| Bartholomew Versus the Wheel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert McKimson |
| Story by | John Dunn |
| Produced by | David H. DePatie |
| Starring | Mel Blanc Leslie Barringer |
| Music by | Bill Lava |
| Animation by | George Grandpre Ted Bonnicksen Warren Batchelder |
| Layouts by | Bob Givens |
| Backgrounds by | Robert Gribbroek |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5:50 |
| Language | English |
Bartholomew Versus the Wheel is a 1964Warner Bros.Merrie Melodiescartoon directed byRobert McKimson.[1] It was released theatrically on February 29, 1964.[2]
The production was the second of three cartoons to use the "modern" abstract Warner Bros. opening and closing sequences created byChuck Jones.[3] The sequence was previously used onNow Hear This and would be used once more inSeñorella and the Glass Huarache. Unlike the two mentioned cartoons (which have the “oo”s in “cartoon” bounce thrice in the outro), this cartoon has the “oo”s in “cartoon” bounce six times, likely because the other two cartoons were in theLooney Tunes series, as opposed to this cartoon being a Merrie Melody. This was the only cartoon where this happens, as this was the last cartoon produced at the original studio, before current producerDavid H. DePatie and cartoon directorFriz Freleng startedtheir own studio, to continue Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.The visual style of the cartoon was developed in the style of cartoonist and book illustratorJames Thurber. Thurber died in 1961, three years before the cartoon's release.
The cartoon tells the story of Bartholomew, a large yellow dog with a penchant for barking at anything he sees. Though well-loved by his young owner (the narrator), he often has to compete with the family cat for love and affection, leaving him aggressive. One day, after having his tail run over by a scooter, Bartholomew gets a new enemy in the form of wheels, and as he gets bigger and older, he attacks and rips the wheels off any vehicle he can - except for the dogcatcher’s truck.
Years later, Bartholomew decides to go after the only other wheel he has yet to rip off - those of an airplane's landing gears. After some struggle, he manages to bite onto one of the wheels on a plane, but cannot rip it off and is instead flown all the way over to an unspecified African country. His sudden disappearance distresses the townsfolk, who search everywhere they can for him, to no avail.
Finding himself alone and isolated, Bartholomew ultimately manages to escape by biting onto the wheel of another plane. It flies him all the way back to his hometown, where he is welcomed back with a ride in the mayor’s car. Changed by his experience, Bartholomew now likes wheels instead of hating them, and now only hates one thing - cats, which he is not afraid to remind the family cat about.
The cartoon is available as an extra feature on disc four of theLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 DVD set.[4]