The Tantalizing Fly (1919)

• 72%
• 1919
• Animation
• Comedy
• Max Fleischer

A cartoonist drawing a clown is harassed by a fly. His efforts to swat the insect only spray ink over his drawing, so he borrows a fly-swatter from a co-worker. When the fly comes to rest on the clown, the cartoonist gives the paper a mighty whack, sending the clown head over teakettle, but missing the fly entirely. The clown borrows the pen from the cartoonist and attempts to smack the fly, which only splatters the cartoonist with ink. The clown next decides to draw a picture of a bald man to lure the fly, but once again his mighty thwack only sends the seated man sprawling. Exasperated, the cartoonist picks up the paper, and the ink slides down the page into the inkwell. In the last scene, the fly follows the ink into the bottle and the cartoonist captures the annoying insect at last.