Release Date:

September 17, 1949

Main Character(s):

The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote

Summary:

Wile E. Coyote (Carnivorous Vulgaris) attempts to catch the Roadrunner (Accelleratii Incredibus) for the very first time.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1091 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue.

This cartoon marks the introduction of one of the most iconic cartoon duos in the world, Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner. This would end up being another example of producer Eddie Selzer’s criticisms being wrong, as he disliked this first cartoon, presumably because of its lack of dialogue other than “Meep! Meep!” (what he thought of other cartoons that have little or no dialogue is currently unknown) Selzer didn’t want there to be another Roadrunner cartoon, so Jones had Wile E. take on a second life as a talking, prideful “Super Genius” going after Bugs starting in “Operation Rabbit” (1952) where in those cartoons he gained his name of Wile E. Coyote, but was never named as such in any of the Roadrunner cartoons. However, pilots in the Air Force enjoyed this first Roadrunner cartoon so much, that “Meep! Meep!” was a popular phrase among them when they took off. Since it was for the boys in blue, Selzer changed his mind and allowed a second Roadrunner cartoon to be made (1952’s “Beep Beep”). Several more over the years were soon to follow. And we are all glad he DID change his mind because they are rightfully iconic characters (in fact, I’m pretty sure that literally every single person in the world knows who they are).

The Roadrunner’s “Meep! Meep!” call was provided by Freleng’s background artist at the time, Paul Julian. Julian was coming through with a stack of painted backgrounds and used this noise as a way to let people know he was coming through. Jones and Michael Maltese thought this would be a perfect noise for the Roadrunner and had Julian record it. Ever since (even in HBO Max’s “Looney Tunes Cartoons” reboot from 2020-2023), Julian’s recordings of the Roadrunner have been used in all of his appearances.

While all of the Roadrunner cartoons have the same premise (Wile E. attempting and failing to catch him), they’re all distinguishable by their gags (indeed, it’s going to pretty hard for me to come up with unique summaries for all of the other Roadrunner cartoons when I get to them).

Even though they are often referred to as Roadrunner cartoons, there’s no denying that Wile E. is the real star of these cartoons.

The Super Outfit gag (which is not only Wile E.’s first ACME product but also the first time he falls off a cliff) would be used in the 1979 compilation movie “The Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Movie”.

The billboard Wile E. hides behind with an ax in the final gag reads “Jones Motel”. This is of course a reference to Chuck.

The cartoon can be seen in the 1993 film “Last Action Hero” as well as the 2011 film “Arthur”.

The title is a pun for “fast and furious”.

Less than two months ago, someone in Salt Lake City actually pulled a prank where they painted a fake tunnel like Wile E. does in this cartoon. Someone fell for it, and it ended up going viral.

During the boomerang scene where he’s tossing the boomerang up in the air a few times before throwing it, Wile E.’s tail disappears for a few frames (something that once you notice it, you can’t unnotice it).

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

Last year in 2024, a book devoted entirely to the duo was published to commemorate this cartoon’s 75th anniversary: “Dance of the Comedians: 75 Years of the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote”. “Dance of the Comedians” was a piece written by Smetana that was frequently used in the Roadrunner cartoons (it plays under the opening credits of this one).

What I Like About This One:

Right away, the action begins as the Roadrunner becomes a blur zooming so fast that he tears the signs for the title, credits, and Jones’ director credit all right out of the ground. Watching him through binoculars is Wile E. who licks his lips and goes to his cave to get his napkin and cutlery before racing down towards the Roadrunner and chasing him. The Roadrunner puts on an extra burst of speed once Wile E. catches up, causing Wile E. to stop and his jaw to drop all the way to the road (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Wile E.’s very first attempt is holding a pot lid up in front of the Roadrunner, who simply stops in front of it before running off. Angry, Wile E. slams it down to the ground and attempts to chase after him, but the Roadrunner holds up the pot lid so Wile E. ends up smashing into it (animated by Ken Harris).

Using “one genuine boomerang- guaranteed to return”, Wile E. throws it but another one hits him. The camera pans across to reveal the Roadrunner threw another boomerang at him, and the box for it is actually labeled “Another Genuine Boomerang”. Wile E. attempts to give chase again, but the original boomerang comes back and hits him (animated by Harris).

Wile E. next sets up a phony school crossing, dressing up as a little girl, but the Roadrunner zooms right past him so quickly that it causes his blonde wig to come off and for him to spin around. Once he stops spinning, the Roadrunner comes back, now wearing the blonde wig, and with a sign, “Roadrunners Can’t Read” (animated by Harris).

Wile E. attempts to ride a rocket after the Roadrunner, but it only succeeds in blasting him off up into the ledge above him (animated by Harris).

Planning to drop a boulder on the Roadrunner, Wile E. looks over a blueprint with a drawing of how he plans for it to work out along with instructions: “1. Pull out key stone. 2. Rock falls. 3. Roadrunner. 4. Roadrunner crushed (Ha-ha!)” Instead, the boulder just tilts backward and lands atop Wile E., pushing him into the ground of the cliff he’s standing on (animated by Ben Washam).

In time to the music, Wile E. paints a white line going off the road and towards a cliff side before painting a fake tunnel on said cliff side. The Roadrunner just simply dashes through it and off into the distance as if it’s real. Bewildered, Wile E. attempts to run into it himself, but since he knows it’s a painting, he only runs smack into it and collapses. Just as he gets up, the Roadrunner comes back the other way and hits Wile E. (animated by Washam).

Wile E.’s next attempt involves using a TNT plunger in hopes for dynamite he planted on the road to go off in front of the Roadrunner. It only blows up in his face once he pushes it (animated by Washam).

Using his first ACME product, the ACME Super Outfit, Wile E. leaps off a cliff with it on, thinking it will give him the ability to fly but he only ends up plummeting (animated by Harris).

Having made a combination of a refrigerator, an electric motor, a meat grinder, and skis, Wile E. has the electric motor-powered fridge strapped to his back and uses the ice from it to go into the meat grinder in order for him to create a trail of snow to ski down towards the Roadrunner. The Roadrunner only stops just as Wile E. passes. Wile E. ends up going off the cliff and to add insult to injury, the contraption stops working before he can reach the other side. After the fall, the fridge starts up again and the ice turning into snow from the meat grinder snows on top of Wile E., who produces a sign wishing, “Merry Xmas” (animated by Phil Monroe).

Wile E. puts on a pair of “Fleet-Foot” jet-propelled tennis shoes and after testing them out, is confronted by the Roadrunner, who apparently runs off with Wile E. going after him. The smoke clears, revealing that the Roadrunner didn’t actually go anywhere. Realizing this, Wile E. comes back up to him. The next time, the Roadrunner seemingly runs off, Wile E. goes after him immediately. The smoke from him clears, with Wile E. waiting to grab the Roadrunner once the smoke from him clears, only to find that the Roadrunner ran off for real this time (animated by Washam).

With this, Wile E. gives chase and chases the Roadrunner along a cloverleaf highway in tune to “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leafed Clover”. Upon the chase exiting the cloverleaf, the jet-propelled tennis shoes run out of fuel, causing Wile E. to spin to a stop in the middle of the road. Looking up at a sign saying, “Short Cut”, Wile E. runs off along said short cut (animated by Washam).

Waiting by a billboard with an ax, Wile E. jumps out from it upon hearing a “Meep Meep!”, only to discover that it actually came from an oncoming bus, which runs him over. The Roadrunner is seen leaning against the back seat of the bus and he pulls down a curtain above the window saying “The End” (animated by Vaughan).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕