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Vlcsnap-2021-05-18-20h23m30s423

Bugs and the WB staff bemoan their Oscar failures in What's Cookin' Doc?

Jasper-hunting-Bugs-600

Bugs Bunny in "Jasper Goes Hunting", which is the first time a Looney Tunes character appears in a non-Warner Bros. production

Screenshot 2022-12-05 210038

Buckaroo Bugs, the first Bugs Bunny short in the "Looney Tunes" line and the last WB short produced by Leon Schlesinger

1944 continued Warner Brothers' work in the war effort with continued output of their shorts of lead characters and Private Snafu, as well as Bugs Bunny appearing outside the studio for the first time, the final departure of Frank Tashlin and, more significantly, producer Leon Schlesinger taking a step back and retiring after 15 years of support of the studio's animation department. Twenty-two shorts were released this year.

Notes[]

  • The Color Rings change from red rings black background to blue rings red background starting with "Meatless Flyday". The two cartoons before it were in the 1942-43 season, however, were postponed to release in 1944.
  • Leon Schlesinger retires and sells his cartoon studio to Warner Bros.[1] in July.[2] His final cartoon credited as producer is "Buckaroo Bugs". Eddie Selzer takes over starting with "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" which is the final cartoon in the Censored Eleven.
  • Starting with this year, all cartoons are in 3-hue color. In addition, starting with this year, all cartoons are currently still under copyright. All cartoons starting this year until August 1948 are also part of the Associated Artists Productions package.
  • "Produced by LEON SCHLESINGER" changes to "Produced by WARNER BROS. CARTOONS INC." starting with "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears". After a short time it changes to "A WARNER BROS. CARTOON" for the openings only. The closings would still have "Produced by WARNER BROS. CARTOONS INC."
  • The finalized closing Merrie Melodies logo starts appearing in "Meatless Flyday", which would be used until 1955, when Warner Bros. changed it due to using "newer" style bullet title sequences.
  • Starting with "Hare Ribbin'", Bugs Bunny's head appears after the WB shield. This variation would have the WB shield zoom in, then WARNER BROS., the copyright notice, the production code and "Present" would fade in. At the same time, the WB shield changes to Bugs' head. This head was used in Bugs Bunny shorts in mid-1944 to early-1945, and again from late-1949 to the end of 1953. A new Bugs' head was designed in 1954 until the studio's original closure in 1964 when Warner Bros. changed it due to using "newer" style bullet title sequences.
  • Starting with "Stage Door Cartoon", the opening titles adds "PICTURES INC." under "WARNER BROS." to the bottom of every cartoon until 1964.
  • Frank Tashlin leaves the studio in September to direct stop-motion puppet films at the John Sutherland studio.[3]
  • Robert McKimson, who was in Bob Clampett's unit at the time, is promoted to a director and takes over Tashlin's unit.[3]
  • Bugs Bunny makes a cameo in the Puppetoon "Jasper Goes Hunting" which is the first time a Looney Tunes character appears in a non-Warner Bros. production.

Warner Club News Stories[]

Theatrical Shorts[]

  1. Merrie Melodies "What's Cookin' Doc?" (Clampett/January 8)
  2. Merrie Melodies "Meatless Flyday" (Freleng/January 29)
  3. Looney Tunes "Tom Turk and Daffy" (Jones/February 12)
  4. Merrie Melodies "Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears" (Jones/February 26)
  5. Looney Tunes "I Got Plenty of Mutton" (Tashlin/March 11)
  6. Merrie Melodies "The Weakly Reporter" (Jones/March 25)
  7. Looney Tunes "Tick Tock Tuckered" (Clampett/April 8) Blue Ribbon
  8. Merrie Melodies "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips" (Freleng/April 22)
  9. Looney Tunes "Swooner Crooner" (Tashlin/May 6) Blue Ribbon Academy Award nominee
  10. Merrie Melodies "Russian Rhapsody" (Clampett/May 20)
  11. Looney Tunes "Duck Soup to Nuts" (Freleng/May 27) Blue Ribbon
  12. Looney Tunes "Angel Puss" (Jones/June 3)
  13. Merrie Melodies "Slightly Daffy" (Freleng/June 17) Blue Ribbon
  14. Merrie Melodies "Hare Ribbin'" (Clampett/June 24)
  15. Looney Tunes "Brother Brat" (Tashlin/July 15)
  16. Merrie Melodies "Hare Force" (Freleng/July 22)
  17. Looney Tunes "From Hand to Mouse" (Jones/August 5) Blue Ribbon
  18. Merrie Melodies "Birdy and the Beast" (Clampett/August 19)
  19. Looney Tunes "Buckaroo Bugs" (Clampett/August 26)
  20. Merrie Melodies "Goldilocks and the Jivin' Bears" (Freleng/September 2) Blue Ribbon
  21. Looney Tunes "Plane Daffy" (Tashlin/September 16)
  22. Merrie Melodies "Lost and Foundling" (Jones/September 30) Blue Ribbon
  23. Looney Tunes "Booby Hatched" (Tashlin/October 14) Blue Ribbon
  24. Merrie Melodies "The Old Grey Hare" (Clampett/October 28)
  25. Looney Tunes "The Stupid Cupid" (Tashlin/November 25) Blue Ribbon
  26. Merrie Melodies "Stage Door Cartoon" (Freleng/December 30)

Private Snafu shorts[]

  1. "Booby Traps" (Clampett/January) Public domain
  2. "Snafuperman" (Freleng/February) Public domain
  3. "Private Snafu vs. Malaria Mike" (Jones/March) Public domain
  4. "A Lecture on Camouflage" (Jones/April) Public domain
  5. "Gas" (Jones/May) Public domain
  6. "The Chow Hound" (Tashlin/June) Public domain
  7. "Censored" (Tashlin/July) Public domain
  8. "Outpost" (Jones/August) Public domain
  9. "Three Brothers" (Freleng/September) Public domain
  10. "Payday" (Freleng/September 25) Public domain
  11. "Target Snafu" (Freleng/October 23) Public domain
  12. "Going Home" (Jones) Public domain (unreleased)

Blue Ribbon Reissues[]

1943-44 Season[]

  1. Merrie Melodies "Cross Country Detours" (January 15)
  2. Merrie Melodies "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt" (February 12)
  3. Merrie Melodies "The Bear's Tale" (March 11)
  4. Merrie Melodies "Sweet Sioux" (April 8)
  5. Merrie Melodies "Of Fox and Hounds" (May 13)
  6. Merrie Melodies "Thugs with Dirty Mugs" (June 3)
  7. Merrie Melodies "A Wild Hare" (June 17)
  8. Merrie Melodies "The Cat Came Back" (July 15)
  9. Merrie Melodies "The Isle of Pingo Pongo" (August 19)

1944-45 Season[]

  1. Merrie Melodies "Let It Be Me" (September 16)
  2. Merrie Melodies "September in the Rain" (September 30)
  3. Merrie Melodies "Sunday Go to Meetin' Time" (October 28)
  4. Merrie Melodies "I Love to Singa" (November 18)
  5. Merrie Melodies "Plenty of Money and You" (December 9)

Character Debuts[]

People[]

Births[]

Deaths[]

References[]


<< 1943 Timeline 1945 >>


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