Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid

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.

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 (1942)

**** (out of 4)

A mama buzzard sends her four children out to get food but the dimwitted one, named Beaky Buzzard, is unlucky as he has to bring home a rabbit and he just happens to run into Bugs Bunny. This here has always been one of my favorite animated shorts because Bugs and Beaky just make the ultimate duo because both are just so damn cute here. The animation is perfectly done and the story contains enough great moments for two films. The best sequence is when Bugs goes to "take a shower" before going with Beaky who finally starts to realize a joke is being played on him. What happens next is just priceless. The final joke with Bugs also gets a big laugh just for the wonderful voice. To me what works best is actually Beaky because he's just so adorable and stupid at the same time. The voice work is downright brilliant and in itself brings a lot of laughs.

Mama buzzard directs her kids to go get their own food. The runt doesn't want to go. So his mother tells him to at least get a rabbit and kicks him out of the nest. That is exactly what he encounters, a rabbit named Bugs Bunny.

The buzzards look like vultures and I assumed that they are vultures. As vultures, the design is fine. It doesn't make senses since vultures eat dead animals. It doesn't matter that it has good gags. I just thinking that a vulture wouldn't eat a live rabbit. Second, the skeleton is gruesome and morbid. It is too morbid to be truly funny. In that one, I'm always thinking about the skeleton and not the gag. This is not my favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon.

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