El Héroe

WE HAVE JUST watched this one on video; as a bonus feature on the special 2 disc DVD release of YANKEE DOODLE DANDY. Although the cartoon has been around and available on television for well over the half century point, it seemed to be new.

THE SHORT BECAME familiar to us as one of those "Associated Artists Productions" TV releases. In our case, we saw it (often) on the old BUGS BUNNY & FRIENDS local kids TV show on WGN TV, Channel 9, in Chicago. As was the custom, there was a host; in this case, it was one Dick Coughlin. He always sported a sort of "Lumberjack Wardrobe"; featuring dungarees and flannel shirts (always).

THE SET WAS done up to look like a farm or woodland locale. A puppet version of Bugs would interact with the host in comic sketches; between the screening of the 2 or 3 cartoons that were shown each evening, from 6:30 to 7:00 PM. (there were some other character puppets, such as "Radcliffe Racoon" and others, whose names we can't recall). Mr. Coughlin provided the voices, although no ventriloquist himself.

AT THE TIME of seeing BUGS BUNNY GETS THE BOID, we found it to be funny and would have rated it at or near to the top of the pack. The gags were energetic and genuinely tickled the funny bone. The animation was smooth and the short storyline had not a wasted frame of film.

AS WITH ALL Warner Brothers Looney Tunes & Merry Melodies, a hallmark identifier is its music. This was no exception; as its soundtrack has the lively and totally customized Carl Stalling original score. Although the sound era animated shorts are visual, with the advantage of having snappy dialog & comical voices as an adjunct, just try viewing & listening to the same cartoon; but without the music.

ONE ASPECT OF the humor, that was not readily apparent to us as kids in the 1950's was that Warner's cartoons often time parodied some of the then popular entertainers or Radio characters. In this case, the young vulture, "Killer" is a spoof of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen's Mortimer Snerd. The buzzard, his brothers and Italian accented mother would be reprised for other, recurring appearances.

ON THE PARTICULAR DVD that we viewed, the cartoon must have been remastered. The color is brilliant and the images are crystal clear. (Clever, these Americans!)

"Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid" may be partly famous for giving that wascawwy wabbit the form that we know and love today, but even if you don't know that, it's still great to watch. Featuring loopy Beaky Buzzard trying to capture Bugs Bunny as food, they come up with everything here. Probably the coolest part is when Beaky drops Bugs onto a skeleton and Bugs thinks that he personally has gone the way of the dodo! Overall, it's a really neat cartoon. A true classic.

I just try to imagine if Beaky Buzzard had appeared in "The Birds". Then again, that doofus didn't stand a chance at scaring the people in Bodega Bay. But he was good for getting knocked silly by Bugs Bunny.

This was Clampett's third Bugs Bunny cartoon, but it marks the first time Bugs Bunny looks like the rabbit we all know. Prior to this Bugs had a more oval head giving him a rat-like appearance. It was as an animator in Clampett's unit that Robert Mckimson developed the model sheet of Bugs that all the other units eventually used. In the cartoons of the other directors at this time Bugs looked pretty ugly while he kept getting better looking in the Clampett cartoons. This is also the first appearence of Beaky Buzzard, a Mortimer Snerd caricature. This cartoon is funnier than Clampett's first two Bugs films and the animation is pretty solid, especially Mckimson's. However, Clampett would go far beyond this one with such cartoons as What's Cookin', Doc?, The Old Grey Hare, The Big Snooze, and Tortoise Wins By A Hare. Overall, a good cartoon, though.

Classic Merrie Melodies short, directed by Bob Clampett, that introduced Beaky Buzzard to the world. Beaky is a shy, somewhat slow-witted buzzard who is not very good at catching prey, unlike his brothers. When his mother sends him out to catch a rabbit, Beaky meets Bugs. I won't spoil what follows but it's hilarious and even adorable in spots. Beaky is a wonderful character, one of the best Clampett created and certainly one of the more underrated. He's impossible to dislike. It's a well-animated cartoon with rich colors and some great action. Lots of funny gags and lines. Solid voice work, sound effects, and music. One of the earliest Bugs classics. The "Gruesome, isn't it?" scene alone makes this a must-see for Bugs fans.

Looney Tunes were part of my childhood and still hold a special place in my heart. Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid may not be quite classic status but it is a truly great cartoon indeed. The pacing is not as crisp and somewhat manic as it is in many other Looney Tunes cartoons, but again this is a matter of preference and there is so much to love about Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid anyway. The animation is colourful and fluid, with both characters well-drawn, while the music- especially in the big-band dance sequence- is cleverly orchestrated and enhances the humour so well. The humour here is more verbal than it is physical, but that is not a hindrance in any way, as the dialogue is fresh and witty and the gags are equally inspired. In terms of standout scenes, I did love the animal bone and "take a shower" gags but the highlight was definitely the big-band dance sequence, magnificently choreographed and perhaps among Bugs' best overall scenes out of all his cartoons. Bugs is on fine form, doing what he does best, while Beaky Buzzard while stupid is cute and funny rather than overly-dumb and annoying. These two work really well together. I have nothing to criticise in regard to Mel Blanc's vocals either. All in all, a great cartoon but not quite a classic. 9/10 Bethany Cox