The Looney Tunes at Capitol Records
No movie review today. Instead, I’m going to spend today talking about my personal favorite cartoon series: the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. These cartoons are just brilliant. Great animation, great writing, great voice work, great music, and a certain edge that has been lost in cartoons throughout the years. Of course, part of this may be due to the fact that the Warner Bros. cartoons were made specifically with adults in mind. Not that cartoons today can’t be made specifically with adults in mind; there are plenty of cartoon shows out there made specifically for them, but the Warner Bros. cartoons are the kind that can be enjoyed by both a kid and an adult at the same time, because while there is a certain edge to them, it’s not enough that they should be considered unsafe for children. There’s no bad language, no blood, very little that could be considered suggestive. They’re just fun cartoons that can teach serious life lessons to children without hammering them in. The Road Runner cartoons, for example, are good examples of teaching about cautiousness when it comes to advertising, something that can be learned from the experiences of Wile E. Coyote and his constant reliance on Acme products. The series is not flawless; nothing is. There definitely are certain cartoons that have become dated, but that’s not the point of this post. On the contrary, we’re not actually going to be discussing the cartoons themselves so much as a different medium they appeared on: vinyl.
Since the cartoons themselves were mainly limited to theaters, merchandise was usually the best way to get the characters into the homes during the 1940s and 1950s. Records may be the closest since they featured voices from the cartoons as well as artwork of the characters on the covers. In the case of some of these Warner Bros. cartoon records, they could even come with booklets consisting of more artwork that went along with the dialogue on the record. Also in the case of the Warner Bros. records, authenticity came in the addition of Mel Blanc to reprise his Warner Bros. roles, as well as the fact that many of these records were written by the same people who wrote the cartoons. If you’re thinking that these additions mean that these records maintain the edge of the original cartoons, well...think again.
Remember that these were being released as a part of Capitol Records’ children’s record series, so the more violent tendencies of the cartoons are scaled back quite a bit. Still, this doesn’t make the records bad. They actually have quite a few interesting elements to them, one of them being the music. Unlike the cartoons, which were composed and arranged by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, respectively, the music on these was usually provided by Billy May, who worked with many top artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Their styles are certainly different, but both work in their own ways, with different arrangements of the theme songs included as well as songs that were exclusive to the records (for the time, but we’ll get to that later). Today, we’re going to be discussing some of the earliest of these records that received a general release.
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd in Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1947)
This consists of three different stories: Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck Flies South, and Porky Pig in Africa. Starting with Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, this story basically is about Bugs trying to trick Elmer into thinking various forest creatures are rabbits, thinking Elmer will shoot them instead of him. This is a rare Bugs Bunny production that actually takes advantage of his forest habitat, allowing him to interact with different kinds of animals, which allows Blanc to show off quite a few voices. In particular, there’s a scene where Bugs and Elmer meet a turtle and while the turtle ponders over who he is, he does several different animal imitations, including a hilarious Woody Woodpecker-type laugh for his imitation of a laughing hyena. In addition to Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan reprises his role as Elmer Fudd, so this really feels like a toned-down version of a Bugs Bunny-Elmer Fudd cartoon, though still fascinating to listen to due to the voice acting.
Daffy Duck Flies South starts just how you’d think it does judging by that title. Daffy is trying to fly south with the other ducks, but inadvertently finds himself in a place called Backwards Land, where, you guessed it, everything is backwards. This was back during the era where Daffy lived up to his name and was certifiably insane, something he makes clear with his own rendition of the “Merry-Go-Round Broke Down.” Unfortunately, this one suffers from a lack of focus; he doesn’t end up in Backwards Land until the second half and very little happens when he’s there, outside of his observation that people say things backwards than normal people would. In addition, Daffy’s voice is distractingly off; when Blanc did the voice in the cartoons, it required speed manipulation to make Daffy’s voice a higher pitch. When not sped-up, it basically just sounds like Sylvester, and Daffy further confuses matters by saying Sylvester’s famous phrase, “Sufferin’ Succotash!”
Porky Pig in Africa actually starts with Porky interacting directly with the audience, in an attempt to make them feel more involved. Much like Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, a lot of this record basically consists of Mel Blanc showing off different animal voices, though this one gets more to the point from the beginning and therefore features more characters and more variety in jokes. Probably my favorite joke is one consisting of a baby bird calling for his mother. The way it’s set up, you should be able to get the joke before the punchline is revealed, but Blanc’s timing on the voice is so fantastic that you can’t help but laugh. Porky Pig in Africa also benefits from one other thing: the background music. This music plays throughout the record and is an overall great arrangement that really captures the tone of what they’re going for with this record: an exploration of different African animals, even if they can talk.
Each of these stories lasts about 6 minutes, almost as much as a regular Warner Bros. cartoon. If you want to hear some really outstanding vocal variety from Blanc, this is actually a pretty cool one to check out, even if the stories are kind of similar.
Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise (1948)
Unlike the previous entry, which consisted of three 6-minute stories, this is just one long 12-minute story. This is also one of those records I mentioned earlier that had illustrations corresponding to the story, with the illustrations being provided by director Bob McKimson and background artist Richard Thomas.
Five characters from the cartoons appear on this record: Bugs, Daffy, Cecil Turtle, Henery Hawk, and Elmer Fudd (who serves as narrator, once again voiced by Bryan). Cecil Turtle, of course, is known as one of the few foes who could actually outsmart Bugs on a consistent basis. Personally, I never liked him. Not that I was against Bugs Bunny losing; Bugs actually loses in one of my absolute favorite cartoons, Rebel Rabbit. The way Cecil acts, though, always bothered me. He always seemed to be pretty egotistical in his appearances. Granted, Bugs often acted egotistical in these cartoons as well, but Cecil consistently went out of his way to cheat and this is no exception. He usually bested Bugs despite this; thankfully, though, this is a rare entry in the classic era in which Bugs actually defeats him.
Much like in Daffy Duck Flies South, this record has some problems with speed manipulation. Once again, Daffy’s voice isn’t sped-up enough while Henery Hawk’s voice is sped-up too much. There’s also a section with a sneezing little duck that’s cute at first, but the sneezing gets pretty annoying fast. Otherwise, though, the record actually is pretty entertaining. The illustrations are nice and there are some gags that were also in the cartoons. Notably, Bugs actually uses his word-switching gag on Henery Hawk at one point. I also like the gag with Cecil and the taxi cab, mostly because the illustrations make them out to still be in a wide, open, forest-like setting, and I find it so funny that a taxi cab would be there ready to pick up a passenger anyway. This is another one that’s worth checking out if you get a chance.
That’s All Folks!/Won’t You Ever Get Together With Me (1948)
Rather than telling a story, this one is actually a single consisting of two songs featuring Warner Bros. characters. The A-side, “That’s All Folks!” is a pretty forgettable duet between Porky and singer Bonnie Baker. Depending on when this was recorded and released, it’s possible that this could have been a response to the hugely successful “The Woody Woodpecker Song,” since both seem to make special use of their characters’ trademarks (in Woody’s case being his laugh while in Porky’s case being his stutter) as a special recurring novelty throughout the record. The B-side, “Won’t You Ever Get Together With Me” isn’t anything special either. It’s a duet between Sylvester and Tweety and therefore is significant only as being their first appearance for Capitol. Otherwise, both of these songs feel rushed out.
Bugs Bunny in Storyland (1949)
In Bugs Bunny in Storyland, Bugs finds himself in a world populated with popular nursery rhyme characters. Along the way, he occasionally comes across other Warner Bros. characters: Elmer Fudd (who once again also serves as narrator), Daffy Duck (portraying one of his numerous different alter-egos, Duck Twacy from The Great Piggy Bank Robbery), Porky Pig, his nephew Cicero, and Beaky Buzzard (portraying Simple Simon). Mel Blanc portrays Beaky for the first time, due to the death of his original voice actor, Kent Rogers, a few years earlier, and Blanc gives him a much different voice than he would give Beaky for his later cartoon appearances. Cicero, meanwhile, was a character who mainly appeared in comics and never the cartoons, so this is one of the few times audiences got to actually hear what he sounded like. Here, he’s voiced by June Foray, who also voiced many other storybook characters throughout the record and would later become Warner Bros’ go-to actress for female voices (at this point, that role in the cartoons was filled by Bea Benaderet, who would later become famous for her role on Petticoat Junction).
This time around, Elmer actually does try to shoot Bugs, though keeping in line with the theme of being more kid-friendly, the gun only contains gumdrops, since Elmer says he didn’t want to hurt Bugs. At one point, though, Bugs actually uses firecrackers against the Wolf, so they didn’t tone everything down.
In terms of release, this marks the first appearance of Bugs’ signature song, “What’s Up Doc?” which later debuted theatrically in the 1950 cartoon of the same name. It is not currently known which version was recorded first. Other songs are short, but still pleasant to listen to.
Much like Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise, this record corresponds to illustrations that were included with the original issue and is another record worth checking out if you get a chance. It’s got a good narrative and benefits from a wide variety of characters.
Bugs Bunny Sings (1950)
This record also does not tell a story, but instead consists of four songs: “I’m Glad That I’m Bugs Bunny,” “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody,” “Yosemite Sam,” and “I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat.”
“I’m Glad That I’m Bugs Bunny” is a nice simple song with a pretty good chorus dealing with the idea of loving yourself for who you are. It’s not the most riveting song, but I still like it.
“Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody” is my favorite of all the songs on the record. Set to the tune of the “Hungarian Rhapsody,” the song starts out slow and continues to move faster as it goes along, while Daffy continues to sound crazier and crazier. The singing’s fantastic and so is the orchestra providing the music. Oh yeah, and they finally got Daffy’s voice right for this record as well! This song was recently adapted into a cartoon simply called Daffy’s Rhapsody, using Blanc’s original vocal track with updated background music, and the energy of the song made it a perfect choice for its own cartoon. The animators did a great job with the cartoon version.
“Yosemite Sam” is probably my least favorite song on the record, though it’s still pretty good on its own. Just the fact that Blanc could sing at all in that voice, which he considered to be the hardest voice he did, is impressive and the song still has a nice chorus. I just happen to think the other three songs are written better.
“I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat” was the most successful of the songs back in the day, having been released as its own single and it apparently reached No. 9 on the Billboard pop chart at one point. The song is another nice combination of Blanc’s vocals with May’s orchestra and this one also benefits from getting to hear Blanc duet with himself when Tweety and Sylvester sing together at the end. Much like “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody,” this song was also recently adapted into a cartoon with Blanc’s original vocals and updated music, this time spelled as I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat. Once again, the animators did a good job maintaining the spirit of both the song and the original cartoons.
Bugs Bunny Sings is a very fun record to listen to with great production values and singing. If you only are able to check out one of the record releases mentioned in this post, this is definitely the one to check out.
That covers the earliest known records to feature the characters that saw a general release. There were a lot more records released after these and I hope to be able to cover at least some of those in a part 2 to this post sometime in the future. For now, though, the month of March will be dedicated to a specific theme: feature films that feature Shemp Howard. Next week will see the release of the first post of Shemp Howard month!
Since the cartoons themselves were mainly limited to theaters, merchandise was usually the best way to get the characters into the homes during the 1940s and 1950s. Records may be the closest since they featured voices from the cartoons as well as artwork of the characters on the covers. In the case of some of these Warner Bros. cartoon records, they could even come with booklets consisting of more artwork that went along with the dialogue on the record. Also in the case of the Warner Bros. records, authenticity came in the addition of Mel Blanc to reprise his Warner Bros. roles, as well as the fact that many of these records were written by the same people who wrote the cartoons. If you’re thinking that these additions mean that these records maintain the edge of the original cartoons, well...think again.
Remember that these were being released as a part of Capitol Records’ children’s record series, so the more violent tendencies of the cartoons are scaled back quite a bit. Still, this doesn’t make the records bad. They actually have quite a few interesting elements to them, one of them being the music. Unlike the cartoons, which were composed and arranged by Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn, respectively, the music on these was usually provided by Billy May, who worked with many top artists of the day, including Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. Their styles are certainly different, but both work in their own ways, with different arrangements of the theme songs included as well as songs that were exclusive to the records (for the time, but we’ll get to that later). Today, we’re going to be discussing some of the earliest of these records that received a general release.
Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd in Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1947)
This consists of three different stories: Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck Flies South, and Porky Pig in Africa. Starting with Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, this story basically is about Bugs trying to trick Elmer into thinking various forest creatures are rabbits, thinking Elmer will shoot them instead of him. This is a rare Bugs Bunny production that actually takes advantage of his forest habitat, allowing him to interact with different kinds of animals, which allows Blanc to show off quite a few voices. In particular, there’s a scene where Bugs and Elmer meet a turtle and while the turtle ponders over who he is, he does several different animal imitations, including a hilarious Woody Woodpecker-type laugh for his imitation of a laughing hyena. In addition to Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan reprises his role as Elmer Fudd, so this really feels like a toned-down version of a Bugs Bunny-Elmer Fudd cartoon, though still fascinating to listen to due to the voice acting.
Daffy Duck Flies South starts just how you’d think it does judging by that title. Daffy is trying to fly south with the other ducks, but inadvertently finds himself in a place called Backwards Land, where, you guessed it, everything is backwards. This was back during the era where Daffy lived up to his name and was certifiably insane, something he makes clear with his own rendition of the “Merry-Go-Round Broke Down.” Unfortunately, this one suffers from a lack of focus; he doesn’t end up in Backwards Land until the second half and very little happens when he’s there, outside of his observation that people say things backwards than normal people would. In addition, Daffy’s voice is distractingly off; when Blanc did the voice in the cartoons, it required speed manipulation to make Daffy’s voice a higher pitch. When not sped-up, it basically just sounds like Sylvester, and Daffy further confuses matters by saying Sylvester’s famous phrase, “Sufferin’ Succotash!”
Porky Pig in Africa actually starts with Porky interacting directly with the audience, in an attempt to make them feel more involved. Much like Bugs Bunny Meets Elmer Fudd, a lot of this record basically consists of Mel Blanc showing off different animal voices, though this one gets more to the point from the beginning and therefore features more characters and more variety in jokes. Probably my favorite joke is one consisting of a baby bird calling for his mother. The way it’s set up, you should be able to get the joke before the punchline is revealed, but Blanc’s timing on the voice is so fantastic that you can’t help but laugh. Porky Pig in Africa also benefits from one other thing: the background music. This music plays throughout the record and is an overall great arrangement that really captures the tone of what they’re going for with this record: an exploration of different African animals, even if they can talk.
Each of these stories lasts about 6 minutes, almost as much as a regular Warner Bros. cartoon. If you want to hear some really outstanding vocal variety from Blanc, this is actually a pretty cool one to check out, even if the stories are kind of similar.
Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise (1948)
Unlike the previous entry, which consisted of three 6-minute stories, this is just one long 12-minute story. This is also one of those records I mentioned earlier that had illustrations corresponding to the story, with the illustrations being provided by director Bob McKimson and background artist Richard Thomas.
Five characters from the cartoons appear on this record: Bugs, Daffy, Cecil Turtle, Henery Hawk, and Elmer Fudd (who serves as narrator, once again voiced by Bryan). Cecil Turtle, of course, is known as one of the few foes who could actually outsmart Bugs on a consistent basis. Personally, I never liked him. Not that I was against Bugs Bunny losing; Bugs actually loses in one of my absolute favorite cartoons, Rebel Rabbit. The way Cecil acts, though, always bothered me. He always seemed to be pretty egotistical in his appearances. Granted, Bugs often acted egotistical in these cartoons as well, but Cecil consistently went out of his way to cheat and this is no exception. He usually bested Bugs despite this; thankfully, though, this is a rare entry in the classic era in which Bugs actually defeats him.
Much like in Daffy Duck Flies South, this record has some problems with speed manipulation. Once again, Daffy’s voice isn’t sped-up enough while Henery Hawk’s voice is sped-up too much. There’s also a section with a sneezing little duck that’s cute at first, but the sneezing gets pretty annoying fast. Otherwise, though, the record actually is pretty entertaining. The illustrations are nice and there are some gags that were also in the cartoons. Notably, Bugs actually uses his word-switching gag on Henery Hawk at one point. I also like the gag with Cecil and the taxi cab, mostly because the illustrations make them out to still be in a wide, open, forest-like setting, and I find it so funny that a taxi cab would be there ready to pick up a passenger anyway. This is another one that’s worth checking out if you get a chance.
That’s All Folks!/Won’t You Ever Get Together With Me (1948)
Rather than telling a story, this one is actually a single consisting of two songs featuring Warner Bros. characters. The A-side, “That’s All Folks!” is a pretty forgettable duet between Porky and singer Bonnie Baker. Depending on when this was recorded and released, it’s possible that this could have been a response to the hugely successful “The Woody Woodpecker Song,” since both seem to make special use of their characters’ trademarks (in Woody’s case being his laugh while in Porky’s case being his stutter) as a special recurring novelty throughout the record. The B-side, “Won’t You Ever Get Together With Me” isn’t anything special either. It’s a duet between Sylvester and Tweety and therefore is significant only as being their first appearance for Capitol. Otherwise, both of these songs feel rushed out.
Bugs Bunny in Storyland (1949)
In Bugs Bunny in Storyland, Bugs finds himself in a world populated with popular nursery rhyme characters. Along the way, he occasionally comes across other Warner Bros. characters: Elmer Fudd (who once again also serves as narrator), Daffy Duck (portraying one of his numerous different alter-egos, Duck Twacy from The Great Piggy Bank Robbery), Porky Pig, his nephew Cicero, and Beaky Buzzard (portraying Simple Simon). Mel Blanc portrays Beaky for the first time, due to the death of his original voice actor, Kent Rogers, a few years earlier, and Blanc gives him a much different voice than he would give Beaky for his later cartoon appearances. Cicero, meanwhile, was a character who mainly appeared in comics and never the cartoons, so this is one of the few times audiences got to actually hear what he sounded like. Here, he’s voiced by June Foray, who also voiced many other storybook characters throughout the record and would later become Warner Bros’ go-to actress for female voices (at this point, that role in the cartoons was filled by Bea Benaderet, who would later become famous for her role on Petticoat Junction).
This time around, Elmer actually does try to shoot Bugs, though keeping in line with the theme of being more kid-friendly, the gun only contains gumdrops, since Elmer says he didn’t want to hurt Bugs. At one point, though, Bugs actually uses firecrackers against the Wolf, so they didn’t tone everything down.
In terms of release, this marks the first appearance of Bugs’ signature song, “What’s Up Doc?” which later debuted theatrically in the 1950 cartoon of the same name. It is not currently known which version was recorded first. Other songs are short, but still pleasant to listen to.
Much like Bugs Bunny and the Tortoise, this record corresponds to illustrations that were included with the original issue and is another record worth checking out if you get a chance. It’s got a good narrative and benefits from a wide variety of characters.
Bugs Bunny Sings (1950)
This record also does not tell a story, but instead consists of four songs: “I’m Glad That I’m Bugs Bunny,” “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody,” “Yosemite Sam,” and “I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat.”
“I’m Glad That I’m Bugs Bunny” is a nice simple song with a pretty good chorus dealing with the idea of loving yourself for who you are. It’s not the most riveting song, but I still like it.
“Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody” is my favorite of all the songs on the record. Set to the tune of the “Hungarian Rhapsody,” the song starts out slow and continues to move faster as it goes along, while Daffy continues to sound crazier and crazier. The singing’s fantastic and so is the orchestra providing the music. Oh yeah, and they finally got Daffy’s voice right for this record as well! This song was recently adapted into a cartoon simply called Daffy’s Rhapsody, using Blanc’s original vocal track with updated background music, and the energy of the song made it a perfect choice for its own cartoon. The animators did a great job with the cartoon version.
“Yosemite Sam” is probably my least favorite song on the record, though it’s still pretty good on its own. Just the fact that Blanc could sing at all in that voice, which he considered to be the hardest voice he did, is impressive and the song still has a nice chorus. I just happen to think the other three songs are written better.
“I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat” was the most successful of the songs back in the day, having been released as its own single and it apparently reached No. 9 on the Billboard pop chart at one point. The song is another nice combination of Blanc’s vocals with May’s orchestra and this one also benefits from getting to hear Blanc duet with himself when Tweety and Sylvester sing together at the end. Much like “Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody,” this song was also recently adapted into a cartoon with Blanc’s original vocals and updated music, this time spelled as I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat. Once again, the animators did a good job maintaining the spirit of both the song and the original cartoons.
Bugs Bunny Sings is a very fun record to listen to with great production values and singing. If you only are able to check out one of the record releases mentioned in this post, this is definitely the one to check out.
That covers the earliest known records to feature the characters that saw a general release. There were a lot more records released after these and I hope to be able to cover at least some of those in a part 2 to this post sometime in the future. For now, though, the month of March will be dedicated to a specific theme: feature films that feature Shemp Howard. Next week will see the release of the first post of Shemp Howard month!
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