What’s Buzzin’ Buzzard? (1943) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Hunger in the Painted Desert

In the Painted Desert, a hunger-stricken Durante Vulture laments his appetite while his stomach seems to talk back. He and his companion Joe trade taunts and plot their next move as the prospect of food hangs over them. A comical intermission sign hints at the drooling spectacle to come.

Where

Painted Desert

The rabbit distraction

The vultures spot a jackrabbit and immediately dive into a noisy quarrel over him, letting the prize slip away. Their rivalry over prey intensifies the chaos and shows how their gluttony drives every decision. The desert setting provides the backdrop for the ensuing mischief.

Where

Painted Desert

Joe’s sly sandwich

The Durante Vulture sits beside a rock while Joe quietly crafts a sandwich with his hand, signaling their ongoing scheming. The tension between predator and accomplice escalates as they scheme around food. The moment foreshadows the traps that follow.

Where

Rock by desert

Toothache deception

The vulture yelps and asks Joe to inspect his tooth, then fabricates a toothache to keep Joe off balance. He makes a feint to bite Joe’s head, stirring trouble between them. The deception sets the tone for the later cooking gag.

Where

Near the rock

Cooking ruse begins

Joe starts salting the vulture’s tail and delivers a head strike with a mallet, escalating their back-and-forth. The vulture pretends to study a cooking book, seemingly unaware that he’s being prepared as the main course. The trap tightens around their appetite-driven antics.

Where

Rock by desert

Log cabin trap

Realizing he’s being cooked, the Durante Vulture bolts into a nearby log cabin. Joe lures him back outside by feigning the sight of a beautiful woman, drawing the target into another trap. The chase resumes with renewed desperation.

Where

Log cabin exterior

Butter ambush

Outside, Joe knocks the vulture on the head and then mounds him with butter before making his escape. The pursuit shifts into a brisk, slapstick chase as the two rivals collide again. The kitchen-adjacent trickery continues to escalate.

Where

Outside log cabin

Rattlesnake ruse—and real danger

The two vultures whirl around a rock until the Durante Vulture pretends to be a rattlesnake, causing Joe to faint. A real rattlesnake then appears, and the pretender ends up fainting himself. The rubbery danger heightens the cartoon chaos.

Where

Rock vicinity

Rock-steak deception

The Vulture paints a rock to resemble a steak and calls Joe over to eat it. Joe takes the bait and eats it, while the vulture’s own deception collapses as he breaks his teeth trying to mimic the real thing. The feint ends up serving no one but the joke.

Where

Rock

Kitchen trap spectacle

A chaotic sequence unfolds as a broiling pan, a locked oven, and a conveyor belt leading to a meat slicer appear beneath Joe and the vulture. The vulture rides the mechanism, barely avoiding the slicer as Joe pursues him with a pickaxe. The pursuit moves through a dangerous, improvised kitchen maze.

Where

Desert kitchen contraption

Decapitation chase and cactus

The vulture pops up from a hole behind Joe and, in a frenzy to decapitate him, chops at a cactus as the chase continues. Exhaustion sets in, but the pursuit stubbornly persists around the rocky outcrop. The battle remains a physical and comic clash of wits.

Where

Desert rock vicinity

Meatless Tuesday revelation

The rabbit returns, is captured, and then breaks the duel by pointing to a calendar that proclaims Meatless Tuesday. Realization dawns that their quarrel over a meal was for nothing, triggering a hysterical meltdown between the two rivals. The gag pivots on a seasonal reminder rather than a prize.

Where

Rock area

End credits tease

A Patrons Attention title card appears as the announcer signs off, and a final image of a T-bone steak lingers with Auld Lang Syne playing in the background as the cartoon ends. The closing beat leaves the appetite as the punchline of the entire short.