Warner Bros. Cartoons

A journey through home video releases of Warner Bros. Cartoons.

I have a number of early memories watching Looney Tunes cartoons:

  • We used to have a public domain VHS with three cartoons on it. One was The Wabbit Who Came to Supper. The other two turned out to be colourised versions of Ali Baba Bound and Who’s Who in the Zoo.
  • In the late 90s an episode of Stay Tooned aired on a weekend morning. It was specifically about wartime cartoons.
  • Watching a bank of Roadrunner cartoons on ITV.
  • Having played Sheep, Dog, ‘n’ Wolf on the PS1 I tracked down poor quality copies of the seven Ralph Wolf cartoons.

In January 2012 I came across the Looney Tunes Golden Collection box set, for the princely sum of £26 (I believe my exact thought was “I’d be stupid not to do this”). The cartoons worked out at about £0.07 each. As I worked through it, I wrote a series of short reviews.

The reviews are posted below, more or less as written. Comments are mostly contemporary.

In the beginning, progress was good. I discovered early on that the cartoons were a good way to pass the time on train journeys.

Date of Review Location Copyright Year Title Review Text Rating Comments
25/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 1 1945 Baseball Bugs

In which Bugs Bunny single-handedly defeats a baseball team, the Gorillas. Some good visual gags, and an early version of Bugs switching a conversation.

★★★★
25/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 2 1951 Rabbit Seasoning

An old favourite. The deadpan delivery near the start is excellent. Daffy Duck brings it on himself.

★★★★★
27/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 3 1948 Long-Haired Hare

In which Bugs Bunny wages war on an opera singer, culminating in the destruction of the opera house.

★★★
28/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 4 1948 High Diving Hare

In which Bugs manages to make Yosemite Sam fall off a diving board innumerable times. Brilliant.

★★★★★ On the commentary Friz Freleng describes this cartoon as a dangerous picture to make because it's the same joke over and over again.
First cartoon I watched on a train journey.
28/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 5 1948 Bully for Bugs

In which Bugs becomes a bullfighter. The score is excellent, as is the final over the top gag.

★★★★
29/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 6 1949 What's Up Doc

In which Bugs has a showbiz career in a Vaudeville act with Elmer Fudd. Contains some caricatures which I am far too young to understand, but some of the jokes still work.

★★★ Al Jolson, Jack Benny and Bing Crosby are some of the caricatures.
29/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 7 1951 Rabbit's Kin

In which Bugs saves a small rabbit from an impressively stupid Puma. At one point he has the Puma hitting himself on the head with a mallet.

★★★
29/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 8 1950 Water, Water Every Hare

In which Bugs must escape from the castle of an evil scientist (Boo). Features an appearance by Gossamer, but is mostly plot driven.

★★★
29/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 9 1948 Big House Bunny

In which Bugs ends up in a prison with Yosemite Sam. Features an ‘Ajax Escape Kit’, but the significance of the name isn’t clear.

★★★ I will have bumped on AJAX because it became a programming term (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML – though ironically it ended up being mostly used with JSON).
29/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 10 1950 Big Top Bunny

In which Bugs must outwit a Russian bear in a circus act. The bear brings it on himself.

★★★★
30/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 11 1948 Big Top Bunny

In which Bugs must play golf with an angry Scotsman. Possibly very different to an American.

★★★★
30/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 12 1941 Wabbit Trouble

In which an older (or should that be younger) Bugs torments the fat Elmer Fudd on his camping trip. Some unusual background design and an excellent sequence set to the William Tell Overture.

Seems to have been unrated, for some reason.
31/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 13 1948 Ballot Box Bunny

In which Bugs must prevent Sam from winning an election, which he does with a large quantity of TNT.

★★★★
31/01/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon 14 1949 The Rabbit of Seville

Brilliant. The Overture of The Barber of Seville, in cartoon form. The timing and the soundtrack are excellent.

★★★★★
02/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 1, Cartoon Bonus 1 1991 Blooper Bunny

A gag reel featuring “outtakes”. Made after the death of Mel Blanc so the voices are a little off. Some inside jokes are amusing.

★★★

Disc 2 continued in a similar vein. Slightly slower but good progress was still made.

Date of Review Location Copyright Year Title Review Text Rating Comments
03/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 1 1951 Duck Amuck

In which Daffy Duck finds himself at the mercy of his animator. A classic.

★★★★★
03/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 2 1948 Dough for the Do-Do

In which Porky Pig hunts the last Do-do in a bizarre surrealist landscape where nothing makes sense. Very different to everything I have seen thus far.

★★★
05/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 3 1950 Drip-Along Daffy

In which Daffy attempts to clean up a one horse lawless western town, both figuratively and literally. He has a horse named Tin Foil.

★★★★
06/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 4 1947 Scaredy Cat

In which Sylvester and Porky move into a ‘haunted’ house. After being blamed, Sylvester must save Porky. Plot heavy.

★★★ This rating is perhaps a bit harsh. The image of Porky holding the sign saying "You were right, Sylvester" is a favourite.
07/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 5 1949 The Ducksters

In which Daffy Duck is the host of a gameshow and Porky Pig is his contestant. It involves answering questions and being subjected to cartoon violence. It shows its age in two ways: it is a radio show, and at one point Porky is asked to name the 48 states.

★★★★★
07/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 6 1948 The Scarlet Pumpernickel

In which Daffy must sell a film script based on the Scarlet Pimpernel to Jack Warner. Another old favourite, with the plot becoming ever more ludicrous.

★★★★★ On reflection the scene with Sylvester and Melissa is really dark.
09/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 7 1943 Yankee Doodle Daffy

In which Daffy tries to sell the services of another duck to Porky, but Porky is having none of it.

★★★
09/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 8 1947 Porky Chops

In which a Bugs Bunny esque res squirrel duels with Porky the lumberjack, who is trying to cut down his home. Directed by Arthur Davis, which makes it unusual.

★★★★
12/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 9 1950 Wearing of the Grin

In which Porky stays in a castle run by leprechauns. May be a dream.

★★★
12/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 10 1956 Deduce, You Say

In which Daffy plays Dorlock Holmes and Porky Dr. Watson in the case of the Shropshire Slasher. Dorlock is a bumbling idiot more interested in ‘deducting’ from his tax bill.

★★★★
09/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 11 1948 Boobs in the Woods

In which Daffy harasses Porky, who is on his holiday. Features some excellent jokes about permits, and opens with Daffy adding words to the Looney Tunes theme.

★★★★
14/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 12 1949 Golden Yeggs

In which the goose that laid the golden egg tricks Porky into giving Daffy to the mob, as they believe him to be the aforementioned.

★★★★
14/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 13 1950 Rabbit Fire

In which Bugs and Daffy vie to get the other shot by Elmer Fudd. A classic, and better than Rabbit Seasoning.

★★★★★
14/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 2, Cartoon 14 1952 Duck Dodgers in the 24½ Century

In which Duck Dodgers (Daffy) goes to war with Marvin the Martian over Planet X.

★★★★★

Disc 3 was also productive.

Date of Review Location Copyright Year Title Review Text Rating Comments
15/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 1 1940 Elmer's Candid Camera

In which Proto-Elmer wants to shoot proto-Bugs (complete with terrible voice and Woody Woodpecker laugh) with a camera. A curiosity, though not an especially funny one.

★★★
15/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 2 1944 Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears

In which Bugs takes the role of Goldilocks in the story of the 3 bears. Hilarity ensues.

★★★★
16/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 3 1948 Fast and Furry-ous

The first Roadrunner cartoon. Includes the iconic tunnel gag. It really is just and endless series of jokes.

★★★★
20/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 4 1945 Hair-Raising Hare

In which Bugs is lured to the castle of an evil scientist with a mechanical rabbit as food for Gossamer. Breaks the fourth wall on two separate occasions.

★★★★
20/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 5 1947 The Awful Orphan

In which Porky has trouble with a dog that wants to live with him. Eventually, after throwing himself out of the window onto a pile of mattresses, and getting Porky in trouble with his upstairs neighbour, the dog decides to leave, leading to a role reversal.

★★★
21/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 6 1947 Haredevil Hare

In which Bugs is sent to Mars, where he must prevent Marvin the Martian from blowing up the Earth. Marvin is seen here without his distinctive voice.

★★★
22/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 7 1948 For Scent-imental Reasons

In which Pepé Le Pew, a skunk who believes himself to be God’s gift, pursues a cat who is having none of it.

★★★★
23/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 8 1948 Frigid Hare

In which Bugs visits a cold climate with both an Inuit and a penguin.

★★★
24/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 9 1949 The Hypo-Chondri-Cat

In which two mice torment a hypochondriac cat named Claude. Includes a trippy dream sequence in the middle.

★★★
24/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 10 1958 Baton Bunny

In which Bugs conducts an orchestra playing Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna. Rhapsody Rabbit is better.

★★★
25/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 11 1951 Feed the Kitty

In which Marc Anthony the dog looks after a kitten he found near his house. It is surprisingly heartwarming.

★★★★ Why this wasn't 5 stars, I don't know.
25/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 12 1951 Don't Give Up the Sheep

In which Ralph Wolf attempts to steal sheep from Sam Sheepdog. This series is underrated. The cliff gag is particularly good.

★★★★★
27/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 13 1942 Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid

In which a very stupid buzzard is tasked to bring home a rabbit. Features a scene in which Bugs and the buzzard believe they are dead.

★★★
28/02/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon 14 1943 Tortoise Wins by a Hare

In which Cecil Tortoise beats Bugs in a race for the second time, despite (or perhaps because of) the best efforts of the mob.

★★★★

Disc 3 is the first disc with bonus cartoons (non-restored cartoons). Here we have two very old cartoons, and some war propaganda (I didn’t care for most of the propaganda).

Date of Review Location Copyright Year Title Review Text Rating Comments
01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B1 1929 Bosko the Talk Ink Kid

In which a crudely animated negro child does stuff. Full version elsewhere, perhaps.

Unrated, but this is a cartoon for which the phrase "For historical use only" was later invented. The novelty that it exists at all was clearly the draw at the time, but it hasn't aged well.
01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B2 1931 Lady, Play Your Mandolin

In which cartoon animals get drunk and dance to the tune of Lady, Play Your Mandolin. All it needs is a ukelele.

★★
01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B3 1942 Any Bonds Today

In which Bugs Bunny sells war bonds.

01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B4 1943 Spies

In which Private Snafu is unable to keep his war orders secret. Written by Dr. Seuss.

★★★ No copyright date appears in the cartoon itself.
01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B5 1945 The Return of Mr. Hook

In which a sailor returns home from the war.

★★
01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B6 1949 So Much for So Little

In which the government persuades you to pay 3¢ a week to the health department. This being America, paying for it out of taxation would be out of the question.

It only occurs to me now that this may have been explaining where tax dollars are spent, rather than a plea for additional contributions. In which case, both the rating and the review are unduly harsh.

It also plugs vaccines, which is a lesson many today have forgotten.

01/03/2012 Golden Collection Volume 1, Disc 3, Cartoon B7 1957 Drafty, Isn't It

In which one realises the benefits of being drafted.

I found this one particularly distasteful.