The Bear That Couldn't Sleep is a 1939 animated short film, directed by Rudolf Ising for MGM as part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer' Barney Bear series. Released with the movie 6,000 Enemies by MGM on June 10, 1939, the short is notable for featuring the first appearance of Barney Bear. Ising created the character Barney Bear in the late 1930s for MGM at this time, basing the sleepy-eyed character partially on himself.Synopsis
As autumn draws to a close, and the first gentle blanket of snow covers the great brown forest. Barney Bear happily prepares for his nice long winter's hibernation, but water leaks, a loose shutter, a noisy fire, a teakettle left on, and some stray embers all get in the way and keep him up until spring.