A number of Looney Tunes characters are caught in a swirling vortex of starry space and stretched time as evidenced by the many deformed clock faces swirling with the stars. Next to the usual issue title are the words, "Time-Travellin' Trouble!" Tweety, from inside an hourglass, explains, "It's our Hysterical History issue!"
Besides Tweety, the characters are: Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Marvin Martian, Elmer Fudd, Barnyard Dawg, Henery Hawk, Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck, Pepe Le Pew, Sylvester, Wile E. Coyote, and Road Runner. Also caught in the vortex are a regular clock, a cuckoo clock, and a sundial.
Elmer Fudd introduces the issue by showing how early life began with a single cell dividing and that slapstick, in explosive form, soon followed. Fudd notices that he's also in for an explosion, and after it happens remarks that some are more evolved than others.
Elmer here has the name Elmer Q. Fudd rather than Elmer J. Fudd as in a Hare Brush (Freleng, 1955). Perhaps this is sly tribute to the original voice of Fudd, Arthur Q. Bryan. Elmer's lecture is subtitled "History While-U-Wait" as if it was quick service.
There could be some argument as to just when life began. While reproductive ability is part of at least one definition of life, the original cell was hardly inanimate matter.A prehistoric and saber-toothed (Wile E.) Coyote sets out a bowl and a sign, "Free Mammoth Chow" only to have the huge animal sit on him. He tries again, by adding another sign, "Sit Here" but he isn't quick enough in placing it and gets sat on again. Thinking it over, the Coyote realizes he'll probably always be crushed by the massive mammal. He changes his plans, deciding to go after a Road Runner rather than a mammoth. The Coyote is crushed again as he discovers that the bird he saw in the distance is incredibly big, and heavy, up close.
One wonders how the inept Coyote got the skin he is wearing, not mention why he's wearing it. On the "Today's Special" sign, 'Mammoth' should be crossed out and 'Road Runner' added, but instead the word 'Road' is crossed out.Sylvesterus chases Tweeticus and they both end up in the Coliseum. The cat thinks the crowd is cheering for him, but they want to see a spectacle, a fight to the death between Sylvesterus and gladiator Ben Hurt. The cat tries to be friendly, but Ben sets right to work swinging a sword.
Sylvesterus then tries to escape on a chariot only to find that the Ben can hold it still despite the horse pulling it. The fight continues with Sylvesterus mainly running. He escapes, he thinks, through an archway marked 'Cats Only' but finds that the cats are lions, and they're hungry.
Nero's "playing with matches" refers to an incident in AD 64 when Rome, or parts of it, burned for several days and Nero seemingly didn't do much about it. One legend claims Nero actually set the fire, which would have been rather difficult as he was not in Rome when the fire started. Sylvesterus' "They like me!" bit comes from the popular version of Sally Field's 1985 Oscar acceptance (her second) for Places in the Heart when she is claimed to have said, "You like me, you really like me!" Actually, she didn't quite say that, but did say "Let's see which one you like, you really really like." as an award presenter the next year. Sylvesterus is close to Felis sylvestris (Wild Cat) which is where Warner Bros. animators got the cat's name.(EC) Ben Hurt is based on the name of Ben Hur, who was a real gladiator. There have been a few movies, including the 1959 version starring Charlton Heston, made invoking the name. The wheel of the chariot being held still should not be spinning. What would keep the wheels spinning? Through much of the story Sylesterus' footpads are not colored in.It's the California gold rush of 1849 and Yosemite Sam is out to strike it rich. Just as he's about to blast a hole in the ground, up pops Bugs who explains the hole is his home. Sam chases Bugs off, only to be too close to his own explosive. Bugs figures he'll have to do a bit more to rid himself of Sam.
Later Bugs, disguised as stereotypically Russian doctor, asks about Sam about his progress. When he looks up, Sam sees golden trees and bushes and even a gold dog. About the only thing he doesn't see if the gold paint Bugs used on the area. Introducing himself as Dr. Zhivagold, the Gold Russian, Bugs diagnoses Sam with a bad case of gold fever and immediately quarantines him.
Bugs then subject Sam to strenuous exercise in a silly outfit, nasty medicine, swimming with sharks, and fighting a bear. After Sam somehow survives all that, he is declared cured. Seeing a sign about a mine, Sam rushes into the area, but falls victim to several explosions. When Bugs moves, we see the sign is not marking a mine, but a curiously placed minefield.
The name Dr. Zhivagold is taken from the book Doctor Zhivago and its main character. The name "Gold Russian" is both a pun on gold rush, and on names or descriptions of political affiliations, amongst other things, made of a color and the word Russian, such as White Russian. Sam's medicine's label indicates it has castor oil, notorious for tasting bad, and something from limburger cheese, noted for its odor, in it. While Sam is dealing with his treatments, Bugs reads Hare Today. Normally one might overlook this, but as this is supposedly a historical issue shouldn't Sam be using something other than dynamite in 1849, since it wouldn't be invented until 1867? Bugs' foot pads are not colored in.Fudd continues the issue with a bit about the arrival of the Statue of Liberty in the United States. The statue is covered as it arrives by ship. Just as the statue is unveiled it takes off running, leaving the watching crowd stunned. The astonished crowd next sees Pepe Le Pew chasing after the statue.
Fudd's introduction panel is labelled "History -- New and Used" treating history like automobiles. The Statue of Liberty was officially presented to the United States on July 4, 1884, but it was still in France at the time. The Statue of Liberty did not arrive in one piece, but was dismantled in France into 350 pieces and put into 224 crates for shipment.Fudd next introduces a page from the roaring twenties, where Elliot Nester (Foghorn Leghorn) is trying to lead his group into a speakeasy. Despite the persona of Mr. Nester, Foghorn is his usual overly talkative self and says a bit too much while someone inside the speakeasy is listening. He tries giving the password several times, and each time gets the small opening within the door closed on his beak. Eventually he gives up, deciding to look for a speakeasy that isn't so hard to get into.
This time Fudd has "History Made to Order." (Isn't there enough revisionism already?...PN) The password, which Foghorn never gets to finish, is almost certainly "Swordfish," taken from a scene the 1932 Marx Brothers movie Horse Feathers. Elliot Nester is the Looney version of lawman Eliot Ness. Along with Foghorn are Barnyard Dawg and Henery Hawk, which makes for an unusual group to work together, but does make sense as set of characters that would appear together. Is the door to the speakeasy on the outside of a building as it seems in the second panel, and as the brickwork indicates, or is it inside as it seems to be panel four and six?Marvin talks of what a nice and peaceful time it is to K-9, only to find the peace interrupted by Daffy's sales pitch to Porky for a Martian condominium. Listening in, Marvin hears talk of thousands coming to Mars and isn't happy about it. He sics K-9 on Daffy and Porky but the dog collides with an instant building. Marvin decides to deal with the menace himself, with a ray. Just as he fires, an instant hot tub is in the way and the hole the ray puts in it lets out a spray of water back at him.
As Daffy shows Porky the inside of the building, Marvin shows up disguised as lady from the Martian Welcome Wagon to deliver a bomb. Porky invites him in, tries to treat him to tea, asks about something for his dog, and is just terribly nice. Marvin just can't bring himself to blow up Porky and so does what he can to get rid of the bomb and welcomes the pig to the planet.
Porky explains that he won't be moving in as he's just a realtor. The real neighbors who are moving in don't seem to be nearly as considerate as Porky, much to Marvin's dismay.
Century 24 Realty is a rather updated version of Century 21 Realty. Porky is dressed in his space cadet outfit from Duck Dodgers in the 24-1/2 Century and even Daffy has a "antenna" even though he's dressed as a salesman. Marvin's line about fighting on the beachheads is very close to a line from Winston Churchill's famous speech of June 4, 1940. Welcome Wagon promotes some local businesses to those who have just moved into an area. Originally this was done by having a hostess visit the newcomer's residence and give them a gift basket which included coupons for those businesses. At the start of the story Porky looks like he is a potential buyer, but at the end he is revealed to be a realtor himself. This is is jarring and makes Daffy's hard sell seem rather pointless, even for Daffy.* Issue Index * Tabular Issue Index * Story Index * Creative People * Disclaimer *
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Last updated 19 December 2003