Certainly we all remember the annual viewing of IT'S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN, and it is a fun little imaginative feature for all ages, but does anyone remember the Bugs Bunny Halloween Special that used to air on nearly the same kind of annual basis? Is it just me or was the yearly combination of those classic Looney Tunes a lot more exciting to watch? Now don't think that I'm dissing the Great Pumpkin, because he is a great religion (blessings and peace be upon the sincere patch he chooses to arise from this year) and always a hoot to watch, but for a kid of my youth the pacing of the Charlie Brown specials seemed to be in s-l-o-w--m-o-t-i-o-n. The work of the Looney Tunes gang could never be classified as slowly paced. Manic, sure, tortoise-like, nope!
Warner Bros. studios certainly weren't very original in naming their witch Hazel, but they did a great job of making her a character of note. One of surely evil intent, but with quite a few relatable traits as well. She was big, ugly, green and moly with a touch of modesty and a bucket full of sass. She was a fun match for Bugs.
Gossamer, who was usually seen as a henchman of a mad scientist, did not have a name when he first appeared. In his second appearance he was called Rudolph. He finally got the name Gossamer, in DUCK DODGERS AND THE RETURN OF THE 24TH1/2 CENTURY decades after his first appearance in 1946. Gossamer, like many of the guys chasing our animated heroes, is an overpowering physical menace while being as dumb as a box of hammers and as gullible as a new born baby. And he's kind of fun that way.
Hazel usually wants to cook up our fair hare for supper or to use in a spell and chases Bugs on a broomstick which has an attitude all it's own. Her wall mirror seems to be the one the witch from Snow White used.
Easily one of my favorite, if not my very favorite, bits that Bugs has ever done is when he stops the monster cold when he's about to be pounced upon and starts in on him like a nail salon gal about his fingernails. From there he goes on a veritable sprint of giving the monster a manicure and a haircut--all the while talking him up like a long lost girlfriend from high school.
"A Witch's Tangled Hare" features many Shakespearean references (even has the dude running around and taking notes).
"Duck Dodgers..." lets us know, finally, what Gossamer is hiding underneath all that hair!
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For more on Hazel and Gossamer:
Monsterama
GoldenAgeCartoons
CaffeinatedJoe
And now a look at another nifty greeting card to give meaning to the season:
Btw that Bugs Bunny Howl-aween Special finally made it to dvd a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteD'oh! Must go and find! Oh ye of much Looney Tunes knowledge--thanks!
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