Release Date:

August 14, 1954

Main Character(s):

The Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote

Summary:

The fifth chase between Wile E. Coyote (Eatibus Anythingus) and the Roadrunner (Hot-roddicus Supersonicus).

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1294 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The title is a pun for “stop, look, and listen”.

Abe Levitow and Richard Thompson are the sole animators on the cartoon.

The steel wall gag, the bridge sawing and gravity defying gag, and the leg muscle vitamins gag were used in the 1979 compilation movie, “The Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Movie”.

While likely not a direct mention to the gag in this cartoon, Wile E. considers building a Burmese tiger trap in 1960’s “Rabbit’s Feat”.

A clip from this cartoon is seen at one point in the 1980 horror film, “The Shining” (I’m personally not a fan of horror, but this is interesting nonetheless).

In my 8th grade year (2018-2019), my science teacher used a Slides PowerPoint that would guide us through what we were to do that day. I remember one time, she used a gif from this cartoon at the end of one of them (specifically, it’s the scene where Wile E. holds up a “Stop In the Name of Humanity” sign).

Favorite Scene:

The Burmese tiger trap which ends up catching an actual Burmese tiger.

What Happens in This One:

Walking in the desert while downtrodden, Wile E. catches a fly and is so hungry that he eats it. He then spots something unidentified on the desert floor and catches and eats that as well. Wile E. also spots a tin can on the road and upon finding nothing inside, puts it in his mouth and begins eating it. The Roadrunner then runs past and knocks him over, which gets Wile E.’s attention. To the tune of “A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, and You”, Wile E. visualizes the Roadrunner as a turkey dinner, with said turkey dinner taking the place of the Roadrunner and moving at the same speed. Delighted at the opportunity of an actual meal, Wile E. takes the tin can out of his mouth, licks his lips hungrily, and then gives chase. The Roadrunner puts on the usual extra burst of speed and zooms off into the distance. Wile E. skids to a stop, before his eyeballs fall out of his sockets and onto the road in bewilderment. After picking them up and putting them back in their proper places, Wile E. leans down on the road in a thinking position and moves his finger around before fluttering his eyebrows upon getting an idea (animated by Abe Levitow).

Wile E. attempts to drop a boulder held up on a cliff by a rope and pulley on the Roadrunner. Once he pulls the rope, the boulder falls on him instead. The Roadrunner comes up to the boulder, sticks his tongue out, and runs off (animated by Levitow).

Hiding in between some rocks with a noose sticking out onto the road, Wile E. hopes to snag the Roadrunner with it, but it ends up catching a truck instead which pulls Wile E. out of the rocks, and causes him to thump and roll on the road a few times before he stops himself by dragging his rear across the road. A disgruntled Wile E. walks off, with his rear end now hairless (animated by Richard Thompson).

Following the instructions in the book, “How to Build a Burmese Tiger Trap”, Wile E. digs a hole in the road and covers it up with a tarp. When the Roadrunner presumably falls into it, Wile E. leaps in to get him, but runs back out completely white in fear. It turns out the trap caught an actual Burmese tiger, who gets a mock-Latin name of his own, “Surprisibus! Surprisibus!” (animated by Levitow)

Wile E. has set up a steel wall to pop out in front of the Roadrunner in the middle of the road. After testing it two times, Wile E. lifts up the latch holding the crank control for it to release, only for nothing to happen when the Roadrunner passes over it. Wile E. attempts to unjam it to no avail, so he runs off after the Roadrunner. He suddenly has to stop in front of a railroad crossing due to the crossing gate going down. The Roadrunner comes past, mimicking a train, and making the noise of a steam engine’s whistle. Wile E. chases the Roadrunner around the railroad and through various tunnels. He eventually ends up having to outrun a real train. After he and the train end up on different tracks after he goes out of a tunnel, he gives a relieved expression, only for another train to soon approach from behind him. Wile E. holds up a sign reading, “Stop In the Name of Humanity”, but since he’s not a human, he gets hit by the train anyway (animated by Thompson).

Carrying some TNT with him, Wile E. takes it into a pipe going under the road, but the wires connecting the TNT sticks to the plunger, cause said plunger to also move and get pushed up against a rock, resulting in Wile E. getting blown up while he’s setting up the trap (animated by Thompson).

Using a motorcycle, Wile E. attempts to chase the Roadrunner while riding it, only for him to immediately drive smack into a telephone pole, which happens so quickly the camera pans to the impact after he hits the pole (animated by Thompson).

Wile E. pours some Acme Bird Seed in the middle of a white circle on a bridge and waits below to saw out the circle in order to bring the Roadrunner down to him. The bridge and the cliffs supporting it end up falling instead, leaving the Roadrunner on the circle in mid-air and defying gravity (animated by Thompson).

Lastly, Wile E. consumes a whole box of “ACME Triple-Strength Fortified Leg Muscle Vitamins Family Size”, which causes his legs to become very buff. He starts running in place and is pleased to see that he is now able to run as fast as the Roadrunner, with him leaving a trail of fire behind. The Roadrunner begins to run off with Wile E. in hot pursuit. They approach the area where Wile E. had earlier set up the steel wall, which finally unjams right after the Roadrunner passes over it. Wile E. ends up running right into the steel wall, leaving a Wile E.-shaped imprint. The Roadrunner goes back up to him and runs off to the side, with the smoke from his running spelling out the “That’s all, folks!” writing before it fades to the end card (animated by Thompson).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕