Warner Home Video Animation DVD Survey

[Greg Method]

Warner Home Video is asking consumers to participate in an online survey to tell them which animated series/properties they want to see on DVD.

There is a surprisingly nice mix of titles up for consideration, including a stand-alone release of the Fleischer Superman shorts, Chuck Jones's Tom and Jerry shorts, The Porky Pig Show(!), some of the B-list Hanna-Barbera '60s stuff, and almost all the remaining incarnations of Superfriends, among others.

Here is the URL....

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V

No matter what you may select, I ask that you please also put in a vote for the long-lost Ruby Spears Superman series (also on the survey). It hasn't aired since its original Saturday morning run twenty years ago.

So go voice your wants!

[speedy fast]

I took the survey, though there wasn't much on the list that I neccessarily want. Mainly The Porky Pig Show (though I find it weird that that's on the list, and not The Bugs Bunny Show, though I guess that's a more logical choice due to all color elements apparantly being in good condition).

And in the "comments" section I said that I'd buy a Taz-Mania set. I can't believe that that series wasn't a choice. There was a simialr survey last year which also didn't include Taz-Mania as a choice (I can't remember if these were on the same site or not).

[Leviathan]

The last survey Warner Home Video conducted had Tiny Toons, Freakazoid, Silverhawks and, IIRC, the Smurfs. So you never know what'll come out of them.

[Jon Cooke]

Thanks for letting us know about this. That is definitely an interesting mix of cartoons they are considering (including The Porky Pig Show in there was an especially random choice! Why not The Bugs Bunny Show or even The Road Runner Show ? :confused:). I voted for Porky, the Jones T&Js and Fleischer Superman and put in a write-in vote for a complete Tex Avery set in the comments box.

I hope everybody was sure to type GAC in the section asking where you find out about the latest classic cartoon releases! ;) :p

[speedy fast]

I hope everybody was sure to type GAC in the section asking where you find out about the latest classic cartoon releases! ;) :p

That's what I did. I thought about also typing in Tv shows on DVD, but realsied that I don't go there jsut to look for news; I go whenever something is announced elsewhere and a link is provided.

[Mac]

Thanks for the link, Greg! I made a couple of choices and a few suggestions.

[Greg Method]

I hope everybody was sure to type GAC in the section asking where you find out about the latest classic cartoon releases! ;) :p
Oh, of course...GAC, Cartoon Brew, and the Digital Bits (TVShowsonDVD can go "scoop" itself, if you know what I mean).

I stuck mostly with my animation passions, GAC-related releases (Porky and the Chuck T&Js) and the DC titles (although I did not select the Fleischers only because I already have the ultimate Superman set). In my comments I avoided mentioning Avery only because I have a feeling they already know there's a demand for such a DVD, so I instead listed some titles that I didn't think were anywhere on their radar.

The thing that struck me the most (outside of listing Porky, that is) were the questions about Blue-Ray. I wonder what sort of plans they have for the format as far as animation titles go and how that might coincide with their standard DVD releases.

[ebrand11]

Superman series (also on the survey). It hasn't aired since its original Saturday morning run twenty years ago.


I remember rmy Dad stating that the superman cartoons aired on AMC in the late 80s early 90s in poor condition. Anyway my Bosko Video version are pretty sweet so I don't know if I would buy another copy of the superman cartoons.

[jonmayo15]

I remember rmy Dad stating that the superman cartoons aired on AMC in the late 80s early 90s in poor condition. Anyway my Bosko Video version are pretty sweet so I don't know if I would buy another copy of the superman cartoons. He was talking about the Ruby-Spears 80's cartoon series of Superman. The opening can be seen here-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Biiz_n-3lE

[ebrand11]

My bad, forget what I wrote.

[Bugsy-Kun]

I voted for the Chuck Jones' Tom and Jerry shorts.

[Jon Cooke]

If anyone is curious, this is what aired on The Porky Pig Show as it aired on ABC from 1964-5:

Porky Pig Show # 1 (Sept. 20, 1964)
"Often an Orphan" with Porky Pig and Charlie Dog
"Mice Follies" with the Honey-Mousers
"The Super Snooper" with Daffy Duck

Porky Pig Show # 2 (Sept. 27, 1964)
"The Awful Orphan" with Porky Pig and Charlie Dog
"Bell Hoppy" with Sylvester and Hippety Hopper
"Wild Wife" with the Harried Housewife

Porky Pig Show # 3 (Oct. 4, 1964)
"Scaredy Cat" with Porky Pig and Sylvester
"Baton Bunny" with Bugs Bunny and the Bothersome Fly
"Feather Dusted" with Foghorn Leghorn, Miss Prissy, and Egghead Jr.

Porky Pig Show # 4 (Oct. 11, 1964)
"The Wearing of the Grin" with Porky Pig and the Leprechauns
"The Unexpected Pest" with Sylvester
"Which is Witch?" with Bugs Bunny and Dr. I. C. Spots

Porky Pig Show # 5 (Oct. 18, 1964)
"Thumb Fun" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"Ready, Woolen, and Able" with Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog
"Wise Quackers" with Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd

Porky Pig Show # 6 (Oct. 25, 1964)
"The Prize Pest" with Porky Pig and Daffy Duck
"Room and Bird" with Tweety, Sylvester, and Granny
"Early to Bet" with the Gambling Bug

Porky Pig Show # 7 (Nov. 1, 1964)
"Drip-Along Daffy" with Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Nasty Canasta
"Too Hop to Handle" with Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., and Hippety Hopper
"Chow Hound" with Bulldog

Porky Pig Show # 8 (Nov. 8, 1964)
"The Pest That Came to Dinner" with Porky Pig and Pierre Termite
"Goldimouse and the Three Cats" with Sylvester, Sylvester Jr., and Goldimouse
"Two Crows From Tacos" with the Mexicali Crows

Porky Pig Show # 9 (Nov. 15, 1964)
"Dog Collared" with Porky Pig
"Strife With Father" with Beaky Buzzard
"Feline Frame-Up" with Marc Antony, Pussyfoot, and Claude Cat

Porky Pig Show # 10 (Nov. 22, 1964)
"My Little Duckaroo" with Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Nasty Canasta
"A Fox in a Fix" with the Scheming Fox
"Much Ado About Nutting" with the Nut-Collecting Squirrel

Porky Pig Show # 11 (Nov. 29, 1964)
"Fool Coverage" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"The Bee-Deviled Bruin" with the Three Bears
"Go Fly a Kit" with Bulldog and the Flying Cat

Porky Pig Show # 12 (Dec. 6, 1964)
"Bye, Bye, Bluebeard" with Porky Pig
"The Lion's Busy" with Beaky Buzzard and Leo the Lion
"Speedy Gonzales" with Speedy Gonzales and Sylvester

Porky Pig Show # 13 (Dec. 13, 1964)
"An Egg Scramble" with Porky Pig and Miss Prissy
"Mouse and Garden" with Sylvester and Sam the Goony Cat
"Punch Trunk" with the Tiny Elephant

Porky Pig Show # 14 (Dec. 20, 1964)
"Dime to Retire" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"Bad Ol' Putty Tat" with Tweety and Sylvester
"Kiss Me Cat" with Marc Antony and Pussyfoot

Porky Pig Show # 15 (Dec. 27, 1964)
"Jumpin' Jupiter" with Porky Pig and Sylvester
"A Hound For Trouble" with Charlie Dog
"Of Rice and Hen" with Foghorn Leghorn and Miss Prissy

Porky Pig Show # 16 (Jan. 3, 1965)
"Boston Quackie" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"A Bear For Punishment" with the Three Bears
"The Egg-Cited Rooster" with Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk

Porky Pig Show # 17 (Jan. 10, 1965)
"Porky Chops" with Porky Pig and the Hipster Squirrel
"It's Hummer Time" with Bulldog
"Mouse Warming" with Claude Cat

Porky Pig Show # 18 (Jan. 17, 1965)
"Boobs in the Woods" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"The Hypo-Chondri-Cat" with Claude Cat, Hubie, and Bertie
"Mixed Master" with Robert Dog

Porky Pig Show # 19 (Jan. 24, 1965)
"Riff Raffy Daffy" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"Swallow the Leader" with the Bird-Watching Cat
"The Three Little Bops" with the Three Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf

Porky Pig Show # 20 (Jan. 31, 1965)
"Dough For the Do-Do" with Porky Pig and the Do-Do Bird
"Gopher Broke" with the Goofy Gophers and Barnyard Dog
"Pizzicato Pussycat" with the Piano-Playing Mouse

Porky Pig Show # 21 (Feb. 7, 1965)
"Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century" with Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Marvin Martian
"Sleepy-Time Possum" with Ma, Pa, and Junior O'Possum
"The Honey-Mousers" with the Honey-Mousers

Porky Pig Show # 22 (Feb. 14, 1965)
"Paying the Piper" with Porky Pig
"Caveman Inki" with Inki and the Mynah Bird
"Lumber Jerks" with the Goofy Gophers

Porky Pig Show # 23 (Feb. 21, 1965)
"Deduce You Say" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"Heir Conditioned" with Sylvester and Elmer Fudd
"The Cat's Paw" with Sylvester and Sylvester Jr.

Porky Pig Show # 24 (Feb. 28, 1965)
"Rocket Squad" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"By Word of Mouse" with Sylvester and Hans the German Mouse
"West of the Pesos" with Sylvester and Speedy Gonzales

Porky Pig Show # 25 (Mar. 7, 1965)
"China Jones" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"Rabbit Rampage" with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd
"Mouse Mazurka" with Sylvester

Porky Pig Show # 26 (Mar. 14, 1965)
"Cracked Quack" with Daffy Duck and Porky Pig
"A Ham in a Role" with the Goofy Gophers and Shakespearian Dog
"Sheep Ahoy" with Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog

Source: LT on TV Page here on GAC (http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/tv/others.html)

[Brandon Panther]

Hey, ihey release The Porky Pig Show there's a good chance we'll see Which is Witch?, Caveman Inki, and China Jones!

[Geezil]

Among other things, I asked 'em for Chuck Jones' Tom & Jerry, and in the write-in section, for The Complete and Unedited 1964 Jonny Quest, and that infamous Tex Avery Collection in a Region 1 edition.

Oh, yeah, and a Fleischer/Famous Superman package with NO CUTS WHATSOEVER. (But I will not get into that issue again around here.)

(Much.) ;)

Not too greedy, am I?

[BloodyChamp]

I voted for what are probably obvious choices for everyone, including the Tom and Jerry set. I'm actually impressed that it occurs to the that Chuck Jones' Tom and Jerry's are "different" and must have their own set.

[nickramer]

I voted on the classic animated shorts and the 1960s HB titles. In the comments box, I obviously mention the Tex Avery cartoons. But now I should've wished I also mentioned Ruff and Ready and Quick Draw. I know the last tittle is in limbo due to the leagl loophole, but maybe they would reconsider.

[speedy fast]

Hey, ihey release The Porky Pig Show there's a good chance we'll see Which is Witch?, Caveman Inki, and China Jones!

But we don't know whether Warner Bros. is considering releasing the whole series, if it will be released in volumes, if the epsiodes will be presented in order if released in a volume, or even if it will be a "best of"-type release with episodes in random order.

[TheBlueHombre]

I voted for the H-B titles as well as other material.

In the comments section, I pleaded with them to release the rest of the Huckleberry Hound show, Quick Draw McGraw, Yogi's Gang, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Yo, Yogi! and the New Yogi Bear Show.

As I'm writing this, I realize that I forgot to mention "Ruff and Reddy." Time to get out the geetar, El Kabong.

[FleischerFan]

In my comments I avoided mentioning Avery only because I have a feeling they already know there's a demand for such a DVD...I didn't make that assumption. Until they announce such a set, I think as many fans as possible ought to let WBHV know they would purchase such a set.

I also added a comment about releasing the non-Avery, non-Tom & Jerry M-G-M cartoons. (A man can dream, can't he?)

And yes, Jon, I mentioned GAC Termite Terrace Trading Post.

BTW - how many of us fessed up and admitted we had bootleg discs in our collection?

[Geezil]

BTW - how many of us fessed up and admitted we had bootleg discs in our collection?

Well, I did, anyway (it's not that I haven't "fessed up" to that before the GACers assembled on at least a couple of occasions as well).

Here's one way to look at it: If they wanted to give us a sure-fire way to get them off their duffs, why not satisfy them? ;)

[MF TOON]

http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gifhttp://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Max Fleisher Superman (1941 -17 shorts) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show (1965) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Peter Potamus (1964) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Porky Pig Show (1964-1967) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Frankenstein Jr. (1966) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif

EVERYONE MENTION THAT THEY'D BE MORE INTERESTED/SOONER PURCHASE...

1. COMPLETE MGM TEX AVERY COLLECTION
2. COMPLETE MGM HAPPY HARMONIES
3. COMPLETE, REMASTERED, UNCUT, CHRONOLOGICAL MGM TOM & JERRY FILMS!!! (NO Interlaced Discs!)
4. QUICK DRAW McGRAW

[MarkTheShark]

http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gifhttp://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Max Fleisher Superman (1941 -17 shorts) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show (1965) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gifhttp://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Peter Potamus (1964) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Porky Pig Show (1964-1967) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/elements/check/styles/style8/check-1.gif (http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.zgi?p=WEB227WR3JY45V#) Frankenstein Jr. (1966) http://www.zoomerang.com/WebResources/Images/shim.gif

EVERYONE MENTION THAT THEY'D BE MORE INTERESTED/SOONER PURCHASE...

1. COMPLETE MGM TEX AVERY COLLECTION
2. COMPLETE MGM HAPPY HARMONIES
3. COMPLETE, REMASTERED, UNCUT, CHRONOLOGICAL MGM TOM & JERRY FILMS!!! (NO Interlaced Discs!)
4. QUICK DRAW McGRAW

Of course, the above are a bigger priority overall, but then I imagine everyone pretty much already knows that!

So my vote went to:

Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show (1965)
Peter Potamus (1964)

Geez...how would they fit AA/SS onto two discs? That's 52 half-hours! (And that seems to be the trend of late.)

Don't hate me...three guesses on what my "write-in" was...

Tex will still be out first or dinner's on me -- should have been out years ago (but then, what do I know...Richie Rich is already out on DVD).

[J. J. Hunsecker]

BTW - how many of us fessed up and admitted we had bootleg discs in our collection?
I also admitted that.

[Jeffitarian]

I voted for the Fleischer/Famous Superman collection and the Chuck Jones T & Js. I also commented on the need to release a HB Tom and Jerry collection that is similar to the way the Looney Tunes and Popeyes have been released. IE, no edits and whatnot. Hope springs eternal...

I'm wondering what chance there is of the Gene Deitch T & Js being released as well. I know this was done in Europe already. Perhaps it depends on the sales figures for a Chuck Jones T & J collection. I know the Deitch shorts are not very popular, but it would be nice to have them in Region 1 territory.

[pablo]

I also wrote in that I want Golden Collection-style volumes of all the MGM cartoons.

[BillK]

I'm wondering what chance there is of the Gene Deitch T & Js being released as well. I know this was done in Europe already. Perhaps it depends on the sales figures for a Chuck Jones T & J collection. I know the Deitch shorts are not very popular, but it would be nice to have them in Region 1 territory.

I asked for the Deitch shorts in my write-in, in fact.

Also voted for: Chuck Jones T&J, Ruby Spears Superman, Frankenstein Jr,
Batman/Tarzan.

[Jack G.]

I voted for the Jones T&J, the Superman and the Porky Pig.

I also posted this comment:

Please put out Tex Avery's MGM cartoons.
Either as a Tex set or part of an MGM cartoon set.

Since WHV didn't do to good a job on the Tom & Jerry Spotlight series you could combine all these elements onto a MGM cartoon Golden Collection.
Perhaps it could be called "Tom, Jerry, Droopy, and Friends: Cartoons from the MGM studio.

Totally uncut and uncensored.

WHV has done a good job with the Looney Tunes Golden Collections and the Popeye series.

This is what you should strive for.

[MF TOON]

Don't hate me...three guesses on what my "write-in" was...

One banana, two banana, three banana, four... :o

(Wish I'd remembered to include a request!)


I have a question for you -- is The Hardy Boys cartoon a Warner Bros. property?

[MF TOON]

And I have to say that I really don't care to ever see the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry's. They are pretty bland cartoons.

[Jack G.]

And I have to say that I really don't care to ever see the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry's. They are pretty bland cartoons.They're nothing special. But since they suggested putting it out, I said yes.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

And I have to say that I really don't care to ever see the Chuck Jones Tom and Jerry's. They are pretty bland cartoons.

I agree with you. I didn't buy them on Laserdisc and I wouldn't buy them on DVD. Of course, I wouldn't buy the Gene Deitch's either.

I WOULD re-buy a complete H-B MGM Tom and Jerry, unedited and uncensored.

[Matthew Hunter]

I agree with you. I didn't buy them on Laserdisc and I wouldn't buy them on DVD. Of course, I wouldn't buy the Gene Deitch's either.

I WOULD re-buy a complete H-B MGM Tom and Jerry, unedited and uncensored.

If they did a set of those that was complete, uncut and affordable, I'd buy it. No, they're not very good, but they're amazing to look at. I already have the 3 Hanna-Barbera era Spotlight Collections, and flawed as they are, I still enjoy them. Might as well throw in Jones' efforts too. :tomcat: :jerry:

[That 70s Mom]

I also wrote in that I want Golden Collection-style volumes of all the MGM cartoons.

That's exactly what I asked for too! I would rather see GC-style box sets with theme discs, than separate collections of Happy Harmonies, Tex Avery, etc. Throw in a few Deitch Tom and Jerrys as "from the vault" extras, so people who don't want to see them, don't have to. (I think they're so bad, they're good.)

[MF TOON]

Their nothing special. But since they suggested putting it out, I said yes.

I think that if they're going to bother with these subpar, mediocre Tom & Jerry cartoons... they should consider going back to the original MGM films and remastering them as best they could (at the very least they could fix the damn title cards so they don't appear on screen behind bright green and pink backgrounds in varying sizes!) and should do a chronological package similar to the POPEYE sets.

This time including EVERYTHING! Without cuts or edits to the soundtrack. And NO INTERLACED MASTERING! That way we could own everything... even the lesser Chuck Jones cartoons for those who want them. But at least giving deserved treatment to one of Warner's most neglected animated properties that just happens to be amongst the greatest and better produced animated short series of the 1940's!

If they included the extra Chuck Jones shorts in such a package, I'm sure that it would sell even better because of the appeal to those who've requested these cartoons over the years. Two four-disc sets for the original MGM Hanna/Barbera-produced films would suffice, I'm sure.

[MarkTheShark]

One banana, two banana, three banana, four... :o

(Wish I'd remembered to include a request!)


I have a question for you -- is The Hardy Boys cartoon a Warner Bros. property?

I had to look that up -- I didn't even remember who produced it, but I knew it wasn't Hanna-Barbera. (Filmation)

I'm not sure who would own it. My guess would be Entertainment Rights/Classic Media.

Anyone? Bueller?

[Jack G.]

I think that if they're going to bother with these subpar, mediocre Tom & Jerry cartoons... they should consider going back to the original MGM films and remastering them as best they could (at the very least they could fix the damn title cards so they don't appear on screen behind bright green and pink backgrounds in varying sizes!) and should do a chronological package similar to the POPEYE sets.

This time including EVERYTHING! Without cuts or edits to the soundtrack. And NO INTERLACED MASTERING! That way we could own everything...I have no problem with that idea.

The reason they're thinking about putting out the Jones T&J stuff is because they believe that it's characters that sell.
As opposed to Tex Avery, who really was more about gags and funny concepts.

[Bugsmer]

I also asked for a restored, unedited and collective MGM series, and failing that, the complete releases of all the MGM cartoons separately. It would be amazing! Can you imagine how incredible the restored Happy Harmonies would look? The Barney Bears would look pretty cool as well. I don't know what kinds of special features they'd have, but it would be worth it for the cartoons alone.

[speedy fast]

I didn't realise that the Tom and Jerry DVDs only contained the ones directed by Hannah and Barberra. Yes, I know that I would have known if I had the DVDs, but I don't care about Tom and Jerry as much as I do about Looney Tunes (or Muppets, or Sesame Street, or Weird Al Yankovic...). I wonder why different directors cartoons weren't mixed in.

In the suggestions section, I wonder if I should have requested a DVD of the post-1964 cartoons. Or at least requested to have Skyscraper Caper, Speedy Ghosts to Town, Rodent to Stardom, Chasers on the Rocks, Sugar and Spies, Rabbit Stew and Rabbits Too, Injunn Trouble, Bugged by a Bee, Solid Tiun Coyotie, and Muchos Loco on DVD. And Little Go Beep (which is technically post-1964, though not from the period that's often referred to as "post-1964"). I wodner if people can take the survey multiple times...:tweety:

[CueBallCat79]

I didn't realise that the Tom and Jerry DVDs only contained the ones directed by Hannah and Barberra. Yes, I know that I would have known if I had the DVDs, but I don't care about Tom and Jerry as much as I do about Looney Tunes (or Muppets, or Sesame Street, or Weird Al Yankovic...). I wonder why different directors cartoons weren't mixed in.

Because the H/B cartoons are the ones people really want. I would have felt gypped if I had bought these Spotlight sets and had to wade through Deitch and Jones cartoons.

[speedy fast]

Regarding the question of whether I have purchased bootleg videos and DVDs, I clicked no, but then I wondered if public domain videos count. Most of the public domain releases I own were given to me as gifts, and not actually purchases I made, and most were given to me long before I even knew the concept of public domain.

[BloodyChamp]

Ok I ignored it the first 20 times but if a whole page is going to go towards trashing the Chuck Jone's TnJ's...WROOOONG! I still maintain that the Chuck Jone's TnJs are the best.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

Ok I ignored it the first 20 times but if a whole page is going to go towards trashing the Chuck Jone's TnJ's...WROOOONG! I still maintain that the Chuck Jone's TnJs are the best.

Okay, I'll bite... the best what?

[Leviathan]

The best revival of the characters, at LEAST. They're not incompetently made, they weren't handled by animators totally unfamiliar with the characters and their cartoons, they weren't made-for-TV, they weren't watered down by Peggy Charren and network censors, they didn't shoehorn the characters into a faux-Disney musical with trite songs.

Sure, they're not the best cartoons ever made, and are far below Chuck's standards, but but for their faults, the Jones Tom and Jerry shorts at least don't suffer from the much more fatal flaws that have marred the other revival attempts, and were there honestly any theatrical cartoons from that time period that were much better?

[BloodyChamp]

Okay, I'll bite... the best what?

Tom and Jerry cartoons :tomcat:

[Jeffitarian]

I'd love to throw my hat into the ring here, but honestly, I can't remember watching any Chuck Jones or Deitch T & Js when I was a wee lad. It was all HB era toons and "The Tom and Jerry Show" on my local UHF channel. I'd buy all the incarnations of T & J that were released COMPETENTLY. It saddens me to no end that I don't have any T & J cartoons in my DVD library because of the hack job Warners Family Division did to these great cartoons.

[BloodyChamp]

I know right! I'm not trashing our beloved HB cartoons. I just like the Jones ones the most.

[Mark J]

I recently watched some of the Jones T&J on Cartoon Network. I never liked them when I was a kid (although I liked them better than the repulsive looking Deitch T&Js). Now I know why. They are not bad cartoons - the animation, timing etc is decent, especially for their time. They are bad Tom & Jerry cartoons. They are more like roadrunner/coyote toons where Jones replaced them with T&J. He missed the essence of Tom & Jerry that is in even the lamest of the H&B efforts. I would not buy these and would not watch them on TV.

[BloodyChamp]

The above arguement is what I always hear but it's simply not true. It's became cliche but I don't know how the devil anyone can watch a Jones Tom and Jerry cartoon then a Roadrunner cartoon and say well o um they just replaced the dog and the bird with the cat and the mouse. No way. I mean seriously, Haunted Mouse and The Cat's Me-Ouch are carbon copies of any Roadrunner cartoon then. No sir.

I know that Chuck Jones even supported this theory but I honestly think he just pimped his Roadrunner junk more because WB gave him a paycheck towards the end and most of his years were with WB anyway.

[FleischerFan]

Regarding the question of whether I have purchased bootleg videos and DVDs, I clicked no, but then I wondered if public domain videos count. Most of the public domain releases I own were given to me as gifts, and not actually purchases I made, and most were given to me long before I even knew the concept of public domain.No, public domain videos are legitimate releases. They are sold "over the counter" in dozens of reputable locations from Dollar Stores to Best Buy to Wal-Mart.

Bootlegs would be something like owning a DVD set of the Happy Harmonies that was made off of the laserdisc release. Such a release was never authorized by WBHV and the cartoons are still protected by copyright.

In some instances, I have purchased a bootleg without knowing it was a bootleg. For example, I purchased copies of Pinocchio and The Lion King in eBay auctions. Both times I bought from sellers located in the United States. Yet, Pinocchio appears to be an Asian bootleg and The Lion King is just an out and out bootleg aimed at Region 1. It came in the kind of 2-DVD case you can get at Office Depot - a type Disney has never used for their 2-disc releases. I will say that in both cases, the discs and artwork for the case were amazingly well done.

You can find any number of bootlegs available on eBay right now for a variety of out of print titles like Yellow Submarine and there are mutliple sources for never released titles such as Song of the South.


My two cents on the Chuck Jones/T&J debate. I voted for the release of a Jones set of T&J cartoons. Sure, they aren't the same as H-B shorts. But I like them well enough. I always think of it in "old Hollywood" terms. It's as if M-G-M loaned out their top stars to do a couple of pictures for Warners - like when the Marx Brothers went to R-K-O. Not their best stuff, but still watchable.

[CueBallCat79]

The above arguement is what I always hear but it's simply not true.

But thing is...it is true. If these cartoons didn't star characters named Tom and Jerry I think they'd be pretty good. The animation is fantastic for a 1960s theatrical product, there are a few inventive ideas and several of the cartoons have interesting stories and gags

But as T&J cartoons they're incredibly poor, poor enough that Jones himself said he didn't know what he was doing when he was making them. These characters aren't Tom and Jerry, and aside from the chase formula, they act nothing like the H/B versions of the characters. Tom is just a nasty jerk who only exists to get beaten up and maimed while Jerry is an angelic little nobody with those cutesy Chuck Jones eyes that I can't stand. And everything is so drawn out that most of the gags fail as "Tom and Jerry" gags. The H/B violence was funny because it actually looked like it hurt, and it was expressed in a realistic way. The gags in the Jones cartoons are way too abstract and cartoony, and the characters tend to take way too long working themselves out of the physical results of the gags. Tom gets stretched a mile long and stays that way, he needs assistance with a flat foot when a manhole cover falls on it, his skin is treated like thermal underwear is almost every cartoon (I think H/B did that joke once, and it was the only time it was funny) and is inflated and floats around in the air in several cartoons. These are Roadrunner/Coyote jokes, and it doesn't fit the Tom and Jerry style.

The Abe Levitow cartoons are ugly, the music stinks and has no character to it, settings repeat from cartoon to cartoon and there's never a point where I feel like the characters are buddies at heart who just enjoy kicking the crap out of each other on camera. Whenever Jones tries to have the characters get along and be friendly with each other is just seems so awkward in the context of the rest of the cartoons.

It's rare that I watch Tom and Jerry on TV nowadays, but I cringe when I know a Jones cartoon is about the air.

[Speedy Boris]

Maybe I'm alone on this, but if the Deitch cartoons were put on DVD, I'd buy 'em. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a choice in the survey, though.

[CueBallCat79]

Maybe I'm alone on this, but if the Deitch cartoons were put on DVD, I'd buy 'em. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a choice in the survey, though.

If you really want the Dietch cartoons you could always import the UK discs. I have the Jones cartoons that way too, so I'd rather have something I don't already own.

Of course, the only thing I want from WB is for them to actually complete the series that I already have 3 DVD sets of, and I think you know what show I'm talking about. But we don't dare speak it's name around here, since it's eye rape and all.

[gdX]

I'd take any Deitch T&J over any Jones T&J... any day.

Yes, Deitch illustration and animation are crude and jerky, but at least they're funny and cartoon-y – he actually 'got' the characters, while Jones made far and away the worst toons of his career with this series... all his style and nuance were out of place here, and entirely unfunny.

All moot anyway, as golden age cartoons were pretty much dead by 1960.

Segue to the poll... given the above, I can only vote for classic theatrical shorts, namely Fleischer Superman – with write-ins for Tex & MGM... any effort made on Porky Pig Show footage only wastes resources that should be directed to the Looney Tunes boxes.

I can understand some of you younger guys wanting your 80s TV shows... but that ain't Golden Age to me.

:sylvester

[BillK]

Yes, Deitch illustration and animation are crude and jerky, but at least they're funny and cartoon-y – he actually 'got' the characters, while Jones made far and away the worst toons of his career with this series... all his style and nuance were out of place here, and entirely unfunny.



I don't have a strong opinion on Jones (though I'd buy the DVDs). But I like Deitch's T&J the way I like peanut butter Oreos, the acoustic version of "Layla," Star Trek: The Next Generation, or a few pecans in my brownies -- an enjoyable variation on the real thing. It'll never be what comes to mind when I think of that real thing, but there is ample room for playing around without doing insult to the original.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

But thing is...it is true. If these cartoons didn't star characters named Tom and Jerry I think they'd be pretty good. The animation is fantastic for a 1960s theatrical product, there are a few inventive ideas and several of the cartoons have interesting stories and gags

But as T&J cartoons they're incredibly poor, poor enough that Jones himself said he didn't know what he was doing when he was making them. These characters aren't Tom and Jerry, and aside from the chase formula, they act nothing like the H/B versions of the characters. Tom is just a nasty jerk who only exists to get beaten up and maimed while Jerry is an angelic little nobody with those cutesy Chuck Jones eyes that I can't stand. And everything is so drawn out that most of the gags fail as "Tom and Jerry" gags. The H/B violence was funny because it actually looked like it hurt, and it was expressed in a realistic way. The gags in the Jones cartoons are way too abstract and cartoony, and the characters tend to take way too long working themselves out of the physical results of the gags. Tom gets stretched a mile long and stays that way, he needs assistance with a flat foot when a manhole cover falls on it, his skin is treated like thermal underwear is almost every cartoon (I think H/B did that joke once, and it was the only time it was funny) and is inflated and floats around in the air in several cartoons. These are Roadrunner/Coyote jokes, and it doesn't fit the Tom and Jerry style.

The Abe Levitow cartoons are ugly, the music stinks and has no character to it, settings repeat from cartoon to cartoon and there's never a point where I feel like the characters are buddies at heart who just enjoy kicking the crap out of each other on camera. Whenever Jones tries to have the characters get along and be friendly with each other is just seems so awkward in the context of the rest of the cartoons.

It's rare that I watch Tom and Jerry on TV nowadays, but I cringe when I know a Jones cartoon is about the air.

You've explained this really well and I completely agree with you. To me, watching these for the first time, it seemed to me like Jones had lost his timing by this point in his career. With the exception of "Grinch", I don't think anything he did after that (and a bunch of stuff before) was up to his 40's and early 50's toons. He was doing a parody of himself. And don't get me started on the cutesy eyes that seemed to be born sometime in the mid-50's. But more than anything, he wasn't doing "Tom and Jerry". And even if these had been two different characters, I still think the timing on the gags is off, so I'm not convinced that they would work any better. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I think these cartoons are a waste of a lot of talented people.

As far as theatrical cartoons of the period that work better, I'd vote for the Pink Panther.

[Thad]

When one does a Tom & Jerry cartoon, it should be treated as pure-slapstick, Three Stooges humor. Any attention to characterization or pathos should be so over the top that the audience laughs at it. This is the H-B/Bob McKimson style of cartoon short direction, not the Chuck Jones style, which is the main problem.

I highlighted fairly well what's wrong with them recently (http://thadkomorowski.com/2008/06/12/never-before-never-again/), and overall, the Deitch shorts' Seventh Circle of Hell quality makes them more fun to watch than seeing the same exact crew that did "One Froggy Evening" bomb. It would have been great if Deitch was able to use the NYC talent on his cartoons, as guys like Jim Tyer, Dave Tendlar, Johnny Gent, Marty Taras, Steve Mufatti, George Germanetti, etc. would have had a blast doing them.

[bj_wanlund]

I voted for Frankie Junior (what the HELL are they thinking not bundling it in with the Impossibles????), as well as a few of the H-B stuff I happen to like and also Super Friends (I love that show...), along with the Chuck Jones T&J cartoons.

I don't have any clue as to why you folks hate the Chuck Jones T&Js. One of my absolute favourite T&J cartoons was "Advance or Be Mechanized", where Tom was famished and ate motor oil while trying to catch Jerry!!

BJ

[BloodyChamp]

I can understand people who simply say that Chuck Jone's Tom and Jerrys are not their beloved HB Tom and Jerrys, therefore they hate them. All these other theories are just senseless though. People are overanalyzing things.

[Fibber Fox]

It would have been great if Deitch was able to use the NYC talent on his cartoons, as guys like Jim Tyer, Dave Tendlar, Johnny Gent, Marty Taras, Steve Mufatti, George Germanetti, etc. would have had a blast doing them.

And they could have Arnold Stang come in and voice Jerry.

F. Fox.

[Thad]

And they could have Arnold Stang come in and voice Jerry.

F. Fox.

Funny, but he was already in Hollywood by that point. ;)

[MarkTheShark]

Regarding the question of whether I have purchased bootleg videos and DVDs, I clicked no, but then I wondered if public domain videos count. Most of the public domain releases I own were given to me as gifts, and not actually purchases I made, and most were given to me long before I even knew the concept of public domain.

The only thing that technically stops the public domain dollar-DVD variety type releases from being bootlegs is that technically, the cartoons included are not legally protected by copyright. (Well, most of the time, anyway...see "Unruly Hare," "The Lion's Busy," "Tears Of An Onion," etc.)

They are still (a) unauthorized, (b) often put out by someone with no knowledge of the material and even less knowledge of how to properly master a DVD, and (c) sourced from whatever material is lying around handy.

So there really isn't a whole lot of difference that I can see. One's "legal" and one isn't, but that's about it.

[drmark7]

Among other things, I asked 'em for // The Complete and Unedited 1964 Jonny Quest

Aside from the same end titles being used on most episodes, what were other issues with the Jonny Quest dvd set?

Questions?/Comments? * This Has Been e-mail From:
"Dr. Mark" Hill * The Doctor Of Pop Culture

[drmark7]

If anyone is curious, this is what aired on The Porky Pig Show as it aired on ABC from 1964-5:

I'd love to see original segments of THE PORKY PIG SHOW, BUG BUNNY SHOW, etc. Presuming that would mean the intros and skits made just for those shows. And what about original WB ads for Kool Aid, cereal, etc included w. shows or as extras?

How do you suppose they would present the cartoons within sets of THE PORKY PIG SHOW, THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW, etc?

As they were originally shown? With just title card and possible edits.

Or do you think they would go to the effort and cost to replace the "edits" with the FULL, UNCUT cartoons?

They did this on the Columbia House versions of THE WOODY WOODPECKER SHOWS- replaced the show cuts with (in most cases) UNCUT originals with original titles- not just a title card.

*_*_*
Questions?/Comments? * This Has Been e-mail From:
"Dr. Mark" Hill * The Doctor Of Pop Culture

[Daws Butler Jr.]

I can understand people who simply say that Chuck Jone's Tom and Jerrys are not their beloved HB Tom and Jerrys, therefore they hate them. All these other theories are just senseless though. People are overanalyzing things.

Okay, then how's this for not overanalyzing... it has nothing to do with who directed what shorts, the Jones cartoons don't make me laugh.

Also, I don't like the character designs in the Jones Tom and Jerrys and I hate the music in them. There. I didn't analyze anything. That's just my personal opinion. And, by the way, I've held those opinions since I first saw these cartoons as a kid.

And by the way, the other "theories" aren't senseless. And people aren't overanalyzing. When a film doesn't work, you try to figure out why it doesn't work. Especially when people who are very talented and whom you otherwise admire make those films. I love Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers, but they made films that didn't work, too. And it doesn't lessen their great works to study why the mediocre ones are mediocre.

[Chow Hound]

Aside from the same end titles being used on most episodes, what were other issues with the Jonny Quest dvd set?
There were 2 audio edits, you can find details and replacement audio clips here (http://www.classicjq.com/artifacts/videos/dvd/DVDDeficienciesAudio.shtml).

[Chow Hound]

How do you suppose they would present the cartoons within sets of THE PORKY PIG SHOW, THE BUGS BUNNY SHOW, etc?

As they were originally shown? With just title card and possible edits.

Or do you think they would go to the effort and cost to replace the "edits" with the FULL, UNCUT cartoons?
Since there were different edits made at different points in the shows' histories, it would make sense to present them unedited. Warner Home Video's family entertainment division isn't known for making sense, however.

[BloodyChamp]

Okay, then how's this for not overanalyzing... it has nothing to do with who directed what shorts, the Jones cartoons don't make me laugh.

Also, I don't like the character designs in the Jones Tom and Jerrys and I hate the music in them. There. I didn't analyze anything. That's just my personal opinion. And, by the way, I've held those opinions since I first saw these cartoons as a kid.

And by the way, the other "theories" aren't senseless. And people aren't overanalyzing. When a film doesn't work, you try to figure out why it doesn't work. Especially when people who are very talented and whom you otherwise admire make those films. I love Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers, but they made films that didn't work, too. And it doesn't lessen their great works to study why the mediocre ones are mediocre.

People are totally overanalyzing these things. Those cartoons are so obviously Chuck Jone's cartoons. I don't know how the names of the story guys and those others get tossed in. If you don't like the cartoons because they're not HB cartoons then fine. That's basically what you said, albeit in a way that was blown out of proportion and nitpicked down to senseless details.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

People are totally overanalyzing these things. Those cartoons are so obviously Chuck Jone's cartoons. I don't know how the names of the story guys and those others get tossed in. If you don't like the cartoons because they're not HB cartoons then fine. That's basically what you said, albeit in a way that was blown out of proportion and nitpicked down to senseless details.

NO... I don't like them because they're pretty much a waste of time and film... not because of who made them. How much clearer can I say it??

[Leviathan]

No, I get what you're saying, Earl, and I didn't mean to suggest that the cartoons were outstanding or perfect, jsut that I thought they were the lesser of a group of evils.

[BloodyChamp]

NO... I don't like them because they're pretty much a waste of time and film... not because of who made them. How much clearer can I say it??

You're saying it so clear that your tone indicates otherwise.

[Leviathan]

Give it a rest. BloodyChamp.

[BloodyChamp]

O that's rich.

[Mark J]

People are totally overanalyzing these things. Those cartoons are so obviously Chuck Jone's cartoons. I don't know how the names of the story guys and those others get tossed in. If you don't like the cartoons because they're not HB cartoons then fine. That's basically what you said, albeit in a way that was blown out of proportion and nitpicked down to senseless details.

Thanks for being a dictator and deciding the acceptable reasons for people to not like these cartoons. They are not good, never were, and I don't like them. If they were the only Tom & Jerrys ever made I still wouldn't like them. If you do, fine, don't tell everyone else how to feel.

[BloodyChamp]

I never did any such thing.

[Jon Cooke]

O that's rich.

Ok, fellas... break it up. :droopy:

Let's get this thread back on course or it will be closed, ok?

[BloodyChamp]

Ok, fellas... break it up. :droopy:

Let's get this thread back on course or it will be closed, ok?

You got the wrong one Deputy Droopy.

[Daws Butler Jr.]

No, I get what you're saying, Earl, and I didn't mean to suggest that the cartoons were outstanding or perfect, jsut that I thought they were the lesser of a group of evils.

Sorry you got caught up in this. I understood your position and I respect your opinion. You weren't the one I was arguing with. But I'm through now. There's obviously no point.

[Matthew Hunter]

You got the wrong one Deputy Droopy.

Bad move. Meet Deputy chill-the hell out or you're in big trouble, Bloodychamp. I expect better of you. LIGHTEN UP.
:wolfie:

[BloodyChamp]

If that's a dare, go ahead and hit the trigger man, because I left this alone since yesterday and you chose this much later to rehash it with that. I wasn't the one who got all animation snobby anyway, and I'm sure as heck not the firt person to use that term around here. It's to bad. This place was actually doing better lately.

[Matthew Hunter]

Ok. I hit the trigger. Because you're normally a good citizen, you may return in exactly one week. Sorry, pal, but disrespecting your fellow posters and TWO moderators within 24 hours just doesn't fly here. Hope you understand.

[pablo]

Can't we all just get along? :(
And get back to the topic at hand?