David Detiege

Warner Bros. has provided a feast of laughs this holiday season. First up is "Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet," featuring Bugs as head of a diet clinic specializing in weighty Thanksgiving matters. Then make way for "Daffy Duck's Thanks-for-giving Special," wherein Daffy's thoughts turn to what is nearest and dearest to him: himself!

Daffy Duck: Frustrated Fowl was released in conjunction with Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire None of these shorts have been released on disc before, and Chuck Jones's "Daffy Dilly" (1948) is a welcome addition to any cartoon library. Daffy sets out to win the money a gloomy millionaire is offering to anyone who can make him laugh--and succeeds in spite of himself. But many of these cartoons are, simply, duds. "This Is a Life?" (1955), "People Are Bunny" (1959), and "Person to Bunny" (1960) spoof largely forgotten TV shows. How many viewers under 65 will recognize caricatures of Art Linkletter and Edward R. Murrow? The films pitting Daffy against Bugs play like weak remakes of Jones's "Rabbit Fire" trilogy or Friz Freleng's "Show Biz Bugs"--"Person to Bunny" even repeats some of Daffy's tap dance to "Jeepers Creepers" in "Show Biz." The very late "Suppressed Duck" (1965) is painfully unfunny. Once again, some of the films have been inexplicably cropped to simulate a widescreen format.

Daffy Duck and Speedy Gonzales find a treasure map that leads them to a wishing well, which for a penny will grant any wish (through old cartoon footage). Daffy sets up a resort around the well and various Looney Tunes characters have their dreams come true. Meanwhile, Yosemite Sam and the Tasmanian Devil hunt for the varmints who stole their treasure map!

If Bugs Bunny were to direct his signature inquiry--"What's up, doc?"--toward the modern-day Warner Bros. creative team, he wouldn't be far off. For 1001 Rabbit Tales, they've doctored up a batch of classic cartoons featuring the carrot muncher and his bumbling comrades and bundled them, near seamlessly, into a feature-length film. Here's the premise: Bugs and Daffy, both book salesmen, are competing to sell the most copies of a kids' book. Instead of burrowing a beeline to his sales territory (he should have made a left at Albuquerque), Bugs ends up in the castle of Yosemite Sam, here a harem-leading honcho. Sam's pain-in-the-spurs son, Prince Abalaba, needs somebody to read him stories; Bugs, who'd sooner take the job than suffer the alternative, that involving being boiled in oil, signs on.

The president of QTTV is thrown out the window since the shows under his reign got nothing but bad ratings. So the executives decide that it is time to find a new president who understands entertainment. That's when they turn to Bugs Bunny. The network calls Bugs Bunny and asks him to be the new president. They also ask him how he came to be and that's when the special shows scenes from What's Up Doc?. Eventually, Bugs accepts the job.

The president of QTTV is thrown out the window since the shows under his reign got nothing but bad ratings. So the executives decide that it is time to find a new president who understands entertainment. That's when they turn to Bugs Bunny. The network calls Bugs Bunny and asks him to be the new president. They also ask him how he came to be and that's when the special shows scenes from What's Up Doc?. Eventually, Bugs accepts the job.

Bugs Bunny hosts an award show featuring several classic Looney Tunes shorts and characters. This movie was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. and was produced by Friz Freleng. New footage was one of the final productions done by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (also known as Marvel Productions beginning in the 1980s) and the film was re-released in the USA on April 28, 2009 from Warner Home Video.

Foghorn Leghorn assigns Prissy, who's been laying some odd, unsatisfactory eggs, to lay turquoise eggs for Easter...

As a hospital janitor the Pink Panther takes up first aid, to the disgust of the duty doctor.

Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet is a 1979 Looney Tunes Thanksgiving television special. It premiered on CBS on November 15th, 1979.

Pink Panther once again becomes a toreador once the first one chickens out.

The Pink Panther adopts a wind-up duck as a house pet.

The stork gets lost in a thunderstorm, and delivers a baby alligator to the Pink Panther, whom had the wrong address.

The Pink Panther sells his cow for some beans and grows a large beanstalk, later facing a giant.

The Pink Panther catches a butterfly for his collection, but it turns out to be a small UFO.

The Pink Panther catches a butterfly for his collection, but it turns out to be a small UFO.

Staying in a motel, the Pink Panther decides to practice his trumpet playing, while annoying the man next door in the motel.

The Pink Panther visits an amusement arcade after getting tons of quarters from a broken weight machine.

After reading about a widow who inherited 20 million dollars, the Dogfather is determined to marry her to get the dough. However, he has to compete with his nemesis, Rocky, to win her heart.

Crazylegs Crane tries to deliver a baby to the Dogfather.

The Dogfather orders Pug and Louie to break Bennie the Boom Boom out of prison. However, they both get captured in the process.

Demonstrates various elements and techniques of an animated film. Shows how these elements such as the voice tracks, pictures, music, and sound effects can be mixed together to produce a musical motion picture.

Suicidal poet Archy tries to end his life by jumping off a bridge, but awakens to find he has assumed the life of a cockroach and has become a part of a community of creatures living in a newspaper office. He also discovers that he can still write poetry, using a typewriter, and begins to enjoy his new life. Archy develops deep feelings for the lovely but self-destructive cat Mehitabel, but will have to fight to win her from bad-boy tomcat Bill.

The setting: two South Sea islands. On one: a hungry, shipwrecked Aardvark. On the other: an army of (food) Ants. The Aardvark knows that this is true because he sees the Ants in his spyglass. All that you have to do is swim right over there... except that there's a mean old shark who won't let that happen. The Aardvark tries, but he fails. Next, he gets a surfboard. The shark eats that as if it's newspaper.

The Aardvark's vacuum cleaner, intended by him to inhale the Ant after his own snout becomes corked and bottled, ingests an angry bear.

On his day off work, Inspector Clouseau goes grocery shopping. On leaving the store, he thoughtlessly takes his shopping cart with him and is chided by a narrator for having committed theft and broken the law! Clouseau tries to return the cart to the store but sees a policeman on patrol and, spooked, runs in the opposite direction with the cart. Prodded by the narrator into feeling guilty and fearful of arrest, Clouseau makes several attempts to lose the cart, but it keeps coming back to him! NOTE: Last "Inspector" cartoon.

In medieval times, The Pink Panther tries to rescue an imprisoned peasant because he is too poor to pay taxes.

The Pink Panther buys a land lot atop a narrow mesa, and the house he builds blocks a nearby observatory's view of the Moon. At first, the short, pointy-nosed astronomer at the observatory zooms his huge telescope into the panther's window and believes the newspaper photo of a sexy woman being looked upon by the panther is an actual observation of life on the Moon, and he telephones the fantastic finding to his employers. The Pink Panther builds a brick wall to block the telescope's view, and the hostilities begin.

The next-door neighbor neglects to return the Pink Panther's lawn mower, resulting in a feud that escalates into all-out war.

Daffy Duck goes to a forest on a gold hunt, and his treasure map indicates the presence of gold in a hole occupied by two polite twin gophers.

In 1869, Justin Eagle lives on his ranch called "The Eagle's Nest" near the town of Button Willow, California. In addition to being a rancher, Juston is a trouble-shooter for the U. S. Government which calls for him to act as an undercover operative and thwart the forces of evil in the rapidly-growing West. He is sent to San Franciso to find missing U. S. Senaator Freeman, who has disappeared while fighting the efforts of Montgomery Blaine, a villain who has been, with the aid of his henchman, "The Whip," forcing settlers to sell their land to him, not knowing that the land is in the path of a proposed railroad, from Utah, that will link the western United States to the East. Senator Freeman is the leader of an effort to veer the railroad southward to bypass Blaine's land and, for his efforts, is kidnapped by Bliane's henchmen and shanghaied from the San Francisco waterfront. Justin Eagle's job is to find and return him safely.

In 1869, Justin Eagle lives on his ranch called "The Eagle's Nest" near the town of Button Willow, California. In addition to being a rancher, Juston is a trouble-shooter for the U. S. Government which calls for him to act as an undercover operative and thwart the forces of evil in the rapidly-growing West. He is sent to San Franciso to find missing U. S. Senaator Freeman, who has disappeared while fighting the efforts of Montgomery Blaine, a villain who has been, with the aid of his henchman, "The Whip," forcing settlers to sell their land to him, not knowing that the land is in the path of a proposed railroad, from Utah, that will link the western United States to the East. Senator Freeman is the leader of an effort to veer the railroad southward to bypass Blaine's land and, for his efforts, is kidnapped by Bliane's henchmen and shanghaied from the San Francisco waterfront. Justin Eagle's job is to find and return him safely.

Glamorous screen star Woody Woodpecker is constantly beset by a publicity photographer who wants to take his picture. Finally, Woody gets away for a vacation in the woods, thinking that he has escaped the bright lights and publicity men for a while. However, who shows up but the pesky photographer? Woody tries a number of tricks to get rid of the photographer, including setting a grizzly bear on him. In the end, the photographer gets back at Woody with a cannonball in the rear end.

Bugs races Daffy to get to the TV station first and win the prize on the "Beat Your Buddy" show.

Doc, while watching Champ work out with the punching bag, accidentally drops a hammer on Champ's toe, causing him to howl and hop about in a crazy beatnik dance, holding his foot. A beatnik coffee house owner is impressed and signs them up to entertain at his swinging club. Doc stages concerts for the talented but pain-ridden pooch. Doc, at the piano, rehearses Champ with great success, making several teenage cats swoon. Opening night at "The Hungry Me" pad is also a great success- their act creating enthuasiastic finger-snapping by the beatniks. The two become famous as Champ does a great beat presentation after Doc's piano intro and after being hit on the foot!

Foghorn Leghorn is sound asleep when the barnyard dog places an ostrich egg beside him for a gag. When Foghorn awakes and sees the egg...

Sylvester Cat tumbles and falls dazed to the floor when making a grab for Tweety Bird. He comes to and thinks he has killed and swallowed the little canary and that he's wanted for murder.

Daffy Duck vies with Porky Pig in the Western frontier hotel business. Porky has more success, attracting hordes of customers with a live-action saloon party. So, Daffy decides to undermine Porky's good fortune by planting a bomb beneath Porky's inn.

Viking Yosemite Sam arrives to storm the castle. But Bugs takes charge of the defenses, and between Bugs' cleverness and Sam's stupidity, the castle is never seriously threatened, even when Sam enlists the help of an elephant.

Bugs battles Wile E. Coyote. A ten trillion volt electric magnet draws everything imaginable.

Sylvester Cat discovers that his son, Junior, has a new best friend - a bird named Spike. Aghast, Sylvester decides to teach his son the facts of feline life and goes with him on a bird hunt, which, as usual, isn't Sylvester's forte. He is hit with a badminton racket after he mistakenly shoots a badminton birdie and then is blown up when he sends a model plane after Spike and is himself shot at by the out-of-control plane and forced to take refuge in an explosives store shed, with the plane slipping in behind him and firing at the TNT.

Jiminy Cricket is all set to give a testimonial to Donald Duck. But alas, Donald is relaxing at home, with no plans to leave any time soon. Literally dragged to the Disney Studio by his nephews, an outraged Donald relaxes a bit when he realizes that he's the guest of honor. Donald's life is recounted by such colleagues as Daisy Duck (who explains why she and Donald never married), Chip 'n' Dale, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, and even a few guest stars who never made a picture with the duck, including the Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Lady and the Tramp.

Hosted by Jiminy Cricket along with Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell, this special combines newly produced animation with clips from vintage animated Disney shorts and feature films, presented to the viewer as Christmas cards from the various characters starring in each one.

The tourists have left behind lots of trash. Ranger Woodlore enlists his bears to clean up by turning the task into a game (and a dance), but when he takes to his hammock, they see through his ruse. Plan B: bribery no food until cleanup complete. But all the other bears put their trash in to Humphrey's section, so he resorts to a number of unsuccessful ruses to dispose of it

Humphrey the bear isn't having much luck with his fishing; every time he catches some nice fish, he gets distracted and drops them. So he goes after the catches of the local anglers instead. But ranger Woodlore frowns on this, insisting the bear fish like one.

Walt answers the often-asked question of just where the stories for his studio's cartoons come from, which is from practically anywhere.

Walt answers the often-asked question of just where the stories for his studio's cartoons come from, which is from practically anywhere.

Walt Disney, who is on vacation, gives Jiminy Cricket a phone call to take over hosting duties for one TV episode while he is away. Jiminy decides to gather the other Disney stars together to help him out. Unfortunately, they, too, are on vacation, but how they are spending their respective vacations helps put the show together for him.

Beekeeper Donald catches Humphrey the bear raiding his hives. He complains to Ranger Woodlore, who assembles his bears and lectures them. Donald puts up a barbed wire fence, which slows Humphrey down a bit, but doesn't stop him.

Park ranger Donald sends his bears off to hibernate, but Humphrey would rather stay in his hammock, run out for a glass of water, etc., than sleep; when he does get to sleep, his snoring gets him thrown out. His search for a new bed leads him right into the ranger's house.

Donald Duck arrives at Brownstone National Park. The park's ranger, J. Audubon Woodlore, asks the bears to participate with the tourists but...no stealing! Humphrey decides to pair with Donald particularly because of the roast ham he has. When Donald doesn't reward the bear with his food, Humphrey tries a variety of means to get the ham finally getting Donald's attention by lying down on the road pretending that Donald ran over him. After Donald pays up with food, he sees through the scheme and struggles with Humphrey. After the ranger makes Donald and Humphrey clean up the resulting mess, he too notices the ham and makes off with it but is scolded for it by Donald and Humphrey.

It's a peaceful day in a national forest...until hunting season begins at which point all the bears hide out in a cave but one bear, Humphrey, doesn't make it. He hides out in a cabin and, seeing hunter Donald Duck approaching, hides the bearskin rug in a trunk and takes its place. Masquerading as the rug tends to be an unpleasant experience for Humphrey as Donald opens nuts and bottles in his mouth and washes him in the washer/dryer among other things. Finally, when hunting season ends and Donald leaves, Humphrey is relieved but makes a startling discovery.