Category: Friz Freleng

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

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Kit for Cat

“Baby kittens are so cute”

It is a cold night and Sylvester and a little kitten seek shelter in Elmer’s house. He says he would like a cat, but can not decide which one to keep. Deciding to sleep on it, Sylvester decides to use this time to plot on how to screw the little one over. He pours milk over it and breaks the bottle causing Fudd to run down. The plan backfires when Elmer just thinks the kitten is hungry and gives it more food. Sylvester tries to make it look like it broke some dishes, but as Fudd runs downstairs the kitten starts gluing them back together. Sylvester begins breaking them again only for Elmer to see him.

Soon, Elmer says that one more sound and Sylvester will be kicked out. The kitten tries to make as much noise as possible. Elmer says he has made up his mind about who’s leaving, and so has his landlord. In the end Elmer is with the cats in the alley looking through the trash. (Fun fact: the landlords message is a bunch of gibberish followed by the sentence: “In other words: get out!”)

Personal Rating: 3

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Bunker Hill Bunny

“I got ya outnumbered one to one.”

It’s the revolutionary war, and it’s “we” versus “them.” Obviously, “we” is Bugs Bunny defending his native soil from (Yosemite) Sam the Hessian. They charge and take each other’s forts. This angers Sam and he runs back just as Bugs does. Right back where they started, Sam tries again only to run into a cannon. (This cartoon is all about cannon gags)

In the final scene, Sam lays a trail of gunpowder up to the rabbit’s base, unaware that it’s pouring out. He lights a match, and soon the trail is chasing him all over the countryside. In the end, he decides that if you can’t beat them, join them.

Personal Rating: 3

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Canary Row

“Dat putty’s gonna hurt himself if he’s not more careful.”

In a birdwatchers society, Sylvester is spying on Tweety. Seeing the cat through his own binoculars, Tweety is well aware of what’s to come. Sylvester runs into the opposite building, but is kicked out as dogs and cats are not allowed in. He tries climbing a drain pipe but Granny throws him down. (In this short, she is voiced by Bea Bennadaret.) He tries again climbing in the pipe, but Tweety throws a bowling ball down. He tries a monkey disguise that does not fool the old lady. Then he somehow sneaks in and hears Granny saying she is checking out. (But it’s an apartment.) He disguises himself as a bellboy to get her luggage but when he opens the cage, he finds Granny in there.

Apparently, she was not leaving, as Sylvester is still trying to break in. He uses a lever and tosses a weight on the other end. It bounces him up, and he grabs Tweety, but upon landing the weight lands on his head. Swinging over just makes him crash into the wall. Finally, he tries to get over by crawling over an electric wire. A trolley comes along, which repeatedly shocks him. As he runs off, we see it’s Granny and Tweety piloting the trolley.

Personal Rating: 3

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Golden Yeggs

“Oh, my aching back!”

A commotion is going on at Porky’s farm. It turns out to be a golden egg. The goose responsible has read the original story, and says that Daffy is the one who did it. Daffy goes along with the charade and he comes to the attention of Rocky and his gang who want the money the duck produces. They “talk” Porky into giving him away and the rest is gags as Daffy tries to get away with it without dying. It’s a great short that deserves to be a full-length motion picture. I hope you are enjoying this place as much as I am. Woo hoo hoo hoo!

Personal Rating: 3

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Yankee Doodle Daffy

“♪I’m a cowboy, yes sir I am!♪”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love music! And this short is full of it. I don’t really understand the title though. That song is nowhere in it, and it has nothing to do with patriotism. Still its wonderful and almost the whole cartoon is singing. Like if they remade every Looney Tune into a full length animated feature, this one would be a musical. So whats is all about? Singing. That’s all I’m going to say. Its basically Daffy just singing to Porky. (It works!)

Personal Rating: 4

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Dough for the Do-Do

“Hello, Bobo.”

What can I say? This cartoon is pure genius. Sadly, it is pretty much a color remake of “Porky in Wackyland.” It does, however, have new gags, but they are pretty much just ones reused from “Tin Pan Alley Cats”. (The sequel to Wackyland) But now we got the complaints out of the way the good stuff is to come.

Porky is setting out to find the last of the dodo birds which is worth 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000! (what he’ll do after that is any ones guess.) Surprisingly, he finds it in Wackyland, located in darkest Africa. (The dodo was found on the island of Mauritius) He comes to a wonderful, crazy, insane, and goofy place that I’m pretty sure is heaven. Color, music, and gags aplenty; this would be in my top 10 Looney tunes. (If I had one)

Personal Rating: 3

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Ballot Box Bunny

“This calls for stradgedy. I’ll fight fire with fire!”

In this short Sam is actually only doing wrong to Bugs. The story goes that Sam is running for mayor and promises rabbit genocide. Bugs is none too happy and decides to run against him. Wonderful gags follow such as handing out cigars, hosting a picnic, kissing babies, and trying to kill Bugs. When all is said and done, who will win and who will lose?

Personal Rating: 4

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Big House Bunny

“Schultz! Office!”

For once Bugs is scared while it’s rabbit season. (probably because there’s no Fudd) He tries to escape and ends up in singsong prison. (where there’s no hanging around) Its a typical Bugs and Sam cartoon with prison gags. Well worth a watch, and one of my personal favorites. Also we get to see Bugs do his pigeon impersonation. Cool, huh?

Personal Rating: 4

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High Diving Hare

“I hate you.”

Here’s a wonderful cartoon. I say that about every Looney Tune but the beauty of this one is the fact there is only one gag. At a carnival house Bugs informs the audience that fearless Freep the high diver will be unable to perform. Sam is angered at this and tries to force bugs into diving, as expected though, bugs tricks Sam into doing it each time.

If I had to point out a flaw in this short, it would be that as Bugs and Sam climb the ladder the first time, they end up on the other side at one point. I guess that was so we could see them better, but it sill bothers me. My favorite part though is when Sam finds Bugs has constructed a door to keep Sam from pushing him off and Sam yells “Open up that door!” then he turns to the camera and adds “You notice I didn’t say Richard?” (“Open the door Richard” was a popular song at the time)

Personal Rating: 4

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Baseball Bugs

“I’m only 93 and a half years old”

Its a baseball game and its pretty one sided. The Teatotelers are against the Gas House Gorillas and are being pwned. Spectator Bugs yells that he could beat the Gorillas all by himself and they take him up on the challenge. Bugs proves to be very good at this and is able to win the game.(With a little help from the statue of liberty) This was the first Looney tune I watched when I started to become a regular. It must have been fate as I find this to be one of the best Bugs Bunny shorts ever. There are many great gags. Like the literal bat boy, the hit that’s so hard it sends a Gorilla to his grave, or Miss Liberty saying the immortal words “That’s what the man said, you heard what he said, he said that!”

Personal Rating: 4