| A Corny Concerto | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Clampett |
| Story by | Frank Tashlin |
| Produced by | Leon Schlesinger[1] |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros.[1][2] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7:58 |
| Language | English |
A Corny Concerto is a 1943Warner Bros.Merrie Melodies directed byBob Clampett.[4] The short was released on September 25, 1943, and starsBugs Bunny,Porky Pig,Elmer Fudd andDaffy Duck.[5]
They perform a parody ofWalt Disney'sSilly Symphony cartoon series and specifically his 1940 featureFantasia.[6] The film uses two ofJohann Strauss's best known waltzes, "Tales from the Vienna Woods" and "The Blue Danube".
Pyotr Tchaikovsky'sPiano Concerto No. 1 is heard over the opening credits, featuringCarnegie Hall parody "Corny-gie Hall". Afterwards, amusicologist, played byElmer Fudd appears in an ill-fitting tailcoat, unshaven and in glasses, parodyingDeems Taylor inFantasia.
The first of the two musical segments is set toJohann Strauss's waltz "Tales from the Vienna Woods".Porky Pig plays Elmer Fudd's usual role of hunter, accompanied by Laramore, his hunting dog. Porky explains what he is doing via a sign reading, "I'm hunting that@!!*@ rabbit!!", which turns out to beBugs Bunny. A series of visual gags ensue, culminating with all three characters believing that they have been shot by an angry squirrel who manages to get a hold of Porky's hunting rifle. After Porky and the dog realize that they are unharmed, they attempt to givefirst aid to the apparently fatally wounded Bugs while the dog bawls in tune with the music. When Porky finally pries Bugs' clenched hands off the supposed gunshot wound in his chest, Bugs is revealed to be wearing ababy blue coloredbra. Emitting a scream of modesty, Bugs covers the bra with his left hand and slaps Porky's face with his right hand three times and caps the bra cups over the bewildered hunters' heads and then, wearing atutu andpointe shoes, gracefully dances off into the distance, falling over at the music's climax.
Elmer returns briefly to introduce the second segment, Strauss's "The Blue Danube" waltz. A black duckling (possibly meant to be a youngDaffy Duck) attempts to join three cygnets (babyswans) who follow their mother swan, all gracefully paddling around in waltz time; the mother consistently violently rebuffs the "ugly duckling" because he looks and sounds so different from her own brood. Meanwhile, a largevulture with a "hep cat" hairdo spots the troupe and goes "Out To Brunch" by swooping down and sprinkling salt and pepper on the cygnets. He plucks each out of the water (the last youngster is revealed to be fitted with a tinyoutboard motor), then grabs the duckling, but immediately puts him back with a sign reading "Rejected4F" (unfit for military service); much to the duck's annoyance. Upon realizing her children are gone, the mother swan faints and the duckling becomes shocked and tries to revive her. Upon seeing the vulture making off with the cygnets, the duckling becomes angry and takes off to rescue them (on the aspect of aCurtiss P-40 fighter aircraft), and buzzes the vulture, who literally turns yellow, drops the cygnets (who parachute safely back to the water) and flees. The duckling stuns the vulture, then hands him a drum ofTNT, which blows him sky high upon impact on the ground. The vulture is last seen gliding towards heaven (via an attached balloon) inangel garb, strumming aharp. The final scene involves the grateful swan family and the duckling merrily quacking "The Blue Danube" as they glide across the water together. They wave goodbye to the audience as the cartoon ends.
This cartoon was a milestone as it was the first Warner Bros. cartoon ever to feature more than two of their major characters in starring roles (though not all appeared on screen at the same time); not countingI Haven't Got a Hat (1935), which was the debut for a number of characters. Elmer Fudd appears as the musicologist/composer (as Deems Taylor was inFantasia) introducing each segment. The first segment, "Tales from the Vienna Woods", stars Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig, the former as the prey and the latter as the hunter. In addition, a number of people consider the main character in the second segment, "The Blue Danube", to be a young Daffy Duck.
Several other cartoons made by Warner Bros. would follow the casting formula that debuted in this cartoon. Among these cartoons are:
This is the only one of the three cartoons in the "classic" era featuring Bugs and Porky together, in whichboth were stars, the other two cartoons have one making a cameo in the other's cartoon:Porky Pig's Feat features Bugs in a cameo as another patron locked in the hotel Daffy and Porky stayed at, and the 1964 version ofDumb Patrol (with Bugs and Yosemite Sam) has Porky in a cameo as aWorld War I soldier. Also, in 1938'sPorky's Hare Hunt, Porky hunts aprototype Bugs Bunny.
In 1994,A Corny Concerto was voted No. 47 of the50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.[7]
The short is available on disc 4 of theLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set and disc 1 of theLooney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray set and also appears in the documentaryBugs Bunny: Superstar. It can also be found onThe Golden Age of Looney Tunes Vol. 1 laserdisc, theLooney Tunes Collectors Edition: Musical Masterpieces VHS, andLooney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 2.
Since most of this cartoon has fallen intopublic domain[8][9][10] (with the exception of the brief quotation of "The Music Goes Round and Round"), it has made frequent appearances on many gray-market VHS and DVD cartoon releases.
Quotations related toA Corny Concerto at Wikiquote
Media related toA Corny Concerto at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by | Bugs Bunny Cartoons 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Daffy Duck Cartoons 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Elmer Fudd Cartoons 1943 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Porky Pig Cartoons 1943 | Succeeded by |
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