I've been a fan of the classic Warner Brothers Looney Toons cartoons since I was about six years old, sitting in front of the old black and white television on Saturday mornings. There are plenty of people who have compiled lists of the greatest cartoons, but this is a little different. This is my three single favorite moments from Warner cartoons. The toons in question may not be the best (for instance, the immortal Duck! Rabbit Duck! and Duck Amuck aren't here) but these three moments can make me chuckle every time I think of them.
In canonical "list of things on the Internet" fashion I'm going in reverse order.
3. Zoom and Bored (1957) -- The eleventh Coyote vs. Roadrunner cartoon. After various failed attempts, the camera slowly pans up an enormous makeshift ramp spiraling down around a crag, finally discovering the coyote waiting at the top with a round bomb, ready to roll it down at the passing Roadrunner. He lights the fuse . . . and the bomb instantly explodes.
2. The Ducksters (1950) -- Daffy is a sadistic radio quiz show host, Porky is the hapless contestant. Daffy asks a musical question, playing a single note and asking Porky to identify what opera it's from. Porky stammers out "Cavalliera Rusticana." Daffy turns to the (unseen) studio audience, and with one voice they roar out "Rigoletto!"
1. High Diving Hare (1948) -- Yosemite Sam is determined to see his favorite vaudeville high-diving act, and when the performer fails to show up Sam tries to force Bugs to do the stunt at pistol-point. The cartoon consists of Bugs continually tricking Sam into falling off the high-dive platform. Best moment: after various gags, we see Sam chase Bugs up the ladder once again. There's a beat while we see nothing but the ladder, then Sam goes plummeting down. Something about the purity of this moment makes it my favorite cartoon gag of all time.
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