It's a Living (1957) User Reviews

It's a Living was a moderately amusing Terrytoon short from the Gene Deitch era

[tavm · 3/10 · 19 April 2010]

Just watched this Terrytoon cartoon starring a forgotten character named Dinky the Duck on the DailyMotion site. In this one, we see the little mallard escaping a weasel and an alligator when the duck stops the film and says he's tired of the repetition of doing chases in cartoons so he steps off the screen and goes to audition for TV commercials. He may eventually regret that decision...Made during the Gene Deitch era of the studio, this cartoon attempts to be a satire of how dangerous it is to go from one commercial to another when one gets doused in water, frozen, get too much heat after getting thawed out, etc. It's when Dinky experiences what I just mentioned the only time I found anything even amusing in this animated short. Otherwise, this wasn't very good. Still, It's a Living is worth a look for anyone interested in these rare Terrytoon shorts. P.S. Dinky's voice, Allen Swift, died yesterday at age 86. He was a particular favorite of Mr. Deitch over the years.