Merrie Melodies: Starring Bugs Bunny and Friends

The syndicated MERRIE MELODIES show, which ran from 1990-1992, was a real treat for those of us who grew up watching these theatrical classics. Sixty-five episodes were produced to run 5 times a week for 13 weeks, then the cycle was rerun 7 more times over two years. Each episode naturally showcased a classic Bugs Bunny short while the rest of the program included 2 additional cartoons along with a "Hip Clip" - a short brief scene from another WB short not showcased in that particular episode.

At the time this series was put together, media mogul Ted Turner held the rights to the pre-1948 WB cartoons, so those shorts were not included. WB still had the post-1948 library to draw upon and utilized many of the films with either little or no editing done to them. The WB opening/closing titles were not shown, but the credits were presented in their original form. During this time, a few shorts that have since been banned from TV were broadcast, such as "Wise Quackers" (a 1949 Daffy/Elmer short that used slavery as its storyline) and "Caveman Inki" (featuring Chuck Jones' Negro character Inki). The program also showcased many B & W titles that WB had computer-colored (kids don't like B & W) such as "Porky's Pooch", "The Daffy Duckaroo" and the last B & W Looney Tune "Puss 'N' Booty".

All in all, this was a well-produced series - I wished I had saved all my video copies of it!