Category: Cartoons from the 50’s

The 1950’s contain some of the most revered shorts Warner Bros. ever produced! Many of which now are considered some of animation’s greatest triumphs.

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Show Biz Bugs

“I’m sick of people taking bows for my talent.”

Merry Christmas everyone! I got plenty more Looney Tunes DVD’s for Christmas, so this site is in no danger of leaving you.

In one of the best Bugs/Daffy confrontations, we see Daffy is angry because Bugs’ name is much bigger than his on the marquee of the theater the two are performing at. Oh, and his dressing room is the mens room. He and Bugs go on stage and dance, which nets thunderous applause. Daffy runs back out to take a bow and the clapping immediately stops. Bugs of course just has to poke his head out for the crowd to applaud again. Daffy is determined to get the applause he deserves.

Bad luck just keeps coming to him. His trained pigeons fly away, he actually gets cut in half while Bugs does a magic trick, and blows himself up trying to get Bugs to play “Those Endearing Young Charms” successfully. (If you recall “Ballot Box Bunny” you’d know Bugs can’t get that song right) Fed up, Daffy tries the act he’s held back in case of an emergency. He drinks various explosives before gulping down a lit match and blows up. He finally gets the applause he wanted. Daffy sadly remarks that the trick can only be done once, as he floats up to the afterlife.

Personal Rating: 4

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One Froggy Evening

“*Ribbit*”

(Quick note: I forgot to mention in last week’s entry, that all the voices were done not by Mel Blanc but by Stan Freberg. A rare thing in the Looney Tunes world. At least while Mel was still under contract.)

I’m wearing my Michigan J. Frog shirt today, so it only seems natural that I talk about this cartoon. This Chuck Jones classic starts out at a demolition sight. A building is being torn down and one of the employees finds a box hidden in the ruins. Inside is a wondrous sight to behold! A frog who sings and dances to songs form the early 1900s! (And one that Warner Bros. made up themselves, “The Michigan Rag.” )

Seeing this wonder of nature firsthand, it doesn’t take long for the man’s thoughts to turn to greed. However, when he tries to show it to a talent agency, the frog acts like a normal frog. Croaking, lethargic, (ectotherms don’t do well in unheated boxes) and not about to sing anytime soon. The two get thrown out. So the man rents a theater to show off his new pet. Costing him pretty much everything he owes, so this better be worth it…

The grand opening has no audience until he promises free beer. (Some of those letters are coming off his sign. Couldn’t afford better quality paint) But by the time he gets the curtains open the frog is done, and the man is booed. Now out of money, he is living in the local park. Where someone else finally overhears the frog. Said person is a cop, and he only heard the frog. He didn’t see it. Therefore, he does not believe the man and takes him to a mental hospital.

Later, now having lost everything from his money, home, and sanity, the man sees that the building is getting rebuilt and he leaps at his chance to hide the frog. He finally manages to succeed. 100 years later, another person finds the frog and begins to think of how rich he will potentially be…

Now I have a theory as to why the frog does this. I believe he was created to show people greed is bad. He purposely stops to get them in trouble. Hes the ultimate troll. Or perhaps, it just makes for better comedy.

Personal Rating: 5

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The Three Little Bops

“I wish my brother, George, was here.”

Now then, once upon a time,

(Just like the short, this post’s in rhyme.)

Their first tale may have ended, but the three pigs aren’t done,

as now they play awesome music for everyone.

At first, everything seemed like it would be all right,

then the wolf came into the club that night.

But he doesn’t want to eat them, he just shakes their hands.

And poof! Nothing to it! He’s a part their band.

But his music just isn’t to the crowds liking,

so the pigs throw him out, as fast as lightning.

The wolf is mad and blows the place down.

(Does everyone build places of straw in this town?)

The pigs next play in a building made of sticks,

but the wolf comes back for more horn tricks.

He’s cast out again, and again destroys the club,

and the pigs are fed up with the hubbub.

They go to play at a place that is wisely built of bricks,

(which, incidentally was built in 1776)

No wolves are allowed in this here joint,

but the wolf sneaks in at a later point.

His disguises hide his body, but his music still is crap,

so he opts to pull out a TNT trap.

He lights the thing, and starts to run, but it blows him up, and well,

he’s gone and gotten himself stuck down in hell.

But to play cool music, you got to get hot,

and that was one thing the wolf was not.

So via the afterlife he gets to play with the pigs until they’re done,

we end (no “That’s all folks!”) with the new and improved Three little Bops plus one.

Personal Rating: 4

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Snow Business

“I’ll sthtarve!”

Sorry for the lack of update last week. I was forced to go camping and it took a lot out of me. In other news, I got a new person to visit here. (Give yourself a hand, ***.) So without further ado…

A blizzard is taking place and Granny can’t get to her cabin where her pets are. (And the man stopping her is no help “Well, I’m sorry ma’am”) In the cabin we see that the two pets are good friends. (Well Sylvester almost tries to eat Tweety, but he controls himself) They hear over a radio, that they are snowed in and worry they will starve. Tweety won’t because the only food available is birdseed. Sylvester thinks of something he can eat but he doesn’t tell Tweety what it is.

Instead he offers him a chance to go sailing (in a boiling pot of water) or skating. (in a pan of grease) This would work out great, but also in the cabin is a mouse who is starving and decides that putty tat is on the menu. Eventually, Granny makes it back to the cabin. To her surprise, the only thing she brought to eat is more bird seed.

Personal Rating: 3

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Bird in a Guilty Cage

“We’ll play thandwich.”

Sylvester walks by a department store. To his delight, there is a canary on sale. He sneaks in and heads towards Tweety. (Not before ogling some mannequins in bathing suits.) Tweety hides on a ceiling lamp. Sylvester tries being creative and constructs a tower of mannequins to reach his prize. As he climbs up, Tweety climbs down and attaches roller skates to the tower, sending it down stairs.

Next, Tweety hides in a pile of hats. Sylvester can’t resist trying them on, but finds most of them horrible. Tweety is on one of them and seeing this, the puttytat tries to hammer the bird but only hits his own head. At the end, Tweety jumps in a mail chute and Sylvester goes to where he believes the bird will come out with his mouth open. Tweety comes out another end and sends a TNT stick his way. Sylvester is sure he ate Tweety and he leaves the store. After an explosion, he decides that birds upset his stomach.

Personal Rating: 3

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Aint She Tweet?

“Quiet Boys! Quiet!”

Despite what the title says, always remember: TWEETY. IS. MALE! He also happens to be for sale inside a pet shop. A hungry Sylvester throws a brick at the window to get inside, but when he notices the cop, he has to let the brick hit himself. He comes back with a glass-cutter but is too late. Tweety has been bought by granny who loves pets, and that means she has a yard full to the brim with bulldogs.

Sylvester goes over on a tree limb, but Tweety saws it off. He tries stilts, but Tweety gives the dogs tools to dismantle them. He tries a zip line but his weight causes it to lower him into the dogs reach. At one point it seems the dogs are gone, but they are inside. Sylvester manages to escape but a dumb old man thinks he’s doing him a favor and throws him back. (There was a sign you dumb old man)

He climbs into a package which turns out to contain dog food. (Granny wonders what has made them so hungry) At night he sneaks among them, only for Tweety to wake them up with an alarm clock.

Personal Rating: 3

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Gift Wrapped

“Oh goody goody! Thantny Clauth came for real!”

It’s Christmas morning and Sylvester is excited to see all the presents. (Some of which never get opened) He is disappointed to find one for him contains a rubber mouse instead of a real one. Granny’s gift is much more interesting a (canary) Tweety bird. He switches the tags and once Granny gets wise she has to force Sylvester to spit the bird out. (Sylvester has eaten Tweety a few times, he just never can keep him down)

As soon as she leaves, he goes after the bird again, still claiming he’s his present. Tweety tells him that a bigger one is for him and he opens it to find a bulldog who eats him instead. Granny comes to the rescue again. Sylvester uses a toy crane but only catches Granny, and when he reverses Tweety’s toy train so that it leads into his mouth, the dog eats him again. Granny saves all the animals and stamps their mouths shut. Christmas carols are then sung by all!

Personal Rating: 3

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Tweet Tweet Tweety

“I dotta tink of a way to get that putty offa me.”

At a national park, Syvlester is ecstatic to find there are plenty of birds here. (Despite the game warden telling him not to do what he’s thinking about.) He finds a nest that’s empty, save for an egg (we never find out about the mother.) He decides to hatch it and eat the contents.

While he keeps it warm, Tweety is born. (Yesth, Tweety. I am your fathsther.) He pokes the putty tat with a pin to get him off, and proceeds to hide in a tree. Sylvester uses a bike pump to pump him out, but gets a firecracker and then Tweety saws off the limb he’s standing on. After a brief song, Tweety is having his picture taken. (Stupid people. He’s a canary, hes not rare) one gets really close and of course it turns out to be Sylvester, who grabs him in his mouth. Only now does the ranger finally appear to save Tweety.

The chase continues into old faithful where Sylvester changes the clock so it won’t erupt. (Is that the right word for a geyser?) Tweety changes the time back, and he gets drenched. Tweety hops on a log and floats down the river with Sylvester following in a boat. He accidentally goes over the falls and Tweety turns off the water, just as he rows back up.

Personal Rating: 3

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Room and Bird

“Thomas Jefferson? Hes not the president no more, he’s dead.”

Sorry for the lack of videos. I can’t seem to find any worthy enough of getting a place on my blog of awesome.

This cartoon starts with a view of a hotel. Despite the fact that animals are not allowed inside, Tweety ans Sylvester are both snuck in by their owners: Granny and Not Granny. As luck would have it, their rooms are right next to each other and Sylvester overhears Tweety singing his trademark song. The chase is on but they have to worry about some man, (I assume he works at the hotel) who is on the look out for possible animals.

They have many close calls, but in the end, the man is sure that there are animals in the building, (although he has no proof) and demands, over the intercom, that whoever has them, to remove them. Just as he says this, he is caught in a stampede of animals.

Personal Rating: 3

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All Abir-r-r-d

“Bye-bye, mommy’s precious little darling!”

Some woman (definitely not Granny) is putting Tweety on a train. (He seems happy to get away from her.) I don’t know why he does it, but the conductor stupidly puts the cage down by a cat carrier. Well, the conductor is not such an idiot, as he was keeping his eye on Sylvester and puts Tweety up higher. Sylvester tries a tower of luggage, but Tweety pulls the emergency brake, and the force causes the puttytat to fly into the engine.

Also on the train is a bulldog, who Sylvester hits and tells to shut up. The train goes up a hill and Sylvester slides into the dogs fist. He thinks he’s safe once it starts to level out, but then it goes down the hill and the dog punches him again. Sylvester tries the luggage trick again, this time cutting the brake chord. Tweety pulls it anyway, and it still works.

Sylvester hides Tweety in a mail sack to keep him hidden from the conductor, but when he reaches to obtain his prize, he gets the dog. Finally the train pulls into a station and Sylvester eagerly awaits the bird disguised as a woman. He gets the cage and runs to a taxi so he can eat in peace. When he opens the cage however, he gets the dog again!

Personal Rating: 4