Category: Friz Freleng

Isadore Freleng was responsible for more Oscars won than any of his co-workers. Here’s anything he directed.

Posted on

A Star is Bored

“If a long eared rabbit can be a sthar, stho can a duck!”

“I’ll give ’em a real feature!”

Directed by Friz Freleng; Story by Warren Foster; Animation by Arthur Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, and Virgil Ross; Layouts by Hawley Pratt; Backgrounds by Irv Wyner; Film Editor: Treg Brown; Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc; Musical Direction by Milt Franklyn. Released in 1956 .

It really is a shame. There are a good number of people in this world who are not talented and yet continue to get work in the movie biz. But I’ve complained about them before, it’s Daffy’s turn now. Specifically, his anger is once again aimed at the world’s favorite rabbit. Sick of Bugs getting big roles, Daffy heads to the bosses’ office and demands a part. He even performs at weddings. (I know what entertainment will be at mine. All I need is a fiance and several thousand dollars.)

It just so happens that the studio was looking for a stunt double to use in Bugs’ pictures, but they’re not telling Daffy that right away. Daffy gets the job and a rabbit suit and prepares to prove his worth. The first scene is with Sam and Daffy subs for Bugs to get shot. Next, Elmer is going to saw a limb off a tree that Bugs is sitting on, but Daffy knocks him out and takes his place. Sawing the limb topples the tree. (Hey, we learned how that gag works!) The next scene calls for Bugs to fish. Despite his protests, Daffy demands that he be the one to do this shot. He is eaten by a tuna. (I’m guessing that’s what it is. What do you want from me?)

Next, Elmer is hunting Bugs. Sticking his gun into a tree results in another coming out of a hole behind him. Daffy takes his place again, to prove its a trick. He ties a bow to his end and when he pokes it through, the other one has a different bow. He shoots himself and finds the different bow on his gun. (I love that gag.) And in a plane scene, Daffy gleefully watches Bugs about to smash into the earth. Stunt double time! (Loving Daffy’s reaction. That’s the look death row inmates have.) This stunt is enough to break the camel’s back and he heads back to the boss and demands his own movie.

He’s in luck! They just got a script in that calls for a duck. It’s aptly titled, “The Duck.” So what, is it going to be a nature documentary? Wishful thinking. It’s a twenty second flick about a duck getting shot to death by hunters. Directed by: A German Director. Written by Bugs Bunny.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Buccaneer Bunny

“Have a nice dip, drip?”

Directed by I. Freleng; Story by Michael Maltese and Tedd Pierce; Animation by Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, Virgil Ross, and Gerry Chiniquy; Layouts by Hawley Pratt; Backgrounds by Paul Julian; Voice Characterization by Mel Blanc; Musical Direction by Carl W. Stalling. Released on May 8, 1948.

He may be remembered as a cowboy, but Sam had many different occupations in the shorts he appeared in. This was his second appearance even! (Unless, you count “Along came Daffy” but there is no concrete evidence that either of the men in that short were Sam.)

As a pirate, Sam is burying his treasure so that no one will know where it is. (His eyebrows turn pink. It’s that tropic sun, I tell ya.) But as he tosses it in the hole, Bugs tosses it back up. Sam decides to shoot him to keep his secret safe. “Dead rabbits tell no tales.” Bugs corrects him that it’s dead men. Sam figures he has no choice and starts to aim at his head. (Hysterical!) He quickly catches on and gives chase. Bugs hops in Sam’s rowboat and rows so fast, he ends up paddling himself out of the boat and onto Sam’s ship. Seeing this, Sam swims out to the ship, grabs the oars and swims back to the boat to row. (A good gag to be sure, but it makes sense. He might needs that boat later and he’ll want the oars.)

Once aboard, he runs into Captain Bligh from “Mutiny on the Bounty.” (Bugs of course.) He gives Sam several orders and chuckles while Sam does so. He soon wises up and Bugs hides. It would work, but Sam’s parrot keeps obnoxiously pointing out the rabbit’s hiding places. Bugs shuts him up by giving it a (fire)cracker. Taking the birds place, he tells Sam the rabbit is in the cannon. BOOM! Bugs takes the crow’s nest like an elevator and is well out of Sam’s reach. Sam orders him down, and Bugs yells for him to catch him as he tosses an anvil which causes the whole ship to submerge, (save Bugs) until Sam lets go of it.

After some hilarious cannon gags and the brilliant many doors gag, (Bugs enters a door, Sam is about to follow when Bugs emerges from another door and enters a different one and Sam can’t catch up.) We get to undoubtedly the best part of this short. Sam comes over to Bugs who is standing by the stairs to the powder room. (By which I mean where the gunpowder is kept. It’s not a latrine. When you’re a pirate, the ocean is your latrine.) Smiling like a troll, Bugs lights a match and throws it down. Sam reacts how you’d think and runs after it. He manages to get it and berates Bugs for doing that. Bugs responds by doing it again. Sam grabs it once more, but tells Bugs that if he does it again, he’s not chasing after it.

Bugs does it again. This really is one of the best gags is all cartoon-dom. Sam is true to his word and tries to keep busy, but ultimately can’t take it and tries to retrieve the match. Too late. The ship is blown to pieces and Bugs and Sam are blown back to the Island. Sam chases Bugs back to his hole thinking he has him cornered. But Bug’s hole is really a buried cannon. Sam surrenders despite Bugs’s claim that he hasn’t even begun fighting. You don’t want to see him at full power. Our universe couldn’t handle it.

Personal Rating: 4

Posted on

14 Carrot Rabbit

“It’s gettin’ so a man can’t earn a dishonest livin’ no more.”

Directed by I. Freleng.  Released in 1952

Our story takes place in the Klondike during the gold rush. What little people can find is claimed by Chillicoot (Yosemite) Sam. While cashing in his ill gotten gains, he sees Bugs walking in with a boulder of a gold nugget. Which he exchanges for carrots. Which are edible. As opposed to money. Which does nothing. (There is my proof that Bugs Bunny is smarter than any man ever will be. Goodnight.) Apparently, a funny feeling comes over Bugs when he is near gold. Sam follows to see if it’s true. It must be, as Bugs finds a collar button by listening to his feelings.

Sam springs into action claiming that they should be partners, and split any gold they might find 50/50. (I love the way Bugs waves his eyebrows at us. He’s not buying that crap.) He agrees and leads Sam to a spot. Instead of making Bugs dig, like I’d expect him to,Sam rushes in and informs the rabbit their partnership is over. Bugs realizes they are on a cliff and feels he should warn the crook. Sam won’t listen to anything he has to say, and Bugs lets him fall. Knowing Sam is going to come back, Bugs starts digging elsewhere. Sam comes back and takes over, unaware that the pile of dirt he is digging through is in a dump truck that Bugs is driving. He dumps it off a cliff.

Angered, Sam vows to chase Bugs all over America if he has to. (I guess he meant North America? Alaska wasn’t part of U.S. yet. Or did he intend to chase him down to the states?) He even gets a shot at Bugs’ tail. That’s rare. They chase for quite awhile, when Bugs is alerted to gold again. Sam knows it must be a trick, but ultimately decides he can’t take that chance and digs. Eureka! He finds gold bar after gold bar. Where is this heavenly location? Fort Knox. (Whoops.) He’s taken away but as Bugs is still there, it looks bad for him too. He says he’s just waiting for a street car, but is all too happy to take the boat that appears instead. (Cartoons. They’re magical)

Personal Rating: 3

Next week is a milestone for me. It will be the fifth anniversary of my blog as a whole. Which means another change in posts (like I do every year) and maybe a special post? Who knows? I hope you’ll join me.

Posted on

Mouse and Garden

“We’re pals, aren’t we Sylvester?”

The best of chumps.

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1960 Nominated for an Academy Award. Lost to the Noveltoon, “Munro”. Which was really good, so I’ll allow it.

Life is hard for Sylvester. If he’s not being anyone’s pet, he doesn’t get any food and is reduced to picking through the trash. At least he’s got a friend. Sam, (voiced by Daws Butler, the same person who voiced many of Hanna-Barbera’s characters, like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and Quick Draw) who previously appeared with him in the short “Trick or Tweet” The two are the best of chums. And they’re always willing to share the other’s food. Sylvester takes note of a mouse. It’s small, but it’s got more nutrition than fish bones. Seeing his chance, he ditches Sam and chases the rodent into a boathouse. Unlike most mice in Looney Tunes, this one is not a clever trickster and Sylvester stops it by stepping on its tail.

Sam comes in and Sylvester hides his snack behind a pillar. Somehow, Sam knows about this and hammers Sylvester’s foot and replaces the mouse with a lit firecracker, which Sylvester eats. Sam hides the mouse in a bureau and when Sylvester asks what’s in it, Sam claims it’s nothing. Sylvester pokes his head in and comments that he’s right. Sam finds the mouse in his friend’s mouth. Now that they both know the other is aware, they decide to put the mouse in a jug  that they dangle from a rope, promising to share it in the morning. (Hope they don’t mind if he dies, there can’t be an air supply there.) The two sleep on a bed that’s there and Sam dreams of a mouse feast. (Sylvester dreams of hitting Sam for dreaming of said mouse.)

Sam attempts to get the mouse but is caught in the act. Since he can’t be trusted, Sam is tied to the bed. Sylvester attempts, but Sam mallets his head. (All while still tied to the bed.) Sam tries to reach the jug from the water below, using a pipe as a snorkel. Sylvester puts another firecracker down it. (Is he walking on water?) Sam spits it back up a few times, before Sylvester plugs it up. To finally stop this whole thing, the two agree to be tied together. But later, Sylvester ties more string on the line so he can get the mouse without Sam waking up. He ties Sam’s end to a motorboat, but Sam wakes up and catches him. He ties Sylvester’s tail to the boat and exposes him.

Unaware that he’s now the one tied up, Sylvester announces his plans to have Sam be taken away. Sam points out that he switched the lines and shakes Sylvester’s hand/paw in farewell. The boat takes off with Sylvester, Sam, and the jug all being taken along. They crash and the two cats make it to an offshore rock. As the mouse (somehow escaped) floats back to land in the jug, the two cats continuously kick each other as we iris out.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Pizzacato Pussycat

“Whoever heard of a mouse pianist?”

Directed by I. Freleng. Released in 1955. (A nice touch: the quotation marks in the title are music notes.)

This short, which looks a lot like the shorts U.P.A. was producing, stars two animals. They live in the house of John and Vi Jones. Vi claims that not only has a toy piano gone missing, but she keeps hearing it play. If I know anything about mysteries, (And I definitely do.) then the culprit was the lobster! No wait, he’s a percussionist. It was probably that Schroeder kid. But seriously, the thief is a mouse. He sneaks out to get some more sheet music, but the cat of the house takes notice. (Name time! Let’s call the cat, Chauncey and the mouse, Michael.)

The mouse loses his glasses in the chase and the cat kicks them under the couch before grabbing the rodent. Then he picks up another pair off the ground. (What?) Now seeing his possible doom in front of him, Michael asks to be spared. After all, he can play piano. (Although, I’m more interested in where he got glasses.) Laughing at the absurdity, Chauncey gets the piano and demands a demonstration. Michael provides, but now that he is out of his hole, both of the Jones’s can hear him. In a panic, the cat puts the pianist mouse in the larger piano and mimes playing it himself. The owners are shocked and call the papers. The cat decides to spare the mouse as long as he plays (get it?) along.

Soon they are all set to play for a large audience, including several critics. Things start smoothly, but all too quickly, one of the piano keys breaks Michael’s glasses. The resulting music is quite abominable, and the cat is exposed as a fraud much to his and his owner’s shame. Back at their place, the cat chases the mouse again. The resulting chase leads them to a drum set, (Who plays those? The piano can at least be seen as decoration, but who just keeps drums around the house?) While swatting at the rodent, Chauncey discovers that he is quite skilled at the drums. Michael grabs the piano and they form a pretty sweet duet. Vi goes to call again, but John declines against it and the two keep their musical pets a secret to the world. It’s probably for the best. Michael isn’t going to live longer than 3 years.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

The Wild Chase

“Vamanos! Vamanos! Yee-haa!”

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1965.

My four shadows are gone! Do you get it yet? I said in a few posts back, that I wondered who would win in a race between Speedy and the Roadrunner. Foreshadowing! Seems I’m too subtle for my own good. Well, we might as well carry on anyway.

A race is being held for the honor of Mexico and Texas. (Oh. Okay. I always pictured the Roadrunner shorts taking place in Arizona or New Mexico, myself. And I like the idea of the new trying to outdo the classic.) The fastest mouse in… well probably the whole world, Speedy, vs that literal road burning bird, the Roadrunner. Both entrants are being watched by hungry eyes. One Wile E. Coyote, (who is for a first, NOT being directed by Chuck Jones) and Sylvester. And this is his last starring role. He’d reappear as a cameo one year later, but that was it.

The race starts and the bird takes the lead. The coyote follows and the ” resulting smoke hides the fact that there’s no more road” gag from “Zoom and Bored” is reused. Sylvester chases his prey of choice but has to stop at the same cliff. (I guess Speedy jumped.) The Roadrunner for whatever reason, went backwards and surprises the cat to jump off and land on the struggling coyote. Both predators try launching boulders at the prey, but they collide in midair and land on their respective launchers. Wile E. tries the “putting iron pellets in birdseed gag” that he used in the short “Wild about Hurry”, with Sylvester laying cheese as bait. The racers stop for a snack. (Should I stop pointing out every time there’s a color goof? ‘Cause Speedy’s nose turns tan.)

Wile E. sets a grenade tied to a roller skate with a magnet on it to go toward the two. It breaks in two just as he checks to see how it’s going. They try pushing a rock on the two, but it won’t fall until both are jumping on it, and when trying to set up a TNT plunger, it blows up before they get it set up. They decide to catch their prey by riding in a rocket car. They catch up, but the racers veer away from a tunnel that the car enters. It leads to empty air, but the car is going so fast, that they don’t plummet. Instead they pass the combatants and end up winning the race themselves. Then the car blows up.

Amusing short, but I feel like this story was done better in an issue of Looney Tunes DC Comics. Where the racers tie… for second place. Cecil turtle won first. (Great joke and twist.)

Personal Rating: For the crossover alone, it earns a 3. But it’s real close to being a 2, due to the repeating gags and cheaper animation.

Posted on

Pancho’s Hideaway

“Don’t worry. I’ll get back all the money’s.”

Directed by Friz Freleng.* Released in 1964.

*”But wait” you say, “didn’t you just say that in the last post that “Nuts and Volts” was the last of the golden era Warner Bros. shorts to give him director credit?” Yes I did. Don’t worry, all will be explained in about twenty-one letters later. That was fast. You see, by 1963 the cartoon studio at W.B. was shut down. Friz Freleng and executive David H. DePatie formed Depatie-Freleng Enterprises to keep making shorts. While they did continue to make Looney Tunes, many feel that these just simply weren’t as good as they were before. (I still think they’re pretty dang good.) The studio’s biggest claim was creating the Pink Panther. But let’s move on to what I’m supposed to be talking about, hm? (And why are my four shadows even bigger than before?)

A bandit is coming to town. Named Pancho Vanilla? Oh, where did he go wrong? Winning washing machines for your mother just wasn’t cutting it anymore? You had to move on to burglary? Wait a minute… That’s Sam! Except for the fact he’s dressed up like an early version of the Frito Bandito and has a Mexican accent, it’s Sam. But for your sake, (and the fact that famed cartoon historian Jerry Beck said Sam’s last appearance was in an earlier short named “Dumb Patrol”,) he shall be referred to as Pancho for today.

He robs the “Uno National Bank” and rides off. The town is all broke now. A mouse tells Speedy that this is good news. No money means they can’t afford cats, right? Maybe, but Speedy points out that with no money the people will eat all the crumbs the mice typically live off. (Actually Speedy, I think they’d eat their cats. So yes, good news!… Until they run out of “gato guacamole” and move on to “mouse with mole…”) Speedy decides to go get the money back himself. (Since you’re not stealing this time, you’re actually being a real hero for once. Good for you!)

He interrupts Panchos counting and claims that he is going to take it all back. Pancho has a good laugh at this and doesn’t notice Speedy take a coin away. He promises to come back for the rest, seeing as he can only carry one at a time. When he returns, Pancho is waiting and they march up to one another. Speedy is too fast for the draw, and Pancho only ends up shooting his feet. (At least he’s going to heaven!… ‘Cause he’s got holy soles?…Forget I tried.) When burying mines, Speedy sneaks up from behind and shouts. The bandit flies up into the air and lands on the mine. (Land, Mine, Land mine! Almost had a gag there! Joke that is…)

Pancho blocks the only way to his shack but leaves a little hole that his gun can poke through. Speedy runs through easily. (But he’s at least kind enough to give the bullet back.) A montage of Speedy succeeding constantly is played until Pancho sets up a new trap. As soon as Speedy comes in, he’ll be shot! But Speedy actually comes back to apologize. Seems like he took one coin too many and it actually does belong to Pancho who comes into the line of fire to get it. (Ouch. But… didn’t he notice he was out of coins?) Back at the bank, Speedy is counting the money to make sure it’s all accounted for. As he is in the thousands, Pancho sneaks up and shouts at him. Speedy loses his place and begrudgingly starts over.

(Don’t worry kids. The four shadow mystery will be solved next week.)

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Nuts and Volts

“Sorry Senor pussycat, I can’t play with you no more.”

Directed by Friz Freleng. (Interesting note, this is the last of the golden era Looney Tunes to give him director credit.) Released in 1964.

During one of their many chases, (in which Speedy is laughing a little TOO hard. Is it that fun?) Sylvester gets tired. (At least all that exercise is good for him.) He decides to try using technology to catch the mouse. (Why not? It’s the 60’s. Time to upgrade.) He sets up an electric eye that will sound an alarm as soon as Speedy exits his hole. Sylvester will then be launched towards him. (He crashes into the wall.)

He builds a mouse disposal robot. Working the controls with a sonic viewer, he spots the mouse and sends out his droid. Speedy is still much faster, so Sylvester turns up the robot’s speed as high as it will go. It crashes into the wall like he did. Round 2. Whatever that viewer is connected to, Speedy is able to look through and see the cat. The robot is sent after him but Speedy leads him into the viewers screen which somehow ends up hitting Sylvester as well. (Toon logic may be less logical than ours, but it’s more fun.)

Third time’s the charm right? Sylvester warns the bot it is down to its last chance and unwinds its arm to place some dynamite in Speedy’s mouse hole. Speedy keeps moving back, and Sylvester somehow knows to keep the arm going. Speedy leads the arm back behind the cat who can’t escape even by hiding in the robot. He tosses the thing out and grabs a club. (Ah the caveman approach. Very nice.) Speedy in turn, has gotten into technology himself, and sends a robot dog after the cat.

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Chili Weather

“All these foods and not a crumb to eat.”

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1963.

There’s a food plant, and where there’s edible goods, you’re bound to attract mice. Good thing whoever owns the place has Sylvester on guard duty. Speedy almost immediately comes by and offers to help the mice get some grub. He actually manages to run in and out the first time, without Sylvester noticing. When he does become aware, he chases the mouse onto one of the conveyor belts. While Speedy compliments how much easier it is running this way, (and barely misses being chopped up) Sylvester is chopped up.

Speedy greases the floor and Sylvester slips into a vat of tobasco sauce. Sitting on ice cools him down somehow. (He’s not even licking it, not that it would help, but was the sauce being cooked? It didn’t look heated.) While Speedy looks at some soda bottles, (I don’t know what’s in there, but they say “es bueno” on the side. That’s good enough for me! *takes*) Sylvester comes back and actually grabs him. (2 posts in a row? New record!) But the bottle cap machine caps him and blinds him, simultaneously. (He must be really small.)

He manages to get it off with a bottle opener, but Speedy surprises him and he jumps back up into it. Speedy’s inner troll emerges and he takes it away. Sylvester blindly swings a bat around and doesn’t notice he’s running into the dehydrator. (It appears to belong to a someone named Gomez. Or maybe that’s the machine’s name?) He shrinks and is now able to get the cap off. Seeing Speedy, he runs off in fear. (After years of chasing Hippety Hopper, he’s finally found a real giant mouse.)

Personal Rating: 3

Posted on

Mexican Boarders

“When do we eat? I’m hungry.”

Directed by Friz Freleng. Released in 1962.

In this short Sylvester chases Speedy through the house of J. C. Mendelez. (Him again?)  Naturally, Speedy is too fast to catch, and Sylvester wears himself out just by climbing the stairs. There is a knock at the door. Why, it’s none other than Slowpoke Rodriguez! Haven’t seen him since “Mexicali Shmoes.” (If you translate his song, you find out he’s singing about a cockroach who lacks marijuana. Don’t you dare say he’s an evil stereotype. From what I hear, he’s very popular in Latin America.)

Turns out he’s Speedy’s cousin and the cat gleefully lets him in. Slowpoke lives up to his name and plods in. (I like his hat. It changes color with every step he takes.) Speedy grabs him in the nick of time and brings him back to his hole. Slowpoke wants food. (Also, he’s not voiced by Mel. It’s a man named Tom Holland. Who I’m 96% sure is not the same Tom Holland who directed “Childs Play.”) Speedy offers to get it as he is the faster of the two. He brings back some sustenance. He forgot the tobasco sauce though, and races back. While he’s getting the sauce, Sylvester puts some glue on the ground. Speedy comes back, and Sylvester’s trap actually works. He grabs the mouse, but really should have removed the sauce as it gets poured down his throat.

Slowpoke has enjoyed the food, and wonders about dessert. Sylvester has set up a net which Speedy rushes through. When the cat tries it, he is cubed. That night, Slowpoke is hungry again. I don’t know if he’s trying to let Speedy rest or if Speedy is refusing to go out, but Slowpoke decides to head out himself. Speedy tells him not to, but Slowpoke is fine admitting that he is slow. (Not that way. I meant speed wise.) Still, he is not helpless. (Remember his gun?) Sylvester grabs him but Slowpoke has a different tactic this time. (Perhaps Peta told him to stop shooting cats?)

Making a face that I will undoubtedly see in my nightmares, he hypnotizes the feline. (Unlike in the Pokemon games, this Slowpoke can learn hypnosis. Come to think of it, don’t girls have this power too?) Now under mouse control, Sylvester is forced to fan the mice as they have another feast.

Personal Rating: 4