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“What’s Up Doc?”…Looney Tunes Marathon
posted by
WayBackWhen2008
on
January 16, 2009 at 10:45 am
Cartoon Network aired a full day of vintage Looney Tunes cartoons dating from the 30’s to the 50’s, New Years Day. Although I did not get to see it all, it sure brought back some fond memories as a child. What happened to the good old days of a cartoon before the movie, a little appetizer before the main course? Aw, nostalgia! I could not resist to submit a commentary. They showed 95 shorts that did not include my all time favorite, “Bedtime for Sniffles". Anyone remember Sniffles? Here are a few other favorites that they played. Which was your favorite and why?
You Ought to be in Pictures (Daffy & Porky)
Tortoise Beats Hare (Bugs)
I love to Singa ( Owl Jolson)
Bugs Bunny & The Three Bears (Bugs)
Hare Tonic (Elmer)
Sniffles Bells The Cat (Sniffles)
Home Tweet Home (Tweety)
Walky Talky Hawky (Foghorn)
Little Red Riding Rabbit (Bugs)
Rabbit Seasoning (Bugs, Daffy & Elmer)
High Diving Hare (Bugs)
Rabbit Hood (Bugs)
Operation Rabbit (Bugs & Wile E. Coyote)
Ali Baba Bunny (Bugs & Daffy)
One Froggy Evening ( Michigan J. Frog)
What’s Opera Doc (Bugs & Elmer)
Rabbit of Seville (Bugs)
Hardevil Hare (Bugs & Marvin the Martian)
Duck Dodgers in the 24 Century (Daffy & Marvin The Martian)
Comments (10)
More Foghorn Leghorn!
What’s Opera Doc is a classic Looney Tunes cartoon. I saw it during The Bugs Bunny Road Runner movie, one of a few movies that WB cooked up to renew interest in the cartoons at the theaters during the late 1970’s through late 80’s. Those cartoons are better than the ones in the 90’s, especially Space Jam and Back in Action.
Anything with Bugs Bunny would be fine with me. I also love “One Froggy Evening” (that singing frog!) and Daffy and Porky and Feghorn Leghorn and Henry Hawk and Beaky Buzzard and the Tasmanian Devil. Oh heck I love all the Looney Tunes with the possible exception of those with Sniffles the Mouse, just not my cup of tea (sorry MariaMaria!) When I was growing up in the 1950’s our local theater (the Park in El Sobrante CA) used to show the Blue Ribbon reissue of “Bedtimes for Sniffles” in their Saturday afternoon carnival way too often and it would always get a big groan out us boys who would rather have a Bugs or Daffy or better yet a Tex Avery Droopy or any Tex Avery cartoon from MGM.
Yeah those were the days when a cartoon on every program (usually double feature programs!) added to the enjoyment of going to the movies. On Saturday you could see anywhere from 5 to 10 cartoons as well as a serial chapter in addition to the regular double feature program. Some theaters even added a third feature just for the matinee. You could go in at 10 AM and come out about 4 PM after seeing all of this entertainment for a mere 25 cents! I truly spent some of the most pleasurable hours of my youth at those Saturday matinees!
I would love to rent and show WB cartoons before features at my theaters, but they only rent them out in three packs, which when combined with shipping costs are a bit prohibitive. It would be great if they included them with features.
While I don’t remember those particular above-mentioned titles of cartoons, I do remember going to the movies and seeing a slew of cartoons prior to the feature movie, back in the mid to late 1950’s, as a young pre-teen. Yes, I do remember Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tom (cat) and Jerry, etc. Those were the days.
I remember in 1976, my dad taking me to see a movie called BUGS BUNNY SUPERSTAR; a documentary on the making of and a bunch of full-length cartoon classics. About ten years ago, I also went to a Bugs Bunny film festival at the Cinema Village theater in NYC. Ah, the old days are gone!
All my pre-feature cartoon memories from back in the day are MGM, like Tom & Jerry. But Saturday mornings belonged to Warner Bros!
I liked “Haredevil Hare”, because it introduced Marvin the Martian. And a few years ago, we had the treat of watching “Lumber Jack Hare” in its 3D glory, at the Egyptian in Hollywood.
JSA
With rare exception you are sadly unable to see these cartoon shorts from the Golden Age in theaters anymore. Ever sadder is the fact that they have almost entirely disappeared from broadcast and cable/satellite television. Entire generations are growing up without the benefit of Looney Tunes as well as the other classics. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment! Even the Cartoon Network whose parent company (Time Warner) owns the Warners cartoon library as well as the Paramount Popeyes and MGM cartoons has almost entirely given up on them in favor of the more modern stuff…but I guess that’s the stuff that sells advertising nowadays…and quite possibly what modern kids prefer (sigh). I do have to say that in the closing days of the theatrical cartoon (the mid to late 1960’s I believe) most of the cartoons, even from Warner Brothers had gotten so lame that some of us were not that disappointed to see them disappear from theaters.
The good news is that for those of us who still love classic cartoons, an increasing number of them are being released on DVD in absolutely stunning quality, many restored from original 35mm negatives. There are 6 4 disc volumes of Looney Tunes each with over 60 cartoons on each disc, 3 volumes of Popeye the Sailor with more to come, 3 volumes of Tom and Jerry, 2 volumes of Woody Woodpecker and friends, a two disc Tex Avery’s Droopy and a whole bunch of Walt Disney Treasures sets with almost every Disney cartoon ever made since Disney started animating. Lots of lesser public domain stuff too but quality does vary on these disks.
Notably missing from DVD at present are the Tex Avery MGM cartoons without Droopy (and there’s some GREAT cartoons there! Shame on Warners for not putting them out!) and except for some mediocre public domain releases the also great Betty Boop library. Lion’s Gate apparently owns the Boops now and unless it has John Wayne in it it has little to no interest in it’s classic library. Shame on them too! There is also almost nothing available from the Columbia/UPA (Fox & Crow, Mr. Magoo, etc.) or Terrytoon (Mighty Mouse, etc.) cartoon libraries either.
As you can see there are some great classic cartoons out there on DVD. Pick up a few discs and add a cartoon or two to your next DVD night. It’s as close that we can come to bringing back the good old days when every program at your local theater featured a cartoon.
Thanks LM
I remember Bugs Bunny, Elmer, Woody Woodpecker, AndyPandy, Betty Boop, Mighty Mouse, Popeye the Sailor Man and Porky Pig. However, I don’t remember Sniffles or Droopy.
Yes, I do remember seeing those Looney Tunes in the movie theatre and on TV at home. Ahhhh, Saturday morning cartoons!
I also remember Boom Town (Rex Trailer), Big Brother (Bob Emery), and Ruth Ann’s Camp. Boom Town and Big Brother both featured cartoons, but I don’t think that Ruth Ann’s camp did. I remember watching a classmate and her younger brother on one Saturday morning episode of Boom Town (Rex Trailer), when I was in third grade, and another time before that, watching a 2nd-grade classmate on an episode of Big Brother (Bob Emery), on TV, also. My younger sister, who was two years behnd me in school, was on one episode of Ruth Ann’s Camp, as well.
How I envied the kids, including my younger sister, who were on TV and got their 15 minutes of fame! Oh, well—water under the bridge—other things abide.