When I was in grade school there was a magic hour between the time that I finished my homework and dinner time. Looney time! Nickelodeon, the then fledgling children's cable network, was transitioning from You Can't Do that On Television! and Double Dare to the Spongebob/iCarly world we know today. It seemed like they weren't quite sure what to show between the kids programing of the daytime and the Nick at Nite programming of the evening. Their decision? One solid hour of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons! Thus began my love of classical and orchestral music. The brilliant use of classical favorites (Morning Mood from Peer Gynt by Grieg for sunrise or Fudd's Kill the Wabbit version of Flight of Valkyries in "What's Opera, Doc?") and the genius original tunes composed by legendary scoresmith Carl Stalling. I was thoroughly intrigued and often physically dragged away from the tube to the dinner table. (These days I'm usually dragged AWAY from the dinner table) Here are a few of my favorites that I hope you'll enjoy!
Rabbit of Seville
(For some reason Bugs and Elmer Fudd wander their way into the Hollywood Bowl during a performance of The Barber of Seville by Rossini. I love how the conductor seems surprised when the curtain opens early, checks his watch, shrugs off the whole situation and counts off the pit!)
Baton Bunny
(Bugs conducts A Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna by von Suppe at The Hollywood Bowl despite constant wardrobe malfunction and being bothered by a fly.)
What's Opera Doc?:
Link
(Kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit!)
Three Little Bops:
(My favorite of them all! The story of The Three Little Pigs in new jazzy, swingin', hepcat way! "The Big Bad Wolf, he learned the rule! You gotta get hot to play real cool!")
Finally, a montage of Looney Tunes arrangements of Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse"