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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Duck! Rabbit, Duck!

“I’m a wed hot spowtsman aftew wild game.”

The final in the hunting trilogy and it does not fail to disappoint.

The first one took place in summer, then autumn, so logically it’s winter now. Daffy is burning all the duck season signs and sends Elmer off to get some wabbits. Bugs tells Elmer that he can’t be shot unless Elmer has a fricasseeing wabbit license. Daffy writes up the document. He just needs a little help spelling fricasseeing. Bugs helps. “F-r-i-c-a-s-s-e-e-i-n-g-d-u-c-k.” Daffy gets shot and reads the document and admits to being the goat. Elmer shoots him upon reading Bug’s goat season sign.

Daffy calls Bugs a dirty dog. Bugs declares him a dirty skunk and Elmer shoots him upon seeing the dirty skunk sign. Daffy can’t believe what a pigeon he’s being and Elmer shoots him upon sight of the corresponding sign. Daffy takes Elmer away to talk some sense in him and Bugs uses the time to build a snow rabbit. Realizing he should shoot wabbits, Elmer rushes out and obliterates the sculpture. Bugs appears in an angel outfit to complete the illusion. Daffy claims that if Bug’s is dead then he is a mongoose.

Another shot later, he tells Elmer to listen to him and not anymore signs. Bugs puts on a bill and Daffy tells Elmer to shoot the duck. *BANG* Daffy breaks down and Bugs disguises himself as a game warden. He tells Elmer it is really baseball season and sends him off after a baseball. Alone, he asks Daffy what season it REALLY is. Daffy tells him it is obviously duck season and gets shot by many hunters.

Personal Rating: 4

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Hillbilly Hare

“Ya’ll care to practice with me for th’ square dancin’ tomorrow?”

When you as many enemies as Bugs Bunny, you feel the need to take a vacation every once in a while. Bug’s is relaxing in the Ozarks where he angers a hillbilly known as Curt Martin. His family is in a feud with another called the Coys. So he declares war when Bugs notes that he is very coy. His gun takes to long to fire however, giving Bug’s an easy chance to tie a knot in his gun. Curt unties it just for it to fire in his face. This act was spied by his brother, Pumpkinhead who also decides to kill Bugs. He doesn’t fare much better as Bugs switches the gun around to face back at its owner.

The main gag of this short starts with Bugs disguising himself as a woman and asks the smitten men to practice square dancing with “her.” While dancing, Bugs switches places with the caller and directs the boys into hurting each other pretty bad. They are obviously aware of whats going on, (as evidenced by their faces) and yet they continue to obey. Is that one of the hillbilly commandments? (“Thou shall not wear shoes”, “Thou shall always hate some other family”,” Thou shall never disobey a square dance”?) Bugs makes them walk into a hay baler, a pig pen, and finally off a cliff.

Personal Rating: 4

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Homeless Hare

“Well toodles, do I get my home back or do I have to get tough?”

Sorry for lack of updates last week. It was my birthday and I did not feel doing my mediocre, tiny blog posts that I call “working”. But now I’m back, and ready with a new short!

At a construction site, Bug’s house is accidentally dug up. Despite asking very politely to put his home back, the worker dumps ‘im into a pile. The worker (who Bugs dubs Hercules) laughs until Bugs drops a brick on his face with a note that declares war. Hercules hops in an elevator and tries to reach Bugs who is controlling the elevator and he ultimately sends Herc into a vat of wet cement.

Bugs dresses as a foreman and demands that Herc build a huge tower. At the top Hercules is balancing on a thin board balanced by a pile of bricks. Bugs takes great delight in removing them one by one. (Best scene of the picture, right there.) Herc gets his revenge by swinging an I beam into Bugs’ face, which sends him on a dazed walk where in the classic cartoon way, he is saved by various machinery before falling into a rain barrel.

Bugs devises a clever plan, and drops a red-hot rivet which travels along a complex path before landing on a rope, burning said rope, and dropping a huge piece of machinery on Hercules. He concedes defeat and agrees to give his home back. The building gets built still, but now it’s built around Bugs rabbit hole.

Personal Rating: 4

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What’s Opera, Doc?

“Oh mighty warrior of great fighting stoooock! Might I inquire to ask, ‘Ehh, What’s up Doooc?!'”

This is the greatest cartoon ever. (Or so says “The 50 Greatest Cartoons” I’d trust it.) While I don’t personally agree, I can agree this is some fine work.(In my opinion, it’s “Porky In Wackyland” which is also on the list.) This whole cartoon is an opera, and Elmer (as Siegfreid) sings that he is hunting wabbits. Bugs appears and Fudd tells him he will use his spear and magic helmet. (Which can control weather) Bugs runs away just as Elmer gets wise.

Bugs renters the picture in disguise as Brunhilde. (Riding the world’s fattest horse, I might add.) They dance and sing and proclaim their love just as Bug’s disguise falls off. In his fury, Elmer conjures up many forces of weather to kill da wabbit. (Blanc yells Elmer’s line of “SMOOOOOOG!” The man is a good yeller.) After this, Elmer sees Bugs is dead (Yes, really.) He feels remorse and carries Bugs into the sunset. As the cartoon ends, Bugs asks us if we honestly expected a happy ending.

Personal Rating: 5

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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