LOONEY TUNES COLLECTOR'S CHOICE VOL. 3 (1934-1964)
Label: Warner Archive
Audio/Video: We get a bumper crop of 25 shorts for the third volume of Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2, presented on Blu-ray in 1080p HD in their original 1.37:1 ratios. Most of these have a light layer of grain throughout, it's not always uniform but it's there and largely unmolested, with some occasional dips here and there. While it does look like there's been some judicial filtering applied during the restoration process the grain structures survived the process, animation lines look quite good, and colors are robust throughout. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. Sounding clean of for the most part, there is some discrepancy in audio levels, and they're not as crisp full-bodied presentation by any means but it does sound appropriately vintage.
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 177 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Full Screen (1.37:1)
Directors: Tex Avery, Arthur Davis, Friz Freleng, Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, Gerry Chiniquy, Earl Duvall
Cast: Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, June Foray, Sara Berner, Bea Benaderet, Elvia Allman, Tex Avery, Cal Howard, Billy Bletcher, Robert C. Bruce, Stan Freberg, Count Cutelli, Julie Bennett, Dave Barry, Daws Butler
Looney Tunes Collector’s Choice, Vol. 3 resurrects 25 more of the classic animated Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts from the WB vault. We of a certain age all grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety & Sylvester, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote on TV as kids (and then into our teens, and still even now as alleged adults).
All 25 of the shorts found herein are making their Blu-ray debut; several of which have not been seen on home video since the days of Laserdisc, spanning 30 years (1934-1964), the Golden Age of animation when toon-titans Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery, and Robert McKimson were at their peak of their animated creativity. Highlights include some of the first and last original Bugs Bunny shorts; landmark early appearances by Elmer Fudd prototype Egghead, hilarious rarities with Bobo the Elephant and Quentin Quail; and the first color Merrie Melodies short Honeymoon Hotel.
1. A FEUD THERE WAS - Elmer Fudd (1938, Tex Avery)(7:45)
This is a fun Hatfield & McCoy hillbilly rivalry featuring an early appearance from Elmer Fudd.
2. CHINA JONES - Daffy Duck & Porky Pig (1959, Robert McKimson) (6:28)
This is one of the shorts that might raise an eyebrow, we have Daffy Duck playing a gumshoe and Porky Pig channeling Chinese sleuth Charlie Chan as "Charlie Chung".
3. CINDERELLA MEETS FELLA (1938, Tex Avery) (8:27)
This is a very early Tex Avery short with proto-Elmer Fudd character Egghead that has some cool sight gags.
4. DUMB PATROL - Bugs Bunny & Yosemite Sam (1964, Gerry Chiniquy) (6:21) A WW1 set biplane aerial dogfight with Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny, as a kid this was one of my favorites.
5. EGGHEAD RIDES AGAIN - Egghead (1937, Tex Avery) (7:25)
Another fun ione with Egghead,who is evicted from his apartment for being an annoying cowbit, then hoofing it to Wyoming to get hired on as a ranch hand, if he can only prove his cowboyness.
6. ELMER'S PET RABBIT - Elmer Fudd & Bugs Bunny, (1941, Chuck Jones) (7:48)
It's a classic madcap Bugs Bunny versus Elmer Fudd with this one.
7. HOBO BOBO (1947, Robert McKimson) (7:05)
In this one-off which I'd never seen previously a baby elephant named Bobo set sail for America in search of a better life, along the way he is advised by bird to paint himself pink so as not to attract attention, because once you start seeing pink elephants you better keep it to yourself or you would be carted off to the asylum.
8. HONEYMOON HOTEL (1934, Earl Duvall)(7:23)
An early Merrie Melodies two-strip Technicolor short, the first in color, follows the adventures of an insect couple in Bugtown.
9. HOP, SKIP AND A CHUMP (1947, Friz Freleng) (7:02)
Wherein caterpillar Hopalong Casserole attempts to evade a a pair of birds clearly modeled after Laurel and Hardy.
10. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU (1937, Tex Avery) (8:07)
In this zany Tex Avery joint an ice-delivery bird vies for the affections of the lovely through Cyrano-esque deceit.
11. MEXICAN JOYRIDE - Daffy Duck (1947, Arthur Davis) (7:26) You had me at Daffy Duck goes to Mexico to try his hand at being a matador.
12. THE MOUSE ON 57TH STREET (1961, Chuck Jones) (5:53)
A mouse looking to cure his hangover steals a one-of-a-kind diamond thinking it's an ice cube, and a pair of keystone cops give chase. From frame one you just know this is a Chuck Jones short, classic.
13. MR. AND MRS. IS THE NAME (1935, Friz Freleng) (7:23)
Another fun one-off, two-strip Technicolor short where a Mermaid/Merman couple irritate an Octopus while exploring an old sunken ship.
14. OF RICE AND HEN - Foghorn Leghorn & Prissy (1953, Robert McKimson) (6:37)
For my money this is the obvious stone-cold classic on the set, with a reluctant Foghorn Leghorn dodging the amorous affection of lonely hen Prissy.
15. PRE-HYSTERICAL HARE - Elmer Fudd (1958, Robert McKimson) (6:30)
In this hysterical bit of pre-history neanderthal Elmer Fudd engages in a battle of the half-wits against saber-toothed Bugs Bunny.
16. PUNCH TRUNK - Daffy Duck (1953, Chuck Jones) (7:02)
Another one-off wherein a pocket-sized pachyderm creates a big stir in the big city.
17. QUENTIN QUAIL (1946, Chuck Jones) (6:55)
Another one-off, and my vote for the least-favorite short on the set, is this tale about a father bird helping his daughter catch a worm for dinner.
18. RIFF RAFFY DAFFY - Daffy Duck & Porky Pig (1948, Arthur Davis) (6:52)
Another classic short that is well-remembered from my youth is this one wherein a a un-housed Daffy attempts to outwit bullying beat-cop played by Porky as he looks for a place to rest his head.
19. SADDLE CITY (1941, Chuck Jones) (7:35)
A terrific short about the Pony Express riding through hostile Native AMerican territory chock full of tasty sight gags.
20. SHEEP AHOY (1954, Chuck Jones) (6:44)
Sam the wolf is sort of Wile E. Coyote's red-nosed cousin, though when I was watching these as a kid I thought they were one and the same, here he battles a resourceful sheep dog named Ralph in an attempt to snag a sheep from the flock, this coming off pretty much as a Roadrunner toon with the same sort of set-ups and pratfalls.
21. THE SHEEPISH WOLF (1942, Friz Freleng)
Oddly enough another Sheepdog versus wolf short, this one coming quite a bit earlier than the Sam and Ralph stuff, but along the same lines.
22. THERE AUTO BE A LAW (1953, Robert McKimson) (6:55)
As a kid these PSA shorts were among my favorites and least seen, this one is chock full of vehicular sight gag s as it tells the fantastical tale of cars and traffic.
23. TUGBOAT GRANNY - Tweety, Sylvester and Granny (1956, Friz Freleng)
Another beloved classic, wherein Granny is a tugboat captain and bad old Sylvester the cat attempting to swipe Tweety from his cage under Granny's nose.
24. WAR AND PIECES - Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner (1964, Chuck Jones) (6:46)
Wile E. Coyote battles the Road Runner are at it again.
25. WET HARE - Bugs Bunny (1962, Robert McKimson) (6:35) In this one Bugs is up against the villainous Blacque Jacque Shellacque who damnas up the river in an effort to control the water supply for financial gain.
Audio/Video: We get a bumper crop of 25 shorts for the third volume of Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 2, presented on Blu-ray in 1080p HD in their original 1.37:1 ratios. Most of these have a light layer of grain throughout, it's not always uniform but it's there and largely unmolested, with some occasional dips here and there. While it does look like there's been some judicial filtering applied during the restoration process the grain structures survived the process, animation lines look quite good, and colors are robust throughout. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with optional English subtitles. Sounding clean of for the most part, there is some discrepancy in audio levels, and they're not as crisp full-bodied presentation by any means but it does sound appropriately vintage.
There are no extras to be found here, which should not be a huge surprise for anyone familiar with Warner Archive, who are not known for creating new extras for their releases, preferring to stick to top notch restoration and presentation, and the same holds true here. But c'mon WAC, anything would have been appreciated, these toons deserve some bonus junk love. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring a collage of characters on a green background.
Looney Tunes Collector's Choice Vol. 3 is another whiz-bang collection from Warner Archive, we get 25 fantastic cartoon shorts that have the magical ability to transport me right back to sitting in front of grandma's TV as a kid in the 80s eating a sugary bowl of cereal and laughing non-stop, that alone is worth the price admission, let alone that they look better than ever on Blu-ray.
Purchase:
Physical Media Land:
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