Oh yeah. Mickey is to me equal in boring to a show like the waltons and little house on the prairie. Whereas my boy bugs is like the Simpsons and Sanford and son with a touch of chaos 😂
I'm glad that they're going back to Mickey's origins in the recent outings because for the majority of my life, Mickey was the lamest leading cartoon mascot. Disney himself was responsible for that by making Mickey a child's role model. This made it practically impossible to write for him anymore.
I would argue that this series is SO thorough and informative so far, that once you've finished (sounds like it'll be around 7-8 hours total in length) it'll be THE quintessential history lesson on WB classic animation, and pretty much all one would need to learn everything about it! You don't just discuss information about the characters, but also the directors, their units, voice actors besides Mel Blanc... even budgets and contract drama! So well done, and a fantastic job so far. My only complaint is that these can't come out fast enough! Can't wait for the rest.
@@KaiserBeamz From the "Angel Dust Fairy?" But Nico's right. Your gift is, so far, the best we've seen. Now I can clearly expalin to my therapists why I am. Clampett, Avery, Jones, and Schlesinger. RILTP. Take your pick. Sixty years just melted away. Peace.
Actually, Mel Blanc said in an interview that the accent was a combo of Flatbush and da Bronx; largely da Bronx. Having grown up in the Bronx I can verify that most of my neighbors had the Bugs' accent.
Wow, 1940 was THE Year! Woody Woodpecker, Pinocchio, Tom & Jerry, Fantasia AND Bugs Bunny?! That’s quite a year. This is quite a series! Loving these videos
Fun Fact: The copyright date for the cartoon "Porky's Hare Hunt" (the first Prototype-Bugs Bunny cartoon that was released theatrically in 1938) confirmed that that cartoon was produced in 1937.
So you’re telling me that the entire reason why we associate rabbits with eating carrots is because of Bugs Bunny parodying some actor who ate carrots? Holy fuck. Imagine being that influential.
I saw a dvd of that movie at a store a bit ago. The cover had the actor chomping away at the carrot, because of course. Guess it really was that iconic XD
It Happened One Night was one of the biggest hits of that era and absolutely crushed the Academy Awards that year with 5 Oscars total in the all categories it was nominated for (even while being the first screwball road comedy): Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adaptation. For perspective, the only other 2 films to do this are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Silence of the Lambs. It is impossible to overstate how popular this movie was.
Actually, I talked to animation historian (and mega-Looney Tunes fan) Jerry Beck and he told me this: "The [Bugs Bunny] prototype cartoons were popular... but the character himself wasn't as popular until they crystalized the character into Bugs Bunny in A WILD HARE."
It's really in the '40s that the quality of cartoons starts to get good, especially when we get The Dover Boys and Bugs gets his final more modern design.
Had it not been for Dover Boys, we would never have "limited animation" which lay the groundwork for TV animation by the likes Hanna Barbera & Jay Ward as well as anime itself.
I've heard a better term for limited animation is "planned animation". Which I think is a better descriptor for what Jones and company we're going for in The Dover Boys.
Much of the animation in The Dover Boys simply stretches an object from one extreme pose to another. It's as if the object takes up the entire space between extremes before the animation catches up with the next pose, yet somehow the eye sees the smooth motion of an arm or automobile. Freeze frame Dora riding past the saloon and you'll see her face stretch fo take up almost the whole width of the screen. Dan Backslide's movement is especially rife with examples from his quick costume change to his rapid fire downing of shots. Other cartoons ocassionally use the technique but I've never seen another cartoon that meticulously applied it to so much of the movement.
@@mechajay3358 I wasn't aware of that back in the 1980's when I paused my VCR just as Dan Backslide was stretched beyod all reason. I wonder how many have stumbled on the amazing animation of this cartoon like I did.
This series when it’s all finished needs to be shown in animation history classes. It could also be shown in bits and pieces in a domestic history class about the 20th century. Like highlights of the series you’re creating. To find out what was popular during the time and what people enjoyed in their free time. I enjoy learning about domestic history of the late 19th to mid 20th centuries especially. The media of the time is important to learning about the domestic life of the time. What people did to entertain themselves when they had down time.
I know! I like to study Warner Bros. History. Much more than I do Disney. As a kid I loved Bugs... I think my first one was 'The Wabbit Who Came to Supper.' Isadore Freleng. But I used to see them on Cartoon Network. I'm glad they're on Metv.
It should be pointed out that in the first appearance of Egghead (the boob who would be Elmer Fudd) it took TWO Voice Actors to create his first line. Of course, the first voice you hear is that of Mel Blanc. But the second voice (that REALLY deep one) is none other than Billy Bletcher, who for many years was the voice for every incarnation of Mickey Mouse’s nemesis at Disney, Pete, Peg Leg Pete, and about half a dozen other names that all ended with “Pete”. Bletcher actually started in SILENT films, where that huge voice did him no good whatsoever. But it’s interesting to see him standing toe-to-toe with Walt Disney… Bletcher was 5’2” tall, and Uncle Walt stood easily a full human head taller than Billy, while Walt was doing the voice of Mickey, and diminutive Billy was doing the voice of Pete!
I once heard Chuck Jones speak at the Smithsonian. He had some sharp comments about a WB exec that he would not name, but after seeing this it HAS to be Leon Schlesinger.
I'm glad there has been mention of Rod Scribner, he is so incredibly underrated. Frank Tashlin was always incredibly talented as well, and it would be interesting to see what history would have been like if he had stuck around long enough. I do wish more detail was provided to Clampett, especially since he and McKimson fleshed out face of Bugs Bunny today. I like Chuck Jones and all, but I spent most of my childhood being told he and Freleng were the ones mostly responsible for the success of LT, with a mention of Avery in there at times, sometimes Chuck is always painted as someone who provided more value than he actually did (something he accused Clampett of). I'm just glad there are videos showing the rich history and value that so many people put into these cartoons.
Oh for sure, Clampett needs to definitely mentioned in this period. During the 40s, it's easy to say that Clampett was the main director during this period. I guess to be fair, Beanz made Chuck the main character as the vehicle to drive home the evolution of the Termite Terrace group - as he not only encapsulates the thesis of the WB cartoons, had the most development in his cartoons, and was arguably the best director. I prefer Clampett's cartoons for sure, but I would say that Chuck's would be the best.
About The Heckling Hare: There's also a speculation that when watching the original uncut print, Jack Warner either quarreled at the idea of Bugs just falling down 3 times or the wascally wabbit yelling "Hold on to your hats folks, here we go again!" and Leon (again, believing that holding grudges was bad for his studio) didn't take chances arguing with him. So he forced Avery into altering the ending, having Treg Brown trim down the last 40 feet of the short which made him furious, resulting in him quitting. Even at his studio's peak, Jack Warner was an asshole. (special thanks to tvtropes for the tip, you know who you are.)
Excellent history of Warner Bothers animation and animation in general. Constant exposure to WB cartoons was a large force in shaping my childhood. I saw Mel Blanc in college in a huge auditorium that was standing room only. It was amazing to hear those characters come to life and equally amazing to realize how deeply they had penetrated my being.
One thing of historical note, albeit bigger in retrospect than at the time, is that a year after the release of The Dover Boys, an animator named John Hubley was inspired by that short to go ahead with his own production for the low budget studio Screen Gems, creating The Rocky Road to Ruin. Though it actually had the involvement of Dover Boys narrator John McLeish, who reprised his narration duties from the prior short, the most noteworthy thing about Rocky Road was how shameless it was in attempting to replicate the Dover Boys formula, albeit with a way less cartoony plot. However, mildly noteworthy was it's own experimentation with limited animation contrasted against dynamic character designs, something John Hubley would build upon in his later work with a small studio known as United Productions of America, or UPA. Before eventually leaving that studio, Hubley would help to create the diminutive and shortsighted old man by the name of Mr. Magoo. It should be stated that The Dover Boys was massively influential to numerous animators at UPA, but Hubley is the most noteworthy example with his literal Original Characters Do Not Steal, not even a year after the short that "inspired" it.
Don't worry. This series will get to the rise of UPA and how that influenced a lot of the animators at Warners. Specifically, a colleague of Hubely's by the name of Jones.
@@KaiserBeamz I had researched the topic of Hubley the past year hence my interest in bringing it up. Bit of a tragic case that John is not better known, though he did always work on the sidelines. His last major work was aborted work on the movie adaptation of Watership Down, for which the intro was the only work he ended up doing on the movie before retiring from the industry and passing away not long after. It is very true that UPA would have a profound impact on the work of this "Jones" and his colleagues back at Warners in the 50s and onward.
"Sadly, his career ended, when he was killed in a training flight crash".. Shows footage of perhaps his most famous voiced character, as a skeleton, then violently crashing into the earth.. Brutal editing there! LOL!
As the Termite Terrace team was honing itself around 1940, one of the conspicuous departures from the formula all the other animation studios had been following for years was the risque humor. Spoofs on Warners' stable of hot curvaceous movie actresses, Elmer walking into the bathroom while Bugs was supposedly "naked", Mama Bear in Chuck Jones' The Three Bears wearing a sexy nightie to seduce Bugs, and, of course, the obligatory big wet kiss to torment an adversary. They were notifying the Old School that this was NOT Disney.
I came across the Dover boys by chance when watching some of the collections on 8thmandvds channel. Fell in love with it straight away. It’s just different in a way that allows it to keep being funny even without having the context of the original series it’s spoofing
0:00: It's 1940 1:45: Opening Sequence 2:17: We Need a Star! 5:08: Welcome Back Freleng 6:44: When Bugs Met Fudd 10:50: A Bunny Named Bugs 13:40: The Early Hare 15:14: The Directors 17:40: Some Problems 20:05: Avery Leaves 20:54: The New Termites 22:07: Clampett, the Director 25:20: Jones, the Director 27:18: The Dover Boys and its Influence 30:59: World War II 35:01: Color and Other Changes 37:41: Bugs, the Star
With Thorson's model sheet the rabbit was christened Bugs Bunny in marketing and publicity by the studio in 1938. He was also referred to as Bugs Bunny in at least two newspaper reviews of "Hare-Um Scare-Um." Also, Blanc tried to take credit for "What's up doc?" so he's not as accurate a source.
I was a little leery at first of people referring to The Dover Boys as "a shitpost," it just felt like the wrong name for what it is. But if your research is correct, then that IS more or less what it was. It was Chuck Jones going "Oh, you want FAST?? I'll give you FAST!!"
The 40’s was the start of something great, as evidenced by the fact that the Bugs Bunny introduction was the first time that I laughed HARD during these videos. This series is amazing. So in depth, and objective. That’s what we’re missing. Straight facts. Thanks KB.
This is a fantastic documentary, and the music is just so well suited - I love me my Jazz, and especially from the 40s. You earned yourself a sub good sir.
Bugs always reminded me of a cartoon Groucho Marx -- the wise guy that would, usually, outsmart you and who'd talk directly to the camera, breaking the fourth wall.
Funny enough, his humor was actually modeled after Groucho. Whenever he stated "OF COURSE YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR", that was a direct line lifted from The Marx Brothers! 😎🇵🇷🇺🇸📽🗽🦂🤣
Bugs Bunny's first three misfires and then final success on the fourth attempt reminds me of the iconic line about Swamp Castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. "All the kings said I daft to build a castle in the swamp, but I built all the same just to show them. It sank into the swamp, so I built a second one that sank into a swamp, so I built a third one that burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up!"
4:02 Ugh, that's most creepy proto design of a Looney Tunes character if I ever saw one. Could you imaging Bugs Bunny looking like that for his final design.
The Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor (or military to be general), saying it was their army would definitely get you in a fight with one of their naval officers as they were FIERCELY antagonistic toward each other 😂
Years ago I read somewhere that Leon's problem with "The Heckling Hare" was the tag line. After several times falling off the cliff they would iris out after Bugs said "Well, here we go again" which also happened to be the punch line to a particularly raunchy joke going around at the time. (I wish I knew that joke!) This offended Sclessinger but Avery felt that it would go over the heads of anyone unfamiliar with the joke and not be a problen for those that were. Leon insisted he change it but Tex refused and was "suspended".
The original joke was something like this: The mountaineer and his wife and their three little boys all sleep in the same bed together, the boys wearing their coon-skin hats to keep warm. During the parents’ intercourse, the bed collapses several times, the boys’ hats flying in all directions. The parents wait till the children are asleep and try again. Just as their orgasm is approaching a tiny voice shouts, “Hold onto your hats, boys! Here we go again!” Now you wish it was better, don't you? :)
@@pipperolosmilzo Yeah, but it just proves what an idiot Sclessinger was to believe that anyone in the audience who knew the joke would even care. Maybe Tex was really just looking for an excuse to leave (do ya think?)
28:44 The Case of the Missing Hare was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon I ever saw. I had it as the cover feature on one of those classic cartoon VHS compilations and I knew even back then that it was everything I could ask for in a pre-television animation cartoon. While there are definitely even better episodes, there are also much worse ones so I am sure that it fits comfortably in the better half of the original Looney Tunes shorts. Excellent job on this entire retrospective series, this part just really got to me as I was admittedly surprised that my introduction to this series was significant enough to warrant a mention.
6:39-7:37 For a Reminder: Egghead was always named "Egghead" and Elmer Fudd was always named "Elmer Fudd", they are two co-existing and rotating separate characters created by Fred "Tex" Avery in 1937. Egghead only appears in 4 cartoons from 1937 to 1938 and Elmer appears in 71 cartoons from 1937 to 1962. Evidence is in Tex Avery's "A Feud There Was" (1938) and in Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton's "Count Me Out" (1938).
Ya don't see these cartoons much today,im lovin this even as an adult bugs and elmer fudd daffy duck wow the memories ,enjoy them before the cancell culture and gun haters try to erase them from out past long live the classic stuff like this .
Funny how there was a difference between the two with Merry Melodies being in color and Looney Tunes being B&W. Growing up in the 1950s on television they were all black and white
Again, I can’t tell you how grateful I am. It’s like I’ve waited all my life for something like this, pretty much like the Beatles doco by Peter Jackson
Absolutely fascinating look at the things that I remember from my childhood in the 1960s. Watching the development of Bugs, Elmer, and Porky was such a trip into nostalgia.
31:13 The Japanese Army did not attack Pearl Harbor; it was the Japanese Navy. The army had its own air force but no aircraft carriers and no bombers which could reach Hawaii.
I know it's only been 4 months since this installment, but I'm still waiting for the next one. This is fascinating. I didn't know Bea Benaderet did voice overs for these characters. Looked her up, and I see she did even MORE famous cartoon characters!! Thanks, KaiserBeamz!! So, we are waiting for the next part...
I absolutely adore this series! I don’t want to say too much because I would just fill the comments section with praise, but I think a fun post script to this series would be to discuss the meme culture appropriation of mid-20th century animation like ‘Chungus’ (23:06) and the single-frame squinty-eyed Jerry (from Tom & Jerry).
Tex Avery became a legend at MGM. Bob Clampett years later have the world "Beany and Cecil". In the "Private Snafu" cartoons, light profanity (mainly"damn" and "hell") was used.
1940.....ya gotta remember that Popeye was the most popular cartoon character, but the Popeye shorts that came out in 1940 were among the worst..owing to the fact that Bluto was not in many of them which left audiences wanting something better...Bugs, Woody and Tom & Jerry filled that void.
What’s made these cartoons great was that the artists where in charge no interference .These guys where the story department the directors and animators .
Victory through Hare Powers, and of course the proper Disney short about the concept, helped convinced the War Department to adopt Strategic Bombing as an effort to destroy the Axis war machines. Bugs Bunny is therefore somewhat responsible for the enormous civilian death tolls, and also with the destruction of Nazi Germany, which i am sure would have been terribly funny to someone at the studio
@@daelen.cclark en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Through_Air_Power_(film) Disney is more responsible tbh but it was in the minds of a lot of people, especially in the propaganda cartoons
For Tex Avery one other factor as to why Leon Schlesinger didn’t like the ending in The Heckling Hare was because in the final fall according to the script Bugs and the dog die which made Leon upset
Amazing series, thank you so much! One suggestion would be to put the part # in the titles, so there's no ambiguity to the chronology. And maybe put links to the other parts in the description. I found it a little challenging to find them.
You know what would make an interesting (ok, maybe only to me) video? Covering Honey Bunny and how she was basically replaced with Lola in the 90's. Most kids born past the 1980's don't even know who Honey Bunny is. Maybe could be transitioned over to modern redesigns of characters like Lola and Minerva Mink becoming less sexy. I've always found "boobs=stupid" an aggravating dichotomy. As someone else who clearly loves animation I guess I'd like to hear your take on these too.
Wow, this outfit is a treasure! You know these guys love animation and understand their subject and hit just the right buttons to evoke the very heart and soul of the cartoons they love. Congratulations on a terrific show. Keep it up, I'll be around!
Thank the Gods I accepted the algorhythms offering. Thoroughly researched, edited well, and polished to produced perfection. I have waited for this little tidbit of history for animation ages. Hit save and repeat. Look forward to part two. I can't say thank you nearly enough, so once will have to do. Bugs has been my roll model since....well a long time. Now I have an answer for when people ask me, "Why are you this way?" (It's Bob's fault!) Outstanding!!
To bad all the looney tune characters have been getting ruined in the recent years. Not like you can bring the original artist and writers back from the dead.
As a German, I had to re-learn everything about Looney Tunes, as the version that was aired frequently until the early 2000 changed a lot. Porky Pig did not stutter and Bugs Bunny had a different catch phrase which wasn’t half as funny, he only said, “Na, was liegt an?” Which roughly translates to “What’s up”, but misses the point. When I moved in 2009 and got a pay TV subscription, and re-watched the shorts that ran on Boomerang at that time, I first thought they had butchered it with the new German adaptation until I learned that the new version was closer to the original. Today when the old shorts are re-aired, they use the intros and outros of the old German version paired with the newer synchronisation, which takes away the feeling because the original intro and Outro cards belong there as well.
Even though Avery went on to do more stellar work at MGM, I really want to see the parallel universe where he stayed at Warner’s. (Hopefully it’s the same universe where Clampett also stayed)
So, the next one should get us to the 50s. Which is pretty much the age of Jones and Freleng. Clampett fading out pretty quick post war. The interesting thing is how Freleng became so comparatively dominant that late on, I mean Jones was on an upward trend from about 42' and really started climbing post war. But Freleng had been at the studio FOREVER, but seemed to re-invent himself during this age, becoming very meta like Jones and carving out a similar (but unique) style of humor (and winning most of the Oscars the studio won). The other thing is that the postwar era was the golden age of film noir, and postwar WB was willing to go to some kinda dark places. I mean "Chow Hound" wouldn't have looked out of place as an EC comic.
Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese seemed to have a thing for black humor. Think their last Hubie & Bertie short, "Cheese Chasers" (1951), in which our two mice, having maxed out on all the cheese in the world, decide to end it all by having Claude Cat eat them - while Claude, who wants nothing to do with it, tries to get a dog to massacre him. I've long had a soft spot for that short - especially Bertie's "Yeah yeah, sure sure's."
Incredible work. This is so informative and thorough! I grew up watching almost all of these cartoons and learning the context around their creation is really special. Thank you!
13:55 I like this episode one Elmer adopted bugs bunny at the pet store I wish instead he could’ve switched prices for Lola , In case unlike bugs she would treated him kindly While he has a soft spot for girls.
"Everyone thinks they're just like Bugs Bunny but we all end up looking like Daffy Duck at some point." - Friz Freeling Thanks for all the work you must have put into this. This is like learning secret family history or something equally profound for so many of us who grew up with Bugs & co.
Tex Avery was a Giant Genies on the Level of Disney only... that he was better then Disney and better then all of the staff at Looney tunes... He has told them soo many ... Avery just love his works
It really is a shame Kent Rogers died so young, Having watched Hollywood Steps Out many times I can't help but wonder if he might have rivalled Mel Blanc as a voice acting legend had he lived.
I think that Bugs Bunny is a much funnier, more interesting and engaging character than Mickey Mouse ever was.
absolutely!!!!
If Mickey was a cereal, he’d be plain Cheerios.
If Bugs was a cereal, he’d be Frosted Cheerios.
Oh yeah. Mickey is to me equal in boring to a show like the waltons and little house on the prairie. Whereas my boy bugs is like the Simpsons and Sanford and son with a touch of chaos 😂
I'm glad that they're going back to Mickey's origins in the recent outings because for the majority of my life, Mickey was the lamest leading cartoon mascot. Disney himself was responsible for that by making Mickey a child's role model. This made it practically impossible to write for him anymore.
Yeah I like Mickey much more than I did some years ago but still has nothing on bugs
I would argue that this series is SO thorough and informative so far, that once you've finished (sounds like it'll be around 7-8 hours total in length) it'll be THE quintessential history lesson on WB classic animation, and pretty much all one would need to learn everything about it! You don't just discuss information about the characters, but also the directors, their units, voice actors besides Mel Blanc... even budgets and contract drama! So well done, and a fantastic job so far. My only complaint is that these can't come out fast enough! Can't wait for the rest.
Oh I'm sure their are far more quintessential histories out there about this subject. Where do you think I'm getting all this information from?
Yeah. Much better then Animat's shit show.
@@KaiserBeamz But you're compiling it all into one place! :) Either way just wanted to say how much I enjoy this series, and great work so far!
@@KaiserBeamz I wish I could know all of these histories
@@KaiserBeamz From the "Angel Dust Fairy?" But Nico's right. Your gift is, so far, the best we've seen.
Now I can clearly expalin to my therapists why I am. Clampett, Avery, Jones, and Schlesinger. RILTP.
Take your pick. Sixty years just melted away. Peace.
36:12 RIP Kent Rogers. That's so unfortunate, what a bright future he had. Imagine what could have been.
I felt like he could’ve been the next Mel Blanc
Actually, Mel Blanc said in an interview that the accent was a combo of Flatbush and da Bronx; largely da Bronx. Having grown up in the Bronx I can verify that most of my neighbors had the Bugs' accent.
Imagine living next to bugs bunnied
I just watched that interview with David Letterman That interview happened the year I was born 1981💯😎
Wow, 1940 was THE Year! Woody Woodpecker, Pinocchio, Tom & Jerry, Fantasia AND Bugs Bunny?! That’s quite a year. This is quite a series! Loving these videos
Fun Fact: The copyright date for the cartoon "Porky's Hare Hunt" (the first Prototype-Bugs Bunny cartoon that was released theatrically in 1938) confirmed that that cartoon was produced in 1937.
So you’re telling me that the entire reason why we associate rabbits with eating carrots is because of Bugs Bunny parodying some actor who ate carrots?
Holy fuck. Imagine being that influential.
I saw a dvd of that movie at a store a bit ago. The cover had the actor chomping away at the carrot, because of course. Guess it really was that iconic XD
Forreal
I imagine that rabbits were always associated with vegetables in some capacity but surely that helped.
It Happened One Night was one of the biggest hits of that era and absolutely crushed the Academy Awards that year with 5 Oscars total in the all categories it was nominated for (even while being the first screwball road comedy): Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adaptation.
For perspective, the only other 2 films to do this are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Silence of the Lambs.
It is impossible to overstate how popular this movie was.
I think that Clark Gable qualifies as more than just “some actor”.
Actually, I talked to animation historian (and mega-Looney Tunes fan) Jerry Beck and he told me this: "The [Bugs Bunny] prototype cartoons were popular... but the character himself wasn't as popular until they crystalized the character into Bugs Bunny in A WILD HARE."
It's really in the '40s that the quality of cartoons starts to get good, especially when we get The Dover Boys and Bugs gets his final more modern design.
Had it not been for Dover Boys, we would never have "limited animation" which lay the groundwork for TV animation by the likes Hanna Barbera & Jay Ward as well as anime itself.
I've heard a better term for limited animation is "planned animation". Which I think is a better descriptor for what Jones and company we're going for in The Dover Boys.
@@KaiserBeamz That's great to know. I still stand by that Dover Boys is the prototype to modern anime.
Mr. Beamz is misformed. Consult a true animation historian like Tom Sito or Jerry Beck. They know what they’re talking about.
@@Germania9 how?
@@marianagivens9991 can you provide an example of something he got wrong?
Yes folks, Woody Woodpecker’s laugh was from here and Mel Blanc was the one who developed it
Mel Blanc also voiced woody woodpecker
@@coffeejunkie7954 I thought Walter Lantz’ wife voiced Woody.
@@mitchmichalec7619 Later on she did.
From where?
1950's Destination Moon film onwards. Or 1951's Puny Express far the shorts goes.
23:05 Because I know someone was waiting for it.
I knew someone was going to point that out
Such a simp for Big Chungus.
I did my senior directed study course in film school on how Warner Bros' cartoons supported the war effort. You've done a masterful job. Well done.
Much of the animation in The Dover Boys simply stretches an object from one extreme pose to another. It's as if the object takes up the entire space between extremes before the animation catches up with the next pose, yet somehow the eye sees the smooth motion of an arm or automobile. Freeze frame Dora riding past the saloon and you'll see her face stretch fo take up almost the whole width of the screen. Dan Backslide's movement is especially rife with examples from his quick costume change to his rapid fire downing of shots. Other cartoons ocassionally use the technique but I've never seen another cartoon that meticulously applied it to so much of the movement.
@@mechajay3358 I wasn't aware of that back in the 1980's when I paused my VCR just as Dan Backslide was stretched beyod all reason. I wonder how many have stumbled on the amazing animation of this cartoon like I did.
This series when it’s all finished needs to be shown in animation history classes.
It could also be shown in bits and pieces in a domestic history class about the 20th century. Like highlights of the series you’re creating. To find out what was popular during the time and what people enjoyed in their free time.
I enjoy learning about domestic history of the late 19th to mid 20th centuries especially. The media of the time is important to learning about the domestic life of the time. What people did to entertain themselves when they had down time.
I know! I like to study Warner Bros. History. Much more than I do Disney. As a kid I loved Bugs... I think my first one was 'The Wabbit Who Came to Supper.' Isadore Freleng. But I used to see them on Cartoon Network. I'm glad they're on Metv.
It should be pointed out that in the first appearance of Egghead (the boob who would be Elmer Fudd) it took TWO Voice Actors to create his first line. Of course, the first voice you hear is that of Mel Blanc. But the second voice (that REALLY deep one) is none other than Billy Bletcher, who for many years was the voice for every incarnation of Mickey Mouse’s nemesis at Disney, Pete, Peg Leg Pete, and about half a dozen other names that all ended with “Pete”. Bletcher actually started in SILENT films, where that huge voice did him no good whatsoever. But it’s interesting to see him standing toe-to-toe with Walt Disney… Bletcher was 5’2” tall, and Uncle Walt stood easily a full human head taller than Billy, while Walt was doing the voice of Mickey, and diminutive Billy was doing the voice of Pete!
Elmer was his brother not him
I once heard Chuck Jones speak at the Smithsonian. He had some sharp comments about a WB exec that he would not name, but after seeing this it HAS to be Leon Schlesinger.
Then again Eddie Setzer wasn't a fan about Chuck either.
You remember what exactly those "sharp comments" were?
I'm glad there has been mention of Rod Scribner, he is so incredibly underrated. Frank Tashlin was always incredibly talented as well, and it would be interesting to see what history would have been like if he had stuck around long enough. I do wish more detail was provided to Clampett, especially since he and McKimson fleshed out face of Bugs Bunny today. I like Chuck Jones and all, but I spent most of my childhood being told he and Freleng were the ones mostly responsible for the success of LT, with a mention of Avery in there at times, sometimes Chuck is always painted as someone who provided more value than he actually did (something he accused Clampett of). I'm just glad there are videos showing the rich history and value that so many people put into these cartoons.
Oh for sure, Clampett needs to definitely mentioned in this period. During the 40s, it's easy to say that Clampett was the main director during this period. I guess to be fair, Beanz made Chuck the main character as the vehicle to drive home the evolution of the Termite Terrace group - as he not only encapsulates the thesis of the WB cartoons, had the most development in his cartoons, and was arguably the best director. I prefer Clampett's cartoons for sure, but I would say that Chuck's would be the best.
About The Heckling Hare:
There's also a speculation that when watching the original uncut print, Jack Warner either quarreled at the idea of Bugs just falling down 3 times or the wascally wabbit yelling "Hold on to your hats folks, here we go again!" and Leon (again, believing that holding grudges was bad for his studio) didn't take chances arguing with him. So he forced Avery into altering the ending, having Treg Brown trim down the last 40 feet of the short which made him furious, resulting in him quitting.
Even at his studio's peak, Jack Warner was an asshole.
(special thanks to tvtropes for the tip, you know who you are.)
Excellent history of Warner Bothers animation and animation in general. Constant exposure to WB cartoons was a large force in shaping my childhood. I saw Mel Blanc in college in a huge auditorium that was standing room only. It was amazing to hear those characters come to life and equally amazing to realize how deeply they had penetrated my being.
One thing of historical note, albeit bigger in retrospect than at the time, is that a year after the release of The Dover Boys, an animator named John Hubley was inspired by that short to go ahead with his own production for the low budget studio Screen Gems, creating The Rocky Road to Ruin. Though it actually had the involvement of Dover Boys narrator John McLeish, who reprised his narration duties from the prior short, the most noteworthy thing about Rocky Road was how shameless it was in attempting to replicate the Dover Boys formula, albeit with a way less cartoony plot.
However, mildly noteworthy was it's own experimentation with limited animation contrasted against dynamic character designs, something John Hubley would build upon in his later work with a small studio known as United Productions of America, or UPA. Before eventually leaving that studio, Hubley would help to create the diminutive and shortsighted old man by the name of Mr. Magoo. It should be stated that The Dover Boys was massively influential to numerous animators at UPA, but Hubley is the most noteworthy example with his literal Original Characters Do Not Steal, not even a year after the short that "inspired" it.
Don't worry. This series will get to the rise of UPA and how that influenced a lot of the animators at Warners. Specifically, a colleague of Hubely's by the name of Jones.
@@KaiserBeamz I had researched the topic of Hubley the past year hence my interest in bringing it up. Bit of a tragic case that John is not better known, though he did always work on the sidelines. His last major work was aborted work on the movie adaptation of Watership Down, for which the intro was the only work he ended up doing on the movie before retiring from the industry and passing away not long after. It is very true that UPA would have a profound impact on the work of this "Jones" and his colleagues back at Warners in the 50s and onward.
"Sadly, his career ended, when he was killed in a training flight crash".. Shows footage of perhaps his most famous voiced character, as a skeleton, then violently crashing into the earth.. Brutal editing there! LOL!
The work of Chuck Jones, especially on Bugs Bunny has had an incredibly lasting impact on animation history and on my childhood without doubt
As the Termite Terrace team was honing itself around 1940, one of the conspicuous departures from the formula all the other animation studios had been following for years was the risque humor. Spoofs on Warners' stable of hot curvaceous movie actresses, Elmer walking into the bathroom while Bugs was supposedly "naked", Mama Bear in Chuck Jones' The Three Bears wearing a sexy nightie to seduce Bugs, and, of course, the obligatory big wet kiss to torment an adversary. They were notifying the Old School that this was NOT Disney.
Yep the rise of the humor that helped Warner’s stand out .
I came across the Dover boys by chance when watching some of the collections on 8thmandvds channel. Fell in love with it straight away. It’s just different in a way that allows it to keep being funny even without having the context of the original series it’s spoofing
0:00: It's 1940
1:45: Opening Sequence
2:17: We Need a Star!
5:08: Welcome Back Freleng
6:44: When Bugs Met Fudd
10:50: A Bunny Named Bugs
13:40: The Early Hare
15:14: The Directors
17:40: Some Problems
20:05: Avery Leaves
20:54: The New Termites
22:07: Clampett, the Director
25:20: Jones, the Director
27:18: The Dover Boys and its Influence
30:59: World War II
35:01: Color and Other Changes
37:41: Bugs, the Star
With Thorson's model sheet the rabbit was christened Bugs Bunny in marketing and publicity by the studio in 1938. He was also referred to as Bugs Bunny in at least two newspaper reviews of "Hare-Um Scare-Um."
Also, Blanc tried to take credit for "What's up doc?" so he's not as accurate a source.
"What's Opera, Doc" is my favorite.
Too fey for me..CLampett, who l;aqrgely created Bugs, is still underrated
Kill da Wabbit.. Kill da Wabbit!!!
mine to
I love "Rabbits kin" Pete Puma is hilarious to me. "Ohh..I don't like tea, it gives me a headache!"
I love "Rabbits kin" Pete Puma is hilarious to me. "Ohh..I don't like tea, it gives me a headache!"
I was a little leery at first of people referring to The Dover Boys as "a shitpost," it just felt like the wrong name for what it is. But if your research is correct, then that IS more or less what it was.
It was Chuck Jones going "Oh, you want FAST?? I'll give you FAST!!"
The 40’s was the start of something great, as evidenced by the fact that the Bugs Bunny introduction was the first time that I laughed HARD during these videos.
This series is amazing. So in depth, and objective. That’s what we’re missing. Straight facts. Thanks KB.
A fantastically edited, well presented history lesson AND a Big Chungus? I'm In!
This is a fantastic documentary, and the music is just so well suited - I love me my Jazz, and especially from the 40s. You earned yourself a sub good sir.
Fun Fact: Bugs Hardaway served in the army in WWI, with Harry Truman as his commander.
Bugs always reminded me of a cartoon Groucho Marx -- the wise guy that would, usually, outsmart you and who'd talk directly to the camera, breaking the fourth wall.
Funny enough, his humor was actually modeled after Groucho. Whenever he stated "OF COURSE YOU REALIZE THIS MEANS WAR", that was a direct line lifted from The Marx Brothers! 😎🇵🇷🇺🇸📽🗽🦂🤣
Marx.
@@206Vin Thanks, corrected!
Bugs Bunny's first three misfires and then final success on the fourth attempt reminds me of the iconic line about Swamp Castle from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
"All the kings said I daft to build a castle in the swamp, but I built all the same just to show them. It sank into the swamp, so I built a second one that sank into a swamp, so I built a third one that burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up!"
4:02 Ugh, that's most creepy proto design of a Looney Tunes character if I ever saw one. Could you imaging Bugs Bunny looking like that for his final design.
Dot icon :D
He looks okay to me.
Maybe I watch too much horror stuff...
Can you imagine this design of Bugs playing basketball with Lebron?
Dover Boys is still funny to this day.
CONFOUND THOSE DOVER BOYS!!
@@yourpalazraelytA runabout! *I’LL STEAL IT! NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!!!*
These are so good. Would be great to see one on Tom and Jerry.
Bob clampett was one of the best animators of all times.
The Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor (or military to be general), saying it was their army would definitely get you in a fight with one of their naval officers as they were FIERCELY antagonistic toward each other 😂
These cartoons, are way more funnier then the ones today and they covered everything !
Years ago I read somewhere that Leon's problem with "The Heckling Hare" was the tag line. After several times falling off the cliff they would iris out after Bugs said "Well, here we go again" which also happened to be the punch line to a particularly raunchy joke going around at the time. (I wish I knew that joke!) This offended Sclessinger but Avery felt that it would go over the heads of anyone unfamiliar with the joke and not be a problen for those that were. Leon insisted he change it but Tex refused and was "suspended".
Interesting story. I have “The Heckling Hare” on 16mm and it was my first 16mm print I’ve owned off of eBay a few years ago.
@@Musicradio77Network does it have the original ending or is it the edited (current) version?
The original joke was something like this:
The mountaineer and his wife and their three little boys all sleep in the same bed together, the boys wearing their coon-skin hats to keep warm. During the parents’ intercourse, the bed collapses several times, the boys’ hats flying in all directions. The parents wait till the children are asleep and try again. Just as their orgasm is approaching a tiny voice shouts, “Hold onto your hats, boys! Here we go again!”
Now you wish it was better, don't you? :)
@@freakfoxvevo7915 No! Just the edited one like you see today, same as on 16mm.
@@pipperolosmilzo Yeah, but it just proves what an idiot Sclessinger was to believe that anyone in the audience who knew the joke would even care. Maybe Tex was really just looking for an excuse to leave (do ya think?)
You can really tell how much passion you have for this series!
These are fucking amazing. Easily the best documentary series about Looney Tunes thus far.
I also recommend the Looney Tunes Animation Lookback series by Animat (ElectricDragon505)
28:44 The Case of the Missing Hare was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon I ever saw. I had it as the cover feature on one of those classic cartoon VHS compilations and I knew even back then that it was everything I could ask for in a pre-television animation cartoon. While there are definitely even better episodes, there are also much worse ones so I am sure that it fits comfortably in the better half of the original Looney Tunes shorts.
Excellent job on this entire retrospective series, this part just really got to me as I was admittedly surprised that my introduction to this series was significant enough to warrant a mention.
6:39-7:37 For a Reminder: Egghead was always named "Egghead" and Elmer Fudd was always named "Elmer Fudd", they are two co-existing and rotating separate characters created by Fred "Tex" Avery in 1937. Egghead only appears in 4 cartoons from 1937 to 1938 and Elmer appears in 71 cartoons from 1937 to 1962. Evidence is in Tex Avery's "A Feud There Was" (1938) and in Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton's "Count Me Out" (1938).
Ya don't see these cartoons much today,im lovin this even as an adult bugs and elmer fudd daffy duck wow the memories ,enjoy them before the cancell culture and gun haters try to erase them from out past long live the classic stuff like this .
You have to remember that these cartoons where made in a different time in society. The animators were most likely influenced by the time period
Funny how there was a difference between the two with Merry Melodies being in color and Looney Tunes being B&W.
Growing up in the 1950s on television they were all black and white
43:05
Big chungus
One of the few memes that involves Looney Tune characters
I hope we don't have to wait long for the next installment!
And to think we still haven't gotten to Sylvester, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Pepe le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, or Wile E Coyote.
@@dadoctah LONG LIVE PEPE AND SPEEDY!!!!
tell me when it'll come out, pls^^
Quality over quantity
Dadadadada dat dat dat that's all folks.
Again, I can’t tell you how grateful I am. It’s like I’ve waited all my life for something like this, pretty much like the Beatles doco by Peter Jackson
The second he mentions Tom and Jerry or puss gets the boot my cat she looks exactly like Tom walks in
Absolutely fascinating look at the things that I remember from my childhood in the 1960s. Watching the development of Bugs, Elmer, and Porky was such a trip into nostalgia.
Bugs Bunny is my favorite Looney Tunes character. He is so funny
Daffy Duck is mine.
31:13 The Japanese Army did not attack Pearl Harbor; it was the Japanese Navy. The army had its own air force but no aircraft carriers and no bombers which could reach Hawaii.
27:16 God, I could recite this whole cartoon from memory. It's so, so good.
"Dear, rich Dora Standpipe, how I love her...
fathersmoney."
“I’ll steal it, NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!!!!!!”
I know it's only been 4 months since this installment, but I'm still waiting for the next one. This is fascinating. I didn't know Bea Benaderet did voice overs for these characters. Looked her up, and I see she did even MORE famous cartoon characters!! Thanks, KaiserBeamz!!
So, we are waiting for the next part...
I love how only the Big Chungus clip was sped up because it apparently needed to be seen.
I absolutely adore this series! I don’t want to say too much because I would just fill the comments section with praise, but I think a fun post script to this series would be to discuss the meme culture appropriation of mid-20th century animation like ‘Chungus’ (23:06) and the single-frame squinty-eyed Jerry (from Tom & Jerry).
As a Texan, I've honestly never heard anyone say "What's up, doc?" without intentionally referencing Bugs.
Maybe it's because the line have been accossiated with Bugs ever since.
Tex Avery became a legend at MGM.
Bob Clampett years later have the world "Beany and Cecil".
In the "Private Snafu" cartoons, light profanity (mainly"damn" and "hell") was used.
Some of Avery's gags were appropriated in two British TV comedy shows, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "The Benny Hill Show."
1940.....ya gotta remember that Popeye was the most popular cartoon character, but the Popeye shorts that came out in 1940 were among the worst..owing to the fact that Bluto was not in many of them which left audiences wanting something better...Bugs, Woody and Tom & Jerry filled that void.
What’s made these cartoons great was that the artists where in charge no interference .These guys where the story department the directors and animators .
Whats even better is kids today have all the tools to do the same thing. Im surprised we dont see more independant cartoons on youtube.
@@neoasura There are some out there. I think newgrounds has been used for that a lot as well.
@@neoasura I think independent cartoons struggle being on UA-cam. There are few better places for animations like Newgrounds.
@@lostjack157 Animation is to expensive
@@nightisright1873 It depends. You can make animation much cheaper if you allocate your funds properly.
I’m 17 and looney tunes is still hilarious, can’t lie about it.
Holy shit, this is VERY underrated. You certainly need more subs.
These are so well made i always look forward to them
The birth of a trickster god, documented for all
Kent Rogers had an incredible talent for voice acting for a 17 year old. His early passing was a great loss.
Victory through Hare Powers, and of course the proper Disney short about the concept, helped convinced the War Department to adopt Strategic Bombing as an effort to destroy the Axis war machines. Bugs Bunny is therefore somewhat responsible for the enormous civilian death tolls, and also with the destruction of Nazi Germany, which i am sure would have been terribly funny to someone at the studio
That a fact?
Where’d you learn that?
@@daelen.cclark en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Through_Air_Power_(film)
Disney is more responsible tbh but it was in the minds of a lot of people, especially in the propaganda cartoons
“Uh come here…. Now don’t let this get around…. But….. confidently….. I AM A WABBIT!!” 😂
Coming out in 1940 makes Pinocchio’s dark themes make a lot of sense…
For Tex Avery one other factor as to why Leon Schlesinger didn’t like the ending in The Heckling Hare was because in the final fall according to the script Bugs and the dog die which made Leon upset
This might be the best documentary series I've ever seen.
Amazing series, thank you so much! One suggestion would be to put the part # in the titles, so there's no ambiguity to the chronology. And maybe put links to the other parts in the description. I found it a little challenging to find them.
You know what would make an interesting (ok, maybe only to me) video? Covering Honey Bunny and how she was basically replaced with Lola in the 90's. Most kids born past the 1980's don't even know who Honey Bunny is. Maybe could be transitioned over to modern redesigns of characters like Lola and Minerva Mink becoming less sexy. I've always found "boobs=stupid" an aggravating dichotomy. As someone else who clearly loves animation I guess I'd like to hear your take on these too.
These are amazingly good. Thank you for sharing all your hardwork and showing us these amazing documentaries.
Wow, this outfit is a treasure! You know these guys love animation and understand their subject and hit just the right buttons to evoke the very heart and soul of the cartoons they love. Congratulations on a terrific show. Keep it up, I'll be around!
Thank the Gods I accepted the algorhythms offering. Thoroughly researched, edited well, and polished to produced perfection.
I have waited for this little tidbit of history for animation ages. Hit save and repeat. Look forward to part two. I can't say thank you nearly enough, so once will have to do. Bugs has been my roll model since....well a long time. Now I have an answer for when people ask me, "Why are you this way?" (It's Bob's fault!) Outstanding!!
"...and polished to produced perfection." Except for the mispronunciations in both this and the first episode.
I have always been amazed at the output of these studios. So much groundwork was done in a few short years.
Bugs Bunny is quite possibly the greatest cartoon character of all time.
In my opinion I think Daffy Duck and Slappy Squirrel are better.
JalilSN hey the Slappy and Skippy Squirrel segments were the 2nd best in the Animaniacs.
He is
I agree!!
To bad all the looney tune characters have been getting ruined in the recent years. Not like you can bring the original artist and writers back from the dead.
As a German, I had to re-learn everything about Looney Tunes, as the version that was aired frequently until the early 2000 changed a lot. Porky Pig did not stutter and Bugs Bunny had a different catch phrase which wasn’t half as funny, he only said, “Na, was liegt an?” Which roughly translates to “What’s up”, but misses the point. When I moved in 2009 and got a pay TV subscription, and re-watched the shorts that ran on Boomerang at that time, I first thought they had butchered it with the new German adaptation until I learned that the new version was closer to the original.
Today when the old shorts are re-aired, they use the intros and outros of the old German version paired with the newer synchronisation, which takes away the feeling because the original intro and Outro cards belong there as well.
Bugs the greatest cartoon ever created hands down!!!☺️🙂😁😀😋😃😄
Even though Avery went on to do more stellar work at MGM, I really want to see the parallel universe where he stayed at Warner’s. (Hopefully it’s the same universe where Clampett also stayed)
No, that universe would have had Clampett go to Disney. Can you imagine Clampett at Disney?
@@canaisyoung3601 not really, but it’d be interesting
@@canaisyoung3601 Clampett at Disney would be strange I don’t think his style would fly at Disney
So, the next one should get us to the 50s. Which is pretty much the age of Jones and Freleng. Clampett fading out pretty quick post war. The interesting thing is how Freleng became so comparatively dominant that late on, I mean Jones was on an upward trend from about 42' and really started climbing post war. But Freleng had been at the studio FOREVER, but seemed to re-invent himself during this age, becoming very meta like Jones and carving out a similar (but unique) style of humor (and winning most of the Oscars the studio won).
The other thing is that the postwar era was the golden age of film noir, and postwar WB was willing to go to some kinda dark places. I mean "Chow Hound" wouldn't have looked out of place as an EC comic.
Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese seemed to have a thing for black humor. Think their last Hubie & Bertie short, "Cheese Chasers" (1951), in which our two mice, having maxed out on all the cheese in the world, decide to end it all by having Claude Cat eat them - while Claude, who wants nothing to do with it, tries to get a dog to massacre him. I've long had a soft spot for that short - especially Bertie's "Yeah yeah, sure sure's."
Incredible work. This is so informative and thorough! I grew up watching almost all of these cartoons and learning the context around their creation is really special. Thank you!
I like bunnies. I like to hug them and pet them and squeeze them and call them George.
Fact checkers say..."Correct!"
26:22: I'm surprised you didn't go all the way with this clip, because my favorite part of it is when he said "Shriek Shriek, Scream Scream".
I was literally just watching the last part of this retrospective and then this video drops lmao
Perfect timing
This is gold!
Honestly, I thought Elmer's original voice actor was Mel Blanc. It's not entirely unbelievable though.
Brilliant work! You're documenting a history that's of tremendous social value & importance
13:55 I like this episode one Elmer adopted bugs bunny at the pet store I wish instead he could’ve switched prices for Lola , In case unlike bugs she would treated him kindly While he has a soft spot for girls.
Why the hell did I watch this in the dead of night? Because if looked good. And man I was right. Very entertaining and informative!
Back when cartoons were great.
23:05 I'm surprised you didn't talk about Big Chungus
this is an awesome documentary series. And you make their lives like movie stories. Very fascinating.
This was an excellent documentary. I wish it was longer, truth be told.
"Everyone thinks they're just like Bugs Bunny but we all end up looking like Daffy Duck at some point." - Friz Freeling
Thanks for all the work you must have put into this. This is like learning secret family history or something equally profound for so many of us who grew up with Bugs & co.
Tex Avery was a Giant Genies on the Level of Disney only... that he was better then Disney and better then all of the staff at Looney tunes... He has told them soo many ... Avery just love his works
It really is a shame Kent Rogers died so young, Having watched Hollywood Steps Out many times I can't help but wonder if he might have rivalled Mel Blanc as a voice acting legend had he lived.
Had Kent lived he probably would had been Mel's greatest vocal rival at the studio.
Kent could’ve been the second man of a thousand voices
I am already loving this series a lot!
Good to know
@@KaiserBeamz Thanks Doc.