Walt Clinton

The third ring offers a whimsical glimpse into the future - or at least a future from the POV of the mid-20th century - with a plethora of zany postwar inventions. While none of the cartoons "of tomorrow" foresaw smartphones or DVD players, these far-fetched contraptions, gadgets, houses and farms, televisions, and various modes of transportation could only come from the madcap mind of Avery and his M-G-M crew. Uncut, restored and remastered in High Definition for the first time, Tex Avery Screwball Classics Collection Volume 3 is another must-own collection from the master of hand-drawn mayhem.

The third ring offers a whimsical glimpse into the future - or at least a future from the POV of the mid-20th century - with a plethora of zany postwar inventions. While none of the cartoons "of tomorrow" foresaw smartphones or DVD players, these far-fetched contraptions, gadgets, houses and farms, televisions, and various modes of transportation could only come from the madcap mind of Avery and his M-G-M crew. Uncut, restored and remastered in High Definition for the first time, Tex Avery Screwball Classics Collection Volume 2 is another must-own collection from the master of hand-drawn mayhem.

At long last a beautifully restored and mastered selection of a number of cartoon king Tex Avery’s brilliant, innovative and (most of all) hilarious MGM shorts comes to Blu-ray via the Warner Archive, with the implied promise of more volumes to come. Some of his greatest cartoons are included, and many of these shorts have likely not looked and sounded so good since their original theatrical release. This is a virtual godsend for the director’s legion of fans, and a worthwhile introduction for those yet unfamiliar with Avery’s uniquely zany oeuvre.

The first Texas bad man come running into town a million years B.C.

When the Candlestick Maker resigns from his famous storybook trio, the Butcher and the Baker seek a new member for their group.

A veteran B-29 propeller plane, struggling to find work after the war, is upset after his wife gives birth to a little jet. When he tries to compete with modern planes in an around-the-world race, Junior comes to his aid. This short is virtually identical in plot terms and other items to One Cab's Family (1952), but this time around, it concerns a family of aeroplanes, and the problems Mom and Pop have with Junior, whose obsession with speed leads him to acquire a jet engine.

At the gates of Heaven, the admitting officials have a hard time understanding a newcomer's life story with all his contemporary slang.

A cat learns the art of ventriloquism in order to play a series of practical jokes on a slow-witted bulldog...

A kitten who is being tormented by a bulldog finds a savior in a black cat (from the "Black Cat Bad Luck Company") who merely has to cross the dog's path for something very unlucky to happen to the bully.

Uncle Tom tells the blood curdling story of how the evil Simon Legree tried to foreclose on Tom's simple log cabin. (Uncle Tom's Cabaña is a 1947 American animated short film directed by Tex Avery. The short is a parody of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and is Avery's second parody of the novel, the first being Uncle Tom's Bungalow in 1937 while at Warner Bros. Cartoons)

George and Junior are two hungry bears who try to make a meal out of a not too bright barnyard chicken.

Donald is digging in his gold mine, mostly generic looking dark rocks, and being clumsy, to the great amusement of his burro, when he accidentally fills his cart with a load of pure gold. The burro takes off and dumps the cart, Donald and all, into a scary looking crusher. Donald barely makes it through the machinery.

Donald has to work hard to save his garden and price-winning melons from a hungry badger.

A duck may not look the muscled part, Donald takes his job as village blacksmith serious. First he fashions a new iron ring for an oxcart-wheel, and expertly makes it dance onto the wood, but then painfully experiences the laws of physics mercilessly punish any size error, worsened each time he insists. Then Donald services a shy-looking client: vain 'Jacqueline-ass' Jenny, who refuses to approve any of the shoe-models he presents, and therefore stubbornly resists his equally driven attempts to fit it on her back-hoof.

Donald decides to try cooking along with a radio show.

Inspired by a store display, Donald decides to "hunt" some wildlife with his camera. First, he encounters a too-friendly chipmunk, then a large group of shy animals, then some animals in a dark cave. But his biggest challenge is a woodpecker, who finds a number of ways to torment him, even though Donald does manage to trick him briefly using some toothpaste that pretends to be a worm.

Donald visits a penny arcade where he sees a risque Daisy dancing in one of the nickelodeon shows and later has trouble with the airplane ride.

Donald is an admiral on a seagoing voyage with his nephews in which they encounter a ravenous shark.