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Subject: [alt.animation.warner-bros] Frequently Asked Questions v. 1.2
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Version: 1.2 1995/10/29
*** ALT.ANIMATION.WARNER-BROS frequently asked questions ***
*** CONTENTS
0. Introduction
1. Questions about specific Looney Tunes
Q1.1. Explain the joke with 'Richard' in 1948-1952 Looney Tunes.
Q1.2. Can anyone give the source of "Confidentially, it stinks." ...?
Q1.3. What is "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs?"
Q1.4. What were those great cartoons starring Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer...?
Q1.5. What were those wacky names in Marvin the Martian cartoons?
Q1.6. What was the name of that funny little guy in.... ?
Q1.7. Tell me, does that coyote EVER catch that roadrunner?
2. General Information about Looney Tunes
Q2.1. Who controls the rights to what Looney Tunes?
Q2.2. What has been released on video by Warner, Turner, etc.?
Q2.3. What is up with a recall of *The Golden Age of Looney Tunes* ...?
Q2.4. Wait... there aren't 7 volumes of GAOLT!
Q2.5. Does anyone have a list of videos and the cartoons that are on them?
Q2.6. I can't find anyone around here that sells that video.
Q2.7. What about Warner Bros Studio Stores and the WB Catalog?
Q2.8. Any other toon newsgroups that discuss Warner cartoons?
Q2.9. Does anyone have a gif of (MyFaveAnimatedScene?)
Q2.10. Any good books I need to know about?
Q2.11. Are there any compilations of Raymond Scott music?
Q2.12. I am looking for a print called "Speechless".
3. Redistribution Rights
*** INTRODUCTION
Alt.animation.warner-bros is a new newsgroup which currently is
relatively low-volume. Discussion focuses on the various animations
produced by Warner Bros. The current WB TV series have their own
newsgroups (see below), so we tend to focus on the classic WB shorts --
Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.
As with any other newsgroup, there are several questions that come up
repeatedly. This document attempts to provide authoritative answers
to some of these FAQ's.
If you have a suggestion, complaint, or any other comment, please MAIL
it to me at
[email protected]. This file is posted automatically by
machine, and I sometimes fall behind in my newsreading. There is a
good chance I will not see your comments if you post them. So please
email me instead. It may take me some time to incorporate your
comments into this file. All comments are saved and WILL be included
at some point in the future as my time allows.
This FAQ, as well as many other FAQ's appearing on the net, is posted
to news.answers. You can ftp FAQ's mentioned in this document from
rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet. If you do not have ftp, send a message to
"
[email protected]" with the word "help" in the body. The
server will send you instructions on retrieving the files via email.
This FAQ is posted about every 15 days. You may also request it via
email (give me several days to respond).
*** QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFIC LOONEY TUNES
Q1.1. Explain the joke with 'Richard' in 1948-1952 Looney Tunes.
A1.1. It is a reference to a hugely popular song from the 1940's
entitled 'Open the door, Richard'. Compare it to a silly
surprise hit like "Don't Worry, Be Happy" or "Whoomp! There it
is". The original was by Louis Jordan and can be found in the
Jazz section.
The classic use of this reference is in "High Diving Hare" (?)
where Bugs has built a door and Yosemite Sam yells at the
rabbit to "Open the door! Open the door!" Then, in an aside,
"You'll notice I didn't say Richard". Yuk yuk yuk.
Q1.2. Can anyone give the source of "Confidentially, it stinks."
<or other similar lines> ?
A1.2. I have an excellent list, prepared by Tony Palombella, listing
over 50 lines such as this, and their sources. Send me mail
with a subject of "SENDME ltrefs.txt" to have it mailed to you.
Q1.3. What is "Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs?"
A1.3. It is a notorious 1943 cartoon directed by Bob Clampett which
is basically a retelling of Snow White in blackface. The
caricatures of blacks in this cartoon are inappropriate by
today's standards, but the overall cartoon is a funny parody of
the Disney Classic. It can be found on VHS (see Whole Toon
Catalog).
Q1.4. What were those great cartoons starring Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer
that always had Daffy getting his beak rearranged in various
ways?
A1.4. The three toons were directed by Chuck Jones:
"Rabbit Fire" (1951) -- Wabbit season, Duck Season, Elmer Season
"Rabbit Seasoning" (1952) -- shoot him now, or wait till you get home?
"Duck! Rabbit! Duck!" (1953) -- dirty skunk season, elk season, etc.
Q1.5. What were those wacky names in Marvin the Martian cartoons?
* In "Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 century", Daffy goes to
Planet X to seek out Illudium Phosdex, the shaving cream
atom. (Spelling taken from *Chuck Amuck* so we'll consider
that canon.)
* In "Hare-Way to the Stars", Marvin is going to blow up the
Earth using the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.
(Spelling assumed same as above, but Q-36 vs. Pew-36 is
debatable.)
* Marvin's dog's name: "Commander K-9".
Q1.6. What wase the name of that funny little guy in.... ?
* The two Chip-N-Dale-like gophers were known as "The Goofy
Gophers". Though they never addressed each other by name,
their names were Mac and Tosh.
* The name of the big red furry thing with high-top sneakers
(appearing in the shorts "Hair-Raising Hare" and "Water,
Water, Every Hare") is Gossamer.
* The singing frog (from Chuck Jones's famous "One Froggy
Evening"), who is now famous for being spokesfrog of the
Warner Bros. TV Network, originally had no name. Jones
later gave him the name Michigan J. Frog.
Q1.7. Tell me, does that coyote EVER catch that roadrunner?
A1.7. In a 1980 made-for-TV short, "Soup Or Sonic" (directed by Chuck
Jones), Wile E. grabs the roadrunner's leg! ... however, he's
only a couple of inches high (thanks to a neat gag involving a
chase through a pipeline that gradually gets narrower and
narrower), while RR is full-size! Wile E. then holds up a sign
reading, "Okay, wise guys, you always wanted me to catch him.
Now what do I do?" (text taken from Beck & Friedwald.)
*** GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT LOONEY TUNES
Q2.1. Who controls the rights to what Looney Tunes?
A2.1. Turner currently holds the rights to all color cartoons
copyrighted prior to Sept. 1, 1948 plus all black-and-white
Harman/Ising Merrie Melodies except 1931's "Lady Play Your
Mandolin". Warner owns all the rest, and both companies claim
to own 1948's "Odor of the Day".
Note also, that many of the cartoons controlled by Turner are
now in the public domain (presumably due to forgetfulness or
laziness on the part of Associated Artists Productions in
renewing the copyright). These are the cartoons that you will
find on the bargain-basement compilations. Beware of poor
tape quality on such compilations.
Q2.2. What has been released on video by Warner, Turner, etc.?
A2.2. Most of Turner's cartoons have been released in some form.
There are a number of VHS series and 4 volumes of "The Golden
Age Of Looney Tunes" (laserdisc sets with 70 cartoons each).
A Volume 5 is rumored. Volume 4 is rumored to be on moratorium.
The cartoons are also shown on TNT, but unfortunately that
channel has begun superimposing a very distracting TNT logo on
the corner that IMO negates the possibility of building a
cartoon library by taping off the TV.
For Warners' cartoons: From 1985-1992, the "24 Karat" VHS
series was available, and contained most of what are considered
the 'classic' WB shorts. This series is now out of print. If
you spot one in a store you should consider yourself lucky and
buy it right away.
WB has released 12 laser discs which include many of the
'classic' cartoons as well as new-to-video shorts. WB is also
releasing a number of new VHS collections that feature
new-to-video shorts. IMO these are the lesser-quality shorts
that appear on these new VHS collections.
Q2.3. What is up with a recall of *The Golden Age of Looney Tunes*
having to do with the 1944 short "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips"?
A2.3. Due to pressure from a Japanese group, VHS cassettes containing
"BBNTN" have been recalled. Volume 7 of the GAOLT VHS set and
the 5-tape GAOLT boxed set have been recalled. Volume 7 will be
reissued minus "BBNTN". Don't know about the boxed set.
As for the laserdisc set of GAOLT volume 1, latest word is that
existing copies will continue to be sold. New pressings of
GAOLT Vol. 1 will not contain "BBNTN".
Q2.4. Wait... there aren't 7 volumes of GAOLT!
A2.4. Volume 1 of the Golden Age of Looney Tunes laserdisc set has
been released on 10 separately-sold VHS tapes, numbered volumes
1 through 10, corresponding to the 10 sides of the laser set.
It has also been released on a boxed set of 5 VHS tapes.
Q2.5. Does anyone have a list of videos and the cartoons that are on them?
A2.5. The most extensive list to date is by Paul Hendry and can be
ftp'd from ftp.netcom.com:/pub/wb/wbb/warner-bros/lt.lis
Q2.6. I can't find anyone around here that sells that video.
A2.6. The definitive source of any cartoons on video (not just Looney
Tunes) is Whole Toon Access. Their catalog is a must-have for
any cartoon lover. Call 1-206-391-8747 or write to them at PO
Box 369, Issaquah, WA 98027-0369 to get a current catalog.
Q2.7. What about Warner Bros Studio Stores and the WB Catalog?
A2.7. The Warner Bros Catalog sells Looney Tunes material as well as
promotional materials for their current movies and TV shows.
The merchandise is usually overpriced and unexceptional (IMHO).
Write to: Warner Bros. Catalog, PO Box 60048, Tampa FL
33660-0048, or call (800) 223-6524 to request a catalog.
Most of the merchandise available in the catalog is also
available at the Warner Bros. Studio Stores. These are not
nearly as widespread as the Disney stores. Call the catalog #
to find a store near you.
Q2.8. Any other toon newsgroups that discuss Warner cartoons?
A2.8. "Animaniacs" and "Tiny Toon Adventures" have their own
newsgroups, alt.tv.animaniacs and alt.tv.tiny-toon. Discussion
of "Batman" and "Taz-Mania", as well as general discussion of
animation, occurs in rec.arts.animation. All three groups have
FAQ's.
Q2.9. Does anyone have a gif of (MyFaveAnimatedScene?)
A2.9. Most sites that used to offer images, now no longer do so due
to copyright issues. Check alt.binaries.pictures.cartoons. In
the interest of keeping myself totally free from legal burden,
I no longer maintain a list of sites.
Q2.10. Any good books I need to know about?
A2.10. These books are lifted straight from the r.a.a. faq.
Adamson, Joe; "Bugs Bunny: Fifty Years and only One Grey
Hare"; 19??; Similar to Schneider's book, but focusing on
Bugs Bunny. Contains detailed writeups on many of Bugs's
best cartoons.
Beck, Jerry and Will Friedwald; "Looney Tunes and Merrie
Melodies"; 1988; Ultimate reference of Warner Brothers
cartoons. Chronological filmography of releases with
synopses and full credits.
Blanc, Mel; "That's not All, Folks"; Mel Blanc's autobiography.
Limited comments on his work with WB cartoons.
Jones, Chuck; "Chuck Amuck --- The Life and Times of an
Animated Cartoonist"; 1990; An autobiography of Chuck Jones.
It has a fair number of sketches, stories etc about the
Warner Bros. studios. Includes a filmography.
Schneider, Steve; "That's All Folks" 1988; Detailed history of
the Warner Brothers cartooning. Chapters focus on
individual characters and a complete chronological
filmography is included. Lavishly illustrated.
Q2.11. Are there any compilations of Raymond Scott music?
A2.11. Yes. One compilation is on Columbia Records (a major label)
and is entitled "The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights
and Turkish Twilights". The catalog # of the CD is CK 53028.
This CD has most of the well-known Scott songs and has a very
interesting bio of Scott in the 18-page booklet. If your local
record store doesn't have this, they should be able to special
order it for you.
Preceding this release was a CD from Stash Records entitled
"The Raymond Scott Project". It appears to have mostly the
same songs and also features "a terrific booklet of liner notes
covering the career of this wonderful ... composer". Available
through the Whole Toon Catalog. its catalog # there is STA 543.
Q2.12. I am looking for a print called "Speechless" -- it had all the
famous Looney Tunes Characters standing around a vacant mike.
It was a tribute to the passing of Mel Blanc in 1989.
A2.12. It is available from the Warner Bros. Studio Stores as a framed
litho. The price is $150. Visit any WBSS or call the catalog
at 1-800-223-6524.
*** ACKS
Thanks to the following people who contributed to this document and/or
contribute vast knowledge to our discussions: Mark Evanier, David A.
Gerstein, Gary Hoo, Dave Mackey, Brett Middleton, Tony Palombella,
Thomas M. Shim, Jack Webb, Sean Wilkinson.
*** REDISTRIBUTION RIGHTS
This document, or any derivative works thereof, may not be sold or
redistributed for profit in any way without express written permission of
the editor, Will Bell. This includes, but is not limited to, translations
into foreign languages, mass archival as on a CD_ROM, inclusion in
commercially published compilations (books), and uploading this document
to non-USENET services.
This document represents the collective effort of many USENET animation
fans. We appreciate your honoring of this policy.
