Edgar Allan Pooh . . . is the subject of the Warner Bros. animated short, A CORNY CONCERTO. About the time that this cartoon was released, Real Life debate was raging over American President Harry Truman's decision NOT to reduce the Bulldog Menace when we had a golden opportunity to do so. As World War Two concluded, Britain was fatigued from six years of War, the U.S. was coming on strong, and America had a world monopoly on Nuclear Weapons. After England's King George III lost the Revolutionary War, his sore-loser descendants waited decades before launching a sneak invasion on America, burning down the city of Washington, DC. In the 1940s most Americans were waiting for the other shoe to drop. The squirrel shooting Bugs Bunny during CONCERTO until Bugs turns green in the face is meant to represent the English Squire Threat, even then Kow-towing to a Queen-in-Waiting. CORNY's second half deals with the fact that English monarchs have an exclusive birthright to chow down on swans, but by the mid-1900s America had 10 of the graceful yet succulent white birds for every one left upon that bellicose island. Therefore, our Air Force--represented here by a duckling Daffy Duck (who literally turns into a Fighter Plane at one point because the Warner honchos did not want ANYONE to miss their warning!)--must remain on High Red Alert for the day when a hungry King or Queen's Henchpeople make a run for our border, swooping down like CONCERTO's cartoon vulture, for a brunch of American Swan McNuggets or Swanee Loaf.

slymusic "A Corny Concerto" is a brilliant Warner Bros. musical cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. A splendid rip-off of Walt Disney's "Fantasia", it casts Elmer Fudd, of all people, as the orchestral conductor who introduces two familiar pieces of music by our favorite "waltz king" Johann Strauss, Jr. Co-starring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and a baby Daffy Duck, with absolutely no dialogue! (Somebody once remarked that "A Corny Concerto" is one of the only Bugs Bunny films in which Elmer Fudd has the last word.) My favorite scenes from this charming cartoon: Elmer is hilarious as he struggles with his loose-fitting attire. Porky and his dog are also very funny when they cry in waltz time as Bugs supposedly lies dead. When the buzzard snatches away the three baby swans, it is revealed that one of them is cheating by using a motor. Determined to save the three little swans from the clutches of the buzzard, Daffy essentially becomes a fierce bomber airplane, and the swans become paratroopers (with a nice sound effect).The best thing about "A Corny Concerto" is the action that occurs COMPLETELY in synchronization with the musical accompaniment, which is hence where the humor of this cartoon lies. In addition, take note of the superb background paintings in this film, particularly during the opening "Tales from the Vienna Woods" segment.

phantom_tollbooth 'A Corny Concerto' is Bob Clampett's inspired parody of Disney's 'Fantasia'. A cartoon in two parts (packing an incredible amount into seven minutes), 'A Corny Concerto' was actually written by director Frank Tashlin. It opens with a magical moment in which Elmer Fudd, taking the Deems Taylor role, emerges in silhouette onto a platform but confounds the audiences expectations of how tall he will be. Elmer's opening speech is a masterpiece of speech-impediment exploitation, a great piece of word-smithery in a largely musical cartoon. Both sections of 'A Corny Concerto' are set to pieces of music by Johan Strauss. The best of the two is the gloriously off-colour 'Tales From the Vienna Woods', in which Porky Pig and a pointer dog hunt Bugs Bunny to the strains of Strauss's music. It opens fairly inoffensively but then heads into the sort of sick territory only Clampett would ever dream of exploring. Porky's gun falls into the hands of a squirrel who fires it randomly at the trio. Fearing they've been hit, Clampett has the three characters dance around in their death throes! This section ends with a bawdy (for its time) gag in which Bugs slaps a bra on the heads of Porky and his dog and pirouettes into the sunset, hilariously collapsing in the cartoon's blink-and-you'll-miss-it highlight. The second section tells a tale set to 'The Blue Danube', in which a baby version of Daffy Duck attempts to find favour with a group of swans. Their rejection of Daffy is hilarious, particularly the moment the mother swan finds him under a rock and uncaringly slams it back down on his head. The short has a happy ending, however, as Daffy saves the baby swans from a vulture and is accepted into their family, It's the sort of story that could have been played straight and with a doe-eyed sweetness but Clampett and Tashlin instead fill it with gags which defy all accusations of cutesiness. 'A Corny Concerto' is a jaw-dropingly event-packed cartoon and another classic in the classic-stuffed Clampett canon.

Lee Eisenberg One of the great things about the classic Looney Tunes cartoons is how they introduced children to elements of culture. "What's Opera, Doc?" was probably their most famous cartoon involving opera, but there was also "A Corny Concerto". Elmer Fudd - having some trouble with his clothes - presents two short films with opera music in the background. And both come out very well.The one with Porky Pig hunting Bugs Bunny had ending that seems like it would have been a little risqué for 1943 (especially in a cartoon), but that's what makes these cartoons so good; they weren't afraid to push the limits. But the one with a black duckling - possibly Daffy Duck - is truly the highlight; but how could it not be, featuring "The Blue Danube"? One scene there gave the cartoon a real feeling of WWII.So, this is truly one of the classics. Up in that great animation studio in the sky, Mel Blanc, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, and that whole crew can take pleasure knowing that their work continues to impress us to this day.