To Beep or Not to Beep

A classic Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote short directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. Most of the material from this short was originally made as part of a Road Runner TV pilot. It's a very funny cartoon with some memorable layered gags that play off one another more than the usual Road Runner & Coyote cartoon that goes from one gag to another with little or no connection. The highlight of these gags is the final one involving Wile E. using different types of catapults with each one failing in hilariously different ways. The animation is excellent with nice, bright colors and great action. The energetic score from Bill Lava is quite possibly his best work on this series, for which he is known for producing some truly awful music. It's a fantastic short that, like another reviewer says, is probably the best Road Runner & Coyote short from the '60s.

I remember that I first saw the catapult gags in the compilation movie "The Great American Chase" (more commonly known as "The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Chase Movie"). Now, I've finally gotten to see "To Beep or Not to Beep" in its entirety. The catapult scenes are the best, but there are other treats here too. Clearly, Wile Ethelbert* Coyote is a fanatic according to George Santayana's definition (redoubling your efforts after you've forgotten your aim), but he always comes just close enough to catching Road Runner so that he thinks that he'll succeed next time. One of the many classics, even if it doesn't give them fake scientific names.

*Yes, the E stands for Ethelbert.

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.)

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.

"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.