The Looney Tunes at Capitol Records Part 3: 1953-1955
Welcome to the third and final part of my look into the Looney Tunes records made for Capitol Records. This covers the records made from 1953 to 1955, which was the last year that Capitol would use the Warner Bros. characters. So let’s get straight into it.
Rabbit Seasoning (1953)
Despite the title, this has no relation to the 1952 cartoon of the same name. Instead, this record is about Bugs helping a hunting dog out by pretending to play dead and letting the dog capture him so his owner, Elmer Fudd, won’t kill either of them. This is a pretty standard record, with nothing really special about it. The one major problem I have is with the ending. Bugs decides to steal Elmer’s car and leave him stranded, but he leaves the dog he was helping with Elmer. Considering how bad Elmer’s temper was earlier, he could have taken it out on the dog and for all we know, Bugs may have ended up getting the dog killed, making his act of kindness entirely pointless! Personally, this is not one I’d recommend.
Snowbound Tweety (1953)
This is a reworking of the cartoon Snow Business, which was released earlier in the year. Unfortunately, this one really pales in comparison to the original. In the original cartoon, Sylvester and Tweety are friends, but when a snowstorm hits while Granny is out, Sylvester decides to attempt to eat Tweety to get by, while also avoiding a mouse who is trying to eat him! This record is basically the same, though it excludes the mouse, who was the best part of the original cartoon. I suppose on its own this record is alright, and the song that Sylvester and Tweety sing is cute, so it at least has some reason to warrant at least one listen.
Happy Hippety Hopper (1953?)
This record has caused me trouble in that I haven’t been able to find much information on it. It’s not included in Walt Mitchell’s discography and the only reason I know about it at all is because it was included on the 1961 compilation, Bugs Bunny and His Friends. According to this blog, the record was recorded in 1953 around the same time as Pied Piper Pussy Cat and Yes Dis Ist Ein Christmas Tree, both of which were released in 1953, though there isn’t evidence that the record saw any release at all until the Bugs Bunny compilation was released, so the 1953 date is listed under the assumption that this was when the record was intended to be released.
Of all the records so far, this may be the most unique. Though it does follow the standard Hippety formula of him being mistaken for a giant mouse, this is a rare case where he is not paired with Sylvester, as well as a rare case where he actually speaks! Mel Blanc gives him a voice similar to Tweety, though with an Australian accent. He had previously given Hippety this voice briefly at the end of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bushy Hare, and would later use this voice again for Hippety Hopper’s Little Golden birthday record.
Hippety basically comes across a mouse who is being bullied by a cat and together they decide to work together to trick the cat so he’ll never bother the mouse again. It’s got great voice work on Blanc’s part and Hippety’s song is pretty catchy as well. This is definitely a great record to check out if you have a chance.
Daffy Duck’s Duck Inn (1954)
This is another interesting one, in that rather than being a reworking of an already existing cartoon, this one actually was made into a cartoon a year later by Robert McKimson as Dime to Retire. In both versions, Daffy charges 10 cents a room for his hotel, though he tries to make his guests pay much more for special services. The main difference is that on the record, the guest is Elmer Fudd, while in the cartoon, the guest is Porky Pig.
This also is a rare case where I think that the record adaptation may actually be superior to the cartoon version. The cartoon really isn’t all that visually interesting and the record also explains the reason for Elmer having explosives with him at the end (he says that he’s a traveling salesman). It’s definitely an interesting concept and its delivery is very well executed.
Bugs Bunny and the Pirate (1954)
This record has some similarities to the 1949 cartoon Buccaneer Bunny, particularly the initial set-up and the closing gag, though it isn’t necessarily a direct reworking. This one has many great moments, including Bugs tricking Yosemite Sam into shooting himself instead of Bugs (which was also used in Buccaneer Bunny), as well as tricking him into walking the plank. There’s even a good fourth wall gag to finish off the record. This is definitely a fun one to check out if you get the chance.
Walt Mitchell’s discography lists D-O-G Spells Dog as being released in 1955. Unfortunately, I do not have access to this one, but I can only assume that it’s a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon and that it’s the only Looney Tunes records released in 1955, therefore making it the last Looney Tunes records released on Capitol Records.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. It’s been very interesting seeing just how much these records deviate from the original cartoons as well as many of the similarities. Their work for Capitol is generally regarded as their best work in records, though it does not end there. Shortly after ending their contract with Capitol, Warner Bros. began having the characters appear on Little Golden Records. Someday, I plan on moving forward and discussing the Looney Tunes’ work for Golden.
Rabbit Seasoning (1953)
Despite the title, this has no relation to the 1952 cartoon of the same name. Instead, this record is about Bugs helping a hunting dog out by pretending to play dead and letting the dog capture him so his owner, Elmer Fudd, won’t kill either of them. This is a pretty standard record, with nothing really special about it. The one major problem I have is with the ending. Bugs decides to steal Elmer’s car and leave him stranded, but he leaves the dog he was helping with Elmer. Considering how bad Elmer’s temper was earlier, he could have taken it out on the dog and for all we know, Bugs may have ended up getting the dog killed, making his act of kindness entirely pointless! Personally, this is not one I’d recommend.
Snowbound Tweety (1953)
This is a reworking of the cartoon Snow Business, which was released earlier in the year. Unfortunately, this one really pales in comparison to the original. In the original cartoon, Sylvester and Tweety are friends, but when a snowstorm hits while Granny is out, Sylvester decides to attempt to eat Tweety to get by, while also avoiding a mouse who is trying to eat him! This record is basically the same, though it excludes the mouse, who was the best part of the original cartoon. I suppose on its own this record is alright, and the song that Sylvester and Tweety sing is cute, so it at least has some reason to warrant at least one listen.
Happy Hippety Hopper (1953?)
This record has caused me trouble in that I haven’t been able to find much information on it. It’s not included in Walt Mitchell’s discography and the only reason I know about it at all is because it was included on the 1961 compilation, Bugs Bunny and His Friends. According to this blog, the record was recorded in 1953 around the same time as Pied Piper Pussy Cat and Yes Dis Ist Ein Christmas Tree, both of which were released in 1953, though there isn’t evidence that the record saw any release at all until the Bugs Bunny compilation was released, so the 1953 date is listed under the assumption that this was when the record was intended to be released.
Of all the records so far, this may be the most unique. Though it does follow the standard Hippety formula of him being mistaken for a giant mouse, this is a rare case where he is not paired with Sylvester, as well as a rare case where he actually speaks! Mel Blanc gives him a voice similar to Tweety, though with an Australian accent. He had previously given Hippety this voice briefly at the end of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bushy Hare, and would later use this voice again for Hippety Hopper’s Little Golden birthday record.
Hippety basically comes across a mouse who is being bullied by a cat and together they decide to work together to trick the cat so he’ll never bother the mouse again. It’s got great voice work on Blanc’s part and Hippety’s song is pretty catchy as well. This is definitely a great record to check out if you have a chance.
Daffy Duck’s Duck Inn (1954)
This is another interesting one, in that rather than being a reworking of an already existing cartoon, this one actually was made into a cartoon a year later by Robert McKimson as Dime to Retire. In both versions, Daffy charges 10 cents a room for his hotel, though he tries to make his guests pay much more for special services. The main difference is that on the record, the guest is Elmer Fudd, while in the cartoon, the guest is Porky Pig.
This also is a rare case where I think that the record adaptation may actually be superior to the cartoon version. The cartoon really isn’t all that visually interesting and the record also explains the reason for Elmer having explosives with him at the end (he says that he’s a traveling salesman). It’s definitely an interesting concept and its delivery is very well executed.
Bugs Bunny and the Pirate (1954)
This record has some similarities to the 1949 cartoon Buccaneer Bunny, particularly the initial set-up and the closing gag, though it isn’t necessarily a direct reworking. This one has many great moments, including Bugs tricking Yosemite Sam into shooting himself instead of Bugs (which was also used in Buccaneer Bunny), as well as tricking him into walking the plank. There’s even a good fourth wall gag to finish off the record. This is definitely a fun one to check out if you get the chance.
Walt Mitchell’s discography lists D-O-G Spells Dog as being released in 1955. Unfortunately, I do not have access to this one, but I can only assume that it’s a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon and that it’s the only Looney Tunes records released in 1955, therefore making it the last Looney Tunes records released on Capitol Records.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. It’s been very interesting seeing just how much these records deviate from the original cartoons as well as many of the similarities. Their work for Capitol is generally regarded as their best work in records, though it does not end there. Shortly after ending their contract with Capitol, Warner Bros. began having the characters appear on Little Golden Records. Someday, I plan on moving forward and discussing the Looney Tunes’ work for Golden.
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