Cartoon a Day: All A Bir-r-r-rd

All A Bir-r-r-rd
1950
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol 2

In this Tweety and Sylvester cartoon the duo are aboard a train. Both are riding in a luggage compartment and, as usual, Sylvester is trying to make a snack of Tweety.

There are some great gags in this cartoon, more of Freleng's great sense of timing at work. Freleng makes great use of two sets of running gags in this short. The first involves Tweety pulling an emergency brake cord to stop Sylvester's attacks.

The second is a hilarious use of a bulldog who also happens to be on the train. He and Tweety manage to switch places with each other several times, so much so that you can predict that last gag, but the gag fits so well you would'nt have it any other way.

Cartoon a Day: The Hare-Brained Hypnotist

The Hare Brained-Hypnotist
1942
Directed by Friz Freleng (As I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 2

"The Hare-Brained Hypnotist" is a Bugs Bunny / Elmer Fudd hunting picture, but one with a bit a of a twist. It begins with Elmer reading a book on hypnosis. He plans on trying to hypnotize the animals he is hunting.

As the short moves along, Bugs hypnotizes Elmer and convinces him that he's a rabbit. So for half of this short Elmer plays the Bugs Bunny part. Bugs doesn't know what to make of it and it's very funny watching him get frustrated with this.

Freleng was an expert when it comes to timing, and he may have been best suited for having a well known character suddenly take on the traits and mannerisms of another. This short is a great moment for Elmer, as he actually comes out on top.

Cartoon a Day: She was an Acrobat's Daughter

She was an Acrobat's Daughter
1939
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 3

A few weeks ago "Bacall to Arms" was featured on "Cartoon a Day." Some gags from today's cartoon, "She was an Acrobat's Daughter," were used again in that film. Like "Bacall," this film is about the movie going experience. There are gags about the lousy view you get of the screen in the front row, people who are always walking past you during the show, and noisy kids in the audience.



Several gags poke fun at old newsreels and one section is devoted to a parody of the movie "The Petrified Forest." These gags don't really stand the test of time, but the animated caricatures used in the "Petrified Florist" scenes are great.



My favorite sequence of the film involves a noisy little duck, asking questions and chattering on during the film. He ends up wandering up to the projection booth and getting tangled in the gears of the projector in a scene reminiscent of Chaplin's "Modern Times."




I'm sure that in 1939 audiences were rolling on the floors for this one, but today it's kind of a mixed bag. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the title of the film comes from a sequence where the theater audience sings along with a song called "She was an Acrobat's Daughter." This sequence actually features one of the best gags in the film, when a slide with a picture of a spittune that states "Please do not spit on the floor" is accidentally mixed in with the lyrics of the song. The audience just sings that line as if it were part of the song.

Cartoon a Day: Ballot Box Bunny

Ballot Box Bunny
1951
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1

With the election today I thought "Ballot Box Bunny" would be an appropriate cartoon to feature.

Yosemite Sam is running for mayor and in the course of a speech announces that he will get rid of all rabbits. Of course, to Bugs Bunny who's hole is beneath the band shell this means war. So the long-eared one launches his own campaign.



This short features the great comic timing evident in so many Freleng directed shorts. Many of the gags involve explosions, but what's great is that many of them happen off camera. Much of the humor lies in reactions and Sam's condition in the aftermath.



I think Yosemite Sam is my favorite Bugs Bunny nemesis. He's a character of pure rage and we laugh at him because we see the ridiculousness of being ruled by anger. To be honest, we probably see a little bit of ourselves in him, and it probably helps us get a little bit closer to being better people when we see his tantrums literally blow up in his face one more time. I didn't plan this commentary out, but perhaps that's a lesson all those elected today should take to heart.

Cartoon a Day: A Star is Bored

A Star is Bored
1956
Directed by Friz Freleng
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

I just realized this is my 200th blog post. Anyhow, I've been a bit behind on my "Cartoon a Day" postings. I spent a nice weekend with the family up in the mountains with no internet access. I did still watch a cartoon each day, though, so I'll try to get caught up on the three missed days soon.

Today we look at "A Star is Bored," but, contrary to what the title card says, the star of this short is not Bugs Bunny. Bugs plays straight man to Daffy in this one. Daffy is tired of Bugs getting all the attention, so he ends up taking a job as Bugs' double for a new movie. Just the image of Daffy in a loose fitting rabbit suit is hilarious by itself.



In some ways this film caries on the same general theme of Chuck Jones' great trilogy of "Rabbit Fire," Rabbit Seasoning," and "Duck, Rabbit, Duck," where Bugs pretty much just hangs around and looks innocent while Daffy gets pulverized. This relationship between Bugs and Daffy works so well and it creates some of their funniest shorts.


As usual, Freleng's comic timing is right on. Especially great are the moments where he plays with Daffy's smugness and over-confidence but then shows a moment of weakness. Daffy will march onto the set claiming he knows all his lines, and then turn to examine his script midway through a scene. Being a puppeteer, I can't help but think of similar moves that Frank Oz would do with characters such as Fozzie Bear or Sam the Eagle. I can't help but wonder if Oz was inspired by pieces of animation such as this when performing with the Muppets.

Cartoon a Day: Bugs and Thugs

Bugs and Thugs
1954
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 1

In "Bugs and Thugs," Bugs Bunny is enjoying a stress-free city life when he suddenly ends up in the getaway car with two bank robbers. Director Friz Freleng is a master of comic timing, and this cartoon is no exception. While the timing of the animation is great, the voice work for the gangster Rocky is a real standout. There is almost no emotion in any of his lines and it fits perfectly. He's too cool to show emotion, even when telling his partner to "Shadup" for the 10th time.


If you haven't figured it out from the other reviews I've written, character design is a favorite element of animation for me. I love the design on the gangsters Rocky and Mugsy. The leader, Rocky, is a tiny man who makes up for it by wearing a hat as tall as he is. His face stays locked in pretty much one expression, and his eyes are always hidden. Mugsy, meanwhile, is a huge, dim-witted character. A giant body on tiny legs who looks like he could topple over with the tiniest gust of wind. They are great examples of the originality which defined Warner Brothers animation.


The gags in "Bugs and Thugs" are good, though some are borrowed from other shorts. The two gangsters are great characters for Bugs to play off of. He doesn't have to put that much work into it. In one scene he actually looks at the audience and asks if it could really be this easy. With these two crooks, he pretty much has his work cut out for him.

Cartoon a Day: Buccaneer Bunny

Buccaneer Bunny
1948
Directed by Friz Freleng (as I. Freleng)
Available on: Looney Tunes Golden Collection Vol. 5

Ah, Yosemite Sam. He was always my brother's favorite, and I've got to admit a great love for the character too. What is it about a character of pure rage that is just so funny to watch? Makes me realize a bit how stupid I probably look when I loose my temper. Guess many of us could learn a bit from watching old Sam.

Sam is a pirate who makes the mistake of trying to hide his treasure in Bugs Bunny's hole. The gags in this short come in little groups. There is a series of gags involving Bugs hiding out in the crow's nest, a series involving cannons shooting Sam in the face, and a series gags involving doors. It goes to show how Freleng is a master of comic timing. The end result of each gag in the cannon sequence is the same, yet it stays funny because the timing is so precise.

Probably my favorite bit in this short is the one where Bugs throws a match into the gun powder room which Sam has to run in after. After several times Sam tells him that he's not going in after it again. Bugs, of course, throws the match again.

Sam goes through a quick series of poses as he tries to fake not being nervous and trying not run in after the match. He stands with arms crossed tapping his foot, plays with a yo-yo, and sits down for a game of jacks. Ultimately, he can't stand it and runs in after the match, only to have the room explode in his face. It's a great sequence.