Cross Country Detours

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A wacky travelogue takes us to the forests of Yosemite, the rocks of Brice Canyon, the frozen wastes of Alaska, the desert wastes of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River and the ... Read allA wacky travelogue takes us to the forests of Yosemite, the rocks of Brice Canyon, the frozen wastes of Alaska, the desert wastes of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River and the giant redwoods of California.A wacky travelogue takes us to the forests of Yosemite, the rocks of Brice Canyon, the frozen wastes of Alaska, the desert wastes of New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River and the giant redwoods of California.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

310

YOUR RATING

3User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

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Top cast4

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Lou Marcelle

Narrator
(voice)

Bea Benaderet

Deer
(voice)
(uncredited)
…

Sara Berner

Various
(voice)
(uncredited)

Mel Blanc

Bear
(voice)
(uncredited)
…

Director
- Tex Avery
Writer
- Rich Hogan
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The sequence where the lizard sheds its skin was rotoscoped from a film of a striptease artist that studio manager Henry Binder had hired at the request of Tex Avery. Both men waited until after the film was completed to admit to Leon Schlesinger that they had hired her and filmed her at the studio for that purpose.

Goofs
The narrator states "In the desert wastes of New Mexico..." while showing saguaro cactus. BUT saguaros do not grow in New Mexico. They grow ONLY in the Sonoran Desert, which is in southern Arizona and northern Mexico.

Quotes
Narrator: Traveling southward back into the states, we were fortunate in photographing this tense drama of animal life: a ferocious bobcat about to pounce upon and devour this poor helpless little weakling, a baby quail. With muscles tense and ready to spring, the marauding killer comes closer and closer to this tiny, shivering little creature, so defenseless, so harmless. Only a baby! Poor little...
Bobcat: [roars and gets ready to pounce, but then falls to the ground in tears] I can't do it! I can't! I can't go through with it! I can't! I can't!

Alternate versions
All current prints have deleted the scene of a frog committing suicide (the infamous "frog croaking" gag).

Connections
Featured in Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary (1986)

Soundtracks
Oh! You Beautiful Doll
(uncredited)
Music by Nat Ayer
Played during the deer scene

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

8/10

Travelogue fun

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best cartoons ever made by anybody. 'Cross Country Detours' is not one of Avery's best but for a travelogue cartoon, or for a travelogue of anything, it doesn't fare too shabbily at all, actually it fares well. It may not be one of his overall funniest or most imaginative and at all structurally it's a little episodic, but it's well made and clever.

It is no surprise that, as with a vast majority of Avery's cartoons regardless of the period, the animation is excellent. Beautifully drawn, very detailed and the colours are vibrant. The highlight animation-wise are the different locations brought to remarkably vivid and superbly detailed life.

Carl Stalling's music score is typically lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms, it's also beautifully synchronised with the action and gestures/expressions and even enhances the impact.

While not hilarious, 'Cross Country Detours' is very clever, with the frog and lizard scenes very daring for their time and still shock. Timing is spot on and the narration is suitably sardonic. Avery directs splendidly and distinctively. Voice acting is very good.

On the whole, a lot of fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox