Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z

Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956)

*** (out of 4)

The eighth pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner is yet another winner, although the beatings poor Wile takes keep getting worse. This time out we don't even get past the opening credits when Mr. Wile is run down by a truck but we then get other attacks including large rocks, falling from cliffs and various bombs. One of the best sequences in the film is when the coyote dressing up as "bat-man" and tries to fly after his dinner. This plan works for a while but what makes the joke so funny is that you're expecting one gag but instead we get something else. Another great gag is the painted version of a broken bridge, which of course comes back to hurt Wile.

GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z! is yet another of the classic cartoons starring Road Runner and the Coyote of the 1950's. The Coyote constantly tries to capture the speedy Road Runner, who inevitably escapes leaving the predator humiliated, hurt and simply furious, though he never shows it. In GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z! he generally misses the Road Runner when the bird turns suddenly, while the Coyote keeps running dead ahead, usually off a cliff.

Some of the funniest moments in the series appeared in this cartoon, such as the bat-costume and the handheld dynamite launcher. The animation is smooth, detailed and makes watching new cartoons in the series, like WHIZZARD OF OW, seem all the more disappointing. Yet for all the great things about GEE WHIZ-Z-Z-Z!, it isn't any better than the usual Chuck Jones run-of-the-mill cartoon in the series. That's how good they all are. The only thing that really makes this a bit different is the layouts, by Ernie Nordli. Maurice Noble had been art director for a couple of years before this cartoon, so why Nordli was working on it, and making the backgrounds look like Peter Alvarado is beyond me. It's not a fault, it just puzzles me. All in all, you can miss this or watch this, any classic in the series will do.

In this cartoon the Road Runner and the Coyote are introduced to us. After this the Coyote starts trying to catch the Road Runner but of course he fails every single time. There are some very clever moments in this cartoon, especially one that involves a painted broken bridge. The ending is also very nice. A funny cartoon from the Looney Tunes.

More of Wile E. Coyote - aka Eatius Birdius - trying unsuccessfully to catch Road Runner - aka Delicius Delicius. Among his Acme devices are a Batman suit, a rocket, and a fake destroyed bridge. Sure enough, they all backfire on him. I guess that "Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z" doesn't really add anything new; although, they occasionally have Road Runner quickly turn around while Wile E. keeps zooming straight ahead...most likely off of a cliff.

So, even if there's nothing new here, it's always great to see what happens to Wile E. Among other things, it shows that you don't need words to be funny. And it shows that the classic cartoons are the gold standard (the more recent Looney Tunes cartoons just can't reach the quality set by their forbears). So check it out. You're sure to like it.

In this, the eighth pairing of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, the highly memorable gag of the batman type suit was first shown. And in a delightful change of the expected the crafty coyote paints a bridge, but this time it's a torn down bridge and the Road Runner goes through the painting, Wile E. is the one to go into it this time around. And as always ANY short with Wile E. in it is so VERY much worth watching, as he's one of my absolute favorite cartoon personalities of all time. This animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. This cartoon also has an optional music only track.

My Grade: A-