TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2 [1943 / 1948 / 1949 / 1950 / 1951 / 1952 / 1953 / 1954 / 1955 / 2020] [Warner Archive Collection] [Blu-ray] [USA Release] More Animated Madness From The King of Cartoons!
Welcome back for another three-ring circus of animated comedy from the legendary leader of cartoon fun – director Tex Avery.
In the first ring, Tex Avery serves up some of his finest one-shot creations: cartoons featuring cats who hate people, wacky cuckoo clocks, kooky cavemen and lovelorn French fleas. We also meet up again with Tex Avery's attractive Red Riding Hood, a pair of amorous wolves and his durable all-around fall guy, Spike.
The second ring is a showcase for Tex Avery's ironically deadpan Droopy in "Happy Hound." This time, Droopy appears in a number of guises – each one funnier than the last. As bandleader "John Pettybone," he leads his jazz-playing fleas to the heights of canine stardom. Out West, as a homesteader and a sheepherder, he has his final showdowns with the Wolf.
The third ring offers a whimsical glimpse into the future – or at least a future from the POV of the mid-20th century – with a plethora of zany post-war inventions. While none of the cartoons "of tomorrow" foresaw smartphones, DVD Players or Blu-ray players, these far-fetched contraptions, gadgets, houses and farms, televisions, and various modes of transportation could only come from the madcap mind of Tex Avery and his M-G-M crew. Uncut, restored and remastered in High Definition for the first time, TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2 is another must-own Tex Avery collection from the master of hand-drawn mayhem.
When you load up the Blu-ray disc, you get to read important information and it reads as follows:
Some of the cartoons we get to view are a product of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. While the following cartoons does not represent the Warner Bros.’ view of today’s society, some of these cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed.
This second Blu-ray set will again delight young and old and will amaze a new generation ready to laugh again at these classic Tex Avery cartoons and here is what you get to view:
Screwball Classics
LITTLE RURAL RIDING HOOD [1943] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:19] The country wolf is under the spell of a buck toothed female and pursues her and she him and the results are unsatisfactory. As the country wolf practically gets himself killed, a note comes from the city wolf. Attached is a picture of Red Riding Hood, a lounge singer who is shapely and desirable. The country wolf takes off for the city. Once there, he becomes a sex maniac. The city wolf can barely control him. Every Tex Avery wolf, eye popping routine is used. Slobbering, thumping, howling, on and on. He becomes an utter embarrassment to his city counterpart. Every method that is possible is used to restrain the lupine hick. It's pretty funny with a nice little conclusion.
Voice Cast: Daws Butler [City Wolf / Country Red] (uncredited), Colleen Collins [Country Red] (uncredited), Pinto Colvig [Country Wolf] (uncredited) and Imogene Lynn [City Red] (archive sound) (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Jack Cosgriff (story) and Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
THE CUCKOO CLOCK [1950] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:05] A cat is driven up the wall by the inhabitant of the cuckoo clock, so the cat tries to get rid of the cuckoo but has to realize that it has met its match.
Voice Cast: Daws Butler [Narrator / Cat] (uncredited) and William Hanna [Cat Scream]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery (uncredited)and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story) and Edgar Allan Poe (uncredited)
Composer: Scott Bradley
Cinematography: Jack Stevens (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
MAGICAL MAESTRO [1952] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:31] A magician is spurned by an opera singer, and takes a spectacular revenge by replacing the conductor and turning the hapless tenor into one thing after another and then uses his magic wand to make lots of crazy and impossible things happen to the singer during the performance. Watch out for the hair that gets caught in the projector gate!
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Spike], Paul Frees [Quavery Tenor], Danny Webb [Deep Basso], Daws Butler [Mysto the Magician / Poochini] (uncredited), The Mary Kaye Trio [Vocalists] and Carlos Ramírez [Opera Singer] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story) and Roy Williams (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
Cinematography: Jack Stevens (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
ONE CAB’S FAMILY [1952] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:56] A happily married pair of taxicabs are delighted when Junior enters their lives, but this delight turns to consternation when he states his ambition to become a hot-rodder racing car.
Voice Cast: Daws Butler [John / Doctor] (uncredited) and June Foray [Mary / Nurse] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery (uncredited) and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story) and Roy Williams (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
Cinematography: Jack Stevens (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
THE CAT THAT HATED PEOPLE [1948] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:01] A black cat explains reason after reason why he cannot stand people, and opts to relocate to the moon. What he meets on the moon (a walking diaper, pins, talc, a pair of lips, a dog collar) makes Alice in Wonderland appear to be a realistic portrayal of 19th-century England. When he does, he finds characters there that make him realize people aren't so bad anyway.
Voice Cast: Colleen Collins [Woman], Pinto Colvig [Lips], Paul Frees [Cat] and Pat McGeehan [Cat]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley (music)
* * * * *
DOGGONE TIRED [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:34] An energetic dog needs a night's rest if he's going to be ready for rabbit hunting at dawn. A crafty rabbit does everything he can to keep him awake. Tex Avery does a wonderful job, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style we have come to expect. All in all, this is a brilliant cartoon and definitely an Tex Avery classic!
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Speedy's Barks], Bea Benaderet [Operator], Sara Berner [Operator], Daws Butler [Hunter] and Pat McGeehan [Speedy]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Jack Cosgriff (story) and Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
THE FLEA CIRCUS [1954] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:01] At the centre of the story are a clown flea named Francois and a glamorous flea named Fifi. Francois asks Fifi to marry him, but she refuses. One day, the performance of the circus's show-stopping dance number is interrupted by a dog, who the entire entourage takes to, leaving the owner now bankrupt and with no actors. Francois assures the owner of the circus that he will help. Trailing the dog, he finds it in a nearby fountain, the fleas on his back sinking into the watery depths like people on a sinking ship. Among the fleas calling for help is Fifi. Francois saves her, to which she asks him to marry her for his bravery. Soon afterward, the two marry and have a rather large number of baby fleas. Returning to the flea circus owner, he is more than happy to display Fifi, Francois, and their offspring, and the circus is back in business. Vive la France!
Voice Cast: Shepard Menken [Pepito / Pianist Flea], Francoise Brun-Cottan [Fifi Le Flea] (uncredited), Daws Butler [Pepito] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [François Le Clown] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
FIELD AND SCREAM [1955] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:09] Meet Ed Jones, typical American sportsman on opening day of trout season. Being an all-round sportsman, Ed switches over to duck season for some of the best gags in the picture featuring duck calls, different types of guns and the use of dogs. Finally Ed meets his match during deer season, where the emphasis lies on silly outfits and dumb Hillbillies.
Voice Cast: Gilman Rankin [Narrator] and Tex Avery [Ed]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
THE FIRST BAD MAN [1955] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:35] The story of life in Texas one million years ago, when cave-cowboys rode through the land. When the first bad man rides into town and robs the cave-bank, the good citizens saddle up their dinosaurs to bring the varmint to justice.
Voice Cast: Tex Ritter [Narrator]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
Droopy
OUT-FOXED [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:18] Droopy is an unlikely fox-hound, but the highly civilised and resourceful English upper-class fox makes even more unlikely prey. Here Droopy is one of about 10 dogs off to chase the fox, the winner getting a big juicy steak. While the other dogs race off, Droopy just slowly meanders by and tells us "You know what? Haste makes waste." The ending of this is almost guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Dogs], Daws Butler [Reginald Fox / Other Dogs] (uncredited), William Hanna [Dog] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
DROOPY’S DOUBLE TROUBLE [1951] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:06] Droopy is to look after the mansion while everyone is gone. Droopy is told to get someone to help him, so he gets his identical twin, Drippy, who's very strong and is instructed that no strangers are permitted. Droopy and his identical twin brother Drippy are assigned to look after a house, and are told to deal violently with strangers. But Droopy takes pity on his friend Spike, and agrees to put him up for a few days – but he forgets to warn Drippy.
Voice Cast: Daws Butler [Mr. Theeves / Spike] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy / Drippy / Spike] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery (uncredited) and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan
Composer: Scott Bradley
Cinematography: Jack Stevens (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
THE THREE LITTLE PUPS [1953] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:44] A variation on the age-old “Three Little Pigs” theme, with dogs instead of pigs, and the wolf being a dogcatcher, where Droopy and pals being the target of one of the most laid-back wolves you'll ever see.
Voice Cast: Joe Trescari [Whistling], Daws Butler [Big Bad Dog Catcher / Narrator] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
DRAG-A-LONG DROOPY [1954] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:34] Droopy is a shepherd and his sheep graze into cattle country, despite the warning sign. Droopy gets in an argument with the cattle owner, but of course, nobody wins a battle against Droopy. It's there that we encounter one of Droopy's main foes in his cartoons: the wolf that owns the ranch and, of course, doesn't want all these sheep coming and eating his grass. Find out who will win in the end.
Voice Cast: Daws Butler [Wolf Rancher / Bull] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
HOMESTEADER DROOPY [1954] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:31] When a homesteader moves into cattle country and the cattle complain to Dishonest Dan, The Cattle Man, an all-out feud starts. Using one dirty trick after another, Dan is making things hard for homesteader Droopy. Until, that is, he makes the fatal mistake of taking on Droopy's family.
Voice Cast: Paul Frees [Narrator] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
DIXIELAND DROOPY [1954] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:44] Don't be fooled by the title – Droopy looks like Droopy, but he's actually jazzman John Pettibone, with his performing flea combo, and the film shows how it came into being. Everywhere Droopy plays his recording – a recording of his Dixieland music Droopy, the disc recording gets thrown out. Droopy runs the gamut from ice cream trucks, jukeboxes, organ grinders, merry-go-rounds, you name it. Nobody wants to hear his jazzy record. When all seems lost, our musical friend finds a real Dixieland band at the local circus: "The Musical Fleas,” featuring Pee Wee Runt and his All-Flea Dixieland Band.
Voice Cast: John Brown [Narrator / Pee Wee Runt] (uncredited), Daws Butler [Talent Agent] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Droopy] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
Spike​
THE COUNTERFEIT CAT [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:06] A cat steals the headpiece of a dog to deceive the bulldog Spike and get a chance to eat the canary Spike is guarding. It seems that Butch the dog believes this cat in disguise is his friend and most of the cartoon the cat tries to distract the dog so it can eat the personality-deprived bird. To distract the dog, the cat keeps giving him a seemingly endless supply of bones. This leads to a very funny conclusion to the film when the dog finally catches on to the ruse.
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Spike], Bill Thompson [Spike] and Colleen Collins [Lady] (voice) (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Jack Cosgriff (story) and Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
VENTRILOQUIST CAT [1950] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:41] A cat, being chased by Spike, finds a gadget that lets him throw his voice and has great fun tricking the overly gullible dog into looking for him in a variety of dangerous spots, many of which seem to include dynamite.
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Spike], Daws Butler [Cat], Harry Lang [Cat], Red Coffey [Cat] (uncredited) and Bill Thompson [Spike] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
Cartoons of Tomorrow
THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:51] A narrator takes us on a tour of the dream house of the future, and its many innovative appliances. Simply love the house of tomorrow/of the future, it is so cool and makes one wish that they had the appliances that are as innovative as the plot summary suggests. Particularly loved the automatic orange juicer, the radishes device and the guest chair. ‘THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW’ is somewhat of the time, but it also feels ahead of its time. Summing up, another Tes Avery masterpiece
Voice Cast: Frank Graham [Narrator] (uncredited), Joi Lansing [Beautiful woman on television in swimsuit] (uncredited) and Don Messick [Narrator – Pressure Cooker Blackout (voice) (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story), Jack Cosgriff (story) and Rich Hogan (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
CAR OF TOMORROW [1951] [1080p] [1.37:1] [6:19] A humorous look at the possible future of automotive technology from the Tex Avery team of animators. Predicted developments include gadgets aimed at children, female drivers, young drivers, backseat drivers, tailgaters, road hogs and their victims, and parking-space hunters.
Voice Cast: Gilman Rankin [Narrator], Tex Avery [Hiccups] and June Foray [Fashion announcer / Talking turn signal]
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Rich Hogan (story) and Roy Williams (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
T.V. OF TOMORROW [1953] [1080p] [1.37:1] [7:07] A variety of fanciful innovations in "future" T.V. sets, including a model with a built-in stove, and a number of highly interactive models. And of course, even with dozens of channels, there's nothing on... or more accurately, there's nothing but the same Western. Devastatingly funny, it’s good that this one is in print. Highly recommended.
Voice Cast: Paul Frees [Narrator] (uncredited), Joi Lansing [Swim suit model] (uncredited) and Dave O'Brien [Man on TV] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby, Tex Avery (uncredited) and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
Cinematography: Jack Stevens (Director of Photography)
* * * * *
THE FARM OF TOMORROW [1954] [1080p] [1.37:1] [0:00] A series of gags showing how much more productive farms would be if farmers started crossbreeding their animals to create weird but very useful hybrids. ‘THE FARM OF TOMORROW’ certainly has the typical Avery lunacy, plenty of amusing sight gags and puns and some nice ideas, but not much is hilarious or standout-worthy.
Voice Cast: Tex Avery [Chicken], Billy Bletcher [Chicken], Colleen Collins [Female Commercial Voice], June Foray [Chicken], Daws Butler [Scrawny Chick] (uncredited) and Paul Frees [Narrator] (uncredited)
Director: Tex Avery
Producers: Fred Quimby and William Hanna (uncredited)
Screenplay: Heck Allen (story)
Composer: Scott Bradley
* * * * *
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 149 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Warner Archive Collection
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2’ Blu-ray release focuses once again on the M-G-M cartoons of the period between the 1940’s and 1950’s and one of the of the greatest pioneers of animation’s Golden Age of madcap cartoons of the brilliant Tex Avery and his animated shorts were just flat out bonkers, and can again be described as more than just a little bit horny.
That is why we all should love and support Warner Archive, for gathering the forgotten but still vital cartoons of the past and making them available in contemporary forms, and we get to view 21 classic screwball cartoons to enjoy, most of which hold up extremely well. Given changing social morals, the Blu-ray disc comes with a disclaimer that these cartoons are really intended for Adult Collectors and may not be suitable for children to which I say, phooey!
Tex Avery was a brilliant animator, director, and pioneer in the field. The Tex Avery style of animation was great, his jokes were silly, zany and whacky and there are a lot of classic animated shorts that he has directed that still make me laugh today. Of course, there are some shorts that are a product of their time, definitely not PC and wouldn’t be greenlit today. These are uncut, uncensored, restored and remastered.
Tex Avery influence on contemporary animation is arguably unmatched with many of his characters retaining their icon status some 60 years since their creation. One of his most recognizable characters is an unnamed sexpot who first appeared in ‘Red Hot Riding Hood’ and is frequently chased and desired by an unsavoury wolf character.
Rhythm and exaggeration: Tex Avery cartoons always exhibit maddening speed and an inexhaustible amount of gags. There is such of an overload of visual and narrative information that it is somewhat tiring to watch a long session of his cartoons. This method of performing gags ridiculously fast makes even mild or dry gags seem hilarious due to their speed. Gags are carefully timed and build upon one another in a crescendo of speed and exaggeration. In Tex Avery cartoons, nothing is done on a small scale. Big is earth-size, fast is almost instantaneous movement from one country to another, and violence is excessive. One explanation for this comedy is that portraying impossible feats that cannot be performed in live-action film is funny.
Cartoon Physical Laws: The laws of nature are transformed in Avery cartoons to the point where they show little resemblance to actual physical laws. Similarly, figuration is so bizarre that it is clear the resulting animated world is very distant from our own. The choices for how nature acts are of the moment, always changing, and usually unexpected.
Tex Avery was born to George Walton Avery (1867 – 1935) and Mary Augusta "Jessie" in Taylor, Texas. His father was born in Alabama and his mother was born in Chickasaw County, Mississippi. Tex Avery was nicknamed Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (26th February, 1908 – 26th August, 1980) and was an American animator and director, known for producing and directing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. Two days after being fired from Universal Studios in Spring 1935, and Tex Avery married his girlfriend, Patricia. She was also employed at Universal Studios, as an inker. The newlyweds spent a long honeymoon in Oregon, but had to return to Los Angeles when they ran out of money. Tex Avery’s most significant work was for the Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Droopy, Screwy Squirrel, George and Junior, and Chilly Willy. Sadly on Tuesday, August 26, 1980, Tex Avery sadly died of lung cancer at the St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California at age 72 and is buried in Forest Lawn at the Hollywood Hills Cemetery.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – With ‘TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2’ Warner Archive Collection presents us again these totally amazing Tex Avery classic cartoons in a totally awesome and colourful 1080p image and as always are presented in the standard 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Each cartoon was scanned from archival film elements into 4K and carefully restored as necessary, as part of a larger overall restoration effort by the Warner Bros. studio. First of all, it's important to note that all of M-G-M's original Tex Avery nitrate negatives were destroyed in a vault fire decades ago, but despite this all of the cartoons are viewed in pristine high definition reproductions of Tex Avery’s amazing work. The Warner Bros. studio has painstakingly tried to assemble the best available surviving source materials and given them a fresh 4K scan with extensive manual clean-up. Again these varying sourced materials, which include Technicolor separation masters, colour reversal internegatives, and other sources and the resulting image transfers look remarkably consistent from start to finish in the areas of colour vibrancy, image detail, and black levels. These cartoon shorts have been hard to come by even on inferior DVD discs, and I have certainly never seen these cartoons looking so good and a joy to view and it is such a treat to have them presented to us and the amazing talent of Tex Avery. So definitely gets a five star rating from me and well done Warner Archive Collection.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Archive Collection brings us another of these totally amazing Tex Avery classic cartoons in an original English soundtrack of 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. The audio elements have obviously been cleaned up and restored as well, though you certainly shouldn’t expect a modern level of sound quality. But dialogue, music, and sound effects are all clear and presented with good audio fidelity. Tex Avery shorts are no stranger to volume variances, where dialogue and music cues push and pull against one other violently, but both elements are completely intelligible throughout. No obvious signs of hiss, distortion, or audio sync discrepancies were heard throughout each Tex Avery cartoon. Musical supervisor Scott Bradley’s boisterous musical touches come through clean and clear without significant distortion, never more apparent than in the delightful ‘Magical Maestro’ short. So well done again Warner Archive Collection for your brilliant sterling work in making these cartoons so fresh and alive, as thought they were made for modern audiences.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Tex Avery: King of Cartoons [1988] [1080i] [1.37:1] [51:52] Here we get to view a 1988 Turner Broadcasting System documentary about the life and career of Tex Avery and the creator of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the director of many of the Looney Tunes cartoons, where Tex Avery has had an enormous influence of American animation and comedy. Joe Adamsom guides the reader around Tex Avery's flipped-out universe – surreal, violent and erotic. This documentary provides a candid and informative overview of the famed animator's life and lengthy career, from his school days and early time at Walter Lantz Productions through his stints with Leon Schlesinger Productions and later known as Warner Bros. Cartoons, M-G-M, Walter Lantz again, Hanna-Barbera, and a few interesting detours along the way. We also get a handful of first-hand interviews with Tex Avery's friends and colleagues including Chuck Jones, animators Mike Lah, Ed Love, and Mark Kausler, writer Heck Allen, legendary voice actor June Foray, and author Joe Adamson who wrote an earlier book of the same name. Produced and directed by John Needham, and it's a worthwhile extra and no matter what other negative reviewers give their thoughts on this Blu-ray's disc quality, at least these Tex Avery shorts overall, are amazingly very entertaining and this documentary gives a wonderful insight into the best director of cartoon shorts of all time. Contributors include: Chuck Jones [Director], Joe Adamson [Author], Ed Love [American Animator], Mark Kausler [Film Director], Heck Allen [American Author and Screenwriter], Mike Lah [American Animator], June Foray [American voice actress], Henry Binder (archive footage), Raymond Katz (archive footage) and Leon Schlesinger (archive footage).
Finally, ‘TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2’ Blu-ray release is again totally amazing, and here once again we have lots more classic Tex Avery animated shorts. Among them are Tex Avery’s brilliant spoofs like ‘The House of Tomorrow’ and ‘The TV of Tomorrow.’ This release of ‘TEX AVERY SCREWBALL CLASSIC VOLUME 2,’ is great news as again I am massive fan of these Tex Avery brilliant cartoons. One might have hoped for a complete Tex Avery M-G-M collection in chronological order, but considering the work that has gone into this collection, it makes sense that Warner Bros. released the shorts that required less digital clean-up and allowed more time to work on the more damaged prints. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
