Scrambled Aches

Last updated
Scrambled Aches
Scrambled Aches title card.png
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Produced by Edward Selzer
Music by Milt Franklyn
Carl Stalling
Animation by Ken Harris
Abe Levitow
Richard Thompson
Ben Washam
Layouts by Maurice Noble
Backgrounds byPhillip Deguard
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
January 26, 1957 (U.S.)
Running time
6:53
CountryUnited States

Scrambled Aches is a 1957 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. [1] The short was released on January 26, 1957, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. [2] The title is a pun on scrambled eggs.

Contents

Plot

Wile E. Coyote (with the mock Binomial nomenclature in Dog Latin Eternally Famishes) and the Road Runner (Tasty us Supersonics) are conducting their routine chase along the twisty roads in the desert. As Wile E. closes in on the Road Runner, a 4-way intersection is reached, and the Road Runner takes a left turn. Wile E. misses the turn and, as he breaks himself - digging himself into the dirt - he does not notice a "DANGER BRIDGE OUT" sign. Thus, he falls off the edge of the plateau, creating a coyote-shaped hole in the ground below. He emerges from the hole already planning his next scheme.

1. Thinking simple, Wile E. attempts to merely trip the Road Runner. He uses a fake coyote foot/partial leg, to avoid unpleasant repercussions on himself, but the speed with which the Road Runner hits the foot causes the entire prop to wind tightly. Coming out from his hiding place to ponder the situation, the Coyote places his hand on the top of the leg and leans against it. It unreels, causing his body to wind tightly.

2. Wile E. broods, scratches in the dirt and soon comes up with a new plan: Attach a stick of dynamite to a string and throw it out like a lasso. However, when Wile E. circles the string over his head, it wraps itself around his face, the dynamite then explodes.

3. Again going for speed, the Coyote builds a contraption rigged from a fan, a sail, and roller skates to propel himself down the road. In a straight line, this idea performs excellently; however, it lacks the capacity to follow the Road Runner around a tight curve. Wile E. is thrown into an anomalous body of water, roars onto a dirt beach, and slams directly into a cliff face.

4. Next, Wile E. holds onto a large fireworks-type rocket and lights it as the Road Runner passes, hoping to give semi-aerial chase. The firework takes off without its owner, flaying the coyote's chest in the process, and then it hits a curve, reverses itself and, on the way back, flays his pâté and behind. Wile E angrily walks off.

5. Devious doesn't apply to the next straightforward effort: Wile E. tries to pull a large boulder onto one end of a see-saw - to launch himself towards the Road Runner who is standing on a high cliff - but the boulder squashes him instead.

6. Wile E. pushes an anvil tied to a balloon off an outcropping, and then pulls the string when he hears the Road Runner, trying to flatten his nemesis. The anvil and the Road Runner converge towards the same spot in the bridge, but the Road Runner brakes just in time to avoid it. The anvil smashes through the bridge, hits a power line and is thrown back up; it drops towards the Coyote who is perched on the very edge of the outcropping. Shivering with fear, Wile E. covers his head, preparing for the impact. The anvil misses him, instead breaking through another part of the outcropping. The Coyote sighs with relief, but soon realizes he is defying gravity and is then subject to it!

7. Again deciding to give semi-aerial chase, the Coyote retracts a massive spring attached to a cliff face and places his hindquarters into it. As the Road Runner passes on the left, Wile E. takes his hands from the ground. Rather than launching at the bird, he simply gets trapped inside the spring as it extends.

8. Another ACME product (Dehydrated Boulders) takes the scene. Wile E. picks one of them - they are pebble-sized - and places a drop of water on it. He holds it above his head, thinking he will throw the hydrated boulder at the Road Runner below. Once it's fully grown, the boulder crushes the Coyote.

9. In a final attempt to outrun and flatten the Road Runner, the Coyote constructs an outboard steam roller. When he turns it on, it rolls away from him and down the road. Wile E. runs after it. The steam roller soon encounters the Road Runner, who reverses direction and runs away. Wile E. continues to chase his creation, while in what appears to be a convenient Deus ex machina, a fork comes up ahead with a sign stating: In case of steam roller use Detour. The Road Runner takes the detour, with the Coyote still in hot pursuit, and zooms into a miniature "escape tunnel", which is actually the mouth of a cannon. Wile E. leaps behind the cannon, lights the fuse and sits down, tired but satisfied. The fuse smokes, but the cannon doesn't fire. Confused, Wile E. looks inside the cannon and sees a white light, accompanied by railroad noises, approaching fast. Seeing no danger, he laughs and looks inside again, but the cannon fires, and the Road Runner comes out, riding atop the cannonball. He turns to wave to the completely ashen Coyote. As he walks, his stream roller appears, rolling toward him. Wile E. holds up a sign saying: "This is the end" just as he is flattened.

Home media

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>To Beep or Not to Beep</i> 1963 film

To Beep or Not to Beep is a Merrie Melodies animated short starring Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Released on December 28, 1963, the cartoon was written by Chuck Jones, John Dunn, Michael Maltese, and directed by Jones, Maurice Noble and Tom Ray receive credit as co-directors. This is the penultimate Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote short that Chuck Jones directed at Warner Bros. during the original "classic" era. This is also the final Warner Bros. cartoon released in 1963.

<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.

The Wild Chase is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. The short was released on February 27, 1965, and stars Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. This cartoon was the only Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoon to be directed by Freleng or Pratt, who specialized in Speedy and Sylvester cartoons. It is also noted as a crossover between the Sylvester/Speedy and Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoons.

Lickety-Splat is a 1961 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical animated short directed by Chuck Jones and Abe Levitow. The short was released on June 3, 1961, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

<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 stars 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.

<i>Stop! Look! And Hasten!</i> 1954 American film

Stop! Look! And Hasten! is a 1954 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on August 14, 1954, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a play on the railroad crossing safety phrase "stop, look, and listen". The cartoon has been featured in the film The Shining. Danny Torrance and his mother, Wendy Torrance, are seen watching this cartoon.

<i>Ready, Set, Zoom!</i> 1955 film

Ready, Set, Zoom! is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on April 30, 1955, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

<i>Guided Muscle</i> 1955 American film

Guided Muscle is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on December 10, 1955, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

<i>Zoom and Bored</i> 1957 American film

Zoom and Bored is a 1957 Warner Bros. cartoon, being a part of the Merrie Melodies series and directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on September 14, 1957, 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.

Hot-Rod and Reel! is a 1959 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The script was written by Michael Maltese, and the film score was composed by Milt Franklyn.

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.

The Solid Tin Coyote is a 1966 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Rudy Larriva. The short was released on February 19, 1966, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

<i>Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z</i> 1956 American film

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z is a 1956 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on May 5, 1956, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Zip 'n' Snort is a 1961 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on January 21, 1961, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Sugar and Spies is a 1966 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon. The short was released on November 5, 1966, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It is the second of two Road Runner shorts directed by Robert McKimson and the only one to feature music by Walter Greene. It is also the final appearances of Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote during the Golden age of American animation.

<i>War and Pieces</i> 1964 film

War and Pieces is a 1964 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical animated short directed by Chuck Jones. The short was released on June 6, 1964, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It was the last Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones until 1979's Freeze Frame.

Rushing Roulette is a 1965 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on July 31, 1965, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. It was the second Road Runner cartoon directed by someone other than Chuck Jones, who had almost exclusively used the characters since their debut in 1949. McKimson directed one other Road Runner cartoon the following year, Sugar and Spies.

Chaser on the Rocks is a 1965 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical animated short directed by Rudy Larriva. The short was released on December 25, 1965, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a pun on the phrase: "Water on the Rocks".

References

  1. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 294. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 128–129. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.