Rich Hogan

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.

Spike gets a job running the house for a hibernating bear. Only problem is that same bear is VERY noise-sensitive, and Spike's got a rival that wants his job.

A happily married pair of taxicabs are delighted when Junior enters their lives, but this delight turns to consternation when he states his ambition to become a hotrodder..

After he is rejected by the Great Poochini as an opening act, Mysto the Magician gets his revenge by conducting his next operatic performance.

A series of demonstrations of the kind of motoring accessories we'll all take for granted in the future...

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

Droopy and Spike are applying for the job of Dare Devil Dog at the Circus, and the one who give the best performance in a variety of "feats of strength and daring" will get it.

Collection of classic Tex Avery visual gags, set up as a battle between a sleep-deprived bulldog who just wants some shut-eye and a rooster driven by his natural instincts to crow all night long.

A poor cobbler feeds his last crust of bread to some birds that are really elves, who show their gratitude by finishing all his work while he sleeps.

Droopy and Gorgeous Gorillawitz (Spike) are competing for the title of King of Sports and for a kiss from the Queen of Sports. Spike cheats as much as possible but can never seem to beat Droopy.

When Spike tries to bury a bone he finds a belligerent gopher.

A cat is driven up the wall by the inhabitant of the cuckoo clock, so he spends the film trying to catch him.

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

A cat steals the headpiece of a dog to deceive the bulldog Spike and get a chance to eat the canary Spike is guarding.

Droopy is part of a pack of English hunting hounds trying unsuccessfully to catch a tricky, tea-drinking fox.

The last of Tex Avery's variations on "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943), in which the country wolf visits his city cousin, who tries to teach him the rudiments of civilized behavior when watching girls in nightclubs - without, it has to be said, a great deal of success...

Tex Avery's narrator shows us the amazing features of the ultra-modern House of Tomorrow.

The wolf, the champion toreador, and Droopy, the challenger, are competing to see who is best in the bullring in the hopes of winning the hand of actress Lina Romay (who appears in a live action shot).

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.

A hungry wolf with ham in the shape of a pig kid stands in for Santa Claus.

Tired of always playing the same roles, Little Red Riding Hood, her grandmother and the Wolf demand a new version of the tale. The story then plays out in a more contemperary urban environment, with Little Red Riding Hood working as a pin-up girl in a night club.

The wolf escapes from prison but can't get away from police dog Droopy no matter how hard he tries. This is the first cartoon starring Droopy.

The early worm barely escapes the bird, again. In search of a way to get rid of the bird, he enlists the help of a cat, but the bird is too smart for the cat.

Yet another variation on the Three Little Pigs theme, this time told as WW2 anti-German propaganda (the US had just entered the war), with the wolf as a thinly-disguised Hitler.

When his car breaks down out in the country, Sniffles the mouse takes shelter in an old mill, where he meets up with "Batty," a non-stop-talking little bat who later save Sniffles from a hungry cat.

Sniffles the mouse and his friend the Bookworm try to evade a cat in a the toy department of Lacy's department store.

Christmas Eve, and Sniffles is determined to stay awake to see Santa. Not an easy task.

While hunting rabbits, Elmer Fudd comes across Bugs Bunny who tricks and harasses the hunter.

Tom's father mistakenly believes that the little bird who's just rescued his tiny son from drowning in the dishwater is attacking the boy and drives it away. Tom sets off to find the bird and gets lost in a fierce snowstorm.

Elmer takes up wildlife photography but finds his subject, a rabbit, much too rascally.

Literary characters come to life late at night in a bookshop, serenading Sniffles the mouse with swing music until the Frankenstein monster intrudes.

Sniffles the mouse has to get an owl's egg for a scavenger hunt, but once he's gotten it, the egg hatches and draws the attention of the mouse-eating father owl.

An arctic saloon. The tiny dog, Dan McFoo, is playing a pinball-like marble game in the back. His girlfriend, Sue, sounding like Katharine Hepburn, stands by. A stranger comes in with eyes for Sue; he begins a boxing match with Dan. After Dan gets knocked down, he accuses the stranger of having something in the glove; the ref finds four horseshoes and a horse. After the fight goes on a while with no conclusion, the narrator tosses a couple of guns, the lights go out, and Dan is shot or is he?

On a dark and stormy night, the Two Curious Puppies wander into an old dark house, and fall victim to the tricks of a mischievous magician's rabbit.

I Love to Singa depicts the story of a young owl who wants to sing jazz, instead of the classical music that his German parents wish him to perform. The plot is a lighthearted tribute to Al Jolson's film The Jazz Singer.