Warner Archive Collection has followed up its killer Looney Tunes: Collector’s Choice series with something even better: Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault Vol. 1. It’s a continuation of producers Jerry Beck and George Feltenstein’s goal to get as many of the classic Warner cartoons to physical media as possible, only now it’s two discs for almost the same price! You’d have to be looney not to get it.
With the advent of MeTV Toons now broadcasting almost every old cartoon ever on a daily basis, it’s getting more recognized that the Golden Age of animation sometimes wasn’t so golden. The Warner cartoons are the exception: their track record is lightning in a bottle, and there’s a streak of some two decades in which the studio rarely produced anything legitimately bad. (Ironically, this collection begins with a cartoon from failed directing pair Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, the last time producer Leon Schlesinger would get rid of directors he didn’t like in favor of keeping ones that he did.) The result is that it’s a struggle to compile a Warner collection that doesn’t have mostly classics. However, every well eventually runs dry, so it was a very smart thing to move the home video series in this new two-disc direction.
Disc one continues the theme of Collector’s Choice: using only cartoons that have never been on physical media in restored versions. And we are getting into the latter half, quality-wise, that wouldn’t be anyone’s first choices: ‘30s Merrie Melodies that aren’t part of the renowned house style, auto-pilot chase cartoons from the ‘50s onward, etc. But even with what’s left, we still get a good share of funny moments and interesting history. We’re also gifted with three brand new beautiful-looking restorations specifically for this disc: Friz Freleng’s grim Each Dawn I Crow and Tex Avery’s A Day at the Zoo and Of Fox and Hounds.
Disc two exploits the fact that Warners has remastered 90% of the Looney Tunes library in high-definition, going back some 20 years, so they’re all Blu-Ray ready. This disc is cartoons that may have been restored on DVD but have never been issued to Blu-Ray. And at this point, the complaint of “double-dipping” is stupid and irrelevant (and I think there was some viral news about how those mid-2000s Warner discs don’t work anymore). This is where the real entertainment starts: back-to-back classics with all the characters from all directors, making you wonder why they didn’t start this concept a decade ago.
Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 is almost a history lesson in modern restoration at Warners—different tastes and standards had varying results, but, with one exception, they still look mostly just fine whenever they were done. Most of the cartoons that originated on the Golden Collection sets two decades ago didn’t have much digital clean-up, so, as with the Tom & Jerry Cinemascope set, they’ve been freshly spiffed up, carefully, quite a bit here. Some of the earlier versions without clean-up (like Bye, Bye Bluebeard) did look particularly dirty, so going the extra mile here is appreciated.
We do unfortunately have one cartoon, Tom Turk and Daffy, that came from a period in the 2010s where hack colorists crushed the blacks and everything looks far too dark on some 100+ circulating transfers of Warner and MGM cartoons (the ones done for the cancelled Tom & Jerry Golden Collection Vol. 2 are so bad it’s a good thing it never got released). While WAC did marginally improve how it looked on the old Super Stars DVD, if one cartoon on this set should have been completely done over, it’s this one.
While the picture quality here gets mostly full marks, the lackluster audio, often originating from 1990s transfers, is getting difficult to excuse in this day and age (even on the newly restored Each Dawn I Crow, the audio quality takes a nosedive in its second half). And it does stink that we’re stuck with WAC trying to fix the “Photoshop” titles on the masters done for HBO Max rather than just going back to the raw scan (some howlers still made it through, like a jump cut rather than a dissolve in Quackodile Tears, and some appalling clone stamp artifacting on the director credit for A Kiddie’s Kitty).
In a non-existent physical media market, however, the small WAC department is to be commended they did the best with what they have to work with, and the shortcomings don’t impact the enjoyability of the cartoons themselves. And fortunately George F. did make sure those Golden Collection transfers were done correctly back in the day, so there’s little to worry about even two decades later.
In short, Looney Tunes: Collector’s Vault Vol. 1 is exactly what collectors want: Warner cartoons we don’t have on Blu-Ray already, with exceptionally few distracting issues. It’s a great balance of obscurer curios for the diehards, and also enough all-time masterpieces to make it an easier sell to more casual fans (with the “cancelled” Pepe and Speedy fully and proudly present on the cover).
Notes and commentary follow…
Disc One
Bars and Stripes Forever (1939, Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton)
One of the misbegotten cartoons, this one spot-gags about a prison, from director team Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, a pairing that only proved Leon Schlesinger had to get Friz Freleng back as soon as possible. Not a great opener.
Beauty and the Beast (1934, Friz Freleng)
One of the earliest Warner cartoons in color (this one in Cinecolor), and an awkward outright attempt at making a Disney Silly Symphony on a fraction of the budget.
A Day at the Zoo (1939, Tex Avery)
Making its restoration debut, one of the many, many spot-gag cartoons Avery would make, this one taking place at the zoo. Egghead channels new radio star Lou Costello (before he made it to pictures) and is eaten by a lion. “I’m a baaad boy.”
The Dixie Fryer (1960, Robert McKimson)
The second (and best) cartoon with hawks Pappy and Elvis (both voiced by Daws Butler), who want to make a meal out of traveling Foghorn Leghorn. The only cartoon where Foggy is in actual danger from a non-pint-sized predator, it’s interesting to see that even when he’s in a role more suited for Bugs or Daffy, he still gets it as bad as his adversaries.
Double or Mutton (1955, Chuck Jones)
So good, they had to have it twice in two successive releases? We’ve been promised Vol. 2 will have an extra cartoon to make up for this error.
Each Dawn I Crow (1949, Freleng)
A parody of the radio show The Whistler, with the neurotic and homicidal John Rooster misinterpreting Farmer Elmer Fudd’s intentions. Jerry hates this one, but I always thought it was one of a handful of dark Freleng classics. It also has a throwaway scene that perfectly epitomizes Elmer’s stupidity: him jovially accepting the duck decoy hat and a death sentence while doing his stupid laugh.
Easy Peckin’s (1953, McKimson)
One of those retrograde cartoons McKimson often made that feels like it could’ve been made years earlier, with generic blackout gags about a burly rooster versus a panicky fox. Bizarrely ignores the fact his unit actually came up with a rather colorful barnyard cast. “Ya shouldn’t have done it, George!”
Feather Dusted (1955, McKimson)
Foghorn tries to educate Egghead Jr. on manly games, only to be shot several times.
A Fox in a Fix (1951, McKimson)
McKimson’s passive aggressive chummy bulldog in his last appearance, this time putting a fox disguised as a dog through the wringer.
Good Night Elmer (1940, Jones)
Elmer in a comedy of frustration against a candle that keeps him up all night. The closest Warners got to making a cartoon that could’ve been made in live-action, though Oliver Hardy or Edgar Kennedy this ain’t. So plodding, even the old HBO Max description warned that you probably shouldn’t watch it.
The Goofy Gophers (1947, started by Bob Clampett, finished by Art Davis)
Mac and Tosh in their debut, raiding a garden guarded by the Shakespearean dog (in his debut, too). Bob Clampett started this cartoon and got it through the voice recording before he left in 1945. Art Davis picked it up when he inherited the unit, threw out all of Clampett’s roughs (he couldn’t make heads or tails of them), and carried it through production. Evidence that, contrary to what the true believers want you to think, Clampett knew which way the wind was blowing in the industry and the kind of cartoons a more limited production model would favor.
I’d Love to Take Orders from You (1936, Avery)
Noteworthy as an early Avery cartoon with no actual jokes, and for a lot of live-action reference footage being shot for the scarecrow kid trying to scare the crow (seen in Bugs Bunny Superstar).
A Kiddie’s Kitty (1955, Freleng)
The sadistic child Suzanne adopts Sylvester and uses him to demonstrate several household appliances. Believe it or else, Suzanne actually took on life in a regular feature in the Western Publishing comics (one with Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot, yet).
Let it Be Me (1936, Freleng)
Emily the Chicken is lured away from her bumpkin beau Clem by a rooster version of Bing Crosby, who immediately kicks her to the curb. Clem travels to the city to beat the hell out of Bing. Curiously, this was *not* the cartoon Crosby threatened to sue over for the less than flattering depiction (it was Bingo Crosbyana).
Of Fox and Hounds (1940, Avery)
One of the last real important Warner cartoons that needed restoration badly (it looks beautiful here). Avery begins his career-long fascination with Lon Chaney Jr.’s portrayal of Lennie in Of Mice and Men, with Willoughby the dog (voiced by Tex himself) who just can’t seem to catch a fox or break. Like Crackpot Quail, Avery tries slapping a different animal costume onto the Bugs Bunny voice and persona he unveiled earlier in 1940, but the fox (and quail) is a nothing. Your sympathy’s always with the dog.
Quackodile Tears (1962, Davis)
Henpecked Daffy tries to reclaim his wife’s egg from a doting crocodile father. Davis, no longer a Warner employee, “directed” this cartoon freelance, only doing the character layouts and having a meeting with the animators, which may explain its utterly detached, soulless quality.
Ready, Woolen and Able (1960, Jones)
Another workday ends with Ralph Wolf in a straightjacket. Jones and Maltese pay homage to their pal Tex Avery’s own dog and wolf shorts for this cartoon’s final minutes.
Robin Hood Makes Good (1939, Jones)
Almost a tie-in for Warners’ The Adventures of Robin Hood, with a couple of squirrels obsessed with the legend being taken in by a fox posing as Maid Marian.
The Squawkin’ Hawk (1942, Jones)
Henery Hawk makes his debut (voiced here by Kent Rogers) in Mike Maltese’s first collaboration with Chuck Jones. The pair abandoned the character, but he took on life in a rather affable feature in the Looney Tunes comic books, and eventually Henery was “adopted” by McKimson to team with what proved to be a much more popular character.
Terrier-Stricken (1952, Jones)
Household violence with Claude Cat and Frisky Puppy in this rather unremarkable entry, a rarity for the Jones-Maltese team in this period.
Tweet and Lovely (1959, Freleng)
Sylvester adopts a Wile E. Coyote-ish penchant for inventions that fail to catch Tweety or evade Hector, including a robotic dog that immediately mauls the cat.
Tweety’s Circus (1955, Freleng)
A Sylvester and Tweety romp in a desolate big top that ends with the psychotic bird showcasing the cat’s murder by way of lions.
Two’s a Crowd (1950, Jones)
Claude Cat tries to do in birthday present Frisky Puppy, only to wreck the house’s furnace.
Wild About Hurry (1959, Jones)
The one with the Acme Indestructo Steel Ball. More noteworthy are the Latin names (Hardheadipus Oedipus, Batoutahelius) which are about as bawdy as a Jones cartoon got.
Zip n’ Snort (1961, Jones)
The one where the Coyote puts axle grease on his feet.
Disc Two
Ain’t She Tweet (1952, Freleng)
To catch Tweety, Sylvester must get past Granny’s yard full of bulldogs. Speaking to Greg Ford, Jones cited this one as an example of Freleng’s genius for presenting outrageous ideas matter-of-factly and plausible.
Banty Raids (1963, McKimson)
McKimson signs off with a hit with his last Foghorn Leghorn cartoon, though the real star is the disgusting beatnik rooster. “Sick, man, sick!”
Birth of a Notion (1947, started by Bob Clampett, finished by Robert McKimson)
Immortal classic with Daffy conning himself a home for the winter, where his wishbone is needed for a scientific experiment. Another cartoon started by Clampett (he cast Stan Freberg as Peter Lorre, and did it again at Screen Gems in Cockatoos for Two), though McKimson deserves most of the credit for making it all work so beautifully with his trademark over-posing and beatings. “Oh you mad, impetuous boy you!”
Bye, Bye Bluebeard (1949, Davis)
The last cartoon from the Art Davis unit is one of his best, with Porky the victim of a home invasion by the homicidal maniac Bluebeard (and a poser mouse).
Cat-Tails for Two (1953, McKimson)
Benny and George seek Mexican food on an ocean liner. Speedy’s first appearance in a more “insensitive” form, before Hawley Pratt refined him. (Ironically, this is one of the only good Speedy cartoons MeTV has regularly played.)
Daffy Dilly (1948, Jones)
Cheap laughs salesman Daffy gets more than he bargained for when he tries to inherit ailing buzzsaw baron J.P. Cubish’s fortune. The beginning of the Jones-Maltese postwar duck who’s always driven by greed/fame/envy.
Daffy Duck and Egghead (1938, Avery)
Another immortal duck classic, with Daffy singing “The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down” (animated by Irv Spence). Served as the template for every studio’s screwball protagonist picture for at least a decade. The competition usually didn’t get what the cartoon and Avery tell us from the start, with both characters emerging from literal Nuts in May: the antagonist isn’t much saner. And that’s what makes it so funny. “Oofty-magoofty” indeed.
Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956, Jones)
One of the best in the Road Runner series with every gag a winner, and features maybe the most famous pratfall in the series: the Acme Bat-Man’s Outfit (animated by Ken Harris). Ernie Nordli did the color and layouts, adding the unique flavor of every scene being in a different desert.
Gonzales’ Tamales (1957, Freleng)
The mice conspire to have gringo pussycat Sylvester run womanizer Speedy G. out of town. Freleng’s showmanship goes a long way in making a cartoon without a single likable character still pretty funny.
Hare Conditioned (1945, Jones)
Breakthrough cartoon for the Jones unit (co-written by Mike Maltese without credit) with Bugs pursued by burly bully, store clerk Gildersneeze (voiced by Dave Barry). “Kind of outsmarted you, eh, little chum?”
Hare Trigger (1945, Freleng)
And, a breakthrough cartoon for the Freleng unit (also written by Maltese), with Bugs in his first encounter with his greatest adversary, Yosemite Sam. Even with all the classics to follow, Freleng still cited the first one as his favorite of the series.
Hare Trimmed (1953, Freleng)
Good scout Bugs comes to the rescue when Sam decides millionaire widow Granny ought to get married.
Horton Hatches the Egg (1942, Clampett)
The first wholly Bob Clampett cartoon with his golden unit, this adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ story with Horton the Elephant (voiced by Kent Rogers) is genuinely heartwarming. Just so you don’t forget who’s actually running this picture, there’s an inexplicable scene with a Peter Lorre fish blowing his brains out.
Little Boy Boo (1954, McKimson)
Foghorn’s first attempt as a father figure to Egghead Jr. that has too many great Leghornisms to count. “There’s somethin’ kinda YEEEEH about a kid that’s never played baseball.”
Much Ado About Nutting (1953, Jones)
A squirrel tries everything, including destroying a NYC block, to crack open a coconut, to no avail. Underrated pantomime picture that feels more like something Jones might have done ten years earlier, only now he’s a much better filmmaker with stronger collaborators.
Odor-Able Kitty (1945, Jones)
What was first a comic book story by Mike Maltese launches a series (perhaps ill-advisedly), with a male cat disguised as a skunk pursued by the horny Pepe Le Pew. Notably ends with Pepe married with kids and his act being a put-on.
Past Perfumance (1955, Jones)
Pepe in pursuit of Penelope at a French movie studio in the silent era. During production, Jones commented to his daughter Linda in a letter that he was having too much fun with fractured French gags that take up most of this cartoon. Considering how much funnier all of those gags are than the Pepe chase (the sycophantic group of “oui-men” following a dirty old man director and his shapely secretary is trailblazing), perhaps he should’ve pursued that as the focus of the series. “Sacre PEW! Zat picture STINK!”
Porky’s Duck Hunt (1937, Avery)
Maybe one of the most important cartoons ever made, with duck hunter Porky (now voiced by Mel Blanc) encountering a truly daffy duck (animated by Bob Clampett). They’ve been skipping over the black-and-white Porkys in this series, so it’s nice to see an exceptional classic show up here.
Rabbit Punch (1948, Jones)
Bugs versus the Crusher in a boxing match that goes on for so seemingly endless rounds. Maybe they’d have run out of film to finish it even if Bugs didn’t cut it!
Red Riding Hoodwinked (1955, Freleng)
Fairy tale retelling with Sylvester, Tweety, that wolf that can’t remember a damn thing, and a Granny that might owe something to Jackie Gleason.
Rhapsody Rabbit (1946, Freleng)
Bugs plays piano against a mouse? I dissected the controversy over the similarities with Tom & Jerry’s Cat Concerto a decade ago, where I concluded it was all purely coincidental. Neither of them rank highly for me, but I’d give the edge to the Bugs cartoon since it’s simply funnier, as out-of-character as he is in it.
Snow Business (1953, Freleng)
Sylvester and Tweety are snowed in at Granny’s cabin with nothing to eat but bird seed. Potential monotony is broken up brilliantly by the abrupt introduction of a starving mouse who decides to eat Sylvester.
Tom Turk and Daffy (1944, Jones)
Glutton Daffy betrays Tom Turk’s whereabouts to pilgrim Porky, only to become the hunted himself. Another breakthrough Jones picture with streamlined layouts and poses that strengthen the acting. “The yams did it!”
Two Crows from Tacos (1956, Freleng)
The dimwitted duo of Jose and Manuel pursue a grasshopper. Tom Holland and Don Diamond voice the crows. The beginning of Freleng’s penchant for covering old stories and gags with broad Mexican caricatures, a concept that caused an uptick in the cartoons’ international popularity.
Zoom and Bored (1957, Jones)
Described once by historian Milt Gray as “the perfect Road Runner cartoon”, another one where every gag and pose is uniquely funny. The scene with the bomb chute is arguably the funniest in the series.
Over and out, see you for Vol. 2 later.
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 strongly anticipate this volume. I’m especially grateful for the second disc of cartoons new to the Blu-ray format, and the possibilities, all those possibilities for volume two! I always have my suggestions, but of course the final product will be chosen at the Warner archive by those we know who curate. As I continue to pine for more classic 1930s cartoons, and I seem to be the only one who sees them as classic as they are the beginnings of what we know as the classic Looney Tunes kind of humor, I am happy for the 1930s cartoons that appear throughout this collection. I cannot wait to get this; that’s all I can say for now.
I know I’ve been outspoken on this, to the point of making myself a pariah and persona non grata. But I’m doing my best to make my peace with the Looney Tunes situation. Five discs in, it really is what it is and there’s no point griping any more.
Plus, thanks to George F. spilling the beans, we know they have bigger fish to fry with The Bugs Bunny Show. That is obviously where the lion’s share of WB’s cartoon restoration budget and manpower is going, so that will be real exciting when it finally comes.
You’re a pariah and persona non grata? At least your comments don’t get blocked.
Very happy to see another black and white cartoon here on Blu-ray. We’ve only gotten two (I think) in the previous four Collector’s Choice sets. If the Vault series continues with enough customer support, maybe we can get more. So, people, you know what to do.
Fine comments, Thad. I was wondering when you would talk about this one.
I always look forward to the Thad reviews as the descriptions he comes up with are very fun to read, regardless of whether I agree or not (I certainly agree with “Bye Bye Bluebeard” being one of Davis’ best).
We are definitely reaching an interesting point with these releases where the new shorts are more interesting curiosities with a few good or great stragglers left from the pile. The last collectors choice took a huge chunk of the shorts either featuring prominent characters or from the golden period from the mid 40s to the mid 50s to the point that there’s only 16 or so viable shorts left without a proper home release. I’m still excited regardless since even the lesser shorts still have a compelling quality to them (the Hardaway and Dalton ones are fascinating guilty pleasures due to how strange they are).
I do wonder what shorts will get left out due to the current climate. It’s completely understandable, but it’s a shame that some shorts won’t get the golden opportunity here for release that happened due to lucky circumstances (the streaming boom allowed proper funding for a ton of restoration work even if it was sloppy and brief). That Fresh Hare restoration is probably going to be sitting on the shelf for a lot longer and A Lad in his Lamp is probably the last Bugs short that is able to get a new release. Do wonder if that applies to shorts like I Taw a Putty Tat or Ain’t that Ducky where the non-PC gag is shorter but noticeable. There are two other shorts though that I do wonder if they are eligible for release since a lot of fellow LT fans kinda dismiss them when talking about these releases. The Crackpot Quail and Mouse Maruzka. The former was restored specifically for that Tex blu ray and the latter had an SD restoration, but people oddly keep saying it was released fully restored. I supposed that this is my hyperfixated mind wondering about completionism, but would those two shorts be eligible for future volume? Apologies for the long comment, I’m just a big LT guy and these releases have been such a huge excitement for me since the Golden Collecitons sort of came out before I really got into it. Looking forward to watching this volume and giving my continual support to future ones.
I’m very excited for this and other further releases. Didn’t experience the Golden Collection as it came out so having new shorts on home media is exciting. It’s going to be interesting seeing the selections going forward given what’s left and how most of the shorts not on blu ray or dvd are from the 30s. Count Me Out has been that guilty pleasure short I’ve really wanted to see. Also interesting to see what won’t get a release given their content. That Fresh Hare restoration is probably going to stay stuck on that shelf. Regardless, great review and looking forward to giving this a watch myself.
I second what you said of Count Me Out. (H/D’s best short and my favorite 1938 short)
“So plodding, even the old HBO Max description warned that you probably shouldn’t watch it.”
That’s hilarious. I need a screenshot (or at least a transcript of it). It reminds me of when you insert Shaq Fu into the Retron 5: “WE RECOMMEND ANOTHER GAME 🙁 “
Here is that description for your reading pleasure:
“Elmer Fudd makes a buffoon of himself when he tries to go to bed one night. He’s so clumsy, it’s frustratingly painful to watch!”
Great review, Thad! I always look forward to your comments/insights on these newly restored toons!
This looks promising. Even though a lot of the best pre-48 shorts are already out, I very much would like to see the lesser 30s/40s shorts available on Blu-ray (2/C Frelengs, Avery, and Hardaway/Dalton).
It would have been interesting if Bingo Crosbyana was included on this volume to complement Let It Be Me. I kind of wonder if Friz made those two shorts to get Bing’s attention. Is there any surviving paperwork from the attempted legal action?
These blurbs are the next best thing to audio commentaries.
One short, from the HBO Max restorations, that I’d really like to see on an upcoming volume is Plenty Of Money And You (but with a better audio source).
Any restored titles/rings?
Here’s my Wishlist for Volume 2
Disk 1
1. Bingo Crosbyana
2. The Bird Came COD (Claude Cat)– Finishing the Claude Cat Series
3. Boston Quackie (Daffy, Porky)
4. Boulevardier From the Bronx (Emily the Chicken)
5. Buddy’s Pony Express (Buddy, Cookie)
6. Count Me Out (Egghead/Elmer)
7. Dog Daze
8. Dr. Jerkyll’s Hide (Sylvester, 2 Dogs)– Finishing the 2 Dogs Series
9. The EggCited Rooster (Foghorn)– Finishing the Henery Hawk Series
10. Fastest with the Mostest (Coyote, Roadrunner)
11. Fowl Weather (Sylvester, Tweety)
12. Hop and Go– Yes this was on Golden Collection 6 but that was an unrestored Bonus, So technically it’s new?
13. Holiday Highlights
14. I Was A Teenage Thumb
15. Mixed Master
16. Pests for Guests (Elmer Fudd, Goofy Gophers)
17. The Rattled Rooster
18. A Sheep in the Deep (Ralph Wolf, Sam Sheepdog)
19. The Shell Shocked Egg
20. Snowman’s Land
21. Sport Chumpions
22. Stage Fright (2 Curious Puppies)
23. Those Beautiful Dames
24. Tweet and Sour (Sylvester, Tweety)
25. Zoom at the Top (Coyote Roadrunner)
26. Apes of Wrath (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck) (BONUS)
Disk 2
1. Big House Bunny (Bugs, Sam)– Fixing the 98 Dubbed one from GC1
2. The Blow Out (Porky)
3. Crazy Cruise (Bugs?)
4. Don’t Give Up The Sheep (Ralph, Sam)
5. Dough for the Do-Do (Porky)– Now the Yoyo Dodo series is fully on BR?– Fixing the 98 Dubbed from GC1
6. The Draft Horse
7. An Egg Scramble (Porky, Miss Prissy)
8. Foney Fables
9. Gone Batty (Bobo the Elephant)– Now the Bobo the Elephant Series is fully on BR?
10. Hare We Go (Bugs)
11. Have You Got Any Castles
12. Hook, Line, and Stinker (Coyote, Roadrunner)
13. The Hole Idea
14. Jumpin Jupiter (Porky, Sylvester)
15. The Last Hungry Cat (Sylvester, Tweety)
16. A Message to Gracias (Sylvester, Speedy)
17. Ready, Set, Zoom (Coyote, Roadrunner)
18. Really Scent (Pepe)
19. Rebel Rabbit (Bugs)
20. She Was An Acrobat’s Daughter
21. Smile Darn Ya Smile (Foxy)
22. Strangled Eggs (Foghorn)
23. Transylvania 6-5000 (Bugs)
24. The Wearing of the Grin (Porky)– Fixing the 98 Dubbed from GC1
25. Wild Over You (Pepe)
I can go for this list
I was looking forward too this review, also when will the cartoon logic podcast be available to listen to again
Great Review Thad Komorowski.
Although I will say I will make one minor correction in regards to WB DVDs from the mid-2000s not working anymore: While there’s been reports of Disc-rot issues with certain Warner Bros. DVDs released released between the years of approximately 2006-2008 (basically a plant in Pennsylvania that’s no longer in business was using some pretty dodgy manufacturing practices), and the Looney Tunes Golden Collections were on the list of affected titles, DO NOT PANIC! – this only affects the original pressings of these sets back when they were first released in the mid-2000s.
All six volumes of the Golden Collections are still in print, and the pressings made AFTER 2010 were made at a different plant in Mexico, and don’t have this problem. You can easily tell the difference between the two versions by the packaging: the original pressings come in this elaborate cardboard foldout packaging – while the modern pressings come in a standard plastic DVD case. Amazon even clearly labels the modern pressings as “(Repackaged/DVD)” in the title. Hell I recently bought that version of Volume 4 (which is one of the affected titles) – and it plays PERFECTLY FINE.
If you did end up buying the original pressings back in the day, apparently WB is offering a free disc replacement program for titles that are still in print (which includes the Golden Collections)… but people have had mixed experiences with that, so you may have to re-buy them out of your own pocket, but the repackaged versions usually aren’t that expensive anyway, and usually go for about $15 each.
One quick question about the replacement program: did you actually take advantage of this to replace the Golden Collection DVDs? All I want to know is whether or not copies made within the last 15 years still have the same artwork on the discs as they did the first time around.
I always look forward to this review. Thanks for sharing! 😁
I recall reading somewhere that Friz Freleng didn’t like Each Dawn I Crow either, thinking that it was a mistake to go as dark as he did. To me, A Kiddie’s Kitty is more of a genuine misfire, despite some great animation and design. It’s pretty unpleasant seeing Sylvester being cast as a realistic pet cat being abused, and the girl gets no comeuppance for her behavior. Friz’s semi remake A Waggily Tale isn’t a great cartoon either but they at least made the story more explicitly anti-animal abuse.
Going by the screenshot, the restoration of Let It Be Me looks pretty impressive. It was never a favourite, but it always looked rough whenever I saw it on TV.
I really enjoyed “A Kiddie’s Kitty” and feel like Mark Evanier must’ve enjoy it as an early episode of Garfield homages it (although not as violent).
Great review–I’ve already had it preordered. Can’t wait!
I’ve noticed that “A KIDDIE’S KITTY” is one of a handful of Freleng/Pratt cartoons from 1955-56 which featured characters with stocky builds, half-lidded eyes with prominent irises, and their brains seemingly on autopilot (i.e. Dr. Jekyll in “HYDE AND HARE”, the camel in “SAHARA HARE”). He even gave those eyes to Elmer in “HARE BRUSH”. Anyone else notice?
My review at Inthebalcony.com has been up for a couple of days and it’s always interesting to read our comparisons of the laugh quotas… we found Quackodile Tears and A Kiddies Kitty to be hilarious.
For what it’s worth, if it wasn’t clear, I think A KIDDIE’S KITTY is hilarious, and I love cats. I think Sylvester’s status as the company’s utility player makes it a little easier to see all this misfortune befall him, undeserved all of it may be, in this one and PAPPY’S PUPPY.
Hello Thad!
May I ask what are your top 3 or top 5 cartoons featuring Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam?
i love both characters, they are so underrated.
My favorites with these single-director characters are generally the earliest, but they are:
Sam: High Diving Hare, Hare Trigger, Buccaneer Bunny, Bugs Bunny Rides Again, Rabbit Every Monday
Foghorn: The Foghorn Leghorn, Walky Talky Hawky, Crowing Pains, Raw! Raw! Rooster!, Of Rice and Hen. Honorable mention to Hen House Henery, which isn’t a great cartoon, but has maybe my favorite scene in the whole series: Foggy making a bat out of a tree in a prolonged sequence, only to immediately have Dawg take it away.
Thank you, Thad. i love your picks. Rabbit Every Monday is such an overlooked gem.
i love The Fair Haired Hare and Ballot Box Bunny too. Political satires are so rare!
From Foghorn, I love Little Boy Boo too. That hide and seek gag was brilliant!
I’m legit surprised you didn’t select Lovelorn Leghorn as one of your picks. That will always be my favorite, both for the dialogue (“You don’t bat ’em on the bean with a rolling pin!… That comes later.”) and the Emery Hawkins/Rod Scribner animation.
I like LOVELORN LEGHORN, but *acting* is what I value above all in Warner cartoons, and it’s so much better in OF RICE AND HEN, with the characters fleshed out beyond the earlier cartoon. If you want an example of what Warren Foster brought to McKimson, look no further than a comparison of these two.
Great review, Mr. K, as always! To Messrs. Beck and Komorowski: I always look forward to Mr. Komorowski’s reviews of the new Warner Bros. cartoon releases, and Mr. Beck, I’m grateful that you post them. (I’ve been waiting for it.)
Now for the complaint – not to Messr. K. or B., but to Warner Home Video:
As some of you may know, somebody at Warners “messed up” ten of the 15 cartoons in the 2010 DVD release “Looney Tunes Super Stars: Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire” and 10 of 15 cartoons in the similar 2010 DVD release “Looney Tunes Super Stars: Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl.” Those twenty cartoons were released “flawed:” cropped top and bottom to make them look like wide-screen cartoons. (Which they never were.)
The ten “flawed” cartoons on the Bugs Bunny disc have all been “fixed” – “Apes of Wrath” on that disc hasn’t been released on Blu-Ray, but it was released on the “Stars of Space Jam” 2016 DVD, in its proper 4:3 format – but five of the ten “flawed” cartoons on the Daffy Duck DVD have _never_ been fixed:
1. “Design for Leaving” (Robert McKimson, 1954) – Daffy with Elmer Fudd
2. “Dime to Retire” (McKimson, 1955) – Daffy and Porky Pig
3. “Daffy’s Inn Trouble” (McKimson, 1961) – Daffy and Porky
4. “The Iceman Ducketh” (Phil Monroe, 1964; Charles M. Jones’s unit, I think) – a Bugs Bunny cartoon! With Daffy Duck
5. “Suppressed Duck” (McKimson, 1965) – Daffy stars on his own in that one
Here’s hoping that – after _fifteen_ years (!!) – all five of those cartoons will be in the “Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 2” set in their proper 4:3 format. (Doesn’t matter which disk.)
And I’m still hoping that the Bugs Bunny cartoon “A-Lad-in His Lamp” (McKimson, 1948) will be on “Looney Tunes Collector’s Vault Vol. 2.” (I think Jim Backus, who provides the voice of the genie “Smokey” in that cartoon, is hilarious.)
Also I hope “Flowers for Madame” (Freleng, late 1935; Warner’s first cartoon in full three-color Technicolor) and the Goofy Gophers cartoon “I Gopher You” (Freleng, 1954; the Gophers’ best cartoon of the 1950s) will be in that release.
Thanks for putting up with my diatribe…
Educated guess: Alphabetically and _almost_ chronologically, the Sylvester cartoon “Dr. Jerkyl’s Hyde” (Freleng, 1954) fits where “Double or Mutton” was accidentally put in, in “Vault” Vol. 1. But I have no idea.
Thanks for the in-depth piece. I’m optimistic that the recent restructuring at WB will free up more cash for more vault releases like this. I’d still love to see comprehensive box sets in chronological order but that’ll never happen.
I am surprised to see so little written to date about MeTVToons because this is such a big deal, particularly with the ongoing streaming implosion. For the price of an inexpensive window antenna most of us can now relive the glory days of classic cartoons running on television at all hours of the day-for free. I feel that if this were a premium channel people that people paid through their noses for they would be screaming from the rooftops about how great it is. The fact that its free seems to make prople shrug. The American consumer mentality will never cease to bewilder me.
There’s some real (you should pardon the expression) “dogs” in this batch.
I just wish the respective audio commentaries and alternate audio tracks from the Golden Collection DVDs were carried over here; hopefully, they’ll do so with future volumes.
In any case, I’ll eventually pick this up along with the Collector’s Choice 4-pack and a few other Looney-related Blu-rays that are still on my wishlist.
Thad’s review is less nitpicky than it was it for LT CC vo1 4
The only part in that review that was actually nitpicky, IMO, was this line:
“At least make sure that every 1930-1963 Warner cartoon is released in high-definition first”. The only reason I say that is because most of the post-1964 cartoons have been restored in HD already so there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t appear on disc. Regardless of anyone’s thoughts on a certain cartoon, era, or series, it’s got to be put out at some point (not to mention, there is no way we’ll be getting the Censored Eleven and other racially insensitive cartoons out before the DePatie-Freleng, Format Films, and Seven Arts cartoons).
Hey Thad, has the original titles for “A Day In The Zoo” been restored for this set? It would be great if they were.
No, their the reissued ones
I’m glad these are still coming. I will.grin and bear it as far as the early-to-mid 30s toons even though I probably won’t watch them more than once. Still waiting impatiently for A-Lad-in His Lsmp.
Meant to comment this sooner but excellent review. Thad! I personally thoroughly enjoyed this new collection, mainly for the cartoons on Disc 2 (Hare Trimmed they’re trimmed as a is a top 5 Yosemite Sam for me). As always, you’re insightful. notes on these cartoons for are just as enjoyable as watching the cartoons themselves. Let’s just hope a certain hack (who will not be named ) doesn’t start an argument about how you’re wrong.
God damn I’m too tired to spell properly right now