Looney Tunes:Golden Coll. V1 (DVD)

These Looney Tunes classics are still hilarious fun, and the excellent Golden Collection sets are like treasure troves for fans. This set (Volume One) is, in my opinion, the very best of them all. It's the best place to start a Looney Tunes collection. If you only own one set, this is the one to get.The Warner Brothers theatrical cartoons (Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies) represent a high point in animation. The cartoons were groundbreaking for their wild humor and off-the-wall style. I'm only an amateur when it comes to animation history, but the cartoons are great and the bonus features are very interesting.The Looney Tunes were originally played before Warner Bros. movies and were later played on television and marketed toward kids. This is how I saw the Looney Tunes growing up. The cartoons, however, were not made with kids in mind, and I am happy to say that they hold up very well with adult viewers. I was a little surprised how FUNNY these fifty- and sixty-year-old cartoons still are.As this is the first Golden Collection set, I believe these 4 discs contain the best mix of Looney Tunes classics of all the sets. Many memorable cartoons from my childhood. Disc One focuses on Bugs Bunny, Disc Two focuses on Porky and Daffy, and the final two discs are a hodge podge of Looney Tunes characters.High points include:"Baseball Bugs" - classic Bugs Bunny baseball cartoon"Rabbit Seasoning" - part 2 of the classic Rabbit Season/Duck Season, Bugs-Daffy-Elmer trilogy"High Diving Hare" - Bugs vs. Yosemite Sam and a high-diving routine; funny stuff"Rabbit of Seville" - Bugs and Elmer in an opera (the one where barber Bugs massages Elmer's head with his toes)"Duck Amuck" - Daffy is at odds with the animator"Drip-Along Daffy" - Daffy as a Wild West gunslinger, Porky as the sidekick"Deduce, You Say" - Daffy and Porky in a Sherlock Holmes/Watson caper"Rabbit Fire" - the first Rabbit Season/Duck Season, Bugs-Daffy-Elmer cartoon"Long-Haired Hare" - Bugs poses as a conductor to exact revenge on an opera singer"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" - Daffy and Porky as space explorers"Early to Bet" - the Gambling Bug makes a cat take on a dog in a game of cards, despite his losing streak"Don't Give Up the Sheep" - a wolf tries to outsmart a sheepdog...as well as appearances by Marvin Martian, Sylvester, Tweety, Foghorn Leghorn, Wile E. Coyote, Roadrunner, and even the Tasmanian Devil.Almost all the cartoons are winners. Some are sure to stand out in your memory, some are culturally or historically significant.These 4-disc Golden Collection sets are ideal for collectors and animation buffs. Along with nearly 60 cartoons, these sets include a wealth of bonus features and behind-the-scenes extras. Very interesting stuff and well worth it, if you're interested in such things.Among the extras included in this set are "Behind-the-Tunes" featurettes on Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester/Tweety, Roadrunner/Wyle E. Coyote, Foghorn Leghorn, Speedy Gonzales, Carl Stalling (the man behind the music), and Mel Blanc (the voices of the Looney Tunes); a documentary on the "Golden Age of the Looney Tunes"; and informative audio-commentaries for select cartoons.**More casual fans or kids/families may be more interested in the less-expensive "Spotlight Collections" (volume one), which feature just two discs of cartoons, without the bonus features. If all you want are the cartoons to watch, these 2-disc sets may be a better option for you.**The Looney Tunes Golden Collections make excellent gifts and can occasionally be found on sale for about $26 (down from about $50). The sets are great for cartoon lovers and collectors, featuring behind-the-scenes extras to go along with the Looney Tunes shorts. Of all the (six) Golden Collection volumes, this first set is the best, featuring classic cartoons from all the major characters and first-rate bonus features. Later releases were more specialized, but this set contains a healthy mix. One of my favorite DVD sets. Very highly recommended.

in the fantastic "Deduce You say"; a WB takeoff on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, in this version you have Daffy as the famous Sherlock Holmes and Porky Pig as Watson. The dialogue and atmospheric setting in this one are amazing and VERY funny; when they go to the local pub looking for the Shropshire Slasher, Daffy leans back on the bar and orders "hot buttered gin" with a dozen darts stuck in his beak, the price of annoying one of the female bar patrons. When the object of their search finally makes an appearance, Porky interviews him and elicits the information thusly: "Name, my good man?" "Shropshire Slasher." "Occupation?" "Shropshire Slasher." Doesn't get any better than this; these cartoons are absolutely hilarious, and this collection has some real gems,my personal favorite being "Feed the Kitty" a Chuck Jones masterpiece, involving an English Bulldog and his tiny kitty friend. When Marc Antony (Bulldog) first encounters kitty, he barks furiously, instead of running away the kitty purrs and rubs up against him. It is mutual love at first sight, and although Marc Antony endeavors to hide his little friend, eventually he is caught red-handed. There is a scene of the lady of the house baking cookies, and the kitty has been hiding in the batter bowl; when Marc Antony looks through the window, all he sees is the mixing bowl operating a a furious pace, and thinking his kitty has been chopped to bits, emits a tortured howl and collapses in grief on the sidewalk...when the lady comes out and lets him back in she gives him a cookie...unfortunately the cookie is in the shape of a kitten! Thinking it is his friend, he puts it on his back, where the real kitty used to ride, and then his chin quivers and he breaks down in really inconsolable sobbing. Then the kitty, unhurt, walks up to him and purrs and rubs his chin; Marc Antony is overjoyed! In the end, he is allowed to keep his kitty. This is a pure joy to watch."Dripalong Daffy" is a riot; Porky Pig as sidekick and comic relief to Daffy Duck, who becomes sheriff of Gower Gulch, (an inside joke/reference to the nickname for the WB Studio, located in what was then known as Gower Gulch...) and they enter the local saloon looking for a villian, who, when he enters the salon, demands his "usual." This is a frightening concoction that necessitates the bartender donning Asbestos gloves, face shield and a special apron; then tongs! The mixture is so volatile it emits tiny explosions, adn then, when ice is added, the cubes jump out of the glass and run away screaming...The bad guy downs this appalling drink and his only reaction is his hat does a backflip. Daffy demands his own; the results are somewhat different; he turns all shades of the rainbow, including PLAID and POLKA DOTS, then walks arounfd like a mechanical doll and then recites Mary Had a Little Lamb in a child's high pitched voice...the showdown is wonderful; all kinds of amazing camera angles, and shots from high hotel windows, and the ominous clanking of spurs...this is strongly reminiscent of "High Noon" and is simply terrific."Wearing of the Grin" is one of the most surreal cartoons ever to emerge from the amazing minds of the WB animators; this is Salvador Dali come to life...Porky Pig, travling through Ireland, becomes lost and tired in a thunderstorm and seeks refuge at a local haunted castle, and the caretakers, O'Pat and O'Mike, clay pips firmly upside down in their mouths, come and assist Porky and get him a "nice soft bed" for the night...but first the O'Pat and O'Mike characters split up and we see they are actually 2 Leprechauns...and one of them asks Porky "Have you seen my other half, sir?" There they are, 2 separate Leprechauns, and one of them says to Porky "Isn't this sight enough to make the heart stand crossways in ye?" Porky goes into shock and they put after his head hits the pillow, Porky falls asleep and has a Dali nightmare...the end of which he is sentenced to the wearing of the green shoes. These shoes are tap shoes and force him to dance and dance uncontrollably; finally he wakes up and escapes from the castle."Water Water Every Hare" is another great one; Bugs falls asleep and is carried out of his rabbit hole by a rain storm and is deposited at the nightmare Castle of the Evil Scientist, (a miniscule version of Boris Karloff) whose castle conveniently has a neon sign stating "Evil Scientist" flashing off and on...once inside, Bugs is going to be used for his brain to go into the cranium of the enormous metal robot the scientist hasbuilt....Naturally,m Bugs has some objections to this and thre scientist enlists the aid of the Monster..this is a great character, covered with hair and complete with sneakers! Bugs finally corrals the Monster and shrinks him down to about three inches; he packs his bags and leaves in disgust...when the scientist returns, Bugs breaks a bottle of chloroform and chases Bugs in a hilarious slomo chase. saying "come.....back......here..........you........rab....bit."Great stuff, a must have, and wait 'til you see what's coming next! Check it out:Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour, The - Golden Collection Volume 2 - Complete List of Cartoons!Last March we reported on a heads-up from Warner Bros. that The Looney Toons - Golden Collection Volume 2 would be out later in 2004. Now we've gotten a lot more info for you!In the not-too-distant future, Warner Home Video will announce a release date in late October or early November, for another 4-DVD box set. This time around it will contain 60 cartoon shorts ranging from 1936 to 1958. Included is another disc of just Bugs Bunny 'toons, plus a LOT of favorites from The Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote, AND a large group just from Sylvester & Tweety! It sounds like Warner listened to the fans who missed seeing more of those particular match-ups on the first release. Also on-board are the first ("Tortoise Beats Hare") and last ("Rabbit Transit") stories in the Bugs Bunny/Cecil Turtle (a.k.a. Cecil Tortoise) trilogy, the middle one of which ("Tortoise Wins By a Hare") was on the first DVD set.Hare-Brained Hypnotist" (Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd - 1942)"Little Red Riding Rabbit" (Bugs Bunny - 1944)"Stage Door Cartoon" (Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd - 1944)"Hare Conditioned" (Bugs Bunny - 1945)"Rhapsody Rabbit" (Bugs Bunny - 1946)"The Big Snooze" (Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd - 1946)"Slick Hare" (Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd - 1947)"Bugs Bunny Rides Again" (Bugs Bunny/Yosemite Sam - 1948)"Gorilla My Dreams" (Bugs Bunny/Gruesome Gorilla - 1948)"Bunny Hugged" (Bugs Bunny - 1951)"French Rarebit" (Bugs Bunny/Louis and Francois - 1951)"Baby Buggy Bunny" (Bugs Bunny/Baby-Faced Finster - 1954)"Hyde And Hare" (Bugs Bunny - 1955)"Broom-Stick Bunny" (Bugs Bunny/Witch Hazel - 1956)"What's Opera, Doc?" (Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd - 1957)"Beep Beep" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1952)"Going! Going! Gosh!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1952)"Zipping Along" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1953)"Stop! Look! and Hasten!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1954)"Guided Muscle" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1955)"Ready.. Set.. Zoom!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1955)"Gee Whiz-z-z-z!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1956)"There They Go-Go-Go!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1956)"Scrambled Aches" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1957)"Zoom And Bored" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1957)"Whoa, Be-Gone!" (Road Runner/Coyote - 1958)"Porky In Wackyland" (Porky Pig - 1938)"Old Glory" (Porky Pig - 1939)"Book Revue" (Daffy Duck - 1946)"Show Biz Bugs" (Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck - 1957)"Kitty Kornered" (Porky/Sylvester - 1946)"Tweety Pie" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1947)"Back Alley Op-Roar" (Elmer Fudd/Sylvester - 1948)"Bad Ol' Putty Tat" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1949)"All a Bir-r-r-rd" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1950)"Room And Bird" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1951)"Tweet Tweet Tweety" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1951)"A Bird In A Guilty Cage" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1952)"Ain't She Tweet" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1952)"Gift Wrapped" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1952)"Snow Business" (Sylvester/Tweety - 1953)"You Ought to Be in Pictures" (Daffy/Porky - 1940)"Duck Soup To Nuts" (Daffy/Porky - 1944)"Baby Bottleneck" (Daffy/Porky - 1946)"The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" (Daffy Duck as "Duck Twacy" - 1946)"I Love To Singa" ("Owl" Jolson - 1936)"Have You Got Any Castles?" (1938)"Katnip Kollege" (Johnny Cat - 1938)"Hollywood Steps Out" (1941)"The Heckling Hare" (Bugs Bunny/Willoughby - 1941)"Tortoise Beats Hare" (Bugs Bunny/Cecil Turtle - 1941)"The Dover Boys at Pimento University or 'The Rivals of Roquefort Hall'" (1942)"The Hep Cat" (Hep Cat - 1942)"Corny Concerto" (Doc and Champ - 1943)"Rabbit Transit" (Bugs Bunny/Cecil Turtle - 1947)"Mouse Wreckers" (Hubie and Bertie/Claude Cat - 1948)"Bear For Punishment" (Henry, Ma, & Junyer Bear - 1951)"Cheese Chasers" (Hubie and Bertie - 1951)"One Froggy Evening" (Michigan J. Frog - 1955)"Three Little Bops" (1957)Best line from "What's Opera Doc:" (Elmer Fudd)"Oh Brunhilde, you're so wuvwy...."(Brunhilde Bugs)"Yes I know it, I can't help it..."And we still have Pepe Le Pew and Foghorn Leghorn to come, just to name a couple!!! OH BOY!