For the last few week, I have been inundated with commercials and billboards and radio spots for a new Tom and Jerry movie. And I am steadfast: I don’t think there’s a price high enough that could get me to watch.
Throughout my life, whenever I’ve seen the animated cat-and-mouse, I’ve never been impressed. Or laughed. If Tom and Jerry are anything, they’re consistent. I don’t think they made my parents laugh when they were young, or my generation; or anyone in my kids’ generation.
Now, if there was a movie featuring The Roadrunner—and his rival, Wile E. Coyote—then I’d be first-in-line at the cinema, COVID-be damned.
The Roadrunner cartoons work on so many levels. If you grew up laughing at The Three Stooges like I did, then the slapstick comedy of the Roadrunner shorts is right up your alley. There is a dogged-ness to the Coyote, a persistence that is admirable. The Coyote isn’t a jealous, sniveling rival like Daffy Duck. He isn’t a suburbanite sidekick like Barney Rubble. He isn’t a fun-loving dummy like Bullwinkle. He’s not a mouse taking great joy in inflicting harm on a cat. Wile E. is, as he will tell you, a genius. Super-genius.
The Coyote actually schemes ways to catch the Roadrunner, one plan better than the next. And then, the big laugh occurs when there is an acceptance by the Coyote at the instance he knows he’s fallen off a cliff, or about to be hit by an oncoming train. It’s brilliant, and for some reason, never fails to make me laugh. The Coyote became such a good foil, that he even tangled with superstar Bugs Bunny on occasion. But mainly, the Coyote is the archenemy of The Roadrunner.
Is it any wonder that Chuck Jones created the characters of The Roadrunner and Wily E Coyote for Warner Brothers in 1948, and only used desert scenery for locations? The beautiful Arizona highways were being built then, and it was in the early 1950s that the beginnings of the Arizona highway system were taking shape.
I’m not sure, but I’ve got to believe that there are coyotes and other animals that were scared to death when automobiles entered the landscape and went “Beep Beep.” The Roadrunner never actually harms the coyote—Wile E. does the damage to himself. I’m sure a lot of animals were run over, crushed, and forced off cliffs. On one very metaphorical sense, the Roadrunner is us, and we can go so fast (upwards of 80 mph) that the poor animals can never catch us.
Maybe I relate to the Coyote because I’m old school (or just old) and see a younger generation of Roadrunners going “beep beep” as they move way faster than I could ever imagine. Does my experience make me think of myself as a “super genius” like Wile E.?
And on another level, the Coyote is a collective us, always believing our next big purchase at ACME can lead us to our dreams. Hey look, Daffy Duck is not that much different than the wily coyote, trying to avoid the hunter, Elmer Fudd. But I don’t know, the Coyote is, well, different. First off, he had a terrible agent, couldn’t get billing on a show he co-starred in and did all the hard work on.
The laughs in The Roadrunner don’t come out of double-entendres, or snappy wisecracks. There’s hardly any dialogue, in fact. It’s brilliant. It ages well. If any cartoon character deserved a film treatment, it’s Wile E.
I quickly found on the internet that TV Guide ranked the Top 50 cartoon characters of all-time in 2002.
TV Guide did a terrible job, as the Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote were t only 38th best. Sorry for shitting on their list, but you can’t possibly tell me that Angelina Pickles, Charley Brown and Snoopy; and Cartman were all in the top 10 cartoon characters of all time (Bugs was number one).
But at least, Tom and Jerry were last, ranked 50th.
Dear Elliott
This article, like all of your others, is so fascinating and thought-provoking at a time when we need these articles to think about other things than the stresses of the pandemic and politics.
You express yourself brilliantly and let others think about how they relate to similar or different opinions. Either is wonderful because it makes us aware of something new to think about.
We r so proud of you!!
Love always
Mom and Dad❤️❤️
While watching these cartoons, I was too young to see the metaphor about cars and the desert wildlife. And didn't appreciate how little dialogue there was. Now I do, thanks for pointing this out!