Tedd Pierce definitely had ups and downs in his career. He possibly suffered the comparison with Mike Maltese and Warren Foster, who had more memorable moments overall, but to be fair I’d lie if I said the Jones-Pierce duo wasn’t good. After all, without him, Jones’ improvement would’ve been a lot harder.
So what to do? How about listing my top/bottom 10 of WB cartoons written by Tedd Pierce? Of course I’ll be listing cartoons written by Pierce ALONE, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see Hair-Raising Hare among the best or Elmer’s Candid Camera among the worst. There won’t be any clip shows, either.
Let’s start with my BOTTOM 10 TEDD PIERCE SHORT FILMS.
I didn’t enjoy the return of the Jones-Pierce duo in 1955-56. I was quite tempted to include Knight-Mare Hare and Broom-Stick Bunny as well, but Bugs’ Bonnets writing manages to be rather insulting. It almost makes me defend Elmer’s Pet Rabbit, which AT LEAST had the alibi of being released in 1941. I mustn’t expect Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd to lack personality in 1956. NINETEEN FIFTEEN-SIX. If it wasn’t for Jones’ godsend of an animation staff, it would be in my bottom 10.
This isn’t that terrible, but the plot is basically non-existent: it’s only about Porky being held hostage by Daffy’s endless performances. That’s it. At the very least, Freleng’s staff is great, with Gerry Chiniquy handling the majority of Daffy’s numbers, as usual.
(for your information, SURPRISINGLY, there will be NO Seely cartoon in my list, since Gopher Broke is mostly meh with a funny gag (the loud QUACK) and an unsettling ending and the universally hated Pre-Hysterical Hare is only LAUGHABLY flawed, starting with the title card music before Franklin’s LT theme and Elmer’s unlistenable voice. While I do consider the McKimp-Pierce a mixed bag duo, these two shorts are only mediocre. I don’t hate them as much as the following ten cartoons.)
1946 wasn’t the best year for Jones, but it was definitely experimental. Hair-Raising Hare (written by him and Maltese) was his best short film of that year, but I feel it was a letdown compared to his 1945. Hush My Mouse is supposed to be the return of Jones’ slow-paced efforts from early ’40s, which isn’t something I’d expect from him at this point. The fact of the matter is Sniffles sucks, period.
Yes, he’s talkative, but by now WB have been popping out so many memorable characters we could easily do without Sniffles. Look, it’s not a bias since Lost and Foundling (also written by Pierce) was actually decent, probably the most convincing Sniffles cartoon. This one feels just out of place, not very necessary.
This young opossum hasn’t been doing anything wrong apart from sleeping, yet he gets to be chased and punished for doing nothing wrong. Poor excuse for a story and such an amazing animation staff is kinda wasted here. It’s difficult to bomb with the likes of Emery Hawkins and Rod Scribner, but the McKimp-Pierce duo is capable of anything.
I’m generally not a fan of shorts filled with characters singing and dancing from start to finish. Where’s the plot? Nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Freleng would make far better music-centered cartoons in the following years.
If that fucking chick got squashed by a safe, I’d be able to save this nasty cartoon. It’s downright annoying, Foghorn does nothing wrong and the slick chick gets away with it. The annoying kid formula isn’t problematic itself, as much as its predictable outcome. YOU KNOW Foghorn is always going to be punished. This one doesn’t work.
I don’t care for Hippety Hopper. I don’t care for Sylvester being Hippety Hopper’s whore. The HH series should’ve lasted up to Pop ‘im Pop. We actually live in a timeline in which Charlie Dog received LESS SCREEN TIME that fucking Hippety Hopper.
Hoppy-Go-Lucky is pretty annoying, Benny is ultra obnoxious and Sylvester is everybody’s bitch. Cat’s Paw would fit here, too, since it’s also very annoying and Junior’s paper bag running gag fucking SUCKS. Oh, have I ever told you McKimson’s Sylvester Jr. is for WB what Goten is for DBZ? He’s that meaningful.
Good lord, Freleng pulled no punches towards Daffy in 1950. Golden Yeggs is also pretty questionable, but I guess Rocky isn’t supposed to be a nice guy so there’s no room for it. Either way, Daffy is extremely sympathetic in both cartoons, as here he gets constantly abused by his bitchy wife and bratty kid.
Unlike the previous entries, this one’s got a few redeeming qualities, like the beginning with Daffy being carried by his Junoesque wife after their marriage or the timing of Daffy yelling ‘WENTWORTH’. Freleng and his animation staff don’t certainly disappoint, but the overall annoyance of the story diminishes their effort. Its ’60s remake Honey’s Money isn’t much better, but it’s slightly more tolerable since Yosemite Sam actually does something to deserve a punishment, like trying to kill Wentworth. All in all, I feel it could’ve been much better with another plot.
The Daffy-Elmer pairing normally works. To Duck or Not to Duck was good, Wise Quackers was good, Quack Shot was good… this one is very tedious, every character is unlikeable, including Daffy, it tries to combine Each Dawn I Crow with the shaving gag of Wise Quackers, but without Freleng’s comedy timing. Just as skippable as an average Pluto cartoon.
The lowest point of the unfortunate Jones-Pierce 2.0. It’s bland, boring, uninspired and uses the same scenario as Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century without the same will to show a solid plot. I know it’s supposed to be a cultural reference to a ’50s TV show, but the fact is there’s positively NO story here and Daffy and Porky’s characters are wrecked, as made of cardboard, WAY WORSE THAN BUGS’ BONNETS. Not the best among Jones’ various experiments.
How can anybody think Pre-Hysterical Hare is worse than this? Nothing can be saved here, this is a terrible cartoon: Elmer’s voice is appalling, the story is trite, the dog is very unlikeable, jokes fall flat and the ending sucks. What else? Oh, the dog gets intoxicated like that one from Clampett’s Porky’s Party, which would easily put this short to shame.
Even though the McKimson-Pierce duo is probably weaker than Jones-Maltese or Freleng-Foster, I was surprised only 5-6 cartoons of said duo entered my list while writing it down. I expected worse, to be honest.
Nevertheless, I’d rather watch a loop of Pre-Hysterical Hare, because this is Jack Hannah level of BAD. Not MEME level of BAD like Pre-Hysterical Hare, this short is simply garbage.
Is it the constant Chinese stereotype? Nah, I’ve seen worse. In actuality, this short tries so hard to borrow the anti-hero Daffy formula from The Great Piggy Bank Robbery, Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century and middle-of-the-road Boston Quackie, but without the charm and energy of the former two titles. I mean, what’s with the reiterating? Boston Quackie was already a forgettable idea, what makes you think setting it in China (welcome gratuitous stereotypes), with even worse background characters would’ve been an improvement???
Daffy is at his weakest, Porky at his blandest, the villain sucks, gags are lame and the ending is shite. I miss it when Daffy used to take advantage of his anti-hero status like in Duck Dodgers, and was able to pull it through like in Piggy Bank, this short has none of that. Sure, it’s got the doorbell gag (like in Piggy Bank), but feels leagues weaker without Clampett’s timing and Manny Gould’s key animation. This is the absolute worst cartoon written by Pierce, not Pre-Hysterical Hare.
Now, onto the better content, TOP 10 TEDD PIERCE SHORT FILMS.
In spite of McKimson’s infamous mistreatment, Rod Scribner’s baseball segment is the highlight of this cartoon. The hide and seek sequence is also quite funny. All in all, it’s one of the better Foghorn shorts.
One of the earliest instances of Chuck Jones being a good supervisor, by having Bugs plan his revenge against Ala Bahma’s blackberry pie fraud. After The Dover Boys, Jones is slowly building up his identity, less Disney-ish and more down to earth, with more effective visual gags, like Ala Bahma’s cloak tiptoeing or his sword pewfowmance.
Although, why would Bugs live in a tree???
One of the main issues of McKimson’s Bugs Bunny cartoons is the absence of a solid supporting character to oppose Bugs. Not an issue here, since Pete Puma is basically the star of this short: his stupidity and clumsiness are the main focus here and the main reason people remember this cartoon for. Even though Pete Puma is memorable and all, the story is still simplistic and linear. The ‘how many lumps’ running gag is indeed great, but the excessive linearity contributes to undesired idle time, like the moment in which Bugs offers Pete a cup of tea. And don’t get me started on McKimson concealing Rod Scribner. Poor move.
Freleng’s Sylvester-Tweety series is definitely formulaic, but unlike Tom and Jerry, the ending is usually very one-sided, as Tweety being the small one gets to win against the big one, Sylvester. This short is no exception, but a few things do stand out, such as Freleng’s animation staff, which is one of his absolute best (I mean, it has Emery Hawkins in it), Sylvester bowling and the receptionist. As usual, Freleng’s musical direction is what makes some average scenes stand out, like the ending, which may be a little too harsh for Sylvester, but it’s overwhelmed by Stalling’s dramatic BGM, creating a solid climax to end the story, also thanks to Freleng’s timing and Chiniquy’s key animation. Furthermore, instead of using a generic owner, Pierce adds Granny’s character in order to obstruct Sylvester from catching Tweety.
Needless to say, Tweety’s theme is a classic.
Interesting how Pierce still doesn’t view Daffy’s character like Maltese does, so we don’t get his contemporary short-tempered and self-centered nemesis of Bugs Bunny, but more like his more hybrid self of the late ’40s, often pairing with Porky or, like in this case, with Elmer. The setup is quite creative, with his house being completely filled with mechanized gimmicks, like the infamous red button twist and the robot dog biting Elmer’s leg.
One complaint, though: I still dislike McKimson’s treatment towards Scribner.
Very good short, with solid visual gags like Bobe Cannon’s Bugs playing basketball with a cannon ball (always smirking) or Bugs casually giving Cottontail Joe fodder, that is a hilarious joke. Sure, pacing is perfectible and could be better, as it shows in Bugs’ first dialogue with Joe, which has great visual gags but it’s a bit poorly paced. Being in 1943, of course we should expect the patriotic ending, but it’s actually functional in this case. It’s not like making 7-8 minutes of the American history montage.
More Bugs Bunny content. It’s not a surprise, since he’s one of the best characters ever created. Better paced than Super-Rabbit, the department segment is definitely what people remember the most about this cartoon. Although, it’s not the first time Pierce showcases one of his main flaws, that is the excessive simplicity of his gags, which sometimes makes him a bit wishy-washy compared to Maltese and Foster. I’m not saying it’s necessarily bad, the ending is clearly Jones-level of nonsensical, but at the same time it feels a bit feeble.
Underrated gem. Even though Freleng considers Yosemite Sam a more credible menace for Bugs Bunny, this doesn’t mean he would set Elmer aside. The idea of moving the action from the usual woods to a theatre (just like in Stage Door Cartoon) is quite interesting, and having Elmer chase Bugs inside without his gun actually works, it doesn’t attract attention… or at least tries not to. While Pierce’s setup isn’t the most astounding, it’s still got some funny bits like the carrot wrapped like a snack from the vending machine, “I got up at 4:45” and the curtain/intermission scene dominated by Freleng’s direction.
Imagine reusing the same opening as Elmer’s Pet Rabbit, only 1000X better. Sure, Pierce’s setup is a bit predictable, Bugs is a dick and Elmer is extremely gullible… BUT THAT’S WHY IT WORKS SO PERFECTLY. Bugs has a solid MOTIVATION for being a dick, as Elmer wants to stew him for good, it’s not like he wants a new pet like in THAT joke of a short. His motivation makes him different from screwball Daffy or Woody Woodpecker, he’s a trickster who likes to take the piss out of his opponents in a much more intelligent and effective way. THIS is how Bugs Bunny is like, a clever motherfudder, who of course gets along with a more gullible character like Elmer just fine. Story may be a bit too simple, but in this case it’s not a problem with such strong characters. This is also one of the very last cartoons animated by Bobe Cannon (the last segment with Bugs as Elmer’s mirror) before joining MGM.
For the record, no, I won’t say anything about the quarantine thing, we’re in 1945.
Greedy Daffy is a very divisive character: either “Maltese ruined him, screwball Daffy is the GOAT” or “finally Daffy is no longer bootleg Bugs”.
What makes Daffy Duck great? Why is he a memorable character? Either as a nutcase or as an aviduck, he’s always been the depiction of both virtues and vices of mankind: he’s moody like anyone else, he’s greedy like anyone else (find me everybody who doesn’t aim to be wealthier and succeed), he’s short-tempered like anyone else, he has insane moments like anyone else and fails like anyone else… from this perspective, he’s way more relatable than Bugs Bunny, which explains why someone dislikes him as a greedy egomaniac, because people don’t want him to fail and lose.
So, how about making him greedy but successful? For that reason I consider this one of the most, if not THE most, remarkable post-shutdown McKimson films, which are very few since 1) his unit suffered a considerable decline compared to Jones and Freleng and 2) the Pierce-McKimson duo isn’t always very convincing, especially in this era. Nevertheless, Pierce comes up with the most basic solution for such a divisive personality, by emphasizing Daffy’s greed in a POSITIVE key, instead of humiliating him. While it’s not particularly outstanding, it’s got some funny gags, like the classic “everyone hates bagpipes” trope and Taz with a pipe in his mouth while Daffy is singing, and the ending follows the “my greed gives me super strength” continuity. Great.
This cartoon is probably the one that describes Pierce’s writing best: linear story, simple setup with not thought-out and sometimes abstract gags.
Freleng is great, his comedy timing is perfect, his staff is great, Stalling is great and Bugs and Sam are a very strong pairing. All of these aspects provide the birth of an absolute classic, based on the running gag of Sam getting dunked, which is never repetitive thanks to said aspects. Milestone.
No surprise here, it had to be number 1. This short is basically perfect from start to finish.
One of the nicest McKimson cartoons and the best of the McKimson-Pierce duo. It’s got everything you want in a cartoon: great animation staff, a great main character, two entertaining foes, jokes… The square dance segment is obviously the highlight, which makes a solid short AMAZING. The animators behind said segment are the main protagonists, since visual gags wouldn’t be as effective without them: John Carey is pretty underappreciated, Rod Scribner is at long last reaching his Clampett-Scribner level of greatness and Emery Hawkins is Emery Hawkins.
What else? Not sure if it’s overrated, but it’s the best Pierce short film nonetheless.