Bugged by a Bee (1969)

Director:

Robert McKimson

Writer:

Cal Howard (story)

Release Date:

26 July 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Comedy | Family | Sport

Plot:

Hipster Cool Cat arrives in his dune buggy at Disco Tech college, where he is a student. Cool Cat decides to be an athlete for the college...

Plot Keywords:

Cool Cat | Bee | College | Pole Vault | American Football

Cast

Larry Storch

...

Cool Cat (voice)

Runtime:

6 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:G

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Goofs:

Factual errors: During a football game, Cool Cat was scored a touchdown after running through the stands and in-and-out of the stadium several times. In a real game, this touchdown wouldn't have counted - Cool Cat would have been deemed out-of-bounds during this play.

Soundtrack:

We're Working Our Way Through College

The Second To Last Of The Classic Era, WB Shorts.

Cool Cat has the distinction and honor of starring in the last two WB shorts from the classic era, and one from each series: This short on which I'm commenting (Looney Tunes) and his follow-up, the late '60s Injun Trouble (Merrie Melodies). I agree with one of the commentators who reviewed this that it is among the better or best of not only the latter '60s WB cartoons but that entire decade's worth, rather this than the most apparently detested, which is the majority of the Speedy and Daffy shorts. I kind of feel sorry for the other reviewer who wasn't feeling it as much, because if the other had any better ideas and what he would've done, just out of curiosity, I'd like to read them. Anyway, back to the review on this.

I also saw this one on Youtube back in January and I think I saw this years ago on Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon too. I for one feel this short because it's a nice change of pace from Cool's usual encounters with Col. Rimfire and it's a nice try anyway to steer the scenario into a different direction. I give props and applaud the animation crew for that. Judging from what Matthew Hunter typed in the "Rarest Warner Bros. Cartoons Of All Time" link of the "Miscellooneous" blog/section of the Golden Age Looney Tunes site, this 1/2 of the Cool Cat shorts directed by Robert McKimson was a sign indicating that Cool Cat and his films were just improving. He may not have quite been on the same level as the majority of the Looney Tunes characters who emerged on the scene prior to him, but since he was fairly new at the time (which is understandable and sensible), he could have very well been on his way to being so (if given more time and opportunity). Because this fact seems to be neglected, at this point in his run, I consider Cool Cat to be underrated in this sense and instance.

What I like and find funny about this is not only with the bee constantly causing a disruption (and conversely giving him a boost in his athletic skills) by stinging Cool while he's in the process of partaking his sports activities, but also that he seems to be the only non-human student at Disco Tech, and that he eyes the female human students as his objects of desire and affections instead of some females his own species. For me, what makes this such fun is the rapidness of the seemingly endless stings and reactions to them by Cool from that pesky bee, right up to the contrary outcome of who wins at the ceremony. Recommended because, again, I'd put this ahead of most of the Daffy and Speedy cartoons.