What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard?

In this animated short set in the Painted Desert, a hungry, Jimmy Durante–style turkey vulture keeps a running commentary with his stomach and the surprising voice of Daws Butler behind the character. The vulture, who goes by a distinctive name that echoes the world of show business, shares his craving with his companion Joe Buzzard, a wary jackrabbit hunter, while the desert heat and a comic atmosphere color every exchange. The opening moment punches up the humor when the stomach literally talks back, begging for nourishment with a chant of requests like “Send down one hamburger! Everything on it!” The moment lands with a wink, and the Durante Vulture leans into his own smug confidence, quipping, “See what I mean!” as the scene unfolds.

The two birds size up their options in a world where appetites drive the action. A peep at Joe’s mouth reveals a comically suggestive obstacle—a spider web stretched across the opening with a sign that reads “Closed for the duration”—which the duo takes as a cue for mischief. A vivid image of a steak briefly flickers on screen, accompanied by the nostalgic strains of “Auld Lang Syne,” and the theater-like note of an intermission is announced with a humorous sign: “3 minute intermission for drooling – The Management.” The sequence underscores the cartoon’s playful parody of hunger and temptation.

Their feud begins to tilt the balance as they spot a jackrabbit and dive into a comic scuffle over the prey. The rabbit escapes the tangle, and the vultures pivot to plotting rather than feasting, each trying to outmaneuver the other. The Durante Vulture settles beside a rock while Joe quietly tests his own cunning, even toying with a makeshift snack as the tension escalates. A moment of slapstick misfortune lands when the Durante Vulture yelps—a sound effect that punctuates the escalating caper—and Joe fabricates a toothache to cover his own scheme, all while the other’s curiosity grows.

As the farce continues, the Durante Vulture becomes the unwitting subject of a culinary trap. Joe pretends to consult a cooking book, while the unsuspecting vulture is ironically being prepared as if he were the meal. The chase pushes into a log cabin, where a ruse involving a beautiful woman lures the vulture outside, only to invite another round of head-smacking hijinks. Butter coats the action as the two vultures surge through the rustic scene, with the exchange of blows and bumbles that define their rivalry. The Durante Vulture’s tactical retreat turns into chaos as a real rattlesnake nearby causes both to faint in turn, a classic comic reversal that highlights the duo’s bumbling survival skills.

The antics resume as the Durante Vulture ingeniously changes the landscape to his advantage, painting a rock to resemble a succulent steak and calling Joe over for a bite. The ruse works for Joe, who eats it with genuine relish, while the other is fooled into trying the same bite—only to end up breaking his teeth on the fake quarry. A gust of wind whips the action into a whirlwind, scattering weaponry and improvised traps as Joe maneuvers a pot beneath the unsuspecting bird to pull off a clever, if perilous, escape. The Durante Vulture vanishes beneath the clutter of the set, and Joe discovers that he has instead been baked into a satirical kitchen contraption—a broiling pan, an oven, and an ironclad lid—posing a comically perilous hazard.

The scene shifts to a perilous conveyor-belt stove, with the Durante Vulture perched atop a sizzling setup that feeds into a meat slicer. The dash for safety becomes a chase as Joe wields a pickax to close the distance, while the vulture pops up from another hole behind him, swinging a butcher knife in a bid to end the pursuit. The two adversaries trade near-misses and evasions until fatigue finally nudges the Durante Vulture toward surrender, but not before a frantic bid for head removal adds one more edge to the escalating comedy. The chase resumes with improvised weapons and a sprawling cactus still in play, and the vulture’s eventual collapse signals a temporary stalemate that invites a fresh, absurd turn.

The rabbit—ever the catalyst in this animal-world farce—reappears and is quickly captured as the combatants recommence their brawl. Yet the rabbit breaks up the scuffle with a surprising reminder of the calendar: “Meatless Tuesday.” The sudden realization that their nearly endless pursuit of a meal has been for naught sparks a chorus of laughter and mutual resignation, a rare moment of shared humor that deflates the tension and restores a sense of comic balance.

As the curtain draws near, a “Patrons Attention” title card interrupts the whirlwind of chase and trickery. An announcer, voiced by John Wald, delivers a closing moment that preludes the final image. The earlier temptation resurfaces once more as a steak-like image reappears, framed by the familiar musical cue of Auld Lang Syne, signaling that the day ends with a playful nod to appetite, deception, and the enduring comic rhythm of the desert duel.

Throughout, the short maintains a light, neutral tone that foregrounds physical humor, timing, and the cartoon logic of its two bird protagonists. The performances by the principal voices—most notably Daws Butler as the hungry, show-business–tinged vulture and Dick Nelson as his jittery foil—anchor the piece in a tradition of quick-witted, family-friendly misadventure. The result is a lively, long-form gag sequence that entertains with its inventive setups, visual gags, and a consistent through-line about appetite, rivalry, and the absurd ways animals in this imagined world try to outsmart one another.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 12:41