Top Ten Merry Melodies from the 1960s
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Top Ten Merry Melodies from the 1960s
Similarly to Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies also experienced a sharp decline in quality during the latter half of the 60s decade. Thankfully though, the first half of this decade saw some great releases with Bugs Bunny receiving the most classic cartoons this time around. Here are ten best shorts released under this banner during the sixties.
10. West of the Pesos
Sylvester the Cat is a guard at a Mexican experimental laboratory where mice are confined for research. The families of the captured mice place a call to Speedy Gonzales, the fastest mouse in Mexico, to help them rescue their compadres. This is undoubtedly one of the darkest entries in this series and one that perfectly utilized the Speedy Gonzales character as he is both cool and hilarious throughout this tremendous short that deserves this placement on the list.
9. The Devil and Mr. Hare
When Bugs Bunny crosses paths with the Tasmanian Devil once again, he poses as a doctor to trick the Devil into thinking that he’s sicker than he really is. This is the only cartoon pairing these two that saw both losing at the end, which was quite unexpected. Bugs donning so many disguises and professions was hilarious and Taz being surprisingly smart was a great choice. This was a terrific pairing and a great way to end Taz’s filmography.
8. Aqua Duck
Lost in a desert, Daffy Duck finds a gold nugget and is unwilling to part with it even though he is in desperate need of water. Then, a mouse arrives with a glass of water taunting him to trade him the gold nugget for it. This 1963 movie was in desperate need of a classic partner to pair with Daffy, but he was hilariously greedy as always and the ending was so funny and perfect. The desert setting was beautifully utilized throughout.
7. Compressed Hare
Compressed Hare paired Bugs Bunny with Wile E. Coyote, which was to the detriment of the latter as had an unusual speaking role here that didn’t fully work. However, Bugs is so funny here in every single scene. His comments about the coyote’s many failures were consistently hilarious and this short featured some of the best observational humor and strong dialogue that this series is best known for.
6. Lighter Than Hare
In this cartoon, Yosemite Sam is a space alien. He lands on Earth, intending to bring back an Earth creature, but unfortunately for him, Bugs won’t let himself get caught so easily. Sam being an alien was odd at first, but seeing him getting increasingly angry later down the line was a lot of fun. Some unique scenarios coupled with excellent humor and a very original plot made this a winning short.
5. From Hare to Heir
From Hare to Heir is another Yosemite Sam/Bugs Bunny movie on this list, but it had to be included as it’s so good. Sam, the Duke of Yosemite, will inherit one million pounds if he can keep his temper in check. The problem is that he has to endure Bugs Bunny as his house guest. How Bugs made him angry was continuously inventive and funny while the story makes great use of Yosemite Sam’s characteristic angry outbursts.
4. A Sheep in the Deep
This is a Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog cartoon and it is definitely one of their best. It contains everything that I love about their series – offbeat weirdness and excellent humor. The highlight of this short is the added idea that these two would take breaks from work where they would casually drink and relax, and then they would return to their usual dynamic. This layer added even more hilarity and world building to their truly unique world.
3. The Last Hungry Cat
The Last Hungry Cat is one of the most original and sophisticated flicks in this series. Sylvester mistakenly thinks that he killed Tweety, so his guilty conscience starts playing with him. This is one of the darkest entries in the series and one of the most authentic. Yes, it traded humor for drama, but the German Expressionist touches were wonderful and the movie saw the best character development for Sylvester yet.
2. Transylvania 6-5000
Bugs demonstrates how to handle a pesky vampire with six simple magic incantations. This is one of the most atmospheric shorts in the Warner Bros. canon. It evokes the horror atmosphere of its setting remarkably well. But this movie doesn’t forget to be funny as its gags are for the most part superbly constructed and quite a lot of fun. Bugs unknowingly using magic was hilarious while the movie’s animation, score and voice acting are all top-notch.
1. Hyde and Go Tweet
For the number one movie I had to go with this childhood favorite of mine. In this short, Tweety gets inside a bottle of Dr. Jekyll’s potion, which makes him stronger and larger. Then, Sylvester chases the bird when he reverts to the small form and escapes when he transforms into his evil form. The chase that goes on for most of the movie is superbly executed throughout and hugely entertaining. The character design of Tweety in the second form was unforgettable and the premise was phenomenal. This is one of the most memorable and fun shorts in the entire series, so it had to be number one for the 60s decade.
Honorable Mentions:
Crockett-Doodle-Doo – This Foghorn Leghorn cartoon gets an honorable mention for it had some excellent gags and a solid premise where he had to teach a kid some practical skills.
Ready, Woolen and Able – This Ralph and Sam short did have an inferior first half, but it ended with a bang as the second half contained numerous well executed and fun gags.
Zip ‘N Snort – Similar to the movie above, this Road Runner movie had a rocky start, but it ended with one of the most iconic endings for this series with the train being driven by the bird.
Strangled Eggs – While not among the funniest Foghorn Leghorn shorts, Strangled Eggs featured a stellar premise well executed through some amusing scenarios.
Devil’s Feud Cake – Although way too brief in its runtime, Devil’s Feud Cake was still a great short due to its excellent hell premise and Yosemite Sam in one of his better roles.
