Knighty Knight Bugs

“So DIS is da singing sword! Big deal.”

Directed by Friz Freleng.

Well, it is now 2015. So let’s ring in the year with this: Bugs’ only Oscar. Heck, he was only nominated for the award three times. (The first two were in the 40’s.) What did he win against anyway? (*quick google search*) Well, it did beat Disney and their very well told, “Paul Bunyan.” So I guess it counts as a hard earned victory. But this isn’t even Bug’s best short. Does that mean I hate it? No! If you thought that, please go hurt yourself. As for the rest of us, lets get on with it.

King Arthur wants the singing sword which was stolen by the Black Knight. All of his knights refuse to go on such a quest, as the Black Knight has a dragon. Bugs dances in, as he is the jester. He remarks that only a fool would retrieve it. Arthur agrees and sends Bugs off. (Should’ve used better word choice.) The Black Knight it turns out, is Sam. And he does indeed have a dragon, but the beast (Gerry) let his fire go down. Which means he now has a cold. (Brilliant.) They are both asleep and Bugs manages to take the sword very easily.

Wondering why it has its title, the answer is given as it begins emitting music in his hands. This wakes both the knight and the dragon who give chase. Bugs escapes with them hot on his tail. (Gerry looks a bit horshish to me. Almost as if he was originally going to BE a horse, and they just drew scales around him.) Ducking into a hole, Bugs doubles back to the castle, and raises the drawbridge. (Dropping it on Sam when he demands he lower it.) Sam tries a catapult, (with results similar to “Sahara Hare”) and throwing a rope and climbing it. (Bugs uses a hammer to smack him back down.)

Later, seeing that the coast appears clear, Bugs sneaks out. Sam and Gerry were hiding but their position is given away when the creature sneezes. They chase again, and Bugs ends up locking them in a room full of explosives. Sam tells the dragon that if he sneezes, they’ll end up on the moon. As Bugs walks away, the entire tower blasts off. Waving goodbye, he marches off, a job well done. The sword playing “Aloha” to see us off.

Personal Rating: 3. I’m glad Bugs was finally recognized for his Oscar-worthy talents. It’s just a shame it couldn’t have been with a cartoon really showcasing them.

Walky Talky Hawky

“I’m a chickenhawk. I’m after my first chicken.”

Directed by Robert McKimson.

We start off at the home of three hawks. (The father of which, happens to read Looney Tune comics. My kind of reading buddy!) Their child is named Henrey and he tells his father that he craves something, but has no clue what. His father decides its time they had a talk. (“Okay pop. Whadyya wanna know?” Love that.) Dad tells him that he is a chicken hawk. And as such, he will crave chicken and everyone will hate and shun him for just being himself. Heavy.

All Henrey takes from this is what food he wants. So he heads off to a nearby farm. There we have the first appearance of Foghorn, who actually is minding his own business, when the first appearance of the Barnyard Dog shoves a watermelon on his head. Foggy can’t be one upped like this, so he paddles the dog with a board, and taunts him at the edge of his rope. (Foghorn sounds more like Yosemite Sam than anyone else in this picture. Give him time.)

Seeing Henrey, he asks what the kid is doing. After learning, Foghorn also tells him that he is a horse and the dog is a chicken. Henrey goes over and takes a bite. The dog chases him before his rope pulls him back. (Foghorn gleefully hits his head to win a croquet game.) He tells Henrey to go back and fight. Predators should not fear prey. (I could discuss that this is not entirely true…) Henrey proves to be very strong for his size and carries the doghouse away. B.D. catches on fairly quickly and gives chase again. And gets choked again. (Foghorn puts a helmet on him, and hits him with a hammer.)

He and Henrey decide to use a complex plan. Henrey sets it up and draws a doorbell on the house to ring with. When B.D. comes out he hears Henrey playing the piano and dances over. Henrey smacks him with a pan. Dazed, the dog stumbles onto a banana peel, which sends him onto a spring, which bounces him onto a skate, which Henrey begins to roll away. B.D. aks what he wants and after hearing of Foghorn’s lies explains that Foghorn is the chicken. Dog and rooster argue and Henrey sees this is going nowhere fast. He releases the dog who in turn pummels the rooster. Their tussle takes them into a stable where a real horse throws them out. They form a truce and go fight the equine. Henrey goes in and drags all three home with him. Figuring that at least one of them has to be a chicken.

Personal Rating: 4

Birds Anonymous

“If you really want to beat this, look us up. We can help you.”

Directed by Friz Freleng

It’s another Oscar Winner! It’s the third time Sylvester’s been in one of those! This was Blanc’s favorite short he did voices for! (And if my research is correct, it was originally supposed to be called “Tweety-Totaler”. A more clever title, but a bit harder to take seriously.)

Inside a house, Sylvester carefully closes all the window blinds so there are no witnesses for what’s about to happen. He grabs Tweety quite easily. (Granny’s not in this short. Neither are any guard dogs.) He doesn’t eat him, as another cat (who would later be named Clarence) warns of the perils. Apparently, Birds are a cats alcohol and they have a group that can help break the habit. Sylvester attends a meeting and vows to do the same.

He returns home and cheerfully greets Tweety with a friendly pat on the head. (“Deaw Diawy, I know you won’t bewieve this but…”) Sylvester turns on the television. Surprise! It’s a cooking show describing how to make delicious poultry. (It never specifies WHAT bird it is. It could be a hoatzin.) Sylvester fights his urges and tries the radio. Of course, it’s only playing alliterative avian albums. (“Bye Bye Blackbird”, “Red Red Robin”, No, Hungry Hungry Heorn, unfortunately.)

He handcuffs himself to a radiator, (why were those cuffs in the kitchen?) but manages to break free after Tweety asks if he likes him anymore. Clarence arrives to shoot a plunger in his face. (“I was afraid you might be weakening.”) At night, Sylvester can’t sleep and runs to Tweety, planning to quit after just one more. Clarence pours alum into his mouth, thus making it impossible for him to shove Tweety in.. He breaks down, and Clarence tells him that it’s really easy to get along with your prey. He kisses Tweety and manages to get a taste of him as well. Clarence is now trying to eat the canary while Sylvester tries to stop him.

Personal Rating: 5 (For Mel’s godly voice acting.)

Pigs in a Polka

“I’m the smart little pig. I build my house of bricks.”

How about another “Fantasia” parody? (Can’t ever have too many!) Set to Brahms “Hungarian Dances”, we see the familiar tale of the big, bad wolf, andthethreelittlepigs. The first pig has the most adorable voice. (Thank you, Sara Berner) He stretches out a wire frame and piles straw on it. Done. The second pig is less adorable and builds his house of matchsticks. It collapses. The third pig is not cute. (Sorry, Blanc) But he is worthy of the intelligence pigs possess. He works hard while his (siblings? friends? love interests?) play. Cue dancing wolf. To get closer without them running, he dons a gypsy disguise. The pigs follow. They fell for it.

PSYCHE! They take his costume and do the dance themselves. Now the chase is on. They run to the straw house. The wolf sets it on fire. They run to the still demolished (match) stick house, and rebuild it as fast as they can. The wolf adds one more and it crumbles. Brick house it is! The wolf tries to blow it down, and is only offered mouthwash for his troubles. He goes to run into the door to knock it down, but the pigs open it up and let him run through the house into the back door.

Later the pigs are happily dancing. (Except for the third one. Spoilsport. He needs a name. They all do. So in order… Crunchy, Pancake and Mel) The wolf is outside dressed as a homeless woman in a snowstorm. (A talcum powder dispenser hanging over his head.) Crunchy and Pancake ignore Mel’s warnings and let “her” in. Mel finds out that the wolf has a record in the dress to make it SOUND like he is playing a sad violin song. Flipping it over gets a new song that the wolf dances his disguise off to.

The pigs run up the stairs to the suddenly existing 2nd floor. They take the elevator back down. The wolf does the same, but instead of another lift, he travels down the shaft (passing by ten stories somehow) and lands hardly. (Mel’s full name is Mel C. Escher)

Personal Rating: 4

It’s Got me Again!

“Oh, Mr. Cat please let me go! Oh Mr. Cat, don’t tease me so!”

It’s the first Warner Bros. short to be nominated for an Oscar! (It lost to “Flowers and Trees.” Don’t feel bad, Disney was tough to beat, even with it being the first time animation was being recognized. Just being nominated should be a huge honor.)

In the after hours at a music shop, the mice come out to play with the instruments. They make some lovely music and soon it grows into a party. Turning on a record they begin to dance to the title song. As they play the most threatening cat in all animation, (at least to me) watches with hungry eyes. After we witness the mice dance on a piano, (I think they were describing domestic abuse!) the cat sneaks in through the chimney.

He eats the cuckoo out of the clock, which unfortunately alerts the mice to his presence. Most of the mice escape but one is trapped. He pleads for help and his friends fire drumsticks and needles at the cat. (Dang. They mean business.) The cat runs away and the mice cheer. The short is ended by… Piggy? What’s he doing here? One of the mice couldn’t end the short?

Personal Rating: 2

Swooner Crooner

“G-G-Gee Wiz! That’s swell fellas!”

Its the middle of WWII. Doing his part, Porky has all the hens who work at Flockheed Factory laying eggs for soldiers. They get in nests and powerhouse their way through the place, before laying an egg in a private area. (And don’t worry if you can’t lay any, Porky will force you to)

Work will be the last thing on the hen’s minds when a Sinatra Rooster is outside. They leave to swoon and reenact scenes that also appear in the animated part of “Two guys form Texas.” Porky needs those chickens back, but they’ve been seduced so much that only a crooner of equal or better value could lure them back.

Porky holds auditions and rejects the poultry versions of Nelson Eddy, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, and Cab Calloway. He finds his man (er bird) in the form of a one Bing Crosby rooster. His singing has the hens “flocking” to him and subsequently laying eggs again. Frankie can’t have that and a battle of the singers ensues. Much later Porky is admiring the mountains of eggs he now has. He wants to know their secret. They start singing and (in a scene I could see as the ending to a “Twilight Zone” episode) Porky begins to lay eggs too.

Personal Rating: 4

Who Framed Roger Rabbit part 2

This time I am discussing my opinion on the movie. To be fair, it is my favorite Disney film. It has great humor, a wonderful story, and wonderful characters. (Even though many of them were pre-existing.) Valiant is a great hero. I like how he seems like a typical tough guy, but underneath that he is very sweet and funny.

Jessica’s character is also fantastic. Unlike every other male on the planet, I don’t find her hot. (Never been one for the large lidded lounge lizard look. Plus, she’s married.) I like how she looks like your typical slut/goldigger, but instead truly loves her husband. I also think that it is creative for her and Roger to be married despite how different they are. It’s a good message of love prevailing.

Judge Doom was awesome. It is pretty obvious from the get go, that he is the villain, (No protagonist could murder such an adorable shoe.) but I’m sure nobody saw that twist about him at the end. That was awesome too awesome for me to spoil here.

But the absolute best thing about the movie though, has to be the fact that all cartoons are fair game. W.B. Disney. M.G.M. Paramount. So many greats all appear and that is the greatest thing for a cartoon lover ever. We love to see all our favorites together. Will they ever make a sequel? I’m doubtful, but I hope so. Even if it sucks, I’m sure I’ll see it as many times as possible. It would just be a shame almost none of the original cast would be there.

Tweetie Pie

“Kiss the ittle birdie!”

This is it! this is THE cartoon. What is THE cartoon? This is the first Looney Tune that won an Oscar. (Ironicly “Tom and Jerry” had been winning tons of Oscars. Why? Are Tom and Jerry better than Looney Tunes? Fun fact: not always) Actually, in this cartoon Sylvester is called Thomas. Oh, and this is the canary and putty tat’s first time together, too.

It’s winter and Tweety is out warming himself by a cigar butt. Thomas (Sylvester) grabs him and almost immediately gets caught by his owner. She takes Tweety in and puts him in a cage, warning the cat to leave him alone. When she’s gone, Sylvester builds a stack of furniture that Tweety chops down. (The owner hits Sylvester with a broom) He builds one out of metal furniture and Tweety uses a blowtorch to destroy it. (Sylvester gets hit with the broom again)

At one point Sylvester has Tweety under a glass so Tweety can’t call for help. So the bird pokes Sylvester with a pin and the owner throws him out. After failing to get in through the fireplace, and a Rube Golberg device doesn’t work, he saws the area around the cage which brings the whole ceiling down. Sylvester throws the broom in the fire only to get hit by a shovel. Wielded by Tweety.

Personal Rating: 3

Mouse Wreckers

“What’d I do? What’d I do?”

Hubie and Bertie are happy to find a new place to call home, but there’s one problem with it: Claude. According to all those trophies, he’s a champion mouser and the mice are going to have to get rid of him if they are to live there. They hide on the roof, and Hubie lowers Bertie down the chimney to the cat, to torment him and get away quickly. They use sticks, bellows, and even a dog to drive Claude crazy. They even tie a rock to his tail and throw it off the roof, dragging him along with it.

Claude is shaken to say the least, but he convinces himself it was all a dream. While he sleeps the mice try their coupe-de-gracie. They nail all the furniture to the ceiling, somehow get the celing lamp to point upward and put it on the floor, and wake up Claude. He is scared to find himself on the ceiling but freaks out even more when he climbs into the next room, and finds its right side up, but the windows show upside down horizons and underwater scenery. He runs screaming from the house as the mice get comfortable

Personal Rating: 3

Speedy Gonzales

“There is only one mouse who can get that cheese, and that is Speedy Gonzales!”

No, really. That is the name of the cartoon. It was not the only one of its kind. There were other shorts that were not the characters first appearance but named after them anyway. (“Tweetie Pie”, “Hippity Hopper”, “The Daffy Duck”, “The Foghorn Leghorn”…)

Anyways, some mice stare at a cheese factory. Why don’t they go in? Oh, its just the fact that Sylvester is guarding the place and has killed everyone who tried to get past him. The mice decide that if someone was fast enough, they could eat. They ask Speedy and he agrees. He races to the factory, and Sylvester learns that this is one fast mouse. He tries mousetraps, but Speedy runs so fast they just fly onto the cat.

He dresses like a catcher but only catches a baseball. (After he throws it away it is shown Speedy was in there.) He even plants a mine field, but the mouse (who technically is the bad guy in this episode, Sylvester is just doing his job and Speedy is stealing) tricks him into running into it. In the end Sylvester tries to blow up the cheese…only causing it to rain down on the mice.

Personal Rating: 3