Wild Wife (1954) User Reviews

Caught between a feminist tract and a validation of conservative family values

[phantom_tollbooth · 6/10 · 22 April 2009]

Robert McKimson's 'Wild Wife' is a curious entry in the series of domestic cartoons which were popular in the 50s and 60s. More akin to a sitcom than a classic Warner cartoon, 'Wild Wife' stars an entirely human cast as a chauvinistic husband questions how his wife could possibly have failed to mow the lawn when she has so much time on her hands. This triggers a flashback which forms the basis of the cartoon as the wife (sardonically played to perfection by Bea Benederet) recounts the events of her day. Ostensibly a pro-woman cartoon that implores men not to take their wives for granted, 'Wild Wife' still makes room for plenty of sexist stereotypes with gags about obsessive shopping, chocolate addiction and parallel parking. Still, it's an enjoyably down-to-earth short with several neat little observations about everyday life in the 50s. There's nothing uproarious here but the face remains largely fixed in a smile, even if its sometime provoked by some of the outdated attitudes. Caught between a feminist tract and a validation of conservative family values, 'Wild Wife' is an interesting glimpse at the past and an entertaining one to boot.

"Little man, I've had a busy day!"

[Rectangular_businessman · 8/10 · 15 May 2023]

A very atypical Looney Tunes short, having a far more down to earth plot and tone, albeit still with a couple of cartoonish gags.

Despite the 50s setting, certain elements still remain relatable to this very day, almost predating the type of gags one would see in animated sitcoms like The Simpsons and all its imitators.

The premise is also ahead of its time: It might have a couple of gender stereotypes, but its satirical take of the American Way of life from the perspective of a frustrated, underappreciated housewive is definately quite progressive, having no qualms in showing the husband character under a very negative light, against with the common "Father Knows Best" stereotype of the era, feeling closer to the modern clueless dad stereotype.

Very amusing and cleverly written, "Wild Wife" definately deserves more appreciation. But I guess than deviating from the usual formulas isn't everyone's cup of tea.

diary of the maddest housewife

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 12 November 2008]

Watching Robert McKimson's "Wild Wife", I couldn't tell whether or not it qualifies as proto-feminist. Seriously, would Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem have recommended this cartoon as required viewing for gender studies, or wanted all copies of it burned? That I can't quite figure out. But whatever it is, one can see what a degenerate existence the suburban 1950s life constituted. Part of what "The Graduate" showed is that the "good life" that the parents' generation had created for the children was a lie.

OK, I've probably over-analyzed the cartoon. McKimson probably intended it as entertainment. Some of what happens certainly entertains. But I still say that it offers some insight into what status as a 1950s housewife really constituted.

Little man, she's had a busy day!

[slymusic · 17 April 2010]

"Wild Wife", directed by Robert McKimson, is a very good Warner Brothers cartoon featuring a witty music score by Carl W. Stalling. This film focuses on how the lady of the house spends her time while the kids are at school and the husband earns the family's daily bread. Through flashback, we find out that the woman works her ass off!

My favorite scenes from this cartoon: The wife HURRIEDLY makes breakfast, only to be rewarded with the humorous arguing among her two kids. When opening her car door, the wife becomes over-showered with groceries. She also crashes back and forth between two parked cars as she tries to parallel park in front of a beauty salon, then her mud facial scares a pedestrian out of his wits.

Bea Benaderet and Mel Blanc supply the voices of the "Wild Wife" and husband, and they play off of each other wonderfully. Amusing as it is, this cartoon short may also serve as a reminder to husbands everywhere that while they are bringing home the bread, their wives most likely are engaging in much more activity than generally believed.

Two ladies cut in front of "Marsha" . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 21 October 2016]

. . . at a couple of different Eighth National Bank teller windows. Both are depositing thousands of pennies. The first seasoned citizen declares that she's adding $200 to her account, and begins enumerating the necessary 2,000 nominal coins one by one. (Surveys show that it takes the average female in her age group 18 minutes to tally 2,000 items one-by-one IF THEY DO NOT MAKE ANY RESTARTS; unfortunately, the same studies document that 15 or 20 restarts are par for the course here, yielding a realistic expectation of THREE HOURS for Lady Number One's count.) Though the second crone does not specify the amount of her intended deposit, it's clear that her pennies sack is about 50% heavier than that of her age peer. Consequently, this second matron's business is bound to last four or five hours. Since "Marsha" has arrived at Eighth National kind of Noonish, it's quite possible that this downtown branch will be CLOSED before EITHER teller is available to attend to her business at hand. Warner Bros. uses WILD WIFE to inform The American Banking Community that most U.S. Citizens will be OVERJOYED to pay their bank four or five bucks at an "Automated Teller Machine" every time that they need $20 OF THEIR OWN MONEY, and that the last thing they'd ever expect of this privilege is any interest in return.

Wild Wife is a great Robert McKimson cartoon

[tavm · 10/10 · 1 January 2009]

Just watched this Warner Bros. cartoon on YouTube. In it, husband John (Mel Blanc, of course) asks his wife Marsha (Bea Benaderet) if she's done various chores. When she replies "no" on the lawnmower question, he tells her she doesn't do enough work during her free time. Marsha rebuts with a tale of what her work day entailed...Director Robert McKimson fills this day-in-the-life-of-a-housewife premise with lots of hilarious verbal and visual gags that keeps building until the much deserved finale. And the stylized '50s design that was probably UPA-inspired is perfect here. And music director Carl Stalling, as always, provides many familiar music cues-like the "Powerhouse" score by Raymond Scott which is my favorite-their suitable moments in the short. So for all that, I'm highly recommending Wild Wife.

Excellent cartoon from Robert McKimson

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 10 June 2013]

McKimson may not be quite among my favourite animation directors, but there is still much enjoyment to be had in his cartoons. Wild Wife is no exception, a couple of the attitudes I agree are outdated but that aside it is excellent. The animation is bright, colourful and crisp, with some of it also entertainingly wacky. The music has so much wit and energy and the way it is orchestrated is just beautiful, and stylistically from Carl Stalling it is very distinctive. The dialogue and gags are not what I call hilarious but they are funny and never dull things down, while there are some very sharp and interesting observations on 50s everyday life. The characters carry Wild Wife brilliantly, especially the title character, while Mel Blanc and especially Bea Beanderet characterise to perfection. In conclusion, excellent if not my favourite McKimson cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Why a Cartoon?

[boblipton · 4/10 · 7 April 2003]

There is no reason this had to be a cartoon. It could have easily been a live-action short, of the sort that commonly done throughout the history of films. True, there was a shortage of well-known female comics to do this sort of work, but it looks a lot like some of the gags used on I LOVE LUCY in the era.

Typical day

[kellielulu · 10/10 · 17 May 2023]

I agree that despite some gender streotypes this is quite ahead of the times , 1954 to be exact. It's a bit surprising as 1950's gender roles were pretty set despite some changes in recent decades for women. The manic pace of Marcia's day could be similar to many homemakers and while some of it a bit much such as how she parks her car it shows her wit at the same time and the humor and familarity of the situations .Things will happen you just can't always anticapte what they will be. Marcia relates her day to a husband who somehow thinks homemakers have it easy and ends with her summing up in a way that shows the sympathy is with her and homemakers in general. The kids are also funny arguing at breakfast but not overdone. Typical brother/sister stuff .

This one would be my best animated short at the Oscar's that year.

Emancipation cartoon from the 1950s

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 24 September 2018]

"Wild Wife" is an American 6.5-minute cartoon from 1954, so this one will have its 65th anniversary next year and maybe depending on when you actually read this review, it already happened. if you read the names McKimson, Pierce, Blanc and Benederet, then you know already most likely (if you know a bit about films/cartoons from that time) that this is another Warner Bros. cartoons. But don't be fooled by the big picture here as this has nothing to do with Bugs, Daffy and the others.. Instead, it is a film more about society you could say. The key message in this one is that the wife is pretty busy as well while the husband is at work, but he really does not see it and thinks the wife is just having a chill day. Maybe the interesting thing here is the state of things depicted in terms of family life back then. The best example is probably how we see the spouses sleep in the same room, but in seperate beds. Sadly, these are the most interesting aspects already and it is never a particularly funny watch. But it's not just for the wives, the husbands may have a laugh here and there too, for example about the woman's driving talent on one occasions. But don't let your wife see that you find this funny. Besides, it's really not a "forced" busy day if you go to the blood bank (even though it is honorable) or to the beauty place. And the somewhat violent (okay more funny than violent) ending is also a bit exaggerated and came out of nowhere. Certainly not a last 30 secodns that elevate the film overall. All in all, I've seen a lot better by Warner Bros. Skip this one.

One of the funniest events in film history . . .

[pixrox1 · 9/10 · 30 July 2022]

. . . is when emotionally abused title character Marsha pulls out the "little gift" she purchased that afternoon at Lacy's and clobbers her ingrate spouse John with a rolling pin designated as "His." Surely hordes of ladies seeing this clubbing of the insensitive masculine noggin during WILD WIFE's original theatrical release immediately began thinking about how they could duplicate John's receiving his just desserts once the not-so-happy couple returned home from their local movie palace. The main reason that "there's no crying in baseball" is because the diamond denizens are seldom bludgeoned with their Louisville sluggers. On the other hand, once they get home to "the little lady in the kitchen," ball players and fans alike often are just cruising for a bruising; that is, they're asking for a solid cranium denting due to their nit-picking criticisms, thoughtless disparagement and bad holier-than-thou attitudes. They should thank their lucky stars if the steak knives and meat cleavers stay holstered.

Women are not weak.

[ZTVindel · 9/10 · 1 September 2023]

I love this cartoon from the 1950s because it reveals an interesting truth about how the woman's role was viewed. It reveals that although women may not have a standard paying job, their work as a housewife should always be valued. The husband represents every man who may not understand the unique contribution that women have on society. This is something that I really appreciate because this cartoon was made exclusively by men in the 1950s. Feminists often say that women were kept down by men and prevented from doing anything meaningful in society. However, this cartoon shows that men SHOULD appreciate women. Additionally, it's also nice that they didn't portray the wife as a weak individual. She wasn't a servant to her husband, she was a provider to the household. So, when Hollywood says they are creating a "strong independent woman"(as if that's something unique) they should refer to this cartoon. Women were never weak, even when they had different roles in the 1950s.