‘Follow the watch’
Directed by Rudy Larriva; Story by Len Janson; Animation by Virgil Ross, Bob Bransford, and Hank Smith; Layouts by Erni Nordli; Backgrounds by Anthony Rizzo; Film Editor: Lee Gunther; Musical Direction by Bill Lava. A Merrie Melody released on October 9, 1965.
Even though today’s chase doesn’t seem to be at the usual top speed, the Roadrunner is still fast enough to run across open air. Faster than the speed of gravity! (It only looked so slow because it was so fast.) Wile E. can’t top that, so he’s stuck on the opposite side of a broken road. At least he doesn’t have to worry about losing sight of his prey. Cartoons with speed are boring! Your brain can’t even perceive the images that would be flashing by. I’m glad that these sixties-budgets are giving us a short with a roadstander for a change.
Wile E. decides to cross by making a tightrope. But what is with that cloud over his head? There shouldn’t be many of those in a desert. The boulder he lassos is just begging to tip over. He should’ve been smarter than this. Not like those smart animators. They knew they were already stretching the limits on what little money they had to work with, so they zoom in on Wile E.’s face to avoid having to animate him crossing. And the boulder falls off its pedestal, causing Wile E. to lose his balance. Good thing his balancing pole was long enough to get caught in the cliff walls.
Bad thing the boulder follows after. He made a really strong knot on his end, and the rock doesn’t just fall, it swings into him. So strong is his knot that it never comes untied. The rope just snaps allowing the boulder to wham him. Good thing he’s a genius. For as a true genius knows, you can always continue to learn. He reads about how to pole vault. He… he just fails. Don’t blame the box he plants the pole into. He could’ve held on. And the Roadstander laughs at this. He actually laughs! CHU-UCK! Tell the story men to stop making your characters do stuff like that. Don’t tell me the studio actually owns them.
Wile E. next sets up a trampoline so he can bounce himself up. Oh! That little cloud was an idea! Thanks so much for labeling it this time. I was wondering so hard… Hey, if front-facing Phineas and mustache-less Mario aren’t cursed enough for you, try eyeless Roadstander! You’ll never have to worry about waking up to a dry bed again! Since he leapt from a precariously piled boulder stack, the top one follows the coyote. He gets whammed again.
Those clever animators. They once again reuse the same shot of Wile E. reading, but change the title on his book. That’s how you make use of a low budget! It’s how to hypnotize and it seems to be working! That’s no doubt a daze that the Roadstander is in. (After a slight case of indigo eyes.) Sadly, I guess no one could think of a brilliant way for this to end in failure, so they just have Wile E. catch his hypno-watch out of the corner of his eye, and fall under his own power. But the now wide awake Roadstander can still make him walk off the cliff. He shouldn’t have any interest in this, but why would the rules be followed now? It’s time for our last gag.
Wile E. studies some martial arts, then lures the Roadrunner back across the gap with a bike horn. The fight begins and ends when the dust clears. Somehow, Wile E. has ended up in empty air once again. He whams without a boulder this time.
Favorite Part: The cat noises that play when they two are fighting. The two were actually fighting. They’re not supposed to be Tom and Jerry!
Personal Rating: 1. If you date someone who says they love Roadrunner cartoons and you try to curry favor with this one, they will take half of what you own, move out of the country, change their name, dye their hair, get plastic surgery and pay your family to do the same.