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1946: One of these things has got to be a chicken!


Tacodidra

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With the war over, the studio's full focus is on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. And indeed, we get more shorts in the main series again.


Book Revue
Directed by Robert Clampett
Also known by its reissue title of "Book Review", completely ruining the pun! Books come to life in a store at night and the characters in them perform a jazzy tune. Things get really wild when Daffy pops out of a comic book, starting his own performance (impersonating Danny Kaye) and eventually getting chased by the Big Bad Wolf. As good as the likes of "Have You Got Any Castles" were, this one really gives the theme a new energy with Clampett's wild animation and comedy, and the addition of Daffy at his craziest. It might not have the strongest plot in the WB cartoons, but all the wackiness and sheer fun makes up for that – the "books come to life" theme would be retired in favor of more modern ideas, but the last one is certainly the best of them all.
10

Baseball Bugs
Directed by I. Freleng
In the baseball game between the Gas-House Gorillas and the Tea Totallers, the former is dominating against the home team's geriatric players. Bugs heckles the Gas-House Gorillas, saying he could beat them alone, and he ends up having to do just that! This was not Freleng's first cartoon about baseball, and in fact some of the gags are recycled from "Porky's Baseball Broadcast" (1940). But this is an even better cartoon than that one was, with the new gags being very funny, and the replacement of that cartoon's anonymous baseball players with the always entertaining Bugs Bunny works wonders! A truly great sports cartoon is just as enjoyable even if you're not that familiar with the sport depicted – and while I found some of the earlier ones like "Buddy's Bearcats" a bit hard to follow, this doesn't have any of those problems!
10

Holiday for Shoestrings
Directed by I. Freleng
A shoemaker is sick in bed, but thankfully a group of elves help him, making shoes for him. All of this happens to the tune of classical music. The timing of the animated action to the music is very good (which is not a surprise, since Freleng always handled this kind of cartoon well), and there are some amusing gags including the last one. But while this is an enjoyable one to watch, I prefer the earlier efforts "Rhapsody in Rivets" and "Pigs in a Polka" – I found those two funnier and even more impressive technically (especially the latter).
8.5

Quentin Quail
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Quentin Quail tries to catch a worm for her daughter Toots' supper. But various antics ensue, as Toots seems to be better at worm catching than her father, and a crow also gets in the act... A funny cartoon with the amusing pair of quails – the annoying daughter steals the show. She's responsible for the most memorable gags in the cartoon, including the ending!
9

Baby Bottleneck
Directed by Robert Clampett
Due to the stork being overworked (or rather drunk!), mistakes have been made, with babies being delivered to wrong parents. Porky and Daffy operate a delivery service that attempts to solve the problems, but things end up going disastrously! More Clampett wildness with the usual crazy animation and gags, including cultural references and other randomness. The pure energy (especially from Daffy) makes this an especially entertaining entry!
10

Hare Remover
Directed by Frank Tashlin (uncredited)
Scientist Elmer tries to create a formula that turns whoever drinks it into a monster. As his experimental dog runs away, he decides to catch a rabbit as a replacement. Bugs plays along and gets trapped, and all kinds of chaos ensue, especially after a bear gets involved. The last WB cartoon directed by Tashlin, who would later become famous as a director of live-action features. I think this is a nice farewell effort from him – a lot of comedy, especially based on characters acting differently from usual, with great roles for both Bugs and Elmer (and the dog and the bear get to shine too).
9.5

Daffy Doodles
Directed by Robert McKimson
Policeman Porky tries to catch Daffy who's painting mustaches on all the advertising signs and people in the city. This proves to be difficult, and many mustaches are painted on Porky, too! McKimson, an animator at the studio since the Harman-Ising days, was finally promoted to director, replacing Tashlin – he would become one of the studio's longest lasting directors. And I think this is the strongest directorial debut (at least if we only count the main series, as he had already made a Mr. Hook short) in the studio's history so far – simply fun, taking full advantage of Daffy's wackiness and the brilliant chemistry between him and Porky. The mustached ads are amusing, featuring many of the popular product mascots and actors of the day (even Bugs Bunny gets a mustache painted on him). The director's lack of experience doesn't show at all – there are no technical faults in the cartoon, and we even see some impressive camera angles. The music is also great, featuring the series classic "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" (with yet another parodic set of lyrics) among others. A perfect start for McKimson!
10

Hollywood Canine Canteen
Directed by Robert McKimson
In a gathering of Hollywood stars' pets (who look and sound just like their owners), they decide to start a canine canteen. We see many of them performing music or engaging in other activities. With these kinds of cartoons (which we were much more common earlier in the series' run), there's always the question of how well they have stood the test of time. In this case, I'd say quite well – maybe seeing them in other cartoons may have helped too (and some of them are helpfully labeled on screen with their punny names), but I actually recognize many of the stars here! The fact that they're dogs also gives it a comedic aspect missing in some of the previous ones with the more typical human caricatures. The musical sequences are entertaining with wonderfully chosen tunes, the corny jokes are amusing, and all in all, it forms an interesting time capsule. One of the best Hollywood parody cartoons in the series.
9

Hush My Mouse
Directed by Charles M. Jones
The tough Eddie G. Robincat goes to Tuffy's Tavern for some mouse knuckles... and when he wants something, you'd better give it to him! Filligan tries to get some for him, but Sniffles keeps outwitting the dumb cat easily. The later Sniffles cartoons were very good, and this is no exception – the characters are all fun, especially the mouse himself, retaining his extreme talkativeness, but being portrayed as more cunning this time and even taking delight in the cats getting hurt (I'm even getting some Clampett Tweety vibes)! This was his last appearance – considering how strong his last few cartoons were, I wish Jones had kept the talkative mouse around a little longer. This is also the last Looney Tunes cartoon to use the Porky drum ending, introduced in 1937. The end of an era in a way!
9

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Hair-Raising Hare
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Using a mechanical female rabbit as a decoy, a scientist lures Bugs to his castle. A giant red monster tries to eat Bugs for dinner! The monster, later known as Gossamer, only appeared in a couple of shorts in the classic era but would become a popular character later on. And he's indeed very funny on his debut, which is an excellent one in general. Bugs is very likable, getting some great lines in, his methods of beating the monster are imaginative – one of Chuck Jones' best so far.
10

Kitty Kornered
Directed by Robert Clampett
All the cats are put out at night, including Porky's. But his cats don't want to spend the night in the cold, and a fight ensues between them and their owner. It's pretty obvious by now that I love Clampett's cartoons, and this is one of his very best. The animation and gags represent his style at its wildest – another cartoon that just oozes energy! The cats, one of whom is Sylvester (with his usual voice but slightly different design, making his first appearance in a non-Freleng cartoon), are all funny with their distinct personalities. But that's not to say Porky fares any worse – he has one of his best performances so far, appearing in his typical straight man role but getting some amusing lines and moments himself. The action never lets up, making this short a captivating one from start to finish.
10

Hollywood Daffy
Directed by Hawley Pratt (uncredited)
Daffy goes to Hollywood, wanting to see some stars. He tries various disguises but all of his attempts fail to fool the security guard. Another amazing Daffy cartoon – great references to the stars of the day (including Daffy impersonating them), fun gags and the lead character at his best, with plenty of slapstick. This is especially impressive considering it was by an inexperienced director. This was Pratt's first, and for a long time, only directorial job for the studio – Freleng refused to work on the cartoon, as he hated its plot, and left his layout artist to do most of it. Quite frankly, I don't understand what his problem was!
10

Acrobatty Bunny
Directed by Robert McKimson
Bugs is trying to sleep when the noise from the arrival of a circus wakes him up. He confronts the lion that was responsible for most of it, leading to a chase around the fairground. Another good Bugs cartoon – the bunny is once again charming with his nonchalance and clever ways to outwit his enemy. I also like the soundtrack, it fits the circus theme very well.
9

The Eager Beaver
Directed by Charles M. Jones
We take a look at a group of beavers trying to build a dam. Eager Beaver wants to chop down a tree just like everyone else, but he ends up having various problems. A charming cartoon with cute character designs and entertaining gags. My favorite is the one where the beavers misunderstand the narrator saying they should dam a river.
8.5

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The Great Piggy Bank Robbery
Directed by Robert Clampett
Daffy accidentally knocks himself out while reading the latest Dick Tracy comic book. He then dreams about being detective Duck Twacy, trying to solve a crime wave of piggy bank robberies (even his own one has been stolen). Out of all the cartoons in the series, this is among the most beloved. For a reason – it's such an amazing entry, with Rod Scribner's lively animation (some of my favorite scenes in any WB cartoon!), memorable and imaginative villains, and various funny gags. There's of course the usual randomness you can expect in a Clampett cartoon, but it all makes sense in context (it's a dream after all!) and the story is an interesting one, adding some (comedic) suspense. Truly one of the studio's masterpieces.
10

Bacall to Arms
Directed by Robert Clampett & Arthur Davis (both uncredited)
A movie theater is showing the latest hit film "To Have – To Have – To Have (...)" starring Bogey Gocart and Laurie Bee Cool. A wolf is watching the movie and repeatedly sets his sights on attractive women, both ones in the theater and on the silver screen. This cartoon had a troubled production process – Clampett left the studio while making it, leaving his successor Art Davis to finish it, and then there are some obviously reused scenes from "She Was an Acrobat's Daughter" (a 1937 Freleng cartoon and a 1946 one from Clampett have very different styles). While messy, "Bacall to Arms" is an enjoyable mess – there's more interaction between the audience and the movie than in earlier similar shorts, the wolf's reactions are fun, and there are some other nice jokes too... Though I still feel that in a more ideal situation, this could have been even better!
9

Of Thee I Sting
Directed by I. Freleng
The four Clampett Porkys weren't the only black and white cartoons to get slightly modified color remakes (one of them is yet to come) – this one isn't based on a Looney Tune or Merrie Melody, but the Private Snafu short "Target Snafu" (by Frank Tashlin)! Mosquito soldiers take part in training on Anopheles Field, preparing for their air attack on a man (not Snafu this time, but an older man with a mustache) who's prepared to defend himself from them. More than two minutes of footage are directly reused, not to mention other scenes that are similar in content despite being newly animated. Besides the scenes with the different target, there are some other new ones like mosquitos being taught in ground school and taking a Limburger test to emulate the effects of bug spray, while other scenes like them being given an X-ray to check for malaria have been taken out. Some of the new gags, including the ending, are good – and I guess the reused footage was more understandable than usual here, as only soldiers would have seen the original anyway. An entertaining cartoon despite being highly derivative at times.
8

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Walky Talky Hawky
Directed by Robert McKimson
Henery Hawk is trying to catch his first chicken, but he has a big problem – he doesn't know what a chicken looks like. He meets a loud-mouthed rooster (later known as Foghorn Leghorn) who convinces him that the Barnyard Dawg, his sworn enemy, is a chicken. Chaos naturally ensues as the little chickenhawk tries to catch him. While this cartoon was intended to launch Henery as the new WB cartoon star (having been brought back after his debut in 1942's "The Squawkin' Hawk"), the audience ended up taking a liking to his foil Foghorn Leghorn instead – he would become one of the most popular characters in the series, often co-starring with the same characters as here. Once again, it's not hard to see why the audience liked the cartoon so much. The characters are all brilliant – Foghorn's distinctive personality is essentially fully developed here, and Henery is very endearing with his tough guy schtick which always appealed to me. The dog is an entertaining rival for Foghorn, though I think his character improved the most later on compared to the portrayal here (he gets very few lines, mostly just barking). All in all, an excellent first cartoon for the trio. The Academy also appreciated this short enough to give it an Oscar nomination, but Tom and Jerry won for the fourth time in a row with "The Cat Concerto" (which was involved in a controversy I'll get into soon).
10

Racketeer Rabbit
Directed by I. Freleng
Bugs decides to spend the night in a deserted house. Gangsters Rocky and Hugo also use the same house as their hideout. After Bugs cons Rocky out of some money, the gangster starts interrogating him, but the rabbit wins the battle of wits once again. Yet another brilliant Bugs cartoon, and theme of him facing gangsters would be used many times later on. He's at his cleverest here, playing various roles (with Mel Blanc giving each of them a different voice) and constantly tricking the gangsters who are also entertaining characters (especially Rocky). A lot of puns and other fun – a definite standout!
10

Fair and Worm-er
Directed by Charles M. Jones
The ultimate chase cartoon! A worm tries to eat an apple, but gets chased away by a crow. The crow gets chased by a cat who in turn gets chased by a dog who gets chased by a dog catcher. They start helping each other out to make things better for themselves, and a few other characters also get into the act... Characters chasing each other is one of the most common themes in the WB cartoons, and the crew would sometimes come up with crazy variations on the theme. Storyman Michael Maltese (collaborating with Tedd Pierce here) in particular deserves credit for this – he had previously written the anti-chase cartoon "The Cat's Tale" for Freleng, and this wouldn't be his last one taking the concept to new levels. While the most famous of these cartoons would be even more interesting than this one, this is pure entertainment with the unexpected developments through the cartoon. The ending is the only part I found just a little underwhelming, but it's by no means enough to ruin the great six minutes before that!
10

The Big Snooze
Directed by Robert Clampett (uncredited)
Tired of how he's treated by Bugs in every cartoon, Elmer decides to tear up his Warner Bros. contract and go fishing instead. Bugs is horrified and decides to mess up Elmer's dreams to change his mind. The dream sequences in particular allow Clampett to make the cartoon as wild as possible, and it's a very fun one! This was the last short to feature any animation directed by him (though he had done preliminary work on some later cartoons like "The Goofy Gophers"). Maybe due to this, there are some strange cuts and missing voices in a couple of scenes (as well as a recycled scene from "All This and Rabbit Stew"), but these don't distract much from my enjoyment of this slightly surreal cartoon – a great last effort from WB's wackiest director! He would go on to create the popular TV puppet series "Time for Beany" among other things, but his WB cartoons are generally considered his best creations, deservedly.
10

The Mouse-merized Cat
Directed by Robert McKimson
Babbit and Catstello make their third and last appearance (all of them by different directors!), and the second as mice. Babbit tries hypnotize Catstello to think he's a dog in order to scare the cat. But things don't go as well as he thought... While not quite as strong as the first two cartoons with the mice (the hypnosis sequences can be a bit repetitive at times), this one has a slightly more likable portrayal of the two mice and many funny gags, including some celebrity parodies (not just the obvious Abbott and Costello, but many others too) and great fourth wall breaking from Catstello, who is clearly the standout character once again. If you liked the first two Babbit and Catstello cartoons, you'll enjoy this one too!
9

Mouse Menace
Directed by Arthur Davis
After failing to get rid of a mouse both by himself and with the help of various real felines, Porky gets a robot cat to catch the rodent. The proper directorial debut of Davis who had previously finished at least one of Clampett's cartoons. It's another good showing by a new director – the pesky mouse's ingenious ways to beat the cats are fun to watch, giving us some imaginative gags along the way. Porky himself is largely in a side role here, but is a good fit for the part. With some fun animation, this is an enjoyable short even if not an absolute standout.
8.5

Rhapsody Rabbit
Directed by I. Freleng
Bugs is a concert pianist, performing Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2", but an equally talented mouse attempts to steal the show and Bugs tries his best to stop him. Controversially, the Oscar-winning Tom and Jerry cartoon "The Cat Concerto", released a little later, was very similar in content to this one, both featuring an animal musician being annoyed by a mouse while trying to perform the same Liszt composition. It's hard to imagine this was a coincidence (and both cartoons were accused by the other's creators of being the copy), but in any case, I've always preferred "Rhapsody Rabbit". While it has the less fitting pairing of a rabbit and a mouse, it has the funnier gags and character animation, and can you really go wrong with Bugs Bunny? It's a shame this cartoon has been overshadowed by the whole debacle, as it's a very strong entry in itself.
10

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Roughly Squeaking
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Hubie and Bertie are trying to snatch a block of cheese when a cat notices them. But Hubie manages to convince the cat that he's actually a lion (since lions are a member of the cat family, obviously it should be true the other way around too)! Furthermore, he tells him that the dog in the yard is a moose – lion food. A lot of confusion follows. Hubie and Bertie now have their mostly final designs, apart from Hubie still being brown and Bertie being gray rather than the other way around. The characters in this one are all funny, as are their interactions, and the cartoon in general is full of comedic moments and randomness. Jones has continued to show a lot of improvement as a director, and this hilarious entry is one of his best so far. It's one of the most unpredictable WB cartoons – you never know what to expect next from the silly characters.
10


Another very strong year! In fact, I consider this the best one yet, as the cartoons had a more consistent quality than in any previous year – all of the shorts are good ones, with many absolute masterpieces included. And of course there was also the introduction of another one of the series' big stars, Foghorn Leghorn. Clampett leaving is sad, as his cartoons (especially the recent ones) have been some of the studio's strongest – I'd go as far as to say I liked all of his directorial work to some extent, while most of the others have had at least some weak entries. And Tashlin leaving is likewise a great loss, as his last stint at the studio was excellent. But these farewells also brought us the directorial debuts of McKimson and Davis. The former has started excellently, and the latter's only solo effort so far was also enjoyable. This sets high expectations for 1947, which will be a historic year for the studio...

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:pinkie: (Gasp!!) Is this it?! Is this the year where I finally recognize ALL the tunes?!
...My memory isn't really connecting with "Fair and Worm-er". Maybe I saw it? Maybe not? Hard to tell. But if I saw all those others, there is a strong chance I saw that one too!

Wow. So many classic tunes. So many forgotten characters too... Should modern Looney Tunes be allowed to reference iconic and classic cinema, like in the old days? I didn't always get it as a kid, but that didn't mean they had any less personality. :sealed:

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@Samurai Equine As the TV channels here mostly showed the post-1948 WB cartoons, I still had a few unfamiliar shorts... but strangely, "Fair and Worm-er" wasn't one of those! :wau: I remember seeing it on a Latvian channel years ago (I didn't understand a word, but I was desperate to see some rare cartoons). :please:

It would be kind of fun to have the likes of Babbit and Catstello brought back – of course the reference would be missed today, but they were a fun pair of characters in any case. :D I guess it depends on the reference – unless it's a reference contained in a character (you don't have to be familiar with Senator Claghorn to find Foghorn Leghorn funny), I imagine they'd stick to referencing the really well known films, like in "Carrotblanca" (a Casablanca parody made in 1995).

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I can now firmly say that we've arrived at the Golden Age! :kirin: I have so many fond memories of watching nearly all of these cartoons! :pinkie: "Baseball Bugs" was the first one I ever saw, and what a perfect introduction to the series that was! :lookup: "Hair-Raising Hare" and "The Big Snooze" are two more absolutely legendary Bugs cartoons, and then there's the peak Clampett antics of "Kitty Kornered" and "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery"! :eager: And of course I can't forget the introduction of the big rooster himself, Foghorn Leghorn! "Listen to me, boy!" :D Wow, what a year - so much cartoon nostalgia here, and clearly the start of the studio's peak. :yay:

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@Octavia Heartstrings The late 40s are probably my favorite era of the WB cartoons (at least based on previous experiences)! :eager: The Golden Collection days were truly something – as great as watching the Looney Tunes on TV was, seeing all those rarities was even better! :D

While the early 40s had the incredible Freleng/Avery/Clampett/Jones line-up for a while, I'd actually say this time was even stronger with the short-lived Freleng/Clampett/Jones/McKimson run (McKimson might not be as influential as Avery, but his cartoons were also excellent, and Clampett and especially Jones had improved a lot in a few years). :yay:

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