To Beep or Not to Beep

"To Beep or Not to Beep" is one of my all-time favorite cartoon shorts, and possible my favorite of all the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons.

There is only one reason why I say so: the music. Now, people would say that Bill Lava's music keeps this far from perfect. I strongly disagree to those who think so. I think it is most wonderful, especially, and I mean, ESPECIALLY all of the music of the final catapult gag. (It gets better when it nears the end.) It's my favorite moment of one of my all-time favorite cartoons.

I first saw this on the Warner Home Video VHS release of "Warner Bros. Cartoons Golden Jubilee 24-Karat Collection: Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase" (Anyone else have this tape?) And while all the cartoons on it stuck inside my head for my entire life, this is the one that is probably the best of the pack, and probably the perfect way to end a video.

This entry into the Roadrunner series of cartoons which began in 1949 with 'Fast And Furry-ous' is one of my favourites. It runs along at a frenetic pace after the initial decision by Wile E Coyote to catch Roadrunner and eat him for lunch. As usual Wile never succeeds, but the ways he tries to do it are genius.

I mean, just how many times can you think of where using a giant catapult to hurl a boulder (in an attempt to squash the fleet little bird) has gone so hilariously wrong in so many different ways?

This cartoon rocks!

TO BEEP OR NOT TO BEEP (1963) is my favorite Roadrunner cartoon ever made. The best gag is when the coyote tries to catch the roadrunner in a noose. The catapult gag, originally from ZOOM AND BORED, is even better here. This only made it to one tape, The Classic Chase. Too bad, because this is a gem. The end of this one was surprising. There's more great gags in between, such as the wrecking ball. There's never a bad moment in this cartoon. The best Looney Tunes were made in the sixties, but this tops them off. Watch this and laugh out loud.

Grade: A+

This cartoon was very poorly made. The gags are not funny. The repeated one sided contest becomes a boring painful watch after a point. It feels like a rape. The agony of the coyote just not remains with the coyote but reaches the audience and the net result is a lot of pain. These are not meant for kids and the exaggerated slapstick violence is too much to bear. Chuck Jones asked audience to watch these by keeping the brain away. But he failed in that attempt. These do not appeal the funny bone and the gags are not at all hilarious but gives a feeling of being molested. Very poor concept overall. Poor execution, poor editing, poor background music, poor concept, poor story, poor gags, poor everything from the start to the end.

First of all, I agree with others here: this is an outstanding Road Runner cartoon, maybe the best I've ever seen. It combines great color, great "camera" angles, clever stunts and a very funny Wile (at least his "yeeeeeowwwws!)

It begins peacefully with Wile reading a book. No wonder our favorite coyote is always after the Road-Runner. According to the "Western Cookery" book, "possibly the most delicious of all western game bird is the road-runner." The rest of it is the normal chase.

What's above normal are the two long gags. I've often said the best ones are those that are drawn out a bit longer. There is a super one in here involving a big metal spring and a boulder. It's one of the best and inventive sight gags I've ever witness on a RR cartoon. The other one, with the catapult is a bunch of little jokes all rolled into one with a surprise ending (regarding the company which built the device.)