Looney Tunes - A Made Up History
Whatever Happened to Those Wonderful Characters
I have loved Looney Tunes since forever. I enjoyed them as a child, and I still enjoy them as an old man. Looney Tunes were the best cartoons, by far.
Whatever happened to those wonderful characters after their movie careers were over? Well, let’s delve deep into one person’s imagination and find out.
Porky Pig
Perhaps the biggest post-Looney Tunes success story belonged to Porky Pig. He was Warner Bros’ biggest star in the beginning, until Bugs Bunny came along. Porky’s movie career began a slow decline and his stuttering character eventually fell out of fashion. The scripts dried up and he was out of a job.
Porky was sad about the demise of his movie career, but he knew he was set for life. He had invested wisely and had become quite wealthy. Looking for a way to make a difference in the world, Porky threw himself into philanthropy. He started by making huge anonymous donations to food banks and soup kitchens in the LA area. He built houses for the poor with Habitat for Humanity. He funded water and agricultural projects in Third World countries. And, he quietly operated a free workshop for young pigs who wanted to break into show business.
Perhaps Porky’s greatest distinction is being one of the few pigs in American history who died of old age. Porky’s post Looney Tunes life was definitely a life well lived.
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck’s career was a classic example of taking something that works wonderfully, then screwing it up. At the beginning, Daffy’s character was kind of wild and silly and crazy and, yes, daffy. His trademark “hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo” as he hopped around crazily, was enjoyed by all.
Then, somebody at Warner Bros made the decision to turn Daffy Duck into a mean, conniving, greedy, selfish foil for Bugs Bunny. Funny, silly, joyful Daffy Duck became more of a Meany Mallard. Oh, they still called him “Daffy Duck”, but there was nothing daffy about him. The powers that be took a happy, successful character and villainized him. It was a shame. Daffy’s popularity plummeted.
After he was let go by Warner Bros, Daffy withdrew into obscurity. He would occasionally be seen in public, but would shy away from interactions with strangers.
The last known sighting of Daffy Duck occurred on an Amtrak train bound for Chicago. The train made a ten minute stop in Fort Madison, Iowa, and some passengers took the opportunity to step off and grab a quick smoke, and Daffy was among them. Witnesses remembered Daffy getting back on the train before it pulled out, but no one recalled seeing him at any of the next stops and he was not on the train when it arrived in Chicago. The great Daffy Duck had disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.
Elmer Fudd
Elmer Fudd was very successful after his time at Looney Tunes. On-screen, Bugs Bunny always got the best of him, but that didn’t bother Elmer. He never really loved acting; he saw it as a means to do more satisfying work behind the scenes. He became a big-time producer and consultant at Warner Bros.
One of his most notable successes as a studio executive, was talking Clint Eastwood into taking one of his most famous roles, that of Inspector Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry movies. Elmer knew Clint had been offered the role, and that Clint was unsure about taking it. So, Elmer called him up to offer some advice.
Clint told Elmer that he was reluctant to take the role because there was an awful lot of violence in it and he (Clint) thought audiences might be turning away from that. Elmer said to him, in that distinctive Elmer Fudd voice “Cwint, Amewicans wuv viowence. Always have, always will. You’ve got to take this wole, it would be fantastic for you. And we’ll all make a wot of money.”
As usual, Elmer Fudd, film executive, was right. His reputation as a hit-maker was well deserved. He loved the movie business and it loved him back. His funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in Hollywood. Not bad for a schlub-y little guy who was famous for being a second banana to a rabbit.
Foghorn Leghorn
Foghorn Leghorn could have had a much different life. In the early 20th Century, folks afflicted with gigantism were often ridiculed and feared and ostracized. Young Foggy craved the spotlight, but the only showbiz jobs available to a giant chicken were circus freak shows.
As he reached adulthood, Foggy did, indeed, join the circus. Billed as “The World’s Largest Rooster”, he traveled the country, performing for the rubes and yokels, never dreaming he had a chance at being a real actor.
Famed Warner Bros director Robert McKimson saw Foghorn when the circus came to town, and instinctively he knew Foggy was capable of being so much more than “The World’s Largest Rooster”.
McKimson called his bosses at Warner Bros to tell them he had discovered the next Looney Tunes star, a giant, loudmouthed chicken. The bosses were skeptical, however, they gave Robert McKimson the green light to run with the project. And, as we all know, it was a huge success. Foggy did, indeed, become a big Looney Tunes star.
Foggy was a large being, with a large appetite for life. He was fearless, maybe even reckless. He was happiest when he was on yet another thrill seeking adventure. While having the time of his life surfing the dangerous Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, he was killed and eaten by a shiver of sharks. The few feathers that washed up on shore were all that was left of Foghorn Leghorn.
Yosemite Sam
Of all the Looney Tunes stars, Yosemite Sam was the least like his onscreen persona. He was not the “bloodthirstiest, shoot-em-firstiest, doggone worstiest” badass outlaw he portrayed in his films. He was known throughout the industry as a kind, gentle man, a pacifist really, who could be counted on in a crisis. People always seemed surprised that he was so, well, normal.
Many a time, Sam was awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from a friend who was in a personal or professional jam. Sam always helped as best he could. He instinctively knew the right words to say, and the best advice to give.
Yosemite Sam was eulogized at his memorial service by none other than his old pal, Bugs Bunny. An emotional, grief-stricken Bugs said, “My dear, dear friend Yosemite Sam was small in stature, but he had the biggest heart. He made our world a better place by being here.” Truer words were never spoken.
Sylvester & Tweety
Sylvester and Tweety were enemies on-screen, and off-screen they were even worse enemies. The truth is, they loathed each other. Perhaps they created movie magic together, but they did so while hating each other’s guts. After the Looney Tunes division was shut down by Warner Bros, Tweety and Sylvester never spoke to each other again.
Sad to say, Tweety was nothing like his sweet, mischievous character. He was a crude, hard-drinking, hard-living narcissist who put others down to feel better about himself. Sylvester was no choir boy, however he was a decent sort who was happy to do an honest day’s work, then go home.
Tweety never let Sylvester forget about his poor, alley cat beginnings, and he constantly made fun of Sylvester’s lisp that became more pronounced as he became increasingly agitated.
Sylvester deeply resented Tweety’s constant boasting about being the more popular of the duo, and, naturally, he hated being ridiculed because of his lisp. Sylvester vowed he’d get even with his enemy someday.
Right before he died, Sylvester came up with a wild idea to get his revenge. He had a new will made, leaving his entire fortune to Tweety. With one caveat. Tweety had to do a 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace and say that Sylvester was the one most responsible for their success. Tweety also had to profess his love for Sylvester and apologize for mistreating him.
Sylvester knew his former screen partner oh so well. He knew Tweety was having serious financial problems. He also believed Tweety would never be able to say those things to Mike Wallace for any amount of money. And, that it would literally drive Tweety mad to be so close to Sylvester’s rather large nest egg and not be able to get it.
And, that was how it worked out. Sylvester’s fortune wound up being distributed to several no-kill cat shelters in the LA area. Tweety died penniless in a fleabag hotel in Fresno.
The Road Runner & Wile E Coyote
This comedic pairing could not have been more different from Sylvester and Tweety. The Road Runner and Wile E Coyote were very close friends. They socialized together away from work, their families traveled together, they celebrated each other’s birthdays, and they really enjoyed being best buds.
Which makes this pair’s tragic ending so poignant.
Wile E insisted on doing his own stunts, And, he was good at it. Falling off cliffs and being squashed by massive boulders was simply another day at the office for him. It was all part of the wondrous illusion of cartoon making.
In a stunt gone horribly awry, Wile E Coyote was squashed by a real boulder. In an instant, he was gone. His heirs sued the Acme Company, claiming their negligence and incompetence caused his demise. A settlement was reached but, needless to say, the Looney Tunes community was devastated. None more so than The Road Runner. He was never the same.
Not long afterwards, the Road Runner died in his sleep of a massive coronary. I guess that’s another way of saying he died of a broken heart.
Bugs Bunny
The biggest and brightest star in the Looney Tunes universe, Bugs Bunny had perhaps the most difficult adjustment to make after Warner Bros stopped making new cartoons. Bugs wanted to continue working in films, but simply could not break free of his iconic character.
A chance meeting in a trendy LA restaurant with Francis Ford Coppola led to a small part in The Godfather. Bugs was to play a fruit stand proprietor who gets caught in the crossfire during an assassination attempt on the life of Vito Corleone.
A few minor set-up scenes without Marlon Brando were filmed, during which Bugs proved himself to be the old pro that he was by hitting his marks and performing his lines flawlessly. When the day came to shoot the big scene with Brando, it all went to hell. Brando arrived on set, took one look at his scene partner, and complained to Coppola, “I can’t work with this guy! He’s a fucking rabbit!” So, they let Bugs go.
Losing that job pushed Bugs over the edge. He descended into a hazy world of alcohol and drugs for several years. However, he was able to get clean and sober after an inspiring visit from his old pal, Yosemite Sam, who reminded Bugs of the fantastic work they had done together, and how much people around the world still loved the great Bugs Bunny. Grateful for Sam’s kindness and support, Bugs vowed to stop drinking and drugging, and he kept that vow for the rest of his life.
Some years later, Bugs became quite ill and his family knew the end was near. They called a doctor to come in and make sure Bugs was comfortable in his final moments. Before he died, ol’ Bugs, in a strong, clear voice said to the physician, “Ehhh, what’s up, Doc?”
He was a trouper to the end.
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Actually Tweety started a Go Fund Me Account for a Save the Birds Foundation and put out a Year-round Open Hunting Season on Ferrell Cats. Ironically, Sylvester was shot one dark night in an Alley where he and his buddies were hunting down Rats for a special Rat-Tail Bar-B-Q Party.
Someone accidently started Daffy Duck’s feathers on fire with a cigarette, and they wrapped him up in a towel. That night the Special in the Train’s Dining Car was ‘Duck under glass’.
Porky Pig was a great pig and lived a long life because he was never taught to root in the dirt and make holes that horses could break their legs in. He was always happy and laughed a lot, so he made others laugh without even knowing why.
Elmer Fudd was a sad loser, but he never gave up. He Hung out with the Nearsighted Mr. Magoo, who never could see the rifle that Elmer carried around all the time. Elmer gave up the rifle and accepted his poor shooting ability. He began travelling with Mr. Magoo, and they saw near sights together they had never seen before.
The Road Runner was actually bitten by a rattle snake he caught for dinner one night…however, he ended up being dinner himself. Wyle actually lived, as the boulder was actually, only a cartoon boulder. They say Wyle lives on a golf course and spends his days collecting golf balls off the greens as a life long sport, as they roll into his territory.
I believe, you, Norm, are somehow genetically related to Elmer Fudd. “Some Amerwicans do wuv money and wuv it even more than their cwuntry!”
Egad! So sad….
That's hilarious! So interesting to find out how they lived out the rest of their lives. Thanks!