A Corny Concerto
A Corny Concerto is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on September 25, 1943, and stars Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck.
They perform a parody of Walt Disney's Silly Symphony cartoon series and specifically his 1940 feature Fantasia. The film uses two of Johann Strauss's best known waltzes, "Tales from the Vienna Woods" and "The Blue Danube".
Plot
's Piano Concerto No. 1 is heard over the opening credits, featuring Carnegie Hall parody "Corny-gie Hall". Afterwards, a musicologist, played by Elmer Fudd appears in an ill-fitting tailcoat, unshaven and in glasses, parodying Deems Taylor in Fantasia.The first of the two musical segments is set to Johann Strauss's waltz "Tales from the Vienna Woods". Porky Pig plays Elmer Fudd's usual role of hunter, accompanied by Laramore, his hunting dog. Porky explains what he is doing via a sign reading, "I'm hunting that @!!*@ rabbit!!", which turns out to be Bugs Bunny. A series of visual gags ensue, culminating with all three characters believing that they have been shot by an angry squirrel who manages to get a hold of Porky's hunting rifle. After Porky and the dog realize that they are unharmed, they attempt to give first aid to the apparently fatally wounded Bugs while the dog bawls in tune with the music. When Porky finally pries Bugs' clenched hands off the supposed gunshot wound in his chest, Bugs is revealed to be wearing a baby blue colored bra. Emitting a scream of modesty, Bugs covers the bra with his left hand and slaps Porky's face with his right hand three times and caps the bra cups over the bewildered hunters' heads and then, wearing a tutu and pointe shoes, gracefully dances off into the distance, falling over at the music's climax.
Elmer returns briefly to introduce the second segment, Strauss's "The Blue Danube" waltz. A black duckling attempts to join three cygnets who follow their mother swan, all gracefully paddling around in waltz time; the mother consistently violently rebuffs the "ugly duckling" because he looks and sounds so different from her own brood. Meanwhile, a large vulture with a "hep cat" hairdo spots the troupe and goes "Out To Brunch" by swooping down and sprinkling salt and pepper on the cygnets. He plucks each out of the water, then grabs the duckling, but immediately puts him back with a sign reading "Rejected 4F" ; much to the duck's annoyance. Upon realizing her children are gone, the mother swan faints and the duckling becomes shocked and tries to revive her. Upon seeing the vulture making off with the cygnets, the duckling becomes angry and takes off to rescue them, and buzzes the vulture, who literally turns yellow, drops the cygnets and flees. The duckling stuns the vulture, then hands him a drum of TNT, which blows him sky high upon impact on the ground. The vulture is last seen gliding towards heaven in angel garb, strumming a harp. The final scene involves the grateful swan family and the duckling merrily quacking "The Blue Danube" as they glide across the water together. They wave goodbye to the audience as the cartoon ends.
Production notes
This cartoon was a milestone as it was the first Warner Bros. cartoon ever to feature more than two of their major characters in starring roles ; not counting I Haven't Got a Hat, which was the debut for a number of characters. Elmer Fudd appears as the musicologist/composer introducing each segment. The first segment, "Tales from the Vienna Woods", stars Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig, the former as the prey and the latter as the hunter. In addition, a number of people consider the main character in the second segment, "The Blue Danube", to be a young Daffy Duck.Several other cartoons made by Warner Bros. would follow the casting formula that debuted in this cartoon. Among these cartoons are:Crowing Pains - starring Foghorn Leghorn, Barnyard Dawg, Sylvester, and Henery HawkDaffy Duck Hunt - starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Barnyard DawgThe Scarlet Pumpernickel - starring Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Melissa DuckAll a Bir-r-r-d - starring Tweety, Sylvester and Hector the BulldogPop 'im Pop! - starring Sylvester, Hippety Hopper and Sylvester Jr.Rabbit Fire - starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd Rabbit Seasoning - starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century - starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Marvin the MartianDuck! Rabbit, Duck! - starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd Muzzle Tough - starring Tweety, Sylvester and GrannySandy Claws - starring Tweety, Sylvester and GrannyThe High and the Flighty - starring Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard DawgTweet and Sour - starring Tweety, Sylvester, Granny and Sam CatDon't Axe Me - starring Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and the Barnyard DawgA Pizza Tweety-Pie - starring Tweety, Sylvester and GrannyPerson to Bunny - starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer FuddFreudy Cat - starring Sylvester, Hippety Hopper and Sylvester Jr.It's Nice to Have a Mouse Around the House - starring Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester and GrannyThe Wild Chase - starring Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Wile E. Coyote and [the Road Runner]Corn on the Cop - starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and GrannyA-Haunting We Will Go - starring Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales and Witch HazelA Taste of Catnip - starring Daffy Duck, Speedy Gonzales and SylvesterDuck Dodgers and the [Return of the 24½th Century] - starring Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Marvin the Martian Carrotblanca - starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety, Yosemite Sam, Pepé Le Pew, and Penelope Pussycat.
This is the only one of the three cartoons in the "classic" era featuring Bugs and Porky together, in which both were stars, the other two cartoons have one making a cameo in the other's cartoon: Porky Pig's Feat features Bugs in a cameo as another patron locked in the hotel Daffy and Porky stayed at, and the 1964 version of Dumb Patrol has Porky in a cameo as a World War I soldier. Also, in 1938's Porky's Hare Hunt, Porky hunts a prototype Bugs Bunny.
Reception
In 1994, A Corny Concerto was voted No. 47 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.Home media
The short is available on disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 DVD set and disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 Blu-ray set and also appears in the documentary Bugs Bunny: Superstar. It can also be found on The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Vol. 1 laserdisc, the Looney Tunes Collectors Edition: Musical Masterpieces VHS, and Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 2.Since most of this cartoon has fallen into public domain, it has made frequent appearances on many gray-market VHS and DVD cartoon releases.