Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies: Now Disc: Hare Conditioned (1945)

I wonder what his middle initial "E." stands for.

 

Isnt it Wil E. Coyote? As in wily?

 

No, it's Wile E. Coyote.

And that Wiki article also says that E. stands for Ethelbert. LOL.

 

Here's one of my favorites: Bully For Bugs

Includes one of my fave lines: "Of course you realize, this means war!"

The Bull is classic, an animated Rorshach Test, with nasty curving horns, pink eyes, and a malevolent smirk.

The 'La Cucarachas' bit, the Sombrero dance, the rifle tail, and the Rube Goldberg contraption at the end---all great stuff.

 

The Coyte and the Roadrunner were always my favorites.

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There was no talking, just Acme contraptions and dynamite. Lots and lots of dynamite.

 

A really good one is Bugs And Thugs.

It's on Golden Collection Volume 1.

Check Wikipedia to see what's on each volume.

 

Love the old Looney Tunes stuff. The Golden Collection is definitely on my 'to get' list...one day.


The quoted line is a Bugs classic.




Similar topic (albeit slightly off-topic I suppose):
I've noticed that the Looney Tunes cartoons of this era, and in fact cartoons from other studios would utter a common line.
I was wondering if anyone knew what the origin was?

The line: "You may fire when ready, Grizzly!"



I trust one of you folks can solve this mystery.

 

Is Pronoun Trouble in there?

 

What's available is in the public domain.

Here's one I hadn't seen before: Wackiki Rabbit

Some good gags, and the castaways are terrifically animated, but not the best, I think.

 

Is that a title of a short? Because there is a short with that phrase in it on Volume 1.

Do you mean no longer copyrighted?

 

Over 50 years old

 

Ah...I discovered the source of the term "Pronoun Trouble"

Rabbit Seasoning

 

And another classic: "Ali Baba Bunny"

 

Barbary Coast Bunny

This one has a villain with the unbeatable name of Nasty Canasta.

 

Some History: "In the beginning years, both Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies drew their storylines from Warner's vast music library. However, eventually the two series distinguished themselves by Looney Tunes becoming the umbrella for the studio's various recurring characters, while Merrie Melodies continued with the use of one-shot characters. Also, from 1934 to 1943 Merrie Melodies were produced in color and Looney Tunes in black and white; after 1943, however, both series were produced in color; the only real difference between the two series was in the variation between the opening theme music and titles. Both series by this time also made use of the various Warner Bros. cartoon characters. By 1943, the theme music for Looney Tunes was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin; the theme music for Merrie Melodies was an adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along" by Charles Tobias, Murray Mencher and Eddie Cantor. The reason for Looney Tunes' changeover to color was Warner Bros' decision to re-release only the color Merrie Melodies for their Blue Ribbon Classics series of cartoons[citation needed], noted by the special "Blue Ribbon" title card.


Black and white Looney Tunes opening title from 1943.In 1930, Warner Bros. became interested in developing a series of musical animated shorts in order to promote their music. They had recently acquired the ownership of Brunswick Records along with four music publishers for US $28 million. Consequently, they were eager to start promoting this material in order to cash in on the sales of sheet music and phonograph records. Warners made a deal with Leon Schlesinger to produce cartoons for Warner Bros. Schlesinger hired Rudolph Ising and Hugh Harman to produce their first series of cartoons. Bosko was Looney Tunes first major star, debuting in the short Sinkin' in the Bathtub in 1930. When Harman and Ising left the Warner Bros. in 1933 over a budget dispute with Schlesinger, they took with them all the rights of the characters and cartoons which they had created. Schlesinger had to negotiate with them in order to keep the rights to the name Looney Tunes as well as for the right to use the slogan That's All Folks! at the end of the cartoons.

A bland white-washed version of Bosko called Buddy became the star of the Looney Tunes series for the next few years. With the animators working in the Termite Terrace studio, 1935 saw the debut of the first truly major Looney Tunes star, Porky Pig, who was introduced along with Beans the Cat in the Merrie Melodie cartoon I Haven't Got a Hat directed by Friz Freleng. Beans was the star of the next Porky/Beans cartoon Golddiggers of '49, but it was Porky who emerged as the star instead of Beans. This was followed by the debuts of other memorable Looney Tunes stars such as Daffy Duck (in 1937) and the most famous of the Looney Tunes cast, Bugs Bunny (in 1940). Bugs appeared mostly in the color Merrie Melodies and formally joined the Looney Tunes crew , Buckaroo Bugs. In the Avery/Clampett Cartoon Crazy Cruise Bugs Bunny made a cameo in 1942 and at the end of the Frank Tashlin 1943 cartoon Porky Pig's Feat (Bugs Bunny's only black and white appearance). He made another cameo in Patient Porky in 1940. Schlesinger sold his interest in the cartoon studio in 1944 to Warner Bros.

The Looney Tunes series' popularity was strengthened even more when the shorts began airing on network and syndicated television in the mid-to-late 1950s under various titles and formats. However, since the syndicated shorts' target audience was children and because of concerns over children's television in the 1970s, the Looney Tunes shorts began to be edited to remove scenes featuring innuendos, racial remarks, curse words, ethnic stereotypes and extreme violence.

The original Looney Tunes theatrical series ran from 1930 to 1969 (the last short being Injun Trouble, starring Cool Cat). During part of the 1960s, the shorts were produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises after Warner Bros shut down their animation studios. The shorts from this era

 

I remember when they started making some new shorts in the late `80s, but I also remember that the whole "children exposed to violence" issue had made its permanent mark, because I remember one of those shorts ("Box Office Bunny" IIRC), was amusing, but just didn't have the sarcastic bite that they did from the pre-P.C. days of the `40s and `50s.

Some newer shorts were made in the 1990s for television, and I remember seeing one on the Cartoon Network that was absolutely hilarious, because it brought back the grown-up sensibility that the classic shorts had. (Zaz, I'm not sure if Canada's Cartoon Network had the same programming as the US did, so I couldn't tell you if the more recent shorts were even broadcast there.) There was one that picked up on the `90s sitcom trend of showing the outtakes/bloopers during a sitcom's closing credits, and the short was about a big Broadway production being put on, but the viewer was watching Bugs, Daffy, Elmer, et al. make mistakes and pratfalls, wasting several takes of film. Jokes that only grown-ups would understand were peppered throughout the dialogue. I was totally LMAO like I would for the classic shorts. Hopefully those newer shorts will see release some day.

Does anybody know what the 'disclaimer' says at the beginning of volume 4? This was the first set that actually mentions that the clips in that set would now be considered offensive, but it says something about it being dishonest to censor the clips. I can't pause my player to read this blurb (something about the disc being on auto-format or something). Does anybody know what the disclaimer actually says?

 

What I love about these cartoons is despite being decades old they're still hilariously fresh and fun today. When I was a kid growing up in the 80's and 90's I had no idea the shorts were so old. They have a great legacy, and I hope that the 3D animation of today doesn't overshadow them in the future.

One of my favorite shorts growing up was Bewitched Bunny. It's twist on the story on Hansel and Gretal.

 

"Bewitched Bunny" is one seriously strange "Looney Tune". For one thing, Bugs is opposed by a female--rare, because there are very few female characters, and for once he doesn't prevail.

Notice the weird, skewed "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" backgrounds. Also the dialogue:

Bugs (to the Witch): "Roasting children! Aren't you ashamed!"

Witch (shrugging): "Call it a weakness."

Witch (singing as she chops veggies): "Rockabye rabbit, in the hot oven, into my mouth for dinner I'm shovin'"

In fact, Bugs is poisoned by the Witch and is helpless until he is revived by Prince Charming ("Hansel?") She then corners him in a long, narrow windowless room (one of a number of very Freudian sets) and he is forced to use magic to save himself. At best, it's a draw.

 

Hasn't anyone else seen this cartoon?

 

In the interests of commenting, I'm watching all the clips here.

One Froggy Evening

A classic, bar none, probably the funniest cartoon ever made. I'm not sure which is funnier, the frog's broad singing style or his dead pan croaks at other times.

A Tale of Two Kitties

This one had me in stitches. I love "Babbitt" and "Catstello." That's funny. Hadn't seen this one before.

The Rabbit of Seville

One of the all time classics. The way everything is synched to the music is just priceless. And that climax is one of the funniest things ever put on screen.

Water, Water Every Hare

Hadn't seen this one. I don't like this style as well as the earlier style (I think). And this one starts slow and even Vincent Price can't really make it take fire. I prefer the one with Peter Lorre.

Bully for Bugs

Lots of fun. Surprisingly Bugs takes quite a few good licks here; I particularly like the hornless bull peeking over the fence: "What a nincowpoop!" *BAM*. And that climax is pretty crazy, even for a WB cartoon.

 

I forgot to post ze cartoon; right brilliant of moi:


Bewitched Bunny

 

Bugs and Thugs

Not one of my favorites. I do like the deathless line "Shaddap shaddanap."

Hook Line and Stinker

Representative of why I'm not crazy about the Roadrunner/Coyote cartoons. The Roadrunner has no character; he does stick his tongue out at the coyote once and it's odd enough to warrant a mention. But the Coyote is very expressive. I agree with some previous posters; he doesn't need dialogue. Not with that face.

Wackiki Rabbit

Very early in the run. Bugs hadn't found his final shape yet. And why didn't he just let them have that chicken?

Ali Baba Bunny

A great Bugs/Daffy cartoon. Daffy's laugh when confronted with the sword swinging guard is a high point. As is the climax.

Bewitched Bunny

As you say, very weird. The backgrounds are very strange and that windowless room is way out there. And, as you say, it's a draw; after all, the witch does get him in the end, eh? There's occasional sexual undertones in these things, but this one just takes the cake. And that punchline! Wow. Hadn't seen this one before, but it's a keeper.

 

I love the ritual shower of bobby pins....

It is very strange how all the jokes suddenly morph into sexual innuendo, as soon as the opponent is female. This is the only female one I can think of, though.

There is one other Bugs Bunny/Wicked Witch cartoon...I haven't yet found a copy of it yet.

 

Here's a good one from Volume 2 (which I just got for Christmas):

Rhapsody Rabbit

 

There's a very, very funny description of that cartoon in "Agee on Movies".