Good news this November after all! Warner Archive Collection’s Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice Vol. 4 Blu-Ray will be available for all on Nov. 26th. (And for any stragglers, a multi-disc set with all four volumes goes on sale at the same time for a ridiculously low price.) It’s been a while since the last volume, so get a refresher here (vol. 1 link), here (vol. 2 link), and here (vol. 3 link).
A slightly different approach this time: this disc has a whopping 27 cartoons, with three of them newly (and beautifully) restored for this release: Holiday for Drumsticks, Muzzle Tough, and Peck Up Your Troubles. Most cartoons are still from that bounty of restored masters for Max that debuted in 2020, and while they don’t look as good as the three just personally supervised by Warner Archive head George Feltenstein, they all still look fine, save The Impatient Patient, which, like Daffy’s Southern Exposure on Vol. 2, looks far too overprocessed (were the camera negatives even used for these two?). Once again, Warner Archive did their best to disguise the problematic Adobe Suite errors in the opening and closing titles of those masters, though not perfectly (the “synthetic grain” applied to the titles to get rid of the “digital” look is a little overwhelming compared to the main cartoons, and Leghorn Swoggled now has a jump cut rather than a dissolve in the titles).
Two cartoons are listed as “bonus”, since they’ve appeared on disc before. But they’re reappearing for good reason. Lighter Than Hare and Stork Naked are presented correctly after being issued in claustrophobic cropped versions on DVD in 2010 (as a result of corporate policy and misinterpretation of Warner cartoon history). Fearless Leader Jerry Beck notes that these two (and most of the cartoons on the Looney Tunes Super Stars discs) were transferred from interpositives and not the original negatives, so they may look a bit worse for wear. Still, it’s hard to not appreciate that a very funny Freleng cartoon like Stork Naked (which was animated before the 1953 studio shutdown, so widescreen should have never been a factor in mastering) is now available in high-definition as intended.
Even four volumes in, there are plenty of beloved classics left in the Warner library. This disc almost acts as a retrospective of Friz Freleng, covering all eras of that born entertainer’s directorial career, and also one of both Daffy Duck and Sylvester, seen here in most of their incarnations and with most of their “pals”. But there are plenty of favorites from the other directors (including one that’s partly by Bob Clampett!) and characters too. Notes and commentary follow…
Along Came Daffy (1947, Friz Freleng)
Daffy as a salesduck up north, peddling cookbooks to a pair of starving Yosemite Sam twins.
A Bone for a Bone (1951, Freleng)
Layout man Hawley Pratt redesigns the Goofy Gophers for this delightful and underrated outing with the pair’s card game interrupted by a dopey dog. It’s easy to imagine the gags by Ben Hardaway (freelancing a story for just this cartoon) falling flat in, say, a contemporary Dick Lundy Lantz cartoon. But even something as protracted as the “arm” getting run over by a truck comes off flawless thanks to Freleng’s showmanship.
The Cagey Canary (1941, started by Tex Avery, finished by Bob Clampett)
Seeds of the Sylvester and Tweety formula sprout here with the nameless cat and canary, along with the “be quiet or else” standard that shaped so many rowdy domestic classics. There’s almost something suffocating about the influence Bob McKimson has over the animation (only Rod Scribner refuses to be tamed), an influence Clampett would eventually abate in his own cartoons.
D’ Fightin’ Ones (1961, Freleng)
Sylvester and an unnamed canine are fugitives from the dog pound, and must journey the countryside handcuffed together. Probably the last truly great Freleng cartoon, one that plays the racial tension of the 1958 Sidney Poitier/Tony Curtis movie of a similar name for laughs (“switchblade claw”).
Dangerous Dan McFoo (1939, Avery)
One of Avery’s best for Warners that introduces Arthur Q. Bryan to the world of animation. Some groundbreaking cutting and timing makes this quite a bit more interesting than Avery’s remake Shooting of Dan McGoo at MGM (only the window dressing of Red Hot Riding Hood saves it).
Devil’s Feud Cake (1963, Freleng)
Miserable cutdown of the Yosemite Sam escapes Hell cheater story Freleng loved so much. He used it twice, before as an episode of The Bugs Bunny Show, and later as a segment of The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, to much greater effect with 20 minutes at his disposal each time. The only saving grace is the ending (used in all three versions). “Ah’m stayin!’” Keith Scott notes that Jerry Hausner voices Bugs Bunny for just a couple of pickup lines in the dubbed Hare Lift footage, marking the first time someone other than Mel Blanc voiced the greatest cartoon character of all-time in an official cartoon (it was right after Mel’s auto accident, and many thought he wouldn’t make it).
Double Chaser (1942, Freleng)
Freleng and Mike Maltese prove they could probably do a funnier Tom & Jerry cartoon in their sleep with this entry, in which the mouse accidentally kills himself.
Double or Mutton (1955, Chuck Jones)
Another workday for Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf (first identified as such here), which includes an unpersuasive Little Bo Peep outfit and a fast-acting hair tonic that doesn’t affect visibility.
Fox Pop (1942, Jones)
One of Jones’s first attempts at pure comedy, with a fox very mistaken about the intentions of a furrier advertisement. Later remade as a comic book story with the juvenile funnybooks interpretation of Bugs in the fox’s role.
Henhouse Henery (1949, Robert McKimson)
McKimson tries to maintain interest in Henery Hawk’s antics, but his heart is clearly in the continuing battle of Foghorn Leghorn and Barnyard Dawg, which reaches new violent extremes in a hysterically prolonged sequence with Foggy making a weapon in a woodshop. The beautiful new restoration highlights some truly putrid Dick Thomas backgrounds (arguably the worst art direction in a ‘40s Warner cartoon).
Holiday for Drumsticks (1949, Art Davis)
The last of Davis’ Daffys, and maybe the very best, which is saying something considering it’s holding its own brand of cynical evilness as a sequel to the Chuck Jones classic Tom Turk and Daffy. This time Daffy “saves” Tom Turk from becoming Thanksgiving dinner for feudin’ inbred hillbillies. A masterclass in animation acting through movement, particularly the opening and closing minutes by Emery Hawkins.
Hopalong Casualty (1960, Jones)
Overdue for release, this Road Runner-Coyote chase has arguably the last masterwork pratfall of the series: the Acme Earthquake Pills (animated by Ken Harris).
Hyde and Go Tweet (1960, Freleng)
Probably the most famous of all the Freleng Tweety and Sylvester cartoons, it’s baffling it took a quarter of a century for a restored release. You know it: the ultimate entry in Freleng’s Jekyll and Hyde subseries with a nightmarish version of Tweety that’s become the stuff of character design legend. “I’ve got a choice?”
The Impatient Patient (1942, Norm McCabe)
Another “Jerkyll” cartoon, and the other ‘safe’ Daffy cartoon from Norm McCabe (the third, The Daffy Duckaroo, remains at large), which ends with Daffy beating an infant. I trolled historian Greg Ford at Film Forum in NYC years ago asking him which of the McCabe cartoons were his favorites. His response: “The one with ‘Chloe’.”
Leghorn Swoggled (1951, McKimson)
Henery is almost phased out of his own series by this point, but not before he barters with Barnyard Dawg, a cat, and mouse in his pursuit of Foghorn Leghorn. Adapted the following year as a kiddie Capitol Record, Henery Hawk’s Chicken Hunt.
Meatless Flyday (1944, Freleng)
Oddball entry with an obnoxious spider (voiced by Cy Kendall, not Tex Avery, identified in studio documentation found by Keith Scott) pursuing a fly in vain. Freleng shows way more interest in the pursuer and makes the pursued a bland entity, a trap he’d fall into too often in his later Sylvester and Tweety cartoons.
Mouse-Warming (1952, Jones)
Claude Cat tries to catch a teenaged mouse pining for his new neighbor sweetie. For as cutesy as it is, Jones still gets in some great poses of his beloved neurotic feline (and a few erection jokes with the boy mouse’s hair). Though laid out by Robert Gribbroek, the opening titles were designed by Maurice Noble (beginning his long stint as one of Jones’s closest collaborators).
The Mouse-Merized Cat (1946, McKimson)
The last of the Babbitt and Catstello cartoons, and easily the most forgotten and weakest (it has heavy competition), but the lively animation and reads from Mel Blanc and Tedd Pierce still make this fun.
Muscle Tussle (1953, McKimson)
Scrawny little ten-pound weakling Daffy versus a musclehead bully for his gal’s affections at the beach. This relatively witless entry has been a lifelong personal favorite of mine, as it and a few other McKimson cartoons (like Raw! Raw! Rooster!) taught me the valuable lesson that assholes will always be there to screw you out of what you love. “I only like ‘em if they’re tall, dark, and gruesome… like you!”
Muzzle Tough (1954, Freleng)
Due to their popularity and the need for them in the studio’s schedule, Freleng’s Sylvester and Tweety cartoons got a little too rote too fast. But a cartoon like this (with a titular pun that would make even the guys at Famous Studios groan) shows immense care in its craft, giving both characters and the supporting cast, Granny and Hector, plenty of funny business and acting to do. Gags include Sylvester being forced to move a piano out a six-story window by Tweety and Granny using a gun to foil the cat’s bearskin disguise.
Peck Up Your Troubles (1945, Freleng)
The notorious Sylvester cartoon with the non-descript woodpecker, the character producer Eddie Selzer inexplicably wanted paired with Sylvester instead of Tweety. Another one long overdue for restoration, as the circulating transfers obscured some exquisite art direction by Pratt and Paul Julian (the cartoon takes place during those AM hours where the sun is creeping up but the moon and stars are still visible). To answer the question, this is still the Blue Ribbon reissue.
Quack Shot (1954, McKimson)
Daffy does his best to murder duck hunter Elmer Fudd in this awkward entry written by animator Phil De Lara (who was already drawing far more pleasant Daffy and Elmer stories for Western Publishing). All the “woo-hooing” and gaudy Scribner animation can’t hide the fact that McKimson’s miserable prick vision of the duck long predated the days he chased Speedy.
Speaking of Speedy…
Road to Andalay (1964, Freleng)
So it’s come to this… One of the post-classic studio shorts has turned up in an official HD release. The animation is now limited and Speedy Gonzales is the star character to appease the international market (where he remains incredibly popular). Particularly violent with lots of bodily abuse to Sylvester and Malcom the Falcon. They’d only get increasingly worse. I suppose these have their place, but this collector’s choice for the place for these DePatie-Freleng/Format Films/Seven Arts shorts is the dumpster. At least make sure every 1930-1963 Warner cartoon is released in high-definition first.
The Sneezing Weasel (1938, Avery)
Another historic Avery cartoon, in which he introduces the concept of the comic villain in the titular character (which he voices himself), largely animated by Irv Spence.
Streamlined Greta Green (1937, Freleng)
The earliest cartoon in the program, one that illustrates how Freleng took Avery’s influence to heart with some speed and cutting he wouldn’t have thought to try a year earlier. Ironically, this living cars story, with its hotrod wannabe kid getting in a trainwreck, would actually get remade by Avery over a decade later at MGM as One Cab’s Family.
Bonus Cartoons:
Lighter Than Hare (1960, Freleng)
By 1960, the Bugs versus Sam dynamic was a well run dry, endearingly ridiculous as “Yosemite Sam of Outer Space” is.
Stork Naked (1955, Freleng)
The drunken stork returns, this time to deliver a bundle of joy to Daffy, who essentially spends the film trying to perform an abortion.
Regardless of whether or not the Collector’s Choice series in name will continue, producers George Feltenstein and Jerry Beck deserve a round of thanks for curating a fine set of nearly 100 restored Warner cartoons specifically for the target audience in such a short period of time and actually getting it out in a harsh, unforgiving market. Along with the new MeTV Toons network launched this year, collector’s really do have more choice than ever for where to get their classic animation fix. Keep it comin’!
THAD KOMOROWSKI is a writer, journalist, film restorationist and author of the acclaimed (and recently revised) Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. He blogs at 
I am sorry to hear that PECK UP YOUR TROUBLES remains a blue ribbon print but quite honestly I really like the gags in this cartoon from what I can remember. The facial expressions, the angry Sylvester at the climactic gag of the cartoon where he’s finally had enough, and the accompanying music, always bring a grin to my face. I am sure the disc will play out as pure entertainment as most of the Looney Tunes cartoons often do. I have to say and repeat again that my real wish for the next volume is that we get a lot of of 1930s cartoons. I realize that most fans of the series would not like it if an entire volume were devoted to only one decade of the series, so I beg you to bring them out in small doses. It would be nice to see what a BUDDY cartoon would look and sound like if fully restored. We got a taste of it on Looney Tunes golden collection, volume six, disc three. Only three of them. 1964 is a banner year as far as I’m concerned for sleeper favorites. Hopefully some of these will show up in future volumes, or else all will be left with at the end is the thinly animated 1960s cartoons and the 1930s cartoons which a lot of fans have shown some distain for. I happen to like the 1930s cartoons. I can’t really say that the Looney Tunes animators have ever really worked hard to out to Walt Disney’s cartoons. They’ve always done the take on the Disney format with a little adult reference thrown in for good gag content. That’s why it’s nice to visit these cartoons again. You can feel the animator striving for something better. Otherwise, I’m not complaining about this set. This disc will be an enjoyable and entertaining afternoon. I can hardly wait to get my copy.
Road to Andalay is one of the ugliest cartoons Warner Bros ever released. Whatever cost was saved by painting Sylvester’s neck all black was not worth it. It’s hard to believe that a master designer like Hawley Pratt – responsible for so many visually appealing cartoons under Freleng’s direction – had anything to do with it.
They’re clearly scraping the barrel when it comes to Bugs Bunny shorts, but there’s still plenty of classics here that surprisingly weren’t on any restored releases earlier.
I happen to like “Lighter Than Hare”. I thought it was rather under played on television.
Lighter Than Hare is fun (and had already been restored and released, so I forgot it) but I doubt that Devil’s Feud Cake is on anyone’s list of favourites.
I’m actually a big fan of Quack Shot. Also there’s a few good DFE/7 Arts cartoons (Rushing Roulette, Suppressed Duck, Tease for Two, The Astroduck, Daffy’s Diner, A Taste of Catnip, Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too)
Here’s My Idea for Volume 5
1. A-Lad-In His Lamp (Bugs) (Robert McKimson) (1948) (Specially Restored)
2. Bone Sweet Bone (Arthur Davis) (1948)
3. Buddy the Detective (Jack King) (1934) (Specially Restored)
4. Busy Bakers (Ben Hardaway & Cal Dalton) (1940)
5. Dog Gone Modern (2 Curious Puppies) (Chuck Jones) (1939)
6. Dough for the Do-Do (Porky) (Friz Freleng) (1949)
7. Dr. Jerkyll’s Hide (Sylvester) (Friz Freleng) (1954) (Finishing the Sylvester Collection)
8. Easy Peckins (Robert McKimson) (1953)
9. Feather Dusted (Foghorn, Egghead Jr.) (1955) (Finishing the Egghead Jr. Collection)
10. Fowl Weather (Sylvester, Tweety) (1953)
11. Hobby Horse Laffs (Norm McCabe) (1942)
12. I Was a Teenage Thumb (Chuck Jones) (1963)
13. I’d Love to Take Orders From You (Tex Avery) (1936)
14. Let It Be Me (Emily the Chicken) (Friz Freleng) (1936)
15. Mexican Cat Dance (Sylvester, Speedy) (Friz Freleng) (1963)
16. Quackodile Tears (Daffy) (Arthur Davis) (1962)
17. Ready, Woolen, and Able (Ralph Wolf, Sam Sheepdog) (1960)
18. The Shell Shocked Egg (Robert McKimson) (1948)
19. Snowman’s Land (Chuck Jones) (1939)
20. Sport Chumpions (Friz Freleng) (1941)
21. Toy Town Hall (Friz Freleng) (1936)
22. Trick or Tweet (Sylvester, Tweety) (Friz Freleng) (1959)
23. Two’s A Crowd (Claude Cat) (Chuck Jones) (1950)
24. Wacky Wildlife (Tex Avery) (1940)
25. Wild About Hurry (Coyote, Roadrunner) (Chuck Jones) (1959)
Bonus Cartoons
26. Apes of Wrath (Bugs, Daffy) (1959)
27. Daffy’s Inn Trouble (Daffy, Porky) (1961)
Nah. It needs WOODY’S MAGIC TOUCH and DAFFY DUCK AND PORKY PIG MEET THE GROOVY GOULIES. Try again
Woody’s Magic Touch isn’t even a Looney Tunes cartoon.
I don’t think it would be a good idea to put a cartoon that was included in the first Golden Collection into the main program, because the Max restorations of those cartoons are actually inferior to the Golden Collection remasters (especially the cartoons that were inexplicably low pitched in their HD restorations despite being in normal pitch on the first Golden Collection). Also, the Sylvester collection would not be complete as “Pappy’s Puppy” still hasn’t been restored yet.
Dough for the Do-Do was one of the cartoons that uses the “1998 VERSION” instead of the original audio version.
Others are: Big House Bunny, Bunker Hill Bunny, Baton Bunny, The Ducksters, and The Wearing of the Grin
Lots of good ones on this set, I can’t wait to get my hands on my copy. I’ll speak a piece for ‘Mouse Warming’ as I feel it’s very underrated. As a companion piece to ‘Feed the Kitty’ it showed Jones (briefly) found the perfect balance of cute-but-not-cloying characters (thank heavens he didn’t try to make this his last Sniffles cartoon) and fast-paced gags. Also, I love Stalling’s use of both ‘halves’ of Raymond Scott’s ‘Reckless Night on board an Ocean Liner’ in the opening sequence of the moving van.
I agree, it’s a very underrated one. Feels like a throwback to something he very well might have done with Sniffles, or much later, but with none of the cloyingness and all the viciousness Maltese loved.
And spot on to Thad for noticing the “erection” gag in “MOUSE WARMING” on that (same director’s “RABBIT SEASONING”–NEXT after MW!) had Elmer Fudd being,uh,stiff. Agreed with those commenting on Jerry Hausner.
Also, Robert C.Bruce (reading Robert W.Service) appeared for the first time on a WB cartoon soundtrack on “THE DANGEROUS DAN McFOO”
Mind blown. I always thought there was something “off” about Bugs’s deliveries there, but I just assumed it was a sedated Mel Blanc who (understandably) couldn’t deliver his Bugs lines with the same oomph that he could before the accident. I wonder how they came to hire Jerry as a stand-in- did someone on the animation staff know him? I highly doubt he went through a lengthy audition process.
Jerry Hausner was a reliable character actor capable of doing many voices, as he proved on The Dick Tracy Show and Mr. Magoo. I always enjoyed his work.
Mark Evanier writes that Jerry Hausner and Jim Backus used to meet for drinks at the Smoke House restaurant in Burbank before and after recording sessions at UPA. The Smoke House was frequented by many professionals in the animation industry, so it seems likely that someone from Termite Terrace overheard the two of them after a few drinks and realised that the guy hanging out with Magoo was an excellent mimic who could do a passable Bugs Bunny. I doubt there was any audition for the gig.
Jerry Hausner was quite a talent. Just yesterday I saw him imitating Chet Huntley in an old episode of The Bill Dana Show!
Personally, I’d rather have the post-64 cartoons put out rather than cartoons that have already been restored on DVD, but not Blu-ray.
What about the restored cartoon on DVD that were riddled with DVNR?
They can probably put those out as bonus cartoons so people who want nothing but cartoons that haven’t been restored on disc don’t feel cheated.
enough of these 60’s cartoons! the thirties and forties have tons of stuff not on even 4 volumes!
I really hope Of Fox and Hounds, I Taw A Putty Tat, and Ain’t That Ducky are restored for volume 5. They have been long overdue.
What would be your list for Volume 5?
Does “Peck Up Your Troubles” at least look better than the copy MeTV Toons is airing? That print looks awful.
Thad’s brief blurbs on these cartoons kinda make me wanna see a book of his comments on all the WB shorts. I’d buy it.
I second that. Rarely do you get a historian that is very accurate, provides fresh research, thoughtful analysis, and sharp wit.
Count me in on a Thad book. (hint, hint…Cartoon Logic)
I was very interested to read about Jerry Hausner voicing Bugs briefly in “Devil’s Feud Cake,” but was this the first time someone else did the character in a cartoon? I could well be wrong, but Bugs has a cameo at the end of “The Goofy Gophers,” and that doesn’t sound like Mel Blanc to me.
That was just a sped up Mel Blanc.
Regarding “Devil’s Feud Cake”, I wish the original non-translucent version from “The Bugs Bunny Show” would be on Blu-Ray (along with the rest of the episodes).
I respectfully disagree with Thad regarding “Quack shot” Jerry Beck has stated himself that Rod Scribner was one of the best animators WB ever had. It seems wrong, and borderline rude to describe his animation here as “gaudy” I disagree with him regarding “Lighter than Hare” It’s a good, entertaining short.
Also, the cartoon has a major laugh in it: “Not THAT gun, the OTHER gun, stupid! [BANG] Uh…… yeah.”
The lettering on the fox trap reminds me that there was someone on the Warner cartoon staff who could do beautiful, crisp hand-lettering (seen often in Chuck Jones’ Road Runners). Who the heck was that talented artist?
It’s probably been mentioned before, but Jerry is a HERO for making these Collector’s Choice volumes a reality. Thank you.
It’s so much easier to appreciate the good qualities of some of these in HD, even if they are not the masterpieces that have already been released on Blu-ray. Plus there are personal favorites from youth, because a kid is going to like what they like. And now I have some of them in hi def! Even if this fourth volume is the last of this incarnation, we’re lucky they found enough of audience to get this far. Hoping for more, though! (And I will always vote for more black & white.)
I don’t see any issues with Dick Thomas’s backgrounds. But maybe these early Foghorn shorts keep me busy watching the action scenes instead.
Is there original opening credits for “Cagey Canary” and “Mouse-merized cat”, Thad?
Most likely, the titles are not in 35mm prints and are only in 16mm or 8mm prints. Warner only restores 35mm prints I believe.
No.
One wonders how many people got the joke of the title “Muzzle Tough” (i.e., Mazel Tov, “good luck” in Hebrew).
I think it was Jaime Weinman who recalled seeing that cartoon in a theatre where the audience collectively groaned at the title when it appeared on screen.
“switchblade claw”
So Sylvester is coded black in “D’ Fightin’ Ones”? lol
Thanks for the review, Thad! And thanks Jerry for all of your hard work! I’m looking forward to seeing my pre-order of Vol. 4 next week. Here’s my deal…just put out all of the LT/MM cartoons (warts and all) on Blu-ray and I’ll buy ’em. There’s so much to appreciate.
Confession…I kind of even enjoy the DFE/Seven Arts cartoons because they make me laugh, even if it’s for the wrong reasons.
I saw mention of MeTV Toons earlier in these comments and I did subscribe to the Philo streaming service so I could watch it when they initially launched the channel. I really enjoyed the variety of classic cartoons, but I ended up cancelling because I just could not tolerate all of the F&%KING commercials!
I’ve been expecting this post!
I’m very grateful to Mr. Komorowski for going through the cartoons in the new Warners cartoon DVDs and offering his comments.
(I’m also grateful to Mr. Komorowski for pointing out the errors in the “Porky Pig 101” set years ago. Believe me, I’m VERY glad that Warner Home Video released that set, but also glad that Mr. Komorowski pointed out the problems with some of the cartoons in it.)
Anyway, I’m very disappointed that the 1948 Bugs Bunny cartoon “A-Lad-in his Lamp,” with Jim Backus supplying the voice of the genie, is not on that DVD. (I’d posted a few items about that off and on in this Web site several months ago.) Also no “The Goofy Gophers,” and no “I Gopher You” on the DVD.
The only cartoon here I really hoped would be in there, and actually is, is the Wile E. Coyote-vs.-Roadrunner cartoon “Hopalong Casualty,” because it’s the famous one with the earthquake pills.
There is a fairly knowledgeable on-line guy who indicates that the “Looney Tunes Collectors Choice” series may or may not continue as such, but new Blu-Ray releases of old Warner Bros. cartoons will _definitely_ continue in the future, so not to worry.
Cartoons I very much hope will be available in a future release – SOON!:
1 “The Goofy Gophers” (Davis, 1947) – with a guest appearance by Bugs Bunny at the end. One of only two debut cartoons of Warners cartoon stars I know of that hasn’t been released on DVD/Blu-Ray. (The other is “The Squawkin’ Hawk,” 1942 by Jones, the debut of Henery the chicken hawk.)
2. “A-Lad-in his Lamp” (McKimson, 1948) – Bugs Bunny and “Smoky,” the genie – we’ve waited long enough!
3. “I Gopher You” (Freleng, 1954) – the Gophers’ best cartoon of the 1950s – and one of their best, period (On DVD with a movie in the early 2000s, but I’d rather it be on a regular Warners cartoon DVD)
Others it would be very nice to see restored and released on Blu-Ray:
4. “Flowers for Madame” (Freleng, 1935) – Warners’ first cartoon in full 3-color Technicolor, and I think that’s reason enough! I think Freleng chose the title of the song _and_ the cartoon, and the plot, to invite comparison to Disney’s 1932 cartoon “Flowers and Trees,” but that may be obvious
5. “Of Fox and Hounds” (Avery, 1940) – a fine entry by Avery. My mother used to say “Which way did HE go, George, which way did HE go?” and I had no idea where she got that until I saw this cartoon!
6. “To Itch His Own” (Jones, 1958) – An excellent cartoon about a flea that everybody missed
Lots of other stuff they could add, like _all three_ Claude Cat – Frisky Puppy cartoons together in one place, the last three Ralph Wolf – Sam Sheepdog cartoons, the rest of the Goofy Gophers cartoons (even “Tease for Two?”), etc., etc. I can only hope that Warners keeps ’em comin’.
Very happy the revolutionary Cagey Canary made it!
Still blows me away that after all these years, “A-Lad-in his Lamp” is still not available on disc. Next collection (fingers crossed) p’haps?
Really looking forward to this collection. Received notice from my friendly online seller that my copy is in the mail. Unfortunately, Canada Post is in to week two of their job action (no mail moving in or out of the country) so who knows when I’ll get to pop this into my player . . .
Two reasons I will end up getting this…
A Bone for A Bone…known for its infamous “card trick” if you know what I mean; delightful and underrated indeed/
The Impatient Patient…Daffy at his…daffiest combining horror with comedy and Mel Blanc’s hiccup mastery (!!!)
And I am among those hoping to see A Lad In His Lamp show up on a future DVD/Blu-Ray set.
I heard an original prints for “Ain’t We Got Fun”, “You’re An Education”, “Duck Soup to Nuts”, and “Daffy Doodles” exist at UCLA. And a print of “Swooner Crooner” exists at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Will those prints be restored anytime soon?
Ugh…Amazon says my pre-order is delayed until Monday. Hope no one else got this news.
Just got my copy today from GRUV Entertainment paid $28.00 and shipped out really fast within 3 days. Once again Warner Archive Collection did a amazing job and continues to do so on these Looney Tunes releases for the Collectors Choice Volumes. Can’t wait to what is next for this series of Looney Tunes collectors choice volumes in 2025 and beyond. Also I doubt it will happen but I wish the platinum editions would get re issued from WHV those are getting way too pricey because they have been out of print for so long especially Volume 2 I mean come on $90.00 to $180.00 for it.
I like the suggestions I’m reading here for future collectors choice volumes. My hope is that the series isn’t ending here, because there seems to be hints that that might be the case. Otherwise, I love this collection! I have gotten my copy and I am enjoying it at the very moment. I am dictating this into my iPhone. As I said, in my earlier comment, I tend to think that nobody will welcome buddy into the fold. Should he appear in a future collectors choice, but I will be there with open arms. In fact, one thing I noticed about this volume, and I don’t know if the curators actually thought this through enough, but there are themes within themes amid this alphabetically ordered series of cartoons. Note that the KG Canary appears, followed by de- fighting ones. at the end of the first cartoon, the “beloved“ animals of the house are thrown out in the rain, with the human, not even looking back before she closes the shade on them for good. In the next cartoon, we follow two other fugitives. There are other examples of this, but it’s hard for me to actually outline in detail what those are, but I can sense them. So my hope is for a future volume, “Boulevard deer from the Bronx“ followed by “buddies bear cats“. They are alphabetically ordered, and they go hand-in-hand nicely with each other. Perhaps you will consider this? Anyway, my hopes are that the Looney Tunes collectors choice series is not finished! there is already great news out there for cartoons coming in 2025, but please don’t forget the projects you’ve already started. There are always ideas such as I outlined here. I’m sure the curators know this stuff better than I do. They’re actually handling it! Good luck.