29 August: Speedy Gonzales

On this date in 1953 Speedy Gonzales, a Loony Tunes Cartoon character, made his debut.

1. The first cartoon he appeared in was called Cattails for Two. It was directed by Robert McKimson. The plot featured him outwitting a couple of Cats on a ship. The cats were named George and Benny and were parodies of the characters George and Lenny in the novel Of Mice and Men.
2. His next starring role was in a short cartoon called Speedy Gonzales which features the cat, Sylvester, guarding a Cheese factory near the Mexican/American border. Speedy is called in to reclaim to food for the hungry Mice.
3. The spelling of his name changed between those two appearances. In the first, he was Speedy Gonzalez (the name appears on a business card in the film) but after that, he was Speedy Gonzales.
4. His nickname is The Fastest Mouse in All of Mexico.
5. Speedy’s outfit, a Yellow sombrero, White shirt and trousers and a Red kerchief, was a traditional outfit often worn by men and boys in rural Mexican villages.
6. Speedy has a cousin called Slowpoke Rodriguez, who, by contrast, is The Slowest Mouse in All of Mexico.
7. Speedy isn’t shown much in America these days because of the perceived negative stereotypes of Mexican people. People in Latin America apparently love him, though. In Mexico, the children’s channel signs off air each night with a picture of Speedy Gonzales playing the guitar. The League of United Latin American Citizens declared him a cultural icon.
8. A number of voice actors have provided the character’s voice, most notably Mel Blanc between 1953 and 1986, most recently Eugenio Derbez is set to provide Speedy’s voice in a forthcoming feature film.
9. It won’t be the first time Speedy has appeared in a feature film. He had a cameo role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
10. In 1962 Pat Boone recorded a song about him, with Mel Blanc providing the voice of Speedy. It was a top ten hit.

Killing Me Softly

Sebastian Garrett is an assassin. It wasn’t his first choice of vocation, but nonetheless, he’s good at it, and can be relied upon to get the job done. He’s on top of his game.

Until he is contracted to kill Princess Helena of Galorvia. She is not just any princess. Sebastian doesn’t bargain on his intended victim being a super-heroine who gives as good as she gets. Only his own genetic variant power saves him from becoming the victim, instead of Helena. 

Fate has another surprise in store. Sebastian was not expecting to fall in love with her.

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