Unnatural History (film)

Last updated
Unnatural History
Directed by Abe Levitow
Story by Michael Maltese
Starring Mel Blanc
June Foray (uncredited)
Ed Prentiss
(uncredited)
Music by Milt Franklyn
Animation by Ben Washam
Keith Darling
Richard Thompson
Layouts by Bob Singer
Backgrounds by Bob Singer
Color process Technicolor
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
November 14, 1959
Language English

Unnatural History is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Abe Levitow, with a story by Mike Maltese. [1] The short was released on November 14, 1959. [2] The cartoon is made up of blackout gags with no real story tying them together, similar to many cartoons directed by Tex Avery.

Contents

Plot

Professor Beest Lee (a pun on "beastly") narrates over clips of animals and their quirky behavior. Scenes include:

Related Research Articles

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.

Hector the Bulldog is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Hector is a muscle-bound bulldog with gray fur and walks pigeon-toed. His face bears a perpetual scowl between two immense jowls. He usually wears a black collar with silver studs.

<i>Rabbit Fire</i> 1951 American animated short film directed by Chuck Jones

Rabbit Fire is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, the cartoon is the first in Jones' "hunting trilogy"—the other two cartoons following it being Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! It is also the first cartoon to feature a feud between Bugs and Daffy. Produced by Edward Selzer for Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc., the short was released to theaters on May 19, 1951 by Warner Bros. Pictures and is often considered among Jones' best and most important films.

<i>The Heckling Hare</i> 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon

The Heckling Hare is a Merrie Melodies cartoon, released on July 5, 1941, and featuring Bugs Bunny and a dopey dog named Willoughby. The cartoon was directed by Tex Avery, written by Michael Maltese, animated by soon-to-be director Robert McKimson, and with musical direction by Carl W. Stalling. In a style that was becoming typical of the Bugs character, he easily outwitted and tormented his antagonist through the short, his only concern being what to do next to the dog.

<i>Prest-O Change-O</i> 1939 film

Prest-O Change-O is a 1939 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Chuck Jones, and first released on March 25, 1939, by Warner Bros. It is the second appearance of Bugs Bunny as a manic white hare who made his first appearance in Porky's Hare Hunt, a cartoon that was produced and copyrighted in 1937 and released in April 1938, featuring him in the same early design. This is also the character's first appearance in a Merrie Melodies color film. The prototype of Bugs Bunny the screwy rabbit makes his third appearance in the next hare-based short film, Hare-um Scare-um (1939).

<i>Show Biz Bugs</i> 1957 film

Show Biz Bugs is a 1957 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng and featuring Mel Blanc. The short was released on November 2, 1957, and stars Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

<i>Bonanza Bunny</i> 1959 film

Bonanza Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on September 5, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny. In the cartoon, Bugs faces off with the French-Canadian claim jumper Blacque Jacque Shellacque during a fictionalized version of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Robert Cameron Bruce Jr. was an American voice actor and the son of Robert Cameron Bruce (1887–1948) who was a cinematographer and documentary producer. He was the narrator for a number of Warner Bros. cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s. The Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series' had occasional entries which were driven not by one of their stable of stars such as Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, but by individual short sketches, usually filled with sight gags and word-play. Later he was a writer and producer of industrial motion pictures based in Minnesota.

<i>I Taw a Putty Tat</i> 1948 short animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng

I Taw a Putty Tat is a 1948 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 1, 1948, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

<i>Roman Legion-Hare</i> 1955 film by Friz Freleng

Roman Legion-Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on November 12, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam. The title is a play on the words Roman Legionnaire. After being ordered by Emperor Nero to find a victim to be tossed to the lions, Yosemite Sam tries to capture Bugs Bunny.

<i>Hare Ribbin</i> 1944 film

Hare Ribbin' is a 1944 animated short film in the Merrie Melodies series, directed by Robert Clampett and featuring Bugs Bunny. The plot features Bugs' conflict with a red-haired hound dog, whom the rabbit sets out to evade and make a fool of using one-liners, reverse psychology, disguises and other tricks. It was released in theaters by Warner Bros. on June 24, 1944. The title is a pun on "hair ribbon".

<i>Sahara Hare</i> 1955 film by Friz Freleng

Sahara Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes theatrical cartoon short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on March 26, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.

<i>Hurdy-Gurdy Hare</i> 1950 film by Robert McKimson

Hurdy-Gurdy Hare is a 1950 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on January 21, 1950, and stars Bugs Bunny.

The Up-Standing Sitter is a 1948 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on July 3, 1948, and stars Daffy Duck. All voices are by Mel Blanc.

<i>A Day at the Zoo</i> 1939 American film

A Day at the Zoo is a 1939 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon supervised by Tex Avery. The short was produced in 1938 and released on March 11, 1939 and features an early version of Elmer Fudd.

Banty Raids is a 1963 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on June 29, 1963, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc.

<i>A Ham in a Role</i> 1949 film by Robert McKimson

A Ham in a Role is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short starring the Goofy Gophers along with an unnamed dog who is based on stage/film actor John Barrymore. The cartoon was planned by Arthur Davis, but was finished and directed by Robert McKimson. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 31, 1949, but some sources list the release date as January 1, 1950. The cartoon draws heavily from the works of William Shakespeare, with its gags relying on literal interpretations of lines from Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Richard III, and Romeo and Juliet.

Peck Up Your Troubles is a 1945 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on October 20, 1945, and stars Sylvester the Cat.

Fowl Weather is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 4, 1953, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

Curtain Razor is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 21, 1949, and stars Porky Pig.

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. 321. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.