A Corny Concerto

The Corny Concerto (1943)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Warner Brothers's spoof of Disney's FANTASIA has Elmer Fudd playing the orchestra leader and then we get two different sequences. The first has Porky Pig and his dog stalking Bugs Bunny while the second has a group of stuck up white ducks not playing well with a baby Daffy. This here is certainly a classic film for the series as it really does do Disney better than Disney did in FANTASIA. Both of the stories are extremely good and that's certainly the cast for the first one. I thought the little back and forth between Porky and his dog was quite funny. Of course, the real highlight here was the wonderful music and how it was used for the animation.

'A Corny Concerto' is Bob Clampett's inspired parody of Disney's 'Fantasia'. A cartoon in two parts (packing an incredible amount into seven minutes), 'A Corny Concerto' was actually written by director Frank Tashlin. It opens with a magical moment in which Elmer Fudd, taking the Deems Taylor role, emerges in silhouette onto a platform but confounds the audiences expectations of how tall he will be. Elmer's opening speech is a masterpiece of speech-impediment exploitation, a great piece of word-smithery in a largely musical cartoon. Both sections of 'A Corny Concerto' are set to pieces of music by Johan Strauss. The best of the two is the gloriously off-colour 'Tales From the Vienna Woods', in which Porky Pig and a pointer dog hunt Bugs Bunny to the strains of Strauss's music. It opens fairly inoffensively but then heads into the sort of sick territory only Clampett would ever dream of exploring. Porky's gun falls into the hands of a squirrel who fires it randomly at the trio. Fearing they've been hit, Clampett has the three characters dance around in their death throes! This section ends with a bawdy (for its time) gag in which Bugs slaps a bra on the heads of Porky and his dog and pirouettes into the sunset, hilariously collapsing in the cartoon's blink-and-you'll-miss-it highlight. The second section tells a tale set to 'The Blue Danube', in which a baby version of Daffy Duck attempts to find favour with a group of swans. Their rejection of Daffy is hilarious, particularly the moment the mother swan finds him under a rock and uncaringly slams it back down on his head. The short has a happy ending, however, as Daffy saves the baby swans from a vulture and is accepted into their family, It's the sort of story that could have been played straight and with a doe-eyed sweetness but Clampett and Tashlin instead fill it with gags which defy all accusations of cutesiness. 'A Corny Concerto' is a jaw-dropingly event-packed cartoon and another classic in the classic-stuffed Clampett canon.

And, I ask you - Who could possibly be a better choice as "Master of Ceremonies" for "A Corny Concerto" than good, old Elmer Fudd? I mean - Don't you think that Elmer added a special flair of dignity to his all-important role?

Anyway - I'd say that this "Fantasia" parody was pulled off quite enjoyably by the imaginative team (headed by director, Robert Clampett) at Warner Bros. Studios.

Featuring the likes of Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny - (IMO) "A Corny Concerto" (from 1943) did a fine job of introducing its audience (through these zany animated ballets) to the classical music of Johann Strauss (with no disrespect intended).

I had heard about this Looney Tunes quite often and when I realised (when it said on this site) that it was a spoof on Fantasia, I became very excited. I kept thinking, "Ooh, I'm so excited to find out what this is like." When I watched this on YouTube, I was very impressed.

I find this very much a classic Looney Tune - highly entertaining, funny and sweet. The Fantasia spoof around it works very well. I also noticed that there was only one joke which was relevant to the world of the time. It was a slight fighter jet joke and of course the Second World War was still raging in 1943. Some of the jokes were slightly lame and a little repetitive/predictable, but a delight to watch all the same.

Also, this has a role of Daffy - who does not look a lot like Daffy. Daffy looks much more like a duckling than the little black duck we know. He does a very good job. Of course, so does everyone in this episode.

Being a spoof on Fantasia, there are two stories, both with a piece of classical music in the background. Elmer Fudd introduces each piece and has rather a trouble with his out-fit (you'll see what I mean when you watch it). I personally preferred the second piece to the first piece, partly because the second had Daffy in it.

Recommended to people who enjoy old Looney Tunes cartoons and who very much enjoy "Fantasia". Enjoy "A Corny Concerto"! :-)

Her Bob Clampett uses two lovely Strauss Waltzes, "Tales from the Vienna Woods," and "The Beautiful Blue Danube." They are conducted by our friend Elmer Fudd. In the former, Bugs Bunny reigns supreme over a hunter, Porky Pig, and his dog. As is usually the case, our rabbit friend is in total control. There is a great scene where Bugs is playing dead and Porky tries to pull his arms up so they can check him for a gunshot. Great results. In the second, Daffy tries to join a trio of little swans. The music is gorgeous and the animation is right on. The color never ceases to amaze me. Apparently, this was Warner Brothers answer to Disney's "Fantasia."