Fast and Furry-ous

Last updated
Fast and Furry-ous
Fast and FurryousTitle.jpg
Title card of Fast and Furry-ous.
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Produced by Edward Selzer (uncredited)
Starring Mel Blanc
Paul Julian (uncredited) [1]
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation by Ken Harris
Phil Monroe
Ben Washam
Lloyd Vaughan
A.C. Gamer (effects animation)
Layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Backgrounds by Peter Alvarado
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • September 17, 1949 (1949-09-17)
Running time
7:07
LanguageEnglish

Fast and Furry-ous is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. [2] The short was released on September 17, 1949, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, in their debut. [3]

Contents

This was the debut of the Coyote/Road Runner pairing and set the template for the series, in which Wile E. Coyote (here given the mock genus/species name in faux-Latin Carnivorous Vulgaris) tries to catch the Road Runner (Accelleratii Incredibus) through many traps, plans and products. In this first cartoon, not all of the products are yet made by ACME.

The title is a play on the expression "fast and furious".

Plot

When Wile E. Coyote first tries to stab the Road Runner with a knife, he realizes he's not fast enough to outrun the Road Runner. After 11 more ideas fail, the Road Runner is seen as a passenger in the rear window of a bus that crushes Wile E., who was waiting with an axe.

Reception

Warner Bros. writer and editor Charles Carney writes, "This initial outing created in seven minutes a timeless screen legend as durable as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Oliver Hardy. Coyote's basic 'humanity' in simply following his instincts — with the help of an arsenal of devices that defy the laws of physics and momentum but always, eventually, yield to gravity — makes him a character of great sympathy... The would-be predator's imploring looks to the audience bring the humor from the cinematic to the personal." [4] In 2021, Mark Wilson at Fast Company listed this one of the cartoons to watch before Space Jam: A New Legacy . Wilson states "Road Runner and Coyote went on to appear in dozens of shorts together, but my favorite gag is in this particular cartoon. Coyote paints a tunnel on the side of the mountain, hoping Road Runner will strike the rock by mistake," and mentions how the universe is "set up against him," due the fact that the Road Runner runs through as if no wall is there, while the Coyote doesn't. [5]

Usage in other media

The entire scene of Wile E. donning the ACME Super Outfit is edited into The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie in 1979.

Clips of the cartoon are also featured in the 1993 film Last Action Hero and the 2011 remake of Arthur.

Home media

Fast and Furry-ous is available in its Blue Ribbon reissue on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 , Looney Tunes: Spotlight Collection , and Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 in 1080p resolution. It is also available on the "Road Runner Vs. Wile E. Coyote: The Classic Chase" VHS, the "Stars Of Space Jam: Wile E. Coyote And Road Runner" VHS and DVD, and the "Road Runner Vs. Wile E. Coyote: If At First You Don't Succeed..." Laserdisc.

Music

This short uses music from the Bedřich Smetana opera The Bartered Bride , specifically Dance of the Comedians. It also makes use of the popular songs "Winter", "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", and "In My Merry Oldsmobile".

Censorship

The version shown on ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show cuts the part where Wile E. Coyote plants dynamite in the road and gets blown up when he presses the detonator.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Looney Tunes</i> Warner Bros. animated short film series and media franchise

Looney Tunes is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside the related series Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner</span> Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon characters

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical short Fast and Furry-ous. In each episode, the cunning, devious and constantly hungry coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and eat the roadrunner, but is humorously unsuccessful. Instead of using animal instinct, the coyote deploys absurdly complex contraptions to try to catch his prey. They comically backfire, with the coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion. Many of the items for these contrivances are mail-ordered from a variety of companies implied to be part of the Acme Corporation. TV Guide included Wile E. Coyote in its 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".

Charlie Dog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character was featured in nine cartoons between 1941 and 1958. He is generally characterized as a friendly wise guy.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1</i> 2003 American DVD box set

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. The first release of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD series, it contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. The set won the Classic Award at the Parents' Choice Awards.

Paul Hull Julian was an American background animator, sound effects artist and voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons. He worked on Looney Tunes short films, primarily on director Friz Freleng's Sylvester and Tweety Bird shorts.

<i>The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie</i> 1979 animated feature film directed by Chuck Jones

The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts and newly animated bridging sequences hosted by Bugs Bunny. The bridging sequences, which had been produced in 1978, show Bugs at his home, which is cantilevered over a carrot-juice waterfall. The film was released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bugs Bunny.

<i>Operation: Rabbit</i> 1952 film by Chuck Jones

Operation: Rabbit is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The cartoon was released on January 19, 1952, and features Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. This marks the second appearance of Wile E. Coyote, the first where he is named, and the first where he has spoken dialogue.

<i>Beep, Beep</i> (film) 1952 American film

Beep, Beep is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies series directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on May 24, 1952, and is the second featuring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The cartoon is named after the sound the Road Runner makes, which is also known as "Meep, meep".

<i>Going! Going! Gosh!</i> 1952 American film

Going! Going! Gosh! is a 1952 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on August 23, 1952, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Hook, Line and Stinker is a 1958 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The title is a pun on the idiom Hook, Line and Sinker. The short was released on October 11, 1958 with The Old Man and the Sea, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. When shown on Boomerang USA, this short plays in PAL audio.

Wild About Hurry is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on October 10, 1959, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a pun on the then-popular song, I'm Just Wild About Harry.

<i>Bugs Bunnys Looney Christmas Tales</i> 1979 American television special

Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales is a 1979 animated Christmas television special featuring Bugs Bunny and other Looney Tunes characters in three newly created cartoon shorts with seasonal themes. It premiered on CBS on November 27, 1979.

<i>Bugs Bunnys Bustin Out All Over</i> 1980 TV special

Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over is a springtime-themed Looney Tunes television special which aired on CBS on May 21, 1980.

<i>Compressed Hare</i> 1961 film by Chuck Jones

Compressed Hare is a 1961 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. The short was released on July 29, 1961, and stars Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. This is the final first-run Golden Age short in which Wile E. Coyote speaks, although he speaks again in the Adventures of the Road Runner featurette a year later.

Quick Brown Fox and Rapid Rabbit were a pair of Warner Bros. cartoon characters, created by Robert McKimson, who appeared in only one cartoon, Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too! Future cartoons featuring the characters were planned, but were cancelled following the shutdown of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation on October 10, 1969.

<i>Hare-Breadth Hurry</i> 1963 film

Hare-Breadth Hurry is a 1963 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. The cartoon was released on June 8, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote.

Looney Tunes Super Stars is a series of nine Looney Tunes DVDs consisting of two Bugs Bunny DVDs and other characters who got their own collections. It started on August 10, 2010, and ran until April 23, 2013. The series consists of:

Clippety Clobbered is a 1966 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical animated short directed by Rudy Larriva. The short was released on March 12, 1966, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

References

  1. ↑ Ohmart, Ben (15 November 2012). Mel Blanc: The Man of a Thousand Voices. BearManor Media. p. 480.
  2. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 202. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 128–129. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 73. ISBN   978-1-64722-137-9.
  5. ↑ Wilson, Mark (July 15, 2021). "The 11 Looney Tunes shorts you need to watch before 'Space Jam'". Fast Company. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.