It’s the 43rd Anniversary of the book on the left – the 1981 first edition of the Warner Bros. cartoon filmography by Will Friedwald and myself. And this year also marks the 35th Anniversary of the 1989 completely re-written second edition Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide To The Warner Bros. Cartoons (center). But most do not know there was a “one-and-a-half edition”. A 1997 reprint of the 1981 version, with a green cover (on the right, above) – and no other text changes.
Scarecrow Press contacted us in 1996 to say they had, after fifteen years, sold out of the inventory of books they had originally published back then (I have no idea how many they initially published – a thousand?). That excited us – as that version of the book had numerous errors and omissions, and we had a newly revised edition published elsewhere, which most considered (in those pre-internet years) to be a definitive filmography (at the time).
However, Scarecrow wanted to keep the original book in print – as is. They still got orders for it and wanted to keep it in stock. Okay… so I asked if we could correct some of the most glaring boo-boo’s – and perhaps add two cartoons we somehow omitted back then. No – they just wanted to reprint the book – and was letting us know. I asked if we could do anything to inform the readers of this book where we stood today. All they could offer us was the opportunity to write a two page “preface” to this new edition.
I’ve recently become aware that very few people even knew of this reprint – and never read our little preface. So without anyone’s permission, I’ll celebrate the 1997 reprint’s 27th Anniversary by posting the preface we wrote below. Re-Reading this, I would have written it a little differently and a little better… but here it is in case you haven’t seen it. My way of commemorating this little book project that has always meant a lot to me and Will – and still does.
The 1997 Preface
Once upon a time, way back in 1981, two die-hard fans put together a bunch of loose notes, wise-ass comments and whatever factual data they could muster about their favorite Hollywood cartoons and sent the collected information to a publisher. The book you hold in your hands is the result of that work.
There obviously needed to be a guide to the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, but nobody then knew exactly why. We only knew that we needed a book like this, if only to check off the cartoons we had seen or to make sure our collection was complete. When did the first Warner Bros. cartoon come out? What was the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melodie? And just how many of those crummy Rudy Larriva Road Runner cartoons are there? Those are just a few of the questions we sought to answer.
Until the publication of this book, even the simplest bits of information were hard to come by. We watched and took notes on hundreds of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies for years, using private collectors 16mm prints and afternoon television broadcasts as our primary sources (this was at a time before VCRs and home video compilations were common). We tried to get permission from Warner Bros. to print still photos and cartoon images, but at the time that door was tightly closed. Scarecrow Press took a big chance with this rag-tag cartoon filmography.
And the rest, they say, is history. Apparently there were others who had some use for a pictureless catalog on animated pictures. The book sold well for Scarecrow and the good folks at Warner Bros. Cartoon Department in Burbank loved it. Even Friz Freleng, Chick Jones and Bob Clampett told us how much they appreciated the book. But it soon became evident that there was a lot we did not know, and there were mistakes that needed correction.
When we first worked on this book, gaining complete and accuarate screen credits was impossible. The Private Snafu filmography was woefully incomplete. Two cartoons, Paying The Piper (1949) and The Egg-cited Rooster (1952), were missing. And, among many other typos, we would like to thank David Mruz for having to live with his first name misspelled in the acknowledgements all this time.
So a few years after its publication, we yearned for the opportunity to revise the book, correct the errors, add illustrations, and complete the filmography. Many fans wrote to us with corrections and additions, and we were grateful. Warner Bros. awarded us a second chance with a revised edition (and completely rewritten) paperback edition, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide To The Warner Bros. Cartoons (Henry Holt), published in 1989.
But for some reason, this original Scarecrow edition has endured. Many people tell us that they like this earlier work, because we were able to tell it like it is. If Bob Clampett made the funniest cartoons of the 1940s, we say so; if a 1960s Daffy and Speedy cartoon stinks, you’ll read it in here.
So here it is – warts and all – the ranting and ravings of two enthusiastic young fans who, in an era before fanzines and web pages, wrote in the spirit of their humor about the cartoons they love. Enjoy it, but don’t take it too seriously – this book, like the cartoons it chronicles, is supposed to be fun.
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 CalArts in Valencia, UCLA in Westwood and Woodbury University in Burbank – teaching animation history. More about Jerry Beck [
This book has always been a fun read. I think it was through this book that I learned that there were World War II oriented cartoons that would never be shown on television, and as far as my memory is concerned, I don’t think they ever were. It was through the festivals later on that I learned just how they sounded! Now, of course we have most of them on DVD and/or Blu-ray, but it was this book that sparked our attention!
Thank you for all of those comments, no matter what they were. Perhaps opinions may have differed as time went on, but yes, this book does tell it like it is! If you are new to all of this and wondered exactly what the “censored 11“ are, you could probably learn through opinion here in this book. I certainly learned and it’s sparked my interest to actually collect these cartoons as best as possible.
Of course we’re still waiting for the authorized addition on DVD or Blu-ray of these cartoons, but we now all know all too well What these are and why they are termed as they are. And by the way, who needs pictures when you have imagination! Books like this that outline the plot synopsis for every cartoon in a filmography is wonderful to me! I only wish a book like this could be transferred to Blu-ray audio, so I could appreciate it again and again. Obviously, due to my blindness, I had to have somebody read the book to me from cover to cover, and this happened overtime. There are times when I’d like to consult it again and again, as I still have my copy. If such an unauthorized volume were to be produced, now, of course, folks could fill in the blanks with all kinds of Wikipedia posts, along with their opinions, but they wouldn’t be as connected as this one is.
As the generations go on, we tend to forget about fine details and why they are there and what they represented at the time. No one wants to do this kind of historical archaeological dig anymore, but I thank these authors for what they did! I hope scarecrow press rethink their attitude about revising this book to correct errors and maybe even add some comments. It would certainly be welcome!
I have the second edition and still refer to it almost daily when I watch MeTV. And proud to have it signed by Jerry a few years back in Columbus, Ohio.
I have the 1989 book, and still use it as a reference book to distinguish LT and MM, stars etc.
I also have many Scarecrow books (not this one) – they were all very pricey, but very fact driven.
It is saddening though to hear that Scarecrow’s only option was to reprint errors, rather than do corrections .
While I understand a cost component, even a correction sheet insert used by some publishers would be better than nothing.
I’m only familiar with the revised edition, so this background on the original is very interesting to me. In 1981, the idea of publishing a book about animated cartoons without any illustrations whatsoever must have been practically unthinkable. Yet I’ve found that the value of any book on animation is often in inverse proportion to the number of illustrations in it. Some of the most treasured books on the subject in my library have very few pictures in them, or none at all. A picture is not necessarily worth a thousand words; sometimes a thousand words can convey a lot of detailed information that no picture could possibly get across. Anyone who buys a book about Warner Bros. cartoons already knows what Bugs Bunny looks like; there’s no need for a model sheet to occupy a full page that could be better devoted to informative text.
In spite of any errors and omissions in the original 1981 volume (and its 1997 reprint), with it you and Will Friedwald laid a foundation establishing cartoon research as a serious and worthwhile field of study. For this, and much more, you have the everlasting gratitude of cartoon fans the world over.
I’ll admit I’ve always liked the Complete Illustrated Guide a lot better. After first getting it as a birthday present in 2015, I was pretty much obsessed with it for a while.
Wow, so it must have been the 1997 reprint I stumbled across in the library at the University of Pittsburgh in 2005/6, along with Leslie Carbarga’s ‘The Fleischer Story’ and the 1991(?) coffee table book on Tom & Jerry. I found some very interesting books in that library. I’ll have to look up whether they are still in the catalog there…
After making my original post I went to Pitt’s online library catalog and I stand corrected. Not only is this book still listed in their collection, it’s apparently the original 1981 edition! Shoot, I wish I could get back there and give this a proper read!
I’ve had the first two.Still have the 1989 one. PS I’ve put corrections on my copies. 😉
Steve C.
Nice preface. I did not know that the original 1981 edition had a reprint in 1997. I have the second official edition which I got from Amazon for Christmas in 2009 (having borrowed it at my library several times as a teen starting in 2002). I still take it everywhere when I travel even when it has since been autographed.
Good to know some details about the original edition. I considered picking it up some years ago.
There should be a book written about the MGM cartoons.
It’s great when the authors of such books actually go through the original material, making corrections and edits and additions in light of information that’s been obtained since the first publication, rather than simply reissue them with some new stuff patched on (like the 1994 version of Charles Solomon’s coffee table “Enchanted Drawings,” in which he writes about cartoons he clearly hasn’t seen).
Probably the most surprising thing about books on the Warner Bros. cartoons is realizing how many of them there were. Didn’t those Termite Terrace boys ever sleep? And yet, despite less than ideal work conditions, they managed to produce the most all-around satisfying (as a body of work) series of short cartoons, with the most iconic characters, of all the animation studios, including Disney.
The original “The Warner Brothers Cartoons” was my very first pop culture book published by a scholarly press (Scarecrow, McFarland, Pierian, et. al.). Messrs Friedwalk and Beck made them available at the conclusion of Leonard Maltin’s “A Serious Look at Funny Cartoons” eight-installment course at NYC’s The New School for Social Research (now New School University) for the seemingly exhorbitant price of $15.00 !!! (mind you, this was in 1981 dollars). It was one of the best fifteen dollars I ever spent.
Though I was more familiar with Jerry Beck than I was with Will Friedwald, I approached them for inscriptions in authorial order and, thus, Mr Friedwald obliged with “Stay tooned.” I took it then to Mr Beck, who expressed disappointed that his co-author had already co-opted his usual sign-off. I suggested Jerry sign it “Turn off that light!”
Years later, both Friz Freleng and Chuck Jopes autographed it. However, my copy of the original blue-cover version of the book fell apart from overuse exascerbated by a bug infestation, and I had to discard it. Fortunately the title page with the signatures was salvageable.
My favourite “typo” in the 1981 edition was for “Thugs With Dirty Mugs.”
At one point in the synopsis, the Edward G. Robinson parody villain breaks into a Fred Allen impersonation. That was easy to facilitate as the header states that the cartoon was “Directed by Fred Allen,” and not “Fred Avery.” And Scarecrow wouldn’t commission a full outright revision!
That hardcover first edition was a godsend for me in 1981, then already in my fifth year of finger-poised-on-the-Betamax-record-buttons. I still have the copy, warped but intact after a brush with a flood in 1986. Also the second, paperback edition, loosened pages and all.
Throughout the 1970s I was up early every morning to watch WB cartoons on TV before hurrying out to work. I dutifully wrote an index card on each, noting the year of release, whatever names were in the credits and anything that struck me about the film, all with my attention glued to our little black and white screen. My job then was at the public library, where I eventually saw that 1981 book mentioned in a sales flier, and naturally I ordered it. Still consult it!
I have the original edition and used it all the time to program special programs at Filmex (the old film festival in Los Angeles)! I also used it to advise other film festivals (notably London & Sydney) what they should request from Warners for their festivals.
It was also indispensable in solving friendly disagreements with then current Warner Bros. staff over which cartoon was what and which character appeared where!
(And I’m glad you now call it Warner Bros. rather than Warner Brothers; a popular embellishment until Aljean Harmetz wrote her definitive book on CASABLANCA!)
I have the 1989 version which I found in a Half-Price Books. I’ve been trying to keep my eyes peeled for the original book though, mainly because I’d love to hear Jerry and Will’s commentary on the lesser quality shorts.
I also hope sometime we can get an updated version that includes synopsises, and maybe some assorted trivia regarding the 90s shorts and beyond.
I was only aware of the Illustrated paperback edition which I still refer to regularly. I thought that was the only version. Happy 43rd Anniversary of your wonderful book!
I have the paperback, and thumb through it regularly. I love the review of Good Night, Elmer!
I have a question about “Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.” I own a copy of the Henry Holt Spring/Summer 1989 catalog where the book was first announced, and I notice several differences between the pre-publication description and what actually came out. Most notably, the text says the book includes appendices which “index the films alphabetically by characters, directors and animators.” The character index is there, but I was curious if the others were prepared and then (presumably) cut for space, or if the description is a result of miscommunication between the authors or editors and the publicity team.
The text also says the book is illustrated with over 200 examples of “film-frame art;” since there’s little actual “film-frame” art in the book, I suspect the text was written by someone who didn’t quite know what they were describing. It’s interesting to note, also, the mock-up cover illustration shown features much blander portrayals of Bugs, Porky and Wile E. Coyote than the finished book, the Coyote especially looking more Larriva than Jones.
By this point, I’m sure you can see I’m ignorant of how exactly books are put together. Any info you remember all these years later would be appreciated. Thank you!
One of the first cartoon related books I ever bought and certainly the first of many I own about Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. A “bible” I still find handy!
Jerry:
What’s the significance of Bugs Bunny’s big birthday celebration on ME TV TOONS? If my math is correct, the “scwoowy rabbit” will be 85 NEXT YEAR if we go by the “official” declaration over the past some 34 years that his “birth’ was with Tex Avery’s A WILD HARE in 1940. What gives?
The significance was simply to celebrate Bugs Bunny – the acknowledged “king” of animated cartoon stars – at the dawn of a new (and partially owned by Warner Bros.) 24-hour classic cartoon channel.
I have no doubt that other “Star” characters will get this treatment in the months and years to come. Highlighting “da wabbit” now, whose symbolic anniversary date was so close to launch date of this new channel, seemed like a natural way to bring awareness to his new TV home.
That’s the answer pure and simple.
Well, I considered that, but I thought, well, maybe somebody at WB decided to go with an earlier BUGS BUNNY “proto-type” cartoon like PORKY’S HARE HUNT (1938), but as I said, most people think that A WILD HARE (1940) is indeed, the first “real” BUGS BUNNY cartoon – and I agree!
Hopefully, the ratings were good and I did enjoy the “special” on BUGS as well!
I worked for a video magazine in the early 80s and we had the original edition in our reference library. When the publication closed down, I glommed the book and still have it. I’ve been friends with Will since 1980 or so and this is still my favorite book of his/yours.
Dave Weiner