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Bob Clampett

Looney Tunes had a studio full of talented directors, but my all time favorite was, is and always will be: Bob Clampett. He was described as the nuttiest one of the group, and his cartoons stretched the limits of what not just Looney Tunes, but animation as a medium, could do.

He was the man who created Tweety, (inspired by his nude baby picture) and created the wonderfully surreal, Wackyland. You can probably guess that some of my favorites were directed by him. Including: “Porky in Wackyland” (natch), “The Great Piggybank Robbery,” Baby Bottleneck”, “A Tale of Two Kitties”,  A Gruesome Twosome”, “Wacky Blackout”, “The Bashful Buzzard” “Tortoise Wins by a Hare” and one that I shall be talking about next time.

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Space Jam Part 2

Yeah, I already talked about this, but I did not say everything I wanted to.

To start, let’s talk about what about this movie I don’t like. I never liked the part when the blue mon-star scared Porky and caused him to pee. Looney tunes can do better than toilet humor. I mean, sure, they did it in earlier cartoons, but it was subtle. Nice and subtle. It also does not help that Porky is my favorite character.

Another part I don’t really like (Which is really personal and petty, I’m aware) is when after losing his talent Charles Barkley plays with some girls (I think) and since his talent is gone, they insult him to his face. That is way too rude. I would have killed them. Also I don’t get this part, but when Bill Murray appears at the end of the film to help with the game, Swackhammer says “I didn’t know Dan Ackroyd was in this picture!” Am I missing something? Does Bill get mistaken for him a lot?

Here’s another interesting bit of trivia: the gym the Tunes practice at is called Scheslinger gym. (A nod to the man who helped get Looney Tunes started) Also, if you like “The Simpsons” (and there was a moment when everyone did) you can find Dan Castatanella at the first game. He is the one who claims “Barkley is killing us!”

Finally, I made a list of every Looney Tune character I could find in this movie. There may be more. If you can name any, I somehow missed, let me know. Now in no particular order, there was: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Bunny, Porky Pig, the Tasmanian Devil, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Tweety, Granny, Hubie and Bertie, the Goofy Gophers, the Three Bears, Angus MacRory, (the Scotsman from “My Bunny Lies Over the Sea“) the Bull, (from “Bully for Bugs“) Gossamar, Beaky Buzzard, the Barnyard Dog, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, the Roadrunner, Witch Hazel, Curt and Pumkinhead Martin (from “Hillbilly Hare”), the Gambling Bug,  O’Pat and O’Mike, Playboy Penguin, Egghead Jr., Marvin the Martain, Speedy Gonzales, Slowpoke Rodriguez, Sniffles, Pepe Le Pew, Penelope Pussycat, Spike and Chester, Sam Sheepdog, the Crusher, Giovanni Jones, Pete Puma, Miss Prissy, Charlie Dog, Buddy, Sylvester Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Gruesome Gorilla, Rocky and Mugsy, Marc Antony and Pussyfoot, Claude Cat, Beans, Kitty, Ham or Ex, Petunia Pig, Bosko, Michigan J. Frog, the tired man from “A Pest in the House”, Cecil Tortoise, the Three Little Bops and the Wolf, the Dover Boys, the Weasel from a few “Foghorn cartoons”, Red from “Little Red Riding Rabbit”, K-9, and Henery Hawk.

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Space Jam

“You guys are nuts.”

“Correction, we’re Looney Tunes”

I love this movie, but then again, I am a Looney Tunes fanboy. It’s sad most of the world seems to hate it. I think that is bull crap. This is a masterpiece if ever there was one. At least it did great at the box office.

The history is that people made commercials with Bugs and Michael Jordan advertising basketball shoes. So they figured making a movie was a good idea. (I think it was.) Our plot is that a theme park in outer space, (it is not specified which planet, but I think the whole park is its own planet) sucks. (How can people say that? Didn’t you ever want to ride an Astro-orbiter wannabe that shoots at you? Oh yeah, me neither) The owner decides they need new attractions and figures that the Looney Tunes are just the thing. I’d come.

However, Bugs tricks them into thinking they need to give the toons a chance to defend themselves. Since the aliens are short and have tiny limbs, basketball seems like a shoe in. However the aliens have the ability to steal the ability from five NBA players. Luckily, Jordan was retired at this time. So they don’t nab him. The toons get him for their side and we get the greatest game in all history!

This also introduced us to Lola. She did not have much of a personality in this movie, save for being someone for Bugs to be attracted to. Seems she was popular though, as she appeared in “Baby Looney Tunes”, “Tweety’s High Flying Adventure”, and “The Looney Tunes Show.”

Bottom line if you hate this you have no taste and at the very least you have to watch it once. (There must be more who love this, I know it!) “Tune” in next time where I will name all the Looney Tunes who appear in the film as well as some interesting facts. Woo hoo hoo hoo! Woo hoo!

Personal Rating: 3. (Unless you’re one of those people who can’t stand anything Looney that came out after the Golden age. For you, it’s a 2.)

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Bosko the Talk-ink Kid

“Well here I is, and I’s feel good!”

This… is what started it all. When Harmon and Ising went to pitch their idea to make their own cartoons to Scheslinger, they brought along this beauty. It’s essentially the Looney Tunes pilot cartoon. It was made in 1929 and combined live action and animation well ahead of its time. (Warner Bros was good at that.)

It starts with Bosko being born. (Drawn.) The animator asks him to show us what he can do and Bosko starts doing some dances. (One is quite racist, but only by today’s standards.) He notices the audience and learns that he is supposed to make us laugh. The animator gives him a piano and some musical gags occur. Bosko sings (badly) and the animator sucks him back into the pen. Bosko pops out of the inkwell and promises us he will return. (Then he blows a raspberry at the animator.)

Happy Halloween!

Personal Rating: For most, I’d give this a 2, but if you can appreciate how good this early example of live action and animation coexisting is, I’ll bump it up to a 3.

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Devil-May Hare

“I don’t even know what a Tasmanian devil is”

While spring cleaning, Bugs finds himself in a stampede of animals. Wanting to know what is going on, he stops a turtle (with a shovel) and learns that THE Tasmanian devil is on the loose! (What exactly does that mean? Was he in a zoo?) Bugs looks it up in an encyclopedia and the creature corners him in his lair. To keep his hide alive, Bugs offers to help him find plenty of other food. Groundhogs, chicken, pigs, and deer.

While the devil is falling for Bug’s tricks, a real deer comes up. (where is his “I am not Bambi” sign?) Taz shows up and says that he is done being fooled and will not fall for another fake animal. To spare the creature, Bugs lies and says that the little deer is made of straw. Taz reasons that Bugs is not, and tries to eat him again. Bugs only choice is to call Tasmania for a Tasmanian-she devil. The two fall in love and get married. A happy ending!

Personal Rating: 3

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The Tasmanian Devil

Another post in a day? Yes siree pop, you lucky Looney-tics you.

This guy actually never had a name to begin with. He was just a Tasmanian devil that most people figured was an animal that the animators had just made up. It took a long time for him to be created: 1954! Also, despite his popularity, he only appeared in 5 shorts. (4 of which were with Bugs Bunny.) He was created because the animators wanted a new character and realized the only thing they had not used was a t.d. This design looks nothing like the real creature and that is part of his charm. I don’t know where they got his spinning skill, though. (Still, it’s freaking cool.)

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A Broken Leghorn

“Its gotta be that kid, or me.”

Today is the day! Prissy is going to lay an egg! However, the other chickens mock her and overhearing this, Foghorn decides to do probably the best deed he ever has done. He steals an egg, and slips it under the elderly hen. It hatches into a young rooster, and since their can only be one on a farm, Foggy plans to kill it.

Pretending to train the chick to be a proper rooster, he gets it to retrieve a ball in traffic. (That’s why the chicken crossed the road: to have a ball.) Not thinking he did it right, the chick asks Foghorn to show him how. As to be expected, he is hit by two cars. Various methods including dynamite, rifles, and land mines all result in pain. Deciding the only way to settle this is to talk to the farmer in charge (old Mcdonald) and let him pick who leaves. We end with Foghorn being carted off to a poultry plant.

Personal Rating: 4

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Prissy

Given the fact that lately,  I am talking about characters that appeared in Foghorn shorts, I figured I should talk about another one.

Prissy is a chicken who debuted in the Porky cartoon “An Egg Scramble”. Since then though, she seems to have moved to Foghorn’s barnyard. From what I have seen, this poor gal has never laid an egg or been married. This does not deter her though; she keeps on trying on both accounts. She also would be pretty cute, but that bonnet and her voice make her seem too old, but apparently she is young enough to try and woo Foghorn. Or, perhaps most likely she is just desperate.

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Early to Bet

“So remember folks, the gambling bug will get you if you don’t watch out!”

This is one of those shorts that was a one shot. That did not make it any less hilarious, though. It opens with an nature documentary sort of thing. We are introduced to the Gambling Bug. (Hemipterus addictus.) An insect whose bite inflicts anyone with a need to gamble. Today, however, the bug thinks he needs a vacation, so he goes for a walk in the country. He witnesses a dog ask a cat to play cards with him, but the cat refuses. Perhaps it’s because every time the cat loses he must face a penalty?

The bug decides that this is a job for him, and gives the cat a bite. As to be expected, he loses and we see his penalties range from sneezing while being forced to chew bubble gum, to being forced to roll out a barrel of gunpowder. Finally the dog decides that the cat is too unlucky and if they play more, he’ll die. (Ruining the dogs fun). Feeling bad the bug plays the cat… only to promptly lose and have to face a penalty: being swatted.

Personal Rating: 3

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Daffy Duck Hunt

“B-B-Benedict Arnold!”

Porky and his dog, the Barnyard Dawg are out hunting. Cue duck. Daffy empties all the shells and taunts Porky and his dog with some french dancing. Porky tells the dog to get him and the dog decides that a trick will help him win. He begins to cry and Daffy asks what’s wrong. The dog explains (lies) that if he does not catch a duck, Porky will torture him. In a rare moment of selflessness, Daffy says they will pretend he was caught. After the dog brings Daffy back to his master, Porky decides that one duck is enough for dinner. They go home and put Daffy in a freezer.

Porky goes to sleep whilst the dog hears thumps in the freezer. His two consciousnesses appear and try to make him choose to let Daffy freeze or at least warm up for helping him. Choosing the right choice, he puts Daffy in the oven to get some heat. Daffy tries to leave but is explained that he is not going to leave. Daffy makes a lot of racket and Porky storms in to see what is going on. Daffy jumps in the dog’s mouth and the poor mutt gets beaten.

More of this zaniness follows. Finally, Porky says that if the duck is not in the freezer then the dog dies. Opening it up he allows Daffy to jump out, dressed like Santa and has them sing “Jingle Bells.” Porky then notices the calendar says April, and gets an axe to finish Daffy. However, he is stopped by the patch on Daffy that says, “Do not open until Christmas”. Daffy figures that by then, he will have figured a way out of the mess he got himself into.

Personal Rating: 3 (but it teeters dangerously towards the “4” category)