‘ Again ‘
Written and Directed by Chuck Jones; Co-Directed by Abe Levitow; Animation by Richard Thompson, Bob Bransford, Tom Ray, and Ken Harris; Layouts by Maurice Noble; Assistant Layout: Corny Cole; Backgrounds by Philip DeGuard and Bob Singer; Effects Animation by Harry Love; Film Editor: Treg Brown; Musical Direction by Milt Franklyn. A Looney Tune released on June 3, 1961.
A quick thank you to all my readers in Germany. You’re giving more hits than my homeland.
The guy doing the “Latin” captions had the day off, so Wile E. provides. He looks smug, and since he can keep pace with the Road Runner better than I can, he’s got reason to be. But just wait until the bird puts on a speed boost. So fast, that he appears to not appear. The roads curl up behind him, tunnels get pulled inside-out, and bridges scrunch up after him. That’s the moment Wile E. decides he’s done enough running. He’s got better ideas! And rather than the overused light bulb over the head, his eyes become the bulbs. I like creativity!
Acme does it again! Skates are no longer the only winter gear that gets a “roller” variety. Introducing Roller skis! Want to ski in the future when snow no longer exists? Now you can, and you’ll look sexy doing it. Also available: roller luge, roller ice fishing poles, and roller balls. (That’s supposed to be a play on snowballs.) They look plenty fun to me. Turning is nonexistent, though. Wile. E. goes over a cliff, and ends up embedded into a different one’s face. Stuck in the exact middle too. Too high to drop, too low to climb. But the bird is at the top! What’s the super genius way to solve this?
Obviously: you use the skis as a makeshift diving board. Each bounce flings you higher, but remember: doing this too much will make the wood splinter. Don’t attempt more than five times. The warranty won’t cover that. Wile E. is having no luck in getting close enough, so the super genius method is to send something else out, and collect the carcass. Paper airplanes can be thrown, but they are flimsy and weak. Even if they came into contact, what would they accomplish? Paper cuts only happen at the most inopportune times.
The solution: T.N.T. airplanes. Yeah, now we’re talking. That’s a man’s toy! (But a coyote’s weapon.) They’ve even got needles on them so they will guarantee stick to whatever you want to blow up. The only limit is your imagination! And poor aim. Wile E. takes to a balloon to unleash his flock. Wait… Ralph Wolf? What are you doing here? This isn’t your picture! Wait. Wile E. just had white eyes there. Yeah, I knew it all along. You’re pretty impressed, I bet.
The weapons are unleashed and fly. Since Wile E. didn’t throw them, they’re left to the mercy of wind and gravity. Oops. The last one ends up stuck in his balloon. After the explosion, Wile E. plummets. Always the super genius, he brought along a parachute. The second to last airplane takes that one out. His next two attempts are with a sledge hammer and a boomerang, but they end up getting darted as well. Should’ve seen this coming. “Dart” and “Drat” are anagrams.
The final plan is to drop an anvil on the R.R. Before he can, another airplane gets embedded in the crag Wile E. is standing on. And after that explosion, another two are stuck in the chunk he’s left with. He tries jumping back to the bigger slab, but it’s still not attached to anything, so he falls with it. He makes sure to at least keep the anvil under him so he won’t be squashed. He ends up neck-deep buried in the street. And then the smaller slab falls on him. He gets a bit of a break though. These airplanes don’t blow up, but just unfurl into “The” and “End”. (Eugh. I don’t like Wile E.’s laugh.)
Favorite Part: The first reappearance of the airplane. It’s unexpected, so the laughter hits harder.
Personal Rating: 3. It’s close though! See, after the second airplane encore, we start to expect another one. And jokes you expect are never as funny as the one’s you don’t see coming. Maybe you disagree and will clamor for a four. We can still be friends.