Little Pancho Vanilla (1938)
Little Pancho Vanilla (1938), directed by Frank Tashlin, starring Mel Blanc.
score
Synopsis
Little Pancho Vanilla dreams of becoming a bullfighter, but his mother tells him that's impossible. The greatest bullfighter in Mexico, Don Jose, is coming to town; Pancho tells the local women he's better, so he goes to the amateur tryout, but he gets thrown out because he's so small. The bull quickly disposes of the other amateurs, sending one over the fence, where he catapults Pancho into the ring right on top of the bull, knocking out the bull to great acclaim from the crowd.
- Frank TashlinDirector
- Treg BrownEditing
- Leon SchlesingerProducer
- Carl W. StallingOriginal music
About the film
Little Pancho Vanilla is a 1938 American animated comedy short film directed by Frank Tashlin. The short was released on October 8, 1938. It is part of the Merrie Melodies series. It was re-released as a "Blue Ribbon" reissue in 1948, rendering the original film and credits lost.
Despite only appearing in one cartoon, Pancho was resurrected in 1952 as a backup feature in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies comic book, appearing from issue #130 (Aug 1952) to #154 (Aug 1954).
Read the full article (1k characters)
Little Pancho Vanilla is a 1938 American animated comedy short film directed by Frank Tashlin. The short was released on October 8, 1938. It is part of the Merrie Melodies series. It was re-released as a "Blue Ribbon" reissue in 1948, rendering the original film and credits lost.
Despite only appearing in one cartoon, Pancho was resurrected in 1952 as a backup feature in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies comic book, appearing from issue #130 (Aug 1952) to #154 (Aug 1954).
Plot
A Mexican boy, Pancho Vanilla, reads a book about bullfighting and dreams of being a real toreador to his mother's chagrin. He finds three girls who prefer a matador named Don Jose, a caricature of Clark Gable, over him.
Pancho arrives at the arena in an attempt to join an amateur tournament, but he is kicked out for being a child. The amateur toreadors instantly fold upon being charged at by the bull, with one being launched out of the arena and in turn accidentally launching Pancho into the arena. He knocks out the bull during the fall and is met with applause. The bull then wakes up to retaliate, but is knocked out twice by Pancho running into him and falling on him. Pancho wins enough money for his mother to buy an automatic washing machine.
Home media
Laserdisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 3, Side 6: Tashlin/Clampett
DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc 2
References
External links
Little Pancho Vanilla at IMDb
Text from Little Pancho Vanilla on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Pancho_Vanilla
Trivia
- It premiered on October 7, 1938, a Friday.
- This film's quiz has 7 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosThe Vitaphone Corporation, Leon Schlesinger Productions
- CountriesUnited States
- LanguagesEnglish
- StatusReleased
Cast
Mel Blanc
Little Pancho Vanilla Quiz about this movie
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Tags
Crew
- Frank Tashlin Director
- Treg Brown Editing
- Leon Schlesinger Producer
- Carl W. Stalling Original music
- Tedd Pierce Story
Questions about this film
What is Little Pancho Vanilla about?
Little Pancho Vanilla: Little Pancho Vanilla dreams of becoming a bullfighter, but his mother tells him that's impossible. The greatest bullfighter in Mexico, Don Jose, is coming to town; Pancho tells the local women he's better, so he goes to the amateur tryout, but he gets thrown out because he's so small. The bull quickly disposes of the…
Who directed Little Pancho Vanilla?
Little Pancho Vanilla was directed by Frank Tashlin in 1938.
Who stars in Little Pancho Vanilla?
The cast of Little Pancho Vanilla includes Mel Blanc.
How long is Little Pancho Vanilla?
Little Pancho Vanilla runs for 7 minutes, or 0h07.
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Page updated on 09/15/2026.
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