his most tolerable in his solo series. 7/10 Bethany Cox
On the other hand, Gabby here is much closer to the cuter, funnier and more sympathetic-towards Gabby in Gulliver's Travels than the annoying, unapologetic and rude Gabby he became in the seven cartoons proceeding this one, which is a good thing. His lack of likability as a character most of the time is the main reason why his cartoons generally aren't my cup of tea(though they're not terrible either) as well as the overly-silly and predictably contrived plots and for a fair few of them bland humour. The good news though is that while the story is slight and rushed it's also not too silly or contrived, it doesn't insult the intelligence and it's much more eventful than most Gabby cartoons. It's also the closest the series gets in maintaining the spirit of that of Gulliver's Travels which is saying a lot. Also while the cartoon isn't laugh-a-minute hilarious it does tie with All's Well as the most amusing.
The animation is really beautiful with Fleischer's visual style all over it, everything looks incredibly smooth, there is so much detail in the picturesque backgrounds and the colours are warmly mellow and appropriately ominous when needed. Along with the music, it is the component that is the most consistently good in the Gabby cartoons. Speaking of the music, it really excels at being rousing, lively, sumptuous and atmospheric, also really enhancing what's going on. The use of the catchy It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day in the opening credits is effective and puts a smile on one's face. All's Well while not here is used a lot in the Gabby cartoons(with Gabby singing it) and is even catchier melodically and in terms of lyrics but I have a slight preference for the very upbeat It's a Hap-Hap-Happy Day personally.
Overall, Gabby's lead character debut was the one this viewer enjoyed the most and King for a Day showed Gabby at his most tolerable in his solo series. 7/10 Bethany Cox
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
