Red Hot Rangers (1947) User Reviews

This MGM cartoon was voted Number One . . .

[oscaralbert · 5/10 · 16 March 2016]

. . . back in the 1900s, by the Brooklyn Junior Arsonists League. RED HOT RANGERS tells the heart-warming story of an entire national park burning down while a couple of worthless rangers kick each other in the butt. It opens by showing 1,018 "No Smoking" signs posted next to each other at the park entrance. This on-screen clutter makes the park's prime directive not only a Big Joke, but also an intrusive eyesore that any True American would be dying to flaunt. And, wouldn't you know it, an American One Per Center in an expensive convertible immediately speeds past these signs. Next, the Rich Guy flicks his still-lit cigarette onto dry leaves and exits this story. That gives rise to a darling little dancing flame, who turns tree after tree into ashes as the park rangers mostly butt-kick, in about as repetitious and boring a fashion as you can possibly imagine. Since Warner Bros. has the DVD rights to John Wayne's TYCOON, it felt the need to augment this brief 129-minute yawner with a cartoon. However, Warner could not find a single one of its 1,039 Looney Tunes dull enough to please the TYCOON crowd, so it dredged up RED HOT RANGERS from its MGM film library.

Catching Fire

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 3 December 2017]

"Red Hot Rangers" is an American 7.5-minute cartoon from 1947, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year. The big name is director Tex Avery here, but writer Heck Allen was also really prolific back then. Tex Avery can also be heard as a voice actor here as two forest rangers go against a feisty little fire creature causing the wood to burn. But the real enemy to the smaller more competent ranger is the other ranger (his son), or, to be more precise, his clumsiness and incompetence you could say. I am generally not too big on Avery, especially in terms of Droopy, but this one here is fine, has an entertaining moment here and there like the front end of the hose (without the rest of the hose) spitting out water indeed at one point. A perfect example of hilarious cartoon absurdity breaking all laws of realism, but still working from a comedy perspective. These moments made up for the mediocrity, most of all the kinda repetitive unfunny butt-kicking moments. Shame the film ends with a reference to that too as it goes into the exact opposite direction. All in all, the positive is still more frequent than the negative. And the looks are fine too which we should not take for granted regardless of how the 40s and 50s spoilt us there. See it if you like old cartoons.

Not quite red hot, entertainment and quality don't extinguish though

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 15 November 2017]

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best ever made by anybody. 'Red Hot Rangers', like Avery's other George and Junior series, doesn't represent him at his best, this was prime-era Tex Avery (1940s at the MGM) and most other cartoons from this period were far more representative of that which does make the cartoon a slight disappointment. While it is a long way from being one of his funniest or most inventive, 'Red Hot Rangers' is not a bad cartoon at all, and other than a slight lack of variety (inevitable when the humour revolves mostly around a running gag), particularly with the behaviour of the flame, there is very little wrong with it.

Although it is not hilarious, 'Red Hot Rangers' does have very amusing moments and is timed well, and while Avery's wild and wacky approach that is so distinctive comes through stronger elsewhere this is hardly devoid of either.

George and Junior are an appealing and amusing double act. The flame is a decent foil, though its behaviour is on the repetitious side. Avery is also on voice acting duty and he shows as much talent for that as he had for directing and animating, both of which he also does a characteristically very good job. Dick Nelson joins him with the voice acting and he's fine.

It is no surprise that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.

Overall, nowhere near classic Avery but worth tracking down. 8/10 Bethany Cox