Looney TV: Bartholomew Versus The Wheel (1964)

 The mid-60's, we know, brought new ideas to Warner Bros..

One of those was 1964's "Bartholomew Versus The Wheel", about a dog who has a beef with wheels after a scooter runs over his tail. Mel Blanc provides the vocal effects for Bartholomew, the cat, and assorted others, while Leslie Barringer is credited as the narrator.

Directed by Robert McKimson.

This plays like it was adapted from a children's book, but I suspect it might be the other way around.

Rating: B.

Coming Attractions: Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles?

 "Those who fail to remember history are condemned to repeat it."--George Santayana.

Perhaps inspired by Disney's Spidey & His Amazing Friends, Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. division will launch Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles, airing on the network's YouTube channel this summer.

As long as there's money to be made from these franchises, stuff like this will happen. I put the Santayana quote in because this, I think, will play more like a superhero version of, say, Yo! Yogi! than Spidey or Cartoon Network's Batwheels, because de-aging the boys goes entirely against Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird's original version, which began more than 40 years ago.

Like, what's next? April O'Neil as the boys' babysitter?

Pass the Pepto.

Looney TV: The Jet Cage (1962)

 Friz Freleng had a little fun with science fiction and the then-modern technology of the 60's with 1962's "The Jet Cage", starring Tweety & Sylvester. For once, June Foray (Rocky & His Friends) shares screen credit with Mel Blanc (The Flintstones, The Jack Benny Program).

Dare we think of Sylvester as a feline airhead?

Rating: A.

Tooniversary: Mighty Mouse in The Crackpot King (1946)

 Here's an operatic Mighty Mouse short without Oil Can Harry or Pearl Pureheart. Instead, our damsel is Suzette Mouse, coveted by a feline king, or, as the title implies, "The Crackpot King":

I was never a fan of these operatic shorts.

Rating: B--.

From Primetime to Daytime: A primer on racism (Happy Days, 1982)

 From season 9 of Happy Days:

Fonzie (Henry Winkler) & Al DelVecchio (Al Molinaro) take a trip to Alabama, and discover just how much racism is prevalent in the South in the early 60's. In a speech, Al reveals he'd been in the restaurant business for some 25 years, meaning he'd started in the late 30's!

"Southern Crossing", first shown in January 1982, was the 2nd episode of the series to address racism, the first having aired nearly 7 years earlier.

Al's speech is the climax of this clip.

Would that certain people in today's society would learn this lesson.

Retro Toy Chest: Remember the Do Bee Dough Machine? (1970)

 Hasbro's Romper Room line of toys came out with its answer to Play-Doh with the Do-Bee Dough Machine, released in 1970.

In the ensuing years, Play-Doh has changed hands multiple times, from Rainbow Brands to Kenner to---wait for it----Hasbro, its current owner. The dough machine, however, didn't last long enough to be incorporated into the Play-Doh line.

Looney TV: A parody of cigarette commercials (Pinky & The Brain, 1998)

 Nearly 30 years after the FCC banned cigarette commercials, the staff of Pinky & The Brain decided to poke fun at the tobacco industry........

Amusing, no?