From A to Z-Z-Z-Z
Encyclopedia
From A to Z-Z-Z-Z is a 1953 animated cartoon
short by Chuck Jones
in the Looney Tunes
series. It was released by Warner Bros.
in 1954.
, is bored with this lesson; on seeing a bird outside, he imagines that he is free to use his arms and legs to propel himself through the air.
Miss Wallace interrupts this daydream and assigns Ralph to solve a column of numbers on the blackboard. He is intimidated so much that the numbers come to life. He fights back by using letters as weapons.
Miss Wallace brings Ralph back to reality and sends him out to mail a letter. He responds by becoming a Pony Express
courier who braves a horde of Indian
s across his desert journey.
Back in the classroom, he finds the geography lesson tedious until the sight of a fish in an aquarium triggers his next daydream -- as a deep-sea diver who kills a shark and rescues an immobilized submarine, before a tentacle from an octopus grabs him away.
Miss Wallace loses her patience and sends Ralph to the corner, but this doesn't stop him from turning the classroom into a boxing ring. On being sent home, Ralph imagines himself as Douglas MacArthur
and repeats the general's most famous line, "I shall return."
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
short by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
in the Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
series. It was released by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in 1954.
Plot
The cartoon begins with an exterior shot of a school classroom. Through the windows, children are visible at their desks. They are learning arithmetic by rote. The main character, Ralph PhillipsRalph Phillips
Ralph Phillips may refer to:*List of Looney Tunes characters#Ralph Phillips*Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, American criminal*Ralph S. Phillips*Ralph Phillips Lowe, former Governor of Iowa...
, is bored with this lesson; on seeing a bird outside, he imagines that he is free to use his arms and legs to propel himself through the air.
Miss Wallace interrupts this daydream and assigns Ralph to solve a column of numbers on the blackboard. He is intimidated so much that the numbers come to life. He fights back by using letters as weapons.
Miss Wallace brings Ralph back to reality and sends him out to mail a letter. He responds by becoming a Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
courier who braves a horde of Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s across his desert journey.
Back in the classroom, he finds the geography lesson tedious until the sight of a fish in an aquarium triggers his next daydream -- as a deep-sea diver who kills a shark and rescues an immobilized submarine, before a tentacle from an octopus grabs him away.
Miss Wallace loses her patience and sends Ralph to the corner, but this doesn't stop him from turning the classroom into a boxing ring. On being sent home, Ralph imagines himself as Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
and repeats the general's most famous line, "I shall return."
Censorship
- Some Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network (United States)Cartoon Network is an American cable television network owned by Turner Broadcasting which primarily airs animated programming. The channel was launched on October 1, 1992 after Turner purchased the animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1991...
airings cut parts of the daydream sequence where Ralph imagines himself fighting Indians while mailing a letter. At least one airing of "The Chuck Jones Show" had this scene uncut.
Credits
- Director: Chuck JonesChuck JonesCharles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
- Story: Michael MalteseMichael MalteseMichael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
- Animation: Ken HarrisKen HarrisKen Harris was an American animator who worked for several film studios. He is widely considered as one of the master animators of his time....
, Ben WashamBen WashamBenjamin Alfred Washam was an American animator who is best known for working under director Chuck Jones for nearly 30 years. Washam worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1941 until 1962, mainly under the direction of Chuck Jones. He also worked on made-for-television cartoons in the early 1960s...
, Lloyd Vaughan - Layout: Maurice NobleMaurice NobleMaurice Noble was an American animation background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate of animation director Chuck Jones, most notably at Warner Bros. in the 1950s...
- Background: Phil DeGuard
- Music: Carl StallingCarl StallingCarl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
- Voice Characterizations: Dick BealsDick BealsRichard "Dick" Beals is an American voice actor. He has performed many voices in his career, which spans from the early 1950s into the 21st century...
, Bea BenaderetBea BenaderetBea Benaderet was an American actress born in New York City and raised in San Francisco, California. She is best remembered for her wide variety of television work, which included a starring role in the 1960s television series Petticoat Junction and Green Acres as Shady Rest Hotel owner Kate...
, Mel BlancMel BlancMelvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...