A Bear for Punishment

The three bears' cartoons from the Looney Tunes crowd aren't in my vocabulary as much as Bugs Bunny and his ilk are, but the two that I've seen ("Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears" and this one) I really like. "A Bear for Punishment" portrays Father's Day, and so Ma and Junyer try to make Pa happy...all the while irking him due to arch-incompetence and excessive affection. They should have just left the guy in peace! So, Chuck Jones had every reason to be proud of this cartoon. One can imagine how much fun voice artist Stan Freberg must have had turning Junyer into his dopey self. Really funny.

I wonder why Junyer is twice his father's size.

It's Father's Day and "Junyer," who looks like Baby Huey except he's a bear in diapers, has set off a ton of alarm clocks early in the morning. The father, "Henry," gently tells his kid he's not happy with those clocks, punching his kid in the face! When Ma reminds Pa that it's Father's Day, Pa literally turns into "a first class heel."

That kind of sets the tone for this cartoon. The kid wants to pamper the old man for the day - but will kill him instead because he's so stupid (i.e. he spells "tobacco" g-u-n-p-o-w-d-e- r) and the father doesn't want the attention, just to be left alone. The mother is kind of goofy, too. This is a real dysfunctional family.

In the last three minutes, I laughed out loud a number of times as the material in here got better and better with some clever, dark humor lines. Junyar's one-act play and Ma's tap dancing are both flat-out hilarious.

Bear for Punishment, A (1951)

** (out of 4)

Ma, Pa and Baby Bear star in this short that takes place on Father's Day as the dimwitted Baby tries to give dad a good gift but of course fails. BUGS BUNNY AND THE THREE BEARS is one of my favorite animated shorts but this here certainly isn't in the same league. I think one of the biggest things missing is the voice work of Mel Blanc as none of the bears here contain the same energy, charm and fun of the original. The voices here just aren't the same and it really takes away from the story because the grumpiness of Pa just comes off as cruel and not funny. There's one hilarious scene that has Baby Bear fixing dad a pipe, which doesn't go as planned and this here is without question the best scene in the movie.

Chuck Jones was, and still is considered to be, one of the geniuses in animation with many classics under his belt. There is much to like about his barely talked about "Three Bears" series, and 'A Bear for Punishment' is one of the strongest.

It is also one of those cartoons that this reviewer appreciates and loves even more as a young adult. It is true that it is essentially plot-less but with everything being so well done this is a case of that not mattering.

The animation has Jones' distinctive animation style all over it, especially in the character designs. Everything is vibrantly coloured, the backgrounds are rich and meticulous in detail and it's all beautifully drawn. The music from Carl Stalling, though an uncredited Milt Franklyn also had a hand in orchestration, is typically outstanding, there is so much energy and life to the rhythms, orchestration is cleverly matched and lush and it fits so well with the action and adds to the impact.

What is especially good about 'A Bear for Punishment' is the humour. At its best, like the uproariously funny gag with the pipe and the riot that is the deliciously bizarre climax, 'A Bear for Punishment' is hilarious, and is unusually dark (but wonderfully so) and the satirical edge bites. The dialogue has plenty of wit and bite and the gags all work, starting very strongly and getting even better all the time.

Lack of story, as said already, is not an issue, it's still engaging and has not a single dull stretch and there's enough heart and charm too. The brilliant execution of the humour helps here too. All three characters are very well written, with Junyor coming off best. With the voice acting, sure you do miss Mel Blanc but Billy Bletcher, Bea Benaderet and Stan Freberg (three of the better and most prolific voice actors of the time) voice with every bit the same amount of enthusiasm and energy, if just lacking that special touch that Blanc had which was his ability to bring distinction and individuality to multiple characters (which in all fairness that opportunity is not necessarily given to them here).

Overall, hilarious and brilliantly executed cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The lesser discussed by largely hilarious Three Bears series directed by Chuck Jones drew to a close in monumentally funny style with 'A Bear for Punishment'. A very simple premise makes for an hysterical cartoon. It's Father's Day and a reluctant Papa Bear must sit through his family's attempts to honour him in more and more violent or humiliating ways. This culminates in a ridiculous variety show which climaxes with a bizarre tableau in which the Three Bears assume the roles of Washington, Lincoln and the Statue of Liberty. As well as the ample laughs, 'A Bear for Punishment' also offers a slightly tragic angle as we witness the Baby Bear's unconditional love for his Pop contrasting with Papa Bear's genuine violent contempt for his son. As well as being a triumph of timing and an ability to draw riotous comedy out of an essentially plot less cartoon, 'A Bear for Punishment' is especially notable as a performance piece, with voice artists Billy Bletcher, Bea Benederet and Stan Freberg giving the most remarkable performances they ever gave as these characters. 'A Bear for Punishment' is a fittingly uproarious finale to an under appreciated series.