We fans of classic animation are having a great month (out of a great year) thanks to broadcast channels (like MeTV Toons), physical media producers (like Warner Archive Collection, Cartoons on Film, Thunderbean, Cartoon Logic and Deaf Crocodile) and cable networks (like Turner Classic Movies, aka TCM). Repertory theatrical showings of vintage cartoons on the big screen – via film prints – are thriving in New York and Los Angeles. I’ve introduced classic cartoon programs in LA (The New Beverly Cinema and the Old Town Music Hall) and NY (at the Film Forum). Tommy Stathes holds monthly cartoon screenings in New York City. The box office success of Coyote Vs. Acme has been icing on the cake.
TCM has acquired the ‘cable TV rights’ (as opposed to ‘broadcast rights’, and ‘streaming rights’) to the Looney Tunes cartoons – and have been doing a fine job of programming small blocks of themed cartoons at various times throughout the day. They even made Bugs Bunny their “Star of the Month” back in February. I had the opportunity to suggest a few themed evenings of Looney programming – the first of which is airing tomorrow night (Wednesday September 23rd) – and the network invited me back on camera (my first time co-hosting since 2012 with Robert Osborne).
This time I appear with the phenomenal TCM host Alicia Malone for about nine segments that appear before and after each component of a six-hour tribute to Chuck Jones (starting at 8pm Eastern / 5pm Pacific). We start with the excellent one-hour BBC documentary Chuck Amuck (1991) – the best of any Jones doc (and there have been many). That is followed by several blocks of Jones best shorts, that fall in between showings of the restored Gay Purr-ee (and we give Abe Levitow his much deserved do) and The Phantom Tollbooth. I don’t know if I will be back… but I certainly hope so. I had a blast hanging with Alicia. I’m hoping they will schedule the other suggestions I submitted – evenings based around Frank Tashlin, Friz Freleng and of course, Clampett – among much else.
I’ve been told the TCM intro segments will be available online after Wednesday, primarily on the Watch TCM app, and possibly on You Tube.
But that’s not the only classic cartoon excitement this week. On MeTV Toons, in addition to Quick Draw McGraw returning to the air waves there is another program worth a watch (and/or certainly to record). It’s called Animation Antiques and it airs for one hour, once a week, at 1:30am Eastern on Monday morning / 10:30pm Pacific on Sunday night.
Me – at the AFI Fest in 2025
One more archival plug I’d like to squeeze in here – in November I’ll be in Silver Springs, Maryland, at the AFI Silver theater, as part of their annual Classic Film Weekend (Co-Curated by David Pierce). I did two shows there last year and they were such a success they’ve invited me back to do three more: “In the Beginning: Animation’s Famous Firsts” (Celebrating recent restorations of ‘first cartoons’ of many studios and characters) Friday November 13th at 3:30pm; “More Pre-Code Cartoons” (showcasing these and pointing out what would be banned after 1934) Saturday November 14th at 11am; and “Cartoons Lost and Found – Part 2” (featuring things we couldn’t find years ago – that are now found and restored) on Sunday November 15th at 11am. It’s going to be a blast – hope you can join us.
Irregardless – on the tube, over the air or on disc, or in a theater, on the big screen – it’s a great time to watch cartoons. See you all on Wednesday night!
Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer, college professor and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and Blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. Beck is currently on the faculty of USC in Los Angeles, CalArts in Santa Clarita, and UCLA in Westwood – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
You know, I’m there for anything showing up on the MeTV TOONS channel. I’ve already have the recorder set up to record “animation antiques“ and I know I will enjoy this show, hoping they do show some black-and-white cartoons. Those live shows you’re talking about, wow, why not bring some of those to the MeTV TOONS channel? Wouldn’t it be great to have a “forbidden cartoons“ show, possibly airing at a decent timeslot. I can only think of so many entries that should be there and should be seen by the general public. It is a great time for classic cartoons.
“…it’s a great time to watch cartoons.” As far as that goes, there’s no BAD time to watch cartoons! Well, maybe at a funeral. Maybe.
All the best for Wednesday!
Sorry if I don’t look at this site more than I do, and maybe this has been covered.
Semi-OT: has there been any news lately of restoring the original The Bugs Bunny Show, along with interstitials? If only black-and-white scenes are available I understand.
The Bugs Bunny Show is in the process of restoration now. It is a complicated project but it is in the works.
That is wonderful! Off and on for the past few years, I’ve been wondering whether the old prime time “Bugs Bunny Show” would ever be restored and, more importantly, released on DVD/Blu-Ray. I’d love to see the original animation segments for the show, as well as the cartoons associated with each episode. Great news!
P.S. I was, _literally_, “only three and a half years old” when the first season of “The Bugs Bunny Show” aired. And I think I remember some of it.
Do you also plan to feature early New York animators like Paul Terry or Grim Natwick?
Terry’s silent Aesop’s Fables are hilarious and would certainly deserve a place in the MeTV Toons catalog.
Once again, and it’s been two or three years since MeTV Toons signed on, my cable monopoly Optimum refuses to air that channel. I mean it’s from either WJLP in New York or WZME in Bridgeport, CT (both stations in the New York broadcast area). Thankfully it has TCM and I have DVDs as well (some I have gotten based on articles here at CR like the excellent Famous Studios Champion Blue-Ray) so I should be fine with what’s available. But Animation Antiques, well it’s a bit late for me even if I had MeTV Toons.
I am super excited for Animation Antiques! I grew up with the Boomerang channel [which is the reason I adore vintage cartoons], and I’m sad it’s a shell of its former self, but I’ve really been enjoying MeTV Toons and I think it’s even better then Boomerang at its prime due to having a wider variety of classic cartoons. Glad to see Swifty And Shorty are going to be on Animation Antiques, and I hope that eventually the Terrytoons not presented on Mighty Mouse And Friends [Deputy Dawg, Dinky Duck, The Adventures Of Lariat Sam, and especially Tom Terrific] might end up airing on Animation Antiques one day [if Paramount gets over their weird dislike of the Terrytoons and allows that].