I have a confession—I love
cartoons. All sorts. From Disney princesses to classic shorts. Some of my
favorites are the Looney Tunes. Their music was the soundtrack of my childhood.
And this year is the Looney Tunes 85th Anniversary.
Warner Brothers originally
developed both Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies to promote their music. The
company had recently acquired the Brunswick Records and four major music
publishers and were ready to start cashing in on sheet music and phonograph
records.
The first Looney Tunes
short was Sinkin' in the
Bathtub, which was released in 1930. It featured a character
named Bosco. Porky Pig didn’t show up until 1935, Daffy Duck in 1937 and both
Elmer Fudd, and Bugs Bunny in 1940.
In honor of this momentous
occasion, I’ve included a few of my favorite bits. Do you love the Looney
Tunes, too? Do you have a favorite cartoon or gag?
My favorites are the classical music themed ones: What's Opera, Doc? (based on Wagner's Ring and contains the famous Elmer Fudd "Kill De Wabbit" song) and Rabbit of Seville (based on Rossini's Barber of Seville -- the closing scene with the wedding cake that says "The Marriage of Figaro" is an opera joke).
ReplyDeleteAn entire generation (or two) learned to love classical music because of cartoons.
I know learned quite a few pieces from Looney Tunes, although at the time I didn't know I was listening to something "famous". i do love the kind of humor that kids get on one level and adults have an entirely different appreciate for. But that doesn't have to resort to double entendre.
DeleteI remember watching The Bugs Bunny Show from 4 to 5 pm every Sat afternoon. I loved it, especially the theme song.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 favs:
1. Bugs Bunny and the opera singer - especially the part where he keeps his hand up and the singer pops a few buttons while holding his note.
2. Sam the Sheepdog and Ralph E. Wolf (who I used to think was Wile E Coyote) - My favourite parts were the morning and evening around the time clock. It readied me for the real work world. :)
I didn't know it was Looney Tunes 85th today, so thank you, Lisa.
Oh yeah, Sam the Sheepdog! Did you ever end up feeling just a bit sorry for poor old Ralph? Wile E too sometimes. It would be nice if they got treated to some sort of meal, even if they had to settle for veggie lasagna. And just to be clear. I don't know that today is the official day, but it is the anniversary year.
DeleteOh, Bugs was always my favorite. The "Rabbit Season! Duck Season!" exchange is priceless.
ReplyDeleteBeing an old movie fan, I always loved seeing the "cameos" by the big stars of the forties, too.
Love this! :D
AHHH!!! Duck Dodgers!!!! I saw "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" in the theater as a kid, and then went to see Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a half Century when it came out. I preferred the latter. Marvin Martian is a personal favorite. But my all time favorite is the Bugs Bunny "and I will call him George" scene. Still cracks me up, every time.
ReplyDeleteoh, the memories! We have a bunch of Looney Tune DVDs and my five year old LOVES them.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Opera Doc? and the Rabbit Season! Duck Season! exchange are probably my favorites, although I had a friend named George and we always quoted the "and I will love him and feed him and call him George" scene.
They had a show that toured the country where the local orchestra played the music for Looney Tune classics while the film played onscreen. In between, an MC would give the history of each short piece before we saw it. There's a special instrument that was created to make the opening sound (stretchy rubber band-ish sound?) for all the films. It was SO COOL!!!! My boyfriend at the time bought the tickets. Still one of my favorite dates ever!!!! (didn't marry the guy though, btw...)
there's a reason why that era was called the "Golden Age" of animation. they don't make cartoons like they used to. *heavy sigh*
Fun memories! The one character that used to freak me out was Marvin Martian (sorry, Niki!). I don't know why. Maybe the music that went with him?
ReplyDelete