The First Bad Man
| The First Bad Man | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Directed by | Tex Avery |
| Produced by | Fred Quimby |
| Story by | Heck Allen |
| Narrated by | Tex Ritter |
| Music by | Scott Bradley |
| Animation by |
Walt Clinton Michael Lah Ray Patterson Grant Simmons |
| Layouts by | Ed Benedict (uncredited) |
| Backgrounds by | John Didrik Johnsen |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) | September 30, 1955 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 6 min (one reel) |
| Language | English |
The First Bad Man is an American animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery, and features narration by singing cowboy Tex Ritter. It was released by MGM on September 30, 1955.
Synopsis
An unnamed narrator tells a story about the history of Texas set one million years ago, when Dinosaur Dan, the eponymous villain, terrorized the state. He rustles all the cattle (brontosaurs with the heads of Texas longhorns), and runs off with all the pretty women. The primitive Texans finally corner Dan in his mountain hideout, and cleverly chisel away the outer rock, leaving behind a small rock jail with Dan inside. The final scene shows the jail still standing in modern day Dallas, and reveals that the narrator is really Dinosaur Dan, still in jail and sadly asking "When are y'all gonna let me out of here?"
Notes
Ed Benedict provided uncredited layout designs for this cartoon. Benedict would later work for Hanna-Barbera Studios (which was started by MGM alumni William Hanna and Joseph Barbera), where he would use some of the caveman designs from this cartoon as the basis for characters in The Flintstones.[1]
The Wacky World of Tex Avery used this short as the primary inspiration for Einstone, one of the show's characters.
Censorship
When shown on Cartoon Network and Boomerang two scenes involving gunplay were cut. The first shows Dinosaur Dan riddling the sheriff with bullets; when the sheriff takes off his leopard skin, he reveals he is covered in holes. The second shows Dinosaur Dan shooting a shaggy haired caveman in the head at point blank range after pulling open his hair like a curtain.