What's up doc? Bugs Bunny as art

One of my fondest childhood memories is coming home from school and watching a half-hour of cartoons. One of the three channels we received on our Zenith black and white television carried Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.

Warner Brothers produced these shorts from 1930 to 1969 to air before movies. Among the characters brought to life by the gifted animators were: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester, Tweety, Marvin the Martian, Taz, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam, Pepé Le Pew and Speedy Gonzales.

Looking at this list, I'm sure many of you are recalling cartoons and laughter, pleasant memories for many of us. I saw a documentary a few weeks ago about Chuck Jones, one of the directors of many of the cartoons. Jones passed away in 2002 at the age of 89.

While you may not recognize the name, you will recognize his work. In addition to being one of the "fathers" of Bugs Bunny, Jones created Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner and after leaving Warner Brothers did a series of Tom and Jerry shorts for MGM and several independent productions including "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," "The White Seal," and "Rikki Tikki Tavi."

Three of Jones' films have been selected to the National Film Registry: "What's Opera Doc?", "Duck Amuck," and "One Froggy Evening."

It was interesting to hear Jones recall his own childhood and how his experiences contributed to his work. Jones was heavily influenced by Mark Twain and early silent film comedians.

Interestingly enough, several comedians, including Robin Williams, cite Jones' work as inspiration for their own comedy.

Many of the baby boom generation, including myself, grew up watching these cartoons, and Bugs Bunny is among my personal heroes. He is one of those characters who always tries to do right, minds his own business and doesn't really get ornery until someone is mean to him. After the offense, Bugs would say: "Of course you realize, this means war!"

Comedy soon ensued.

During the years my children were growing up, I tried to introduce them to these characters who were as big a part of my childhood as some of the neighborhood kids. I emphasize "tried," because even before the cartoons went off the air, they were becoming censored as "too violent." Some of the early VHS collections contained these butchered versions of the classics, and they truly weren't the same.

I suppose there are some that blame Wile E. Coyote ("Super Genius") and his nemesis the Roadrunner for everything from abuse to mass murder. How ridiculous! The real crime is depriving children the joy of these hand made masterpieces.

With the advent of DVD technology, some of the Warner Brothers cartoons are becoming available. The only problem is that the catalog is so huge, that the boxed sets, containing four discs only have 56 cartoons. The suggested retail price of many sets is over $60.00.

I realize I may be showing my age and upbringing here, but that seems way out of line for something I used to enjoy for free as a child.

But it seems like nostalgia can bring a pretty penny nowadays.

In the early 1980s, limited edition cels, hand painted pieces of celluloid inked and signed by artists such as Chuck Jones became available. My wife and I attended a showing of this art in Des Moines. Cels of Bugs Bunny were being sold for $150. After seeing the documentary on Jones, I did some research on the web on cels and these same limited edition pieces are selling for well over a thousand dollars. That's a huge increase in value.

If you want to get something authentic for $150 today, I wish you well in your search.

I imagine I will be among those shelling out for Looney Tunes DVDs for my grandchildren. After all, Bugs Bunny 101 should be a required course of childhood.

T-t-t-t-hat's All, Folks!

As always, I welcome your comments. You can reach me by email at tstangl@lemarscomm.net, telephone 712-546-7031, x40 or toll free 1-800-728-0066 x40.

Thanks for reading, I'll keep in touch. Feel free to do the same.