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The Road Runner Show is an animated anthology series which compiled theatrical Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoons from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, which were produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons between 1948 and 1966. The Road Runner Show ran for two seasons on CBS (1966–68), and then ran for two seasons on ABC (1971–73). There was one Road Runner/Coyote cartoon during each episode, with a Tweety and Sylvester cartoon in the middle segment, and other WB animated character(s) in the third segment (usually Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, and Hippety Hopper). Because of shorts featuring the latter two, Sylvester appeared in more cartoons than Road Runner.

CBS combined The Road Runner Show with The Bugs Bunny Show in 1968 to create The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour. Road Runner and the Coyote more often shared at least an hour with Bugs Bunny on CBS during the late-1960s through the mid-1980s.

The theme song was both written and performed by Barbara Cameron.

The title card music used in each segment is a cut-short version of the 1964-1967 Looney Tunes theme music by Bill Lava as heard during the DePatie-Freleng era.

Each episode has new, animated bridging sequences showcasing one of the Coyote's botched attempts of catching Road Runner between each cartoon, animated by an uncredited Robert McKimson, using Bill Lava's stock music cues from the "Larriva Eleven" Road Runner cartoons as background music, and Paul Julian's voice of Road Runner via archival recording.

List of Episodes[]

Season 1 - 2 (1966 - 68)[1][]

  1. Zip 'n Snort / Hyde and Go Tweet / The Wild Chase (10 September 1966)
  2. Sugar and Spies / A Street Cat Named Sylvester / Birds of a Father (Unknown date)
  3. Highway Runnery / Fowl Weather / Don't Axe Me (7 September 1968)

Season 3 (1971-72)[]

  1. Zip 'n Snort / The Jet Cage / The Wild Chase (4 September 1971)
  2. Beep Prepared / Putty Tat Trouble / Cats and Bruises (11 September 1971)
  3. Ready.. Set.. Zoom! / Hyde and Go Tweet / Weasel While You Work (18 September 1971)
  4. Zoom at the Top / Tree Cornered Tweety / Hoppy Daze (25 September 1971)
  5. War and Pieces / Tweety's Circus / A Sheep in the Deep (2 October 1971)
  6. To Beep or Not to Beep / Trick or Tweet / Birds of a Father (9 October 1971)
  7. The Solid Tin Coyote / A Street Cat Named Sylvester / The Dixie Fryer (16 October 1971)
  8. There They Go-Go-Go! / Dog Pounded / Woolen Under Where (23 October 1971)
  9. Scrambled Aches / Hawaiian Aye Aye / Dr. Jerkyl's Hide (30 October 1971)
  10. Sugar and Spies / A Bird in a Guilty Cage / Cannery Woe (6 November 1971)
  11. Whoa, Be-Gone! / Tweet Tweet Tweety / Don't Axe Me (13 November 1971)
  12. Clippety Clobbered / Greedy for Tweety / Pop 'Im Pop! (20 November 1971)
  13. Hopalong Casualty / Tweet and Lovely / Wild over You (27 November 1971)
  14. Hairied and Hurried / Tugboat Granny / Mother Was a Rooster (4 December 1971)
  15. Lickety-Splat / Tweet and Sour / Fish and Slips (11 December 1971)
  16. Tired and Feathered / Fowl Weather / A Mutt in a Rut (18 December 1971)
  17. Going! Going! Gosh! / Gift Wrapped / Mouse-Taken Identity (25 December 1971)
  18. Rushing Roulette / Ain't She Tweet / The Mouse on 57th Street (1 January 1972)
  19. Stop! Look! And Hasten! / Catty Cornered / Chili Weather (8 January 1972)
  20. Highway Runnery / A Pizza Tweety-Pie / Strangled Eggs (15 January 1972)
  21. Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z / Trip for Tat / What's My Lion? (22 January 1972)
  22. Shot and Bothered / Muzzle Tough / Touché and Go (29 January 1972)
  23. Fast and Furry-ous / A Bird in a Bonnet / Claws in the Lease (5 February 1972)
  24. Out and Out Rout / Tweet Dreams / The Slick Chick (12 February 1972)
  25. Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner / Snow Business / To Itch His Own (19 February 1972)
  26. Boulder Wham! / Tweet Zoo / The Slap-Hoppy Mouse (26 February 1972)

Content Notes[]

  • About 27 Road Runner cartoons and 26 Tweety and Sylvester cartoons are included in this show, with the first episode being the only episode to contain two Road Runner cartoons sandwiching one Tweety and Sylvester cartoon.
  • Among the third segments of each episode, the show contained three Elmer Fudd cartoons (only one featuring Daffy Duck), two Pepé Le Pew cartoons, four Speedy Gonzales cartoons (all co-starring Sylvester, one shared with the Road Runner), two Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog cartoons, four Foghorn Leghorn cartoons, and two one-shot cartoons directed by Chuck Jones. Of all 26 episodes, Sylvester appeared in eleven of these third segments, and among the minor characters in the Sylvester cartoons, Spike and Chester co-star in only one, while Hippety Hopper co-stars in four (three featuring Sylvester Junior), while Sylvester Jr. co-stars in six (three featuring Hippety Hopper).
  • Despite the third segments' title card depicting Yosemite Sam, no Yosemite Sam cartoons are aired in this show. No Bugs Bunny or Porky Pig cartoons are included in any episode of this show either because they each had a show of their own.
  • Of all the 27 Road Runner cartoons aired in this show, Chuck Jones has the most with fifteen, followed by Rudy Larriva with nine, Robert McKimson with two and Friz Freleng with one.
  • Almost all the Sylvester cartoons aired in the third segments in this show are directed by Robert McKimson, except for "Chili Weather", "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide", "Cats and Bruises" and "The Wild Chase", which are directed by Friz Freleng. In addition, all three Elmer Fudd cartoons in this show are directed by Robert McKimson.
  • Despite both the opening and closing sequences of this show including clips from "Chaser on the Rocks", "Hip Hip- Hurry!" and "Wild About Hurry", none of these cartoons are included in any episode.

Bridging Segments[]

Each episode has new, animated bridging sequences showcasing one of the Coyote's botched attempts of catching Road Runner shown between each cartoon, animated by an uncredited Robert McKimson and using Bill Lava's stock music cues from the "Larriva Eleven" Road Runner cartoons as background music. About fourteen animated bridging segments in total were made.

In these animated sequences, both Wile E. and Road Runner appear in their designs from both "Rushing Roulette" and "Sugar and Spies", and the desert background scenery used most of the time is similar to "Zoom and Bored" and "Fastest with the Mostest", except for the Water cooler bumper which instead uses a desert background scenery similar to the ones seen the Larriva Eleven cartoons.

The full list of animated bridging sequences are as follows [2][3];

  1. Pothole roar: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner by roaring as he comes out of the pothole, but is run down by a passing truck. Road Runner returns and beeps inside the pothole.
  2. Gun trap: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner using a rifle trap, which shoots the bird when it crosses it. Puzzled upon finding out that the bird just went past it without getting shot, Wile E. activates the trap to test it, only for the back of the rifle to open, blasting the Coyote in the face.
  3. Grenade tennis: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner using grenades, where he tosses them with a tennis racket to have it explode on its target. After successfully testing it on some desert cacti, Wile E. attempts to do the same to Road Runner, only for it to end up as a game of grenade tennis as Road Runner grabs a tennis racket himself and the two keep hitting the grenade to each other. The game ends with the grenade stuck on Wile E.'s racket. The coyote tries to get the grenade off it, only for the grenade to explode right in his face.
  4. Motorcycle: Wile E. chases Road Runner using a motorcycle. After the first attempt fails when Road Runner's supersonic speed destroys Wile E's motorbike, the coyote chases Road Runner with another motorcycle, and the chase leads to a curved rock, which ends with the Coyote failing to defy gravity as he falls upside-down, a callback to "Zoom at the Top".
  5. Role-reversal: Wile E. disguises himself as Road Runner with a roadrunner costume, only for Road Runner himself to randomly show up as a miniature version of Wile E., resulting in a role reversal, with Road Runner in the Coyote costume still beeping. Wile E. in the Road Runner costume stops halfway in his tracks to realize how screwy the situation is, only for Road Runner in the Coyote costume to trample on him, causing the head part of Coyote's roadrunner suit to fall off.
  6. Portrait: Wile E. draws a picture of him and Road Runner as best buddies, drawing the curiosity of Road Runner. Taking advantage of the situation, Wile E. nearly succeeds in catching Road Runner, but the drawing of himself comes to life and shoots him in the rear, which releases Road Runner from the Coyote's paws. The frustrated Coyote then erases himself out of the drawing.
  7. Water cooler: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner using a boulder and a water cooler trap. When Road Runner stops to have a drink of water, Wile E. unleashes the boulder, but the bird escapes quickly before the boulder comes into contact with the bird. Wile E. notices this and runs into hiding, only for Road Runner to jump-scare him with "beep beep" to the target. Wile E. activates a miniature umbrella to shield himself from the boulder to no avail, as the boulder drops on him, followed by the water cooler, and Wile E's head winds up inside the water cooler.
  8. Space rocket: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner using a rocket, complete with a bullseye target with the "stand here" sign. Once Road Runner stands at the target, Wile E. activates the rocket, only for it to turn back to its original position, blowing up Wile E. A burnt and dazzled Wile E. then removes the "Stand here" sign from the target, and Road Runner gets away.
  9. Bingo cannon: Wile E. attempts to catch Road Runner using a cannon, only for Road Runner to stuff it with a cork upon passing by it. Wile E. fails to realize this, and once he activates the cannon, it sends him going backwards, crashing at a nearby rock, causing a boulder to fall on him and the cannon. Road Runner returns, beeps, and runs off.
  10. Robot: A callback to "The Solid Tin Coyote", Wile E. builds himself a robot to help him catch Road Runner using four simple buttons, start, chase, catch, and return. After successfully catching Road Runner, the robot knocks down Wile E., but returns Road Runner to its original spot in a kindly fashion.
  11. Rocket car: Wile E. uses a rocket car to chase Road Runner, but it quickly runs out of gas. Once Wile E. looks inside its rear jets, it explodes right in his face and the screen cuts to black.
  12. Old fashioned trap: Wile E. digs himself a trap to catch Road Runner, failing to realize that he's doing it at a cliff, causing him to fall, landing on a train. However, Wile E. crashes into a tunnel, lands on the railroad tracks, only to get run down by a train. Road Runner comes out from the tunnel, beeps and runs off.
  13. Exploding phone booth: A callback to "Tired and Feathered", Wile E. builds a TNT-operated phone booth to catch Road Runner. Once Road Runner goes inside it, Wile E. calls the bird on the phone; Road Runner quickly responds with "beep beep", hangs up and leaves. Wile E. enters the phone booth to pick up the phone, only for it to explode.
  14. Bridge bomb: Wile E. mines the road with TNT, which blows up two ends of the cliffs, causing Wile E. to fall. A dazed Wile E. accidentally sits on the TNT, causing him to lose the bottom half of his fur in the explosion, a callback to a similar scene from "War and Pieces". Wile E. attempts to pull up his fur, only for Road Runner to jump-scare him with "beep beep", resulting in the coyote jumping out of his skin, and falling into the hole created from his previous fall.

Availability[]

Episode #1, "Zip 'n Snort/The Jet Cage/The Wild Chase", is available on the Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960s Volume 2 DVD.

Notes[]

  • The clips in the opening sequence are:
    • Road Runner closing his eyes as he turns his head and opening an eye. (Chaser on the Rocks)
    • Wile E. Coyote looking at us smugly, then preparing to run. (Lickety-Splat)
    • Road Runner zipping into frame, stopping for a moment before continuing. (Rushing Roulette)
    • Wile E. trying to squish Road Runner with a huge rock, which hits him instead. (Hopalong Casualty)
    • Wile E. fluttering his eyebrows before the Road Runner speeds past him. (Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner)
    • Wile E. trying (and failing) to catch Road Runner via trapeze. (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • Wile E. throwing a grenade at Road Runner, but it gets thrown back to him by a cactus and explodes. (War and Pieces)
    • Road Runner, obscured by his running dust, running along the road. (most of the Rudy Larriva cartoons)
    • Wile E.'s first plan failing. (Tired and Feathered)
    • Road Runner halting to look back at the Coyote. (Run, Run, Sweet Road Runner)
    • Wile E. trying to shoot himself to Road Runner with a bow, but ends up hitting the wood instead. (Zip 'n Snort)
    • Wile E. looking between his legs to see Road Runner, who then beeps. (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • Wile E. trying to whack Road Runner while riding a skateboard with a sail, but then ends up falling down a canyon. (Highway Runnery)
    • Wile E. trying to throw a dynamite stick at Road Runner with a slingshot, but it explodes on him before he can throw it. (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • A split-second of Road Runner running. (most of the Rudy Larriva cartoons)
    • Wile E. chasing Road Runner on a rocket, but it hits a low plateau and sends him flying. (Wild About Hurry)
  • The clips in the closing sequence are as follows:
    • Far-distant shot of Wile E. chasing after Road Runner (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • Shot of Wile E. chasing after Road Runner (Lickety-Splat)
    • Wile E. tries to grab the Road Runner, but misses (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • Shots of the Road Runner running along the roads, leaving a trail of dust on his trails (Hip Hip- Hurry!, Lickety-Splat)
    • A split-second of a shot of Road Runner beeping (most of the Rudy Larriva cartoons)
    • Shots of the Road Runner running along the roads, leaving a trail of dust on his trails (Hip Hip- Hurry!, Lickety-Splat)
    • A confused Wile E. as to which way his prey went when the Road Runner ran through a three-way Y fork. Road Runner answers for him by pulling up behind him and beeping, giving the coyote a real headache on the rocks above. (Hip Hip- Hurry!)
    • Wile E. chasing Road Runner on a rocket, but it hits a low plateau and sends him flying. While flying, Wile E. attempts to catch the Road Runner, but ends up ramming into the top of a tunnel. (Wild About Hurry)
      • Some episodes of the series have the closing sequence partially shortened (where the first four sequences are cut), or fully shortened (where the first six sequences are cut), while some episodes have the closing sequence shown in full.
  • The animated bridging sequences featuring Wile E. and Road Runner was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and therefore received credit as such in the show's closing credits sequence. This show marks DFE's final Looney Tunes project before their contract expired in 1967 and is transferred over to Warner-Bros. Seven-Arts later that year, and DFE would not work on a major Looney Tunes project again until at least 1977.
    • Robert McKimson animated and directed these bridging sequences, but was not credited. This show is also one of the last times Robert McKimson was involved with the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote before his death in 1977.

Videos[]

Title Cards[]

References[]

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