TEX
AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSICS VOLUME 1 (1942-1951)
Directed
by Tex Avery. (138 min)
ON
BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Mr. Paws😸
Of
all the directors who lurked the halls of Termite Terrace during the
early years of Looney Tunes, Tex Avery was perhaps the most
influential...and uninhibited. After leaving Warner Brothers, he set-up shop over at MGM and took most of the madness with him.
While his former studio subsequently refined its characters – some which he helped create – into those which remain beloved today,
Avery continued his unrestrained brand of animated anarchy. His MGM
shorts were seldom as witty, nor did he create any characters
as endearing as Porky Pig or Daffy Duck (though I suppose Droopy Dog
might come close). However, they are brilliantly animated and –
retroactively speaking – unhampered by the boundaries of good
taste.
One
only needs to look at the opening short, “Red Hot Riding Hood,”
to realize political correctness was hardly a priority. Violent
and risque for its time, it’s an amusing spin on the classic fairy
tale that showcases not-only Avery’s penchant for breaking the
fourth wall, but a title character who was an obvious inspiration for
Jessica Rabbit. Elsewhere, when viewed from a modern perspective, 'toons like “Big Heel-Watha” are almost shockingly
offensive.
 |
| "You're no Sandy Cheeks, but I guess you'll do." |
But
historically speaking, this disc is indispensable, a
compilation of 19 shorts made during Avery’s tenure at MGM,
beautifully restored and completely uncut. From classic one-offs to
recurring characters like Droopy Dog and Screwy Squirrel, this is a
nice sampling of the director’s work. In addition to “Red Hot
Riding Hood,” stand-out shorts include “Bad Luck Blackie,” “Who
Killed Who?” and the brilliant “Symphony in Slang,” all
one-shot cartoons which indicate Avery was ultimately more gifted at
manic storytelling than conceiving memorable characters. In fact,
Screwy Squirrel remains such a supremely obnoxious creation that the
four shorts included here are simply irritating. Even at his
naughtiest, at-least Bugs Bunny was likable.
Still,
Screwy was a significant part of Avery’s oeuvre and Tex Avery
Screwball Classics is a terrific overview of the director’s
MGM-era shorts. Considering the copious amounts of violence, racial
stereotyping and objectified female characters, these cartoons
probably aren’t appropriate for kids or anyone looking for reasons
to be offended. But modern animation wouldn’t be what it is today
if not for pioneers like Tex Avery.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
PURR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS.
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