View source for Merrie Melodies

{{Short description|Cartoon series owned by Warner Bros. (1931–1969 and 1988–1997)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Merrie Melodies classic title card.png
| caption        = One of the series' classic title cards, as seen on several 1937–1938 releases
| director       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Tex Avery]]
* [[Bob Clampett]]
* [[Arthur Davis (animator)|Arthur Davis]]
* [[Friz Freleng]]
* [[Hugh Harman]]
* [[Rudolf Ising]]
* [[Chuck Jones]]
* [[Robert McKimson]]
* [[Frank Tashlin]]
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Directors|others]])
}}
| based_on       = [[Looney Tunes]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Hugh Harman
* Rudolf Ising
* [[Leon Schlesinger]]
* [[Eddie Selzer]]
* [[John W. Burton (film producer)|John Burton]]
* [[David H. DePatie]]
* [[Friz Freleng]]
* [[William L. Hendricks]]
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Warren Foster]]
* [[Tedd Pierce]]
* [[Michael Maltese]]
* (as [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Storyboard artists/writers|others]])
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mel Blanc]]
* [[June Foray]]
* [[Arthur Q. Bryan]]
* [[Bea Benaderet]]
* [[Stan Freberg]]
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Voices|others]])
}}
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Carl Stalling]]
* [[Milt Franklyn]]
* [[William Lava]]
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Music|others]])
}}
| animator       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ken Harris]]
* [[Rod Scribner]]
* [[Gerry Chiniquy]]
* [[Virgil Ross]]
* [[Ben Washam]]
* [[Bill Melendez]]
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Animators|others]])
}}
| layout_artist  = {{Plainlist|
* [[Maurice Noble]]
* [[Hawley Pratt]]
* [[Robert Gribbroek]]
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Layout/Background artists/designers|others]])
}}
| background_artist = {{Plainlist|
* [[Paul Julian (artist)|Paul Julian]]
* [[Pete Alvarado]]
* Philip DeGuard
* (and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#Layout/Background artists/designers|others]])
}}
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Harman and Ising|Harman-Ising Productions]] (1931–1933)
* [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Leon Schlesinger Productions]] (1933–1944)
* [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]] (1944–1964)
* [[DePatie–Freleng Enterprises]] (1964–1967; 1979–1980)
* [[Format Films|Format Productions]] (1965–1967)
* [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#1967–1969: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation|Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation]] (1967–1969)
* [[Chuck Jones Productions]] (1980)
* [[Warner Bros. Animation]] (1988–1997)
}}
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]
* [[Vitaphone|The Vitaphone Corporation]]
* [[Vitagraph Studios|Vitagraph Company of America]]
}}
| released       = August 2, 1931 —<br />June 13, 1997
| color_process  = {{Plainlist|
* [[Black-and-white]] (1931–1934)
* 2-strip [[Technicolor]] (1934–1935)
* 3-strip Technicolor (1935–1997)
* [[Cinecolor]] (1934; 1947–1948)
}}
| runtime        = 6–10 minutes (one reel)
| country        = United States
| language       = English
}}

'''''Merrie Melodies''''' is an American animated [[comedy film|comedy]] [[short film]] series distributed by [[Warner Bros. Pictures]]. It was part of the ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' franchise and featured many of the same characters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=June 6, 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/104/mode/2up |pages=104–106}}</ref> Originally running from August 2, 1931, to September 20, 1969 (during the [[golden age of American animation]]), it was revived in 1979 with new shorts being sporadically released until June 13, 1997. ''Merrie Melodies'' originally placed emphasis on [[One-shot film|one-shot color films]] in comparison to the [[black-and-white]] ''Looney Tunes'' films. After [[Bugs Bunny]] became the [[List of breakout characters|breakout character]] of ''Merrie Melodies'' and ''Looney Tunes'' transitioned to color production in the early 1940s, the two series gradually lost their distinctions and shorts were assigned to each series randomly.

''Merrie Melodies'' was originally produced by [[Harman and Ising|Harman–Ising Pictures]] from 1931 to 1933 and [[Leon Schlesinger]] Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944, and the newly renamed [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]] continued production until 1963. It was outsourced to [[DePatie–Freleng Enterprises]] and [[Format Films|Format Productions]] from 1964 to 1967, and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons#1967–1969: Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation|Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Animation]] resumed production for its final two years of the golden age era.<ref name=bcdb>"[https://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Warner_Bros_/Merrie_Melodies/ Merrie Melodies]".{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Bcdb.com, April 12, 2012 [https://archive.today/20130110173121/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Warner_Bros_/Merrie_Melodies/ Archived] from the original on January 10, 2013</ref> When the series was revived in 1979, DePatie–Freleng produced new shorts briefly, but they were replaced by [[Chuck Jones Productions]] the following year. During its final years, the series was produced by [[Warner Bros. Animation]].

The films ''[[Tweetie Pie]]'', ''[[Speedy Gonzales (film)|Speedy Gonzales]]'' and ''[[Birds Anonymous]]'' each won the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film]] and another three (''[[Duck Amuck]]'', ''[[One Froggy Evening]]'', and ''[[What's Opera, Doc?]]'') have been inducted into the [[National Film Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]].<ref name="1947 academy awards">{{cite web |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/awards/film/1947-academy-awards |title=1947 academy awards |publisher=Infoplease |access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="1955 academy awards">{{cite web |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/awards/film/1955-academy-awards |title=1955 academy awards |publisher=Infoplease |access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="1957 academy awards">{{cite web |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/awards/film/1957-academy-awards |title=1957 academy awards |publisher=Infoplease |access-date=June 26, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Complete National Film Registry Listing">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/ |title=National Film Registry List |publisher=The Library of Congress | access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref>

In 2013, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked the Warner Bros. Cartoons (ranked as ''Looney Tunes'') the third Greatest Cartoon of All Time (out of 60), one of only six film series to make the list (the other five being the ''[[Pink Panther (character)|Pink Panther]]'' series, ''[[Popeye the Sailor (film series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'', ''[[Mighty Mouse]]'', ''[[Woody Woodpecker (franchise)|Woody Woodpecker]]'' and ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'').<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Greatest-Cartoons-TV-Guide-Magazine-1071203.aspx |title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time |author=Rich Sands|date=September 24, 2013 |work=TV Guide}}</ref>

== Background ==
Producer [[Leon Schlesinger]] had already produced the music-based ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' series, and its success prompted him to try to sell a sister series to Warner Bros. His selling point was that the new cartoons would feature music from the soundtracks of Warner Bros. films and would thus serve as [[advertising|advertisements]] for Warner Bros. recordings and sheet music. The studio agreed, and Schlesinger dubbed the series ''Merrie Melodies''. [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]] had already scored with their ''[[Silly Symphonies]]''. Since cartoon production usually began with a soundtrack, animating a piece of music made it easier to devise plot elements and even characters.

The origins of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series begin with the failure of a live action series of musical shorts called ''[[Spooney Melodies]],'' which featured popular songs of the day. These shorts included segments with a popular artist singing along with appropriate background sequences. Warner Bros. wanted to promote this music because they had recently acquired (in 1930) the ownership of [[Brunswick Records]] along with four music publishers for US$28 million. Because of the success of their ''Looney Tunes'' series, Warner Bros. decided to develop a new series of animated musical shorts called ''Merrie Melodies''. [[Hugh Harman]] and [[Rudolf Ising]] led the development. It was meant to be a series of musical cartoons that featured hit songs of the day, especially those then owned by Warner Bros. and featured in their musical films. In 1931, many of the shorts featured the orchestra of [[Abe Lyman]].

The first cartoon of the new ''Merrie Melodies'' series was ''[[Lady, Play Your Mandolin!]]'', released in 1931.<ref name=bcdb /> Ising attempted to introduce several characters in his ''Merrie Melodies'' films, such as [[Piggy (Merrie Melodies)|Piggy]], [[Foxy (cartoon character)|Foxy]], and [[Goopy Geer]]. Eventually however, the series continued without any recurring characters.<ref name=Thatsall/> The shorts proved to be enormously popular with the public. In 1932, a ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon, entitled ''[[It's Got Me Again!]]'', was nominated for the first [[Academy Award]] to be given for animation.

When Harman and Ising left Warner Bros., in 1933, they took with them all rights to the characters they had created. Leon Schlesinger had to negotiate with them to keep the rights to the name ''Merrie Melodies,'' as well as for the right to use the slogan, "So Long Folks", at the end of the cartoons. In 1934, Schlesinger produced his first color ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts, ''[[Honeymoon Hotel (1934 film)|Honeymoon Hotel]]'' and ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1934 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', which were produced in two-strip [[Cinecolor]] ([[Walt Disney|Disney]] then had exclusive animation rights to the richer three-strip [[Technicolor]] process).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gabler|first1=Neal|title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination|pages=181}}</ref> Their success convinced Schlesinger to produce all future ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts in color, using two-strip Technicolor. ''Looney Tunes'' continued in black-and-white until 1943. In 1934, the cartoons began to end with the slogan "That's all Folks!" which had previously only been used on the ''Looney Tunes'' series. The old slogan "So Long, Folks!" was completely abandoned at this time. The same year, ''Merrie Melodies'' began using the "bulls-eye" opening and closing title sequences; beginning in 1942, ''Looney Tunes'' used the same titles, usually with thicker rings. By 1936, Disney's exclusivity on the three-color Technicolor process ended, allowing ''Merrie Melodies'' a full color palette for the first time, hence the use of the blue concentric rings (as a technical test) for the rest of the 1935–36 season and the 1936–37 season. The Warner Bros. shield was changed to cyan later that year before definitely changing back to red in 1938.

Contractually, ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoons were obligated to include at least one full [[refrain|chorus]] from a Warner Bros. song.<ref name=Thatsall>{{cite book |last1=Schneider |first1=Steve |title=That's All, Folks! : The Art of Warner Bros. Animation |date=1988 |publisher=Henry Holt and Co |isbn=0-8050-0889-6 |page=39}}</ref> Warner Bros. requested that these songs be performed by name bands whenever possible, but this lasted only through the first few shorts. The policy annoyed the animators of ''Merrie Melodies'', since the songs often interrupted the cartoons' momentum and pacing. The 1938 Merrie Melodie ''[[A Feud There Was]]'', for example, sarcastically uses the obligatory musical number as a shift in the action, with the lead characters singing the number into a [[KFWB]] microphone and ceding the mike to an announcer who reads a commercial. By 1940, the animators had been released from this obligation, and the ''Merrie Melodies'' shorts came to resemble more closely the black-and-white ''Looney Tunes'' series. In addition, several new characters &ndash; such as [[Elmer Fudd#Egghead|Egghead]], [[Elmer Fudd]], [[Inki]], [[Sniffles (Merrie Melodies)|Sniffles]], and even Warner Bros.' most popular cartoon star, [[Bugs Bunny]] &ndash; were created with the initial intention of appearing exclusively in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series.

In 1942, Schlesinger began producing ''Looney Tunes'' in color as well, and the two series became virtually indistinguishable except by their theme music and opening titles – in addition, characters once exclusive to one series began regularly appearing in the other as well. In 1944, the studio went to an all-color schedule; though for the first year of this, Bugs still appeared mainly in the ''Merrie Melodies'' series (not appearing in a ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon until the end of August), whereas [[Daffy Duck]] and [[Porky Pig]] (who each appeared in a few ''Merrie Melodies'' prior to mid-1942) appeared mainly in ''Looney Tunes'' that year. It was not until 1945 that the two series appeared completely indistinguishable, and that Bugs appeared in more ''Looney Tunes'' than ''Merrie Melodies''.

By 1937, the theme music for ''Looney Tunes'' was "[[The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down]]" by [[Cliff Friend]] and [[Dave Franklin]], and the theme music for ''Merrie Melodies'' was an adaptation of "[[Merrily We Roll Along (song)|Merrily We Roll Along]]" by [[Charles Tobias]], Murray Mencher and [[Eddie Cantor]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Merrie Melodies Theme: "Merrily We Roll Along" {{!}}|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-merrie-melodies-theme-merrily-we-roll-along/|access-date=2021-06-02|website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref> (the original theme was "[[Get Happy (song)|Get Happy]]" by Harold Arlen, played at a faster tempo). This continued until 1964, when the WB cartoon logos were modernized, and "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" became the theme for the ''Merrie Melodies'' as well. When the studio went to full color, even the animators themselves did not make any creative distinction between the two series, as evidenced in an interview quote from director [[Friz Freleng]], "I never knew if a film I was making would be ''Looney Tunes'' or ''Merrie Melodies'', and what the hell difference would it make, anyway?". The last ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon was ''[[Injun Trouble (1969 film)|Injun Trouble]]'', released in 1969. The ''Merrie Melodies'' theatrical cartoons didn't start up again until 1988 with only two cartoons made, ''[[The Night of the Living Duck]]'' (1988) and ''[[(Blooper) Bunny]]'' (1991). ''The Night of the Living Duck'' got a theatrical release through the compilation film ''[[Daffy Duck's Quackbusters]]'' (1988), while ''(Blooper) Bunny'' was shelved from its intended 1991 release until it premiered on [[Cartoon Network]] on June 13, 1997.

== Blue Ribbon reissues ==
{{Main|List of Warner Bros. cartoons with Blue Ribbon reissues}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Merrie melodies blueribbon.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Blue Ribbon version of ''Merrie Melodies'' opening title]] -->

Beginning in late 1943, WB, in a cost-conserving effort, began to reissue its backlog of color cartoons under a new program that they called ''Merrie Melodies'' "Blue Ribbon" classics. For the reissue, the original front-and-end title sequences were altered. The revised main title card began with the zooming WB logo, followed by the title logo set against a background featuring a "blue ribbon" (hence the re-release program's title) and a Grand Shorts Award trophy, followed by the name of the cartoon. This revised title sequence eliminated the opening technical credits. The ending title card was also revised, replacing the original versions. Also, sometimes the title of the short was slightly altered for the rerelease; the "Blue Ribbon" version of the [[Bugs Bunny]] short ''[[A Wild Hare]]'' was retitled ''The Wild Hare'' for reissue, for example. Many of these "Blue Ribbon" prints were the versions used for television broadcasts for many years until Warner Bros. began a restoration program in the early 2000s as part of the ''[[Looney Tunes Golden Collection]]'' DVD releases.

== Filmography ==
{{main|Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography}}

== Characters ==
{{main|List of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters}}

== Awards and honors  ==
[[TVLine]] lists the theme song from the series among the best animated series themes of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Caruso|first=Nick|date=October 24, 2020|title=The Top TV Theme Songs of All Time: Animated Series|url=https://tvline.com/lists/top-tv-theme-songs-all-time-animated-series/|access-date=November 6, 2020|website=TVLine|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Inducted into the National Film Registry ===
* ''[[What's Opera, Doc?]]'' (1957), inducted in the 1992 list.<ref name="Complete National Film Registry Listing" /> "In this animation classic, Elmer Fudd's pursuit of Bugs Bunny is set to opera music and plays out on a Wagnerian scale. The film features such now-classic lines as "Kill the wabbit!" and is one of only three cartoons in which Elmer Fudd bests his rival Bugs. Directed by renowned animator Chuck Jones and his team at Warner Bros., this seven-minute short film is often considered to be Jones' cinematic masterpiece. It also holds the distinction of being the first cartoon selected for inclusion on the National Film Registry."<ref name="loc.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/descriptions-and-essays/|title=Brief Descriptions and Expanded Essays of National Film Registry Titles - Film Registry - National Film Preservation Board - Programs at the Library of Congress - Library of Congress|website=Library of Congress|access-date=January 5, 2019}}</ref>
* ''[[Duck Amuck]]'' (1953), inducted in the 1999 list.<ref name="Complete National Film Registry Listing" /> The description reads: "One of the defining examples of Chuck Jones' irreverent creativity, "Duck Amuck" (a Warner Bros. "Merrie Melodies" animation) stars Daffy Duck, as brought to life by master voice artist Mel Blanc. Jones' gives the audience a convincingly fleshed-out character with true personality, regardless of plot or setting. Daffy begins the film as a Musketeer before his animators get the best of him by forgetting to draw in his backgrounds or supply him his voice. Extraordinarily self-reflexive, "Duck Amuck" does more than pierce film's fourth wall, it demolishes it, full send Daffy on a series of surreal misadventures."<ref name="loc.gov"/>
* ''[[One Froggy Evening]]'' (1955), inducted in the 2003 list.<ref name="Complete National Film Registry Listing" /> The description reads: "A cartoon on every short list of the greatest animation, this classic Chuck Jones creation features crooning amphibian Michigan J. Frog, who drives his owner insane by singing only in private, but never in public."<ref name="loc.gov"/>

=== Academy Awards for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) ===
* ''[[Tweetie Pie]]'' (1947)<ref name="1947 academy awards" />
* ''[[Speedy Gonzales (film)|Speedy Gonzales]]'' (1955)<ref name="1955 academy awards" />
* ''[[Birds Anonymous]]'' (1957)<ref name="1957 academy awards" />

=== Academy Award nominations ===
* ''[[It's Got Me Again!]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Detouring America]]'' (1939)
* ''[[A Wild Hare]]'' (1940)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/awards/film/1940-academy-awards |title=1940 academy awards|website=Infoplease.com |access-date=September 20, 2007}}</ref>
* ''[[Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt]]'' (1941)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/awards/film/1941-academy-awards |title=1941 academy awards|website=Infoplease.com |access-date=February 10, 2013}}</ref>
* ''[[Rhapsody in Rivets]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Pigs in a Polka]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Greetings Bait]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Life with Feathers]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Walky Talky Hawky]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Canary Row]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Beep Prepared]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Nelly's Folly]]'' (1961)

== See also ==
{{Portal|Television|United States|Cartoon|Comedy
}}
* ''[[Looney Tunes]]''
* [[Warner Bros. Cartoons]]
* [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography]]
** [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1929–1939)]]
** [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949)]]
** [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1950–1959)]]
** [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1960–1969)]]
** [[Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1970–present and miscellaneous)]]
* [[List of Warner Bros. cartoons with Blue Ribbon reissues]]
* ''[[Silly Symphony|Silly Symphony(ies)]]'', from Walt Disney Productions

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Beck, Jerry and Friedwald, Will (1989): ''Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons''. Henry Holt and Company.
* Goldmark, Daniel (2005). ''Tunes for ’Toons : Music and the Hollywood Cartoon''. Berkeley: University of California Press. {{ISBN|0-520-23617-3}}
* Larsen, Darl (2024). ''Moving Pictures: A History of American Animation from Gertie to Pixar and Beyond''. Rowman & Littlefield.
* Schneider, Steve (1990). ''That's All Folks!: The Art of Warner Bros. Animation''. Henry Holt & Co.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://archive.today/20121204170735/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Warner_Bros_/Merrie_Melodies/index.html The Big Cartoon Database entry for ''Merrie Melodies'']

{{Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies|state=expanded}}
{{Warner Bros. animation and comics}}
{{Chuck Jones}}
{{Friz Freleng}}
{{DePatie-Freleng Enterprises}}
{{Warner Bros. franchises}}

[[Category:1931 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1931 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Animated short film series]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:Film series introduced in 1931]]
[[Category:Looney Tunes|*]]
[[Category:Merrie Melodies| ]]
[[Category:Merrie Melodies short films|*]]
[[Category:Television censorship]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Cartoons]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. franchises]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Pictures franchises]]
[[Category:Warner Bros.]]