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The Reforms
Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition
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I was going to wait awhile to post this one, but since you mentioned it, and I had nothing else in my queue at the moment but to post the first five episodes of Popeye, so this is a welcome retreat in my perfectionism to post it now. And so he can also have his double-due, Marvin the Martian's featurette opposite Bugs Bunny.
Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Released on July 25, 1953
Distributed by The Vitaphone Corporation (WB Pictures)
{If the above embeddable should break, a redirect link: Duck Dodgers in the 24.5 Century}
The plot of the cartoon involves Duck Dodgers' search for the rare element Illudium Phosdex, "the shaving cream atom." In the future, the only remaining supply of the element is on the mysterious "Planet X", which fortunately is found when Dodgers follows a path leading from Planet A to Planets B, C, D, and so on,even though they said they will get there through a path through the rim of the galaxy . Dodgers is about to claim Planet X in the name of the Earth when Marvin the Martian lands on the same planet (in a ship called the Martian Maggot) and claims it in the name of Mars. The stage is set for a battle of wits (or lack thereof) between the two cartoon stars.
Porky Pig also appears in the cartoon, playing the role of the "Eager Young Space Cadet". As he does in a number of Jones' cartoons, he plays the role of the straight man, getting the job done and foiling the villain while Daffy Duck blusters and repeatedly gets himself blown to smithereens. Daffy eventually loses all patience and decides to blow up Marvin's ship, unaware that Marvin is preparing to do the same to his ship.
Considering the period in which the cartoon was produced (the Red Scare was in full swing during the 1950s), some scholars have used the cartoon to parallel the futility of the Cold War and the arms race. They note that by the end of the cartoon, the planet that Duck Dodgers and Marvin the Martian are fighting over has been destroyed, and the remaining area claimed by Daffy at the end is barely large enough for him to stand upon. The dismissive attitude to Dodgers' pyrrhic victory is epitomized by Porky's cynical response to his boss's overblown proclamation, "B-B-Big deal."
Fun Stuff click to show Duck Dodgers in the 24½th (twenty-fourth and a half) Century is a Merrie Melodies cartoon created in 1952 and released on July 25, 1953, starring Daffy Duck as space hero Duck Dodgers, Porky Pig as his assistant, and Marvin the Martian as his opponent. Marvin the Martian had been introduced as an unnamed villain in Haredevil Hare (1948) playing opposite Bugs Bunny (and was given the title 'Commander, Flying Saucer X-2' in 1951's The Hasty Hare), but this cartoon was the first of many appearances of Duck Dodgers.
In 1994 it was voted #4 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. In 2004, it was retrospectively awarded a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
When this cartoon was released, it received the admiration of many notable science fiction directors, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. When Star Wars (1977) was re-released in theaters, the cartoon was run preceding the feature at Lucas' request.
Written by Michael Maltese
Released on March 29, 1958
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
{If the above embeddable should break, a redirect link: Hare-Way to the Stars (1958)}
The cartoon starts when Bugs Bunny, feeling the effects of mixing radish juice with carrot juice the night before, mistakenly climbs out of his hole and into a rocket ship that is taking off unbeknown to Bugs. He realizes what has happened once he screws open the tip of the ship, and is immediately hit by the satellite Sputnik and lands on Mars. While there, Bugs Bunny meets a Martian named Marvin the Martian who is trying to blow up earth with the Illudium PU-36 Explosive Space Modulator.
Fun Stuff click to show The instant Martians resemble the Martian from another Chuck Jones cartoon, Jumpin' Jupiter, they resemble green buzzard like aliens with purple tufts of feathers around their necks and little palm tree shaped antennas they are also apparently mute.
Marvin the Martian: At last, after two thousand years of research, the illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator. At last...
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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi
Last edited by Jetée; 08-18-2009 at 10:49 AM..
Reason: the orginal video broke, added a replacement
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