Now Hear This (film)
Encyclopedia
Now Hear This is a 1963 animated short film in the Looney Tunes
series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc
. It was directed by Chuck Jones
and Maurice Noble
, and written by Jones and John Dunn
. The title comes from a phrase used aboard American naval ships
as an instruction to cease activity and listen to the announcement that will follow. The phrase was referred to in another WB cartoon, Now Hare This, five years before this one.
This cartoon is notable in that it has no rings at the opening title sequence (see "Title Sequence" below). In addition, this cartoon is notable for resembling a UPA
cartoon (whose cartoons had used limited animation
techniques) more than a typical Warner Bros. short of the time.
loses his left horn, which is found by an elderly man in Britain (there are clues to the cartoon's location; the bin says "Keep Britain Tidy" and Rule Britannia is heard twice) who uses it as a hearing trumpet
. Soon the man experiences a series of aural and visual hallucinations: A bug
sounds like a locomotive
; a butterfly causes him to see strange patterns; a short man in a pink suit makes mischief, at one point pulling a telephone from the horn and turning the phone's mouthpiece into a shower outlet. These hallucinations become steadily more strange and frightening before finally culminating in a "GIGANTIC EXPLOSION!" Having suffered enough, the gentleman leaves the horn behind in favor of his original hearing trumpet, which he had thrown out at the film's beginning. After he leaves, the devil materializes and is glad to find his missing horn; he screws it back on and disappears.
and Warner Bros. Animation
. This is also one of the rare Looney Tunes shorts to list the director's name first.
At the close of the cartoon, when the "modern" close is in progress, instead of using the reprise of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" as seen on all other 1964-1967 cartoons using this logo, they have the first four notes of the Westminster Quarters play to bring on the four elements of the "WB" lettering, then as the words "A Warner Brothers CartOOn" scroll appear, Big Ben chimes, and then as the OO's in Cartoon separate from the words, you hear a bicycle horn squeak three times. Big Ben gives one more chime as the words finish appearing on the screen before the fadeout. Also, instead of it being black, the background is white. This closing sequence is seen in two more cartoons: Bartholomew Versus the Wheel and Señorella and the Glass Huarache
.
The sequence was the idea of Chuck Jones. Ironically, he was fired before he could direct any more cartoons with this opening.
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 produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
. It was directed 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...
and Maurice Noble
Maurice Noble
Maurice 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...
, and written by Jones and John Dunn
John W. Dunn
John W. Dunn was a Scottish writer and animator for animated cartoons from 1955 to 1983.Dunn began his career at the Walt Disney cartoon studio, where his first story credit—Man in Space—received an Oscar nomination...
. The title comes from a phrase used aboard American naval ships
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as an instruction to cease activity and listen to the announcement that will follow. The phrase was referred to in another WB cartoon, Now Hare This, five years before this one.
This cartoon is notable in that it has no rings at the opening title sequence (see "Title Sequence" below). In addition, this cartoon is notable for resembling a UPA
United Productions of America
United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio of the 1940s through present day, beginning with industrial films and World War II training films. In the late 1940s, UPA produced theatrical shorts for Columbia Pictures, most notably the Mr. Magoo series. In...
cartoon (whose cartoons had used limited animation
Limited animation
Limited animation is a process of making animated cartoons that does not redraw entire frames but variably reuses common parts between frames. One of its major trademarks is the stylized design in all forms and shapes, which in the early days was referred to as modern design...
techniques) more than a typical Warner Bros. short of the time.
Plot
A devilDevil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
loses his left horn, which is found by an elderly man in Britain (there are clues to the cartoon's location; the bin says "Keep Britain Tidy" and Rule Britannia is heard twice) who uses it as a hearing trumpet
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
. Soon the man experiences a series of aural and visual hallucinations: A bug
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
sounds like a locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
; a butterfly causes him to see strange patterns; a short man in a pink suit makes mischief, at one point pulling a telephone from the horn and turning the phone's mouthpiece into a shower outlet. These hallucinations become steadily more strange and frightening before finally culminating in a "GIGANTIC EXPLOSION!" Having suffered enough, the gentleman leaves the horn behind in favor of his original hearing trumpet, which he had thrown out at the film's beginning. After he leaves, the devil materializes and is glad to find his missing horn; he screws it back on and disappears.
Title Sequence
This was the first Warner Bros. cartoon short to use the "modern" abstract opening and closing sequences, which would be used on all mid-1960s WB shorts, mainly produced by DePatie-Freleng EnterprisesDePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
and Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
. This is also one of the rare Looney Tunes shorts to list the director's name first.
At the close of the cartoon, when the "modern" close is in progress, instead of using the reprise of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" as seen on all other 1964-1967 cartoons using this logo, they have the first four notes of the Westminster Quarters play to bring on the four elements of the "WB" lettering, then as the words "A Warner Brothers CartOOn" scroll appear, Big Ben chimes, and then as the OO's in Cartoon separate from the words, you hear a bicycle horn squeak three times. Big Ben gives one more chime as the words finish appearing on the screen before the fadeout. Also, instead of it being black, the background is white. This closing sequence is seen in two more cartoons: Bartholomew Versus the Wheel and Señorella and the Glass Huarache
Señorella and the Glass Huarache
Señorella and the Glass Huarache is a 1964 Looney Tunes Cartoon directed by Hawley Pratt and written by John W. Dunn. The plotline is a typical Cinderella story, but set in Mexico. This was the last Looney Tunes short released before the Warner Bros. Cartoons division was shut down. It was the...
.
The sequence was the idea of Chuck Jones. Ironically, he was fired before he could direct any more cartoons with this opening.
Availability
- Now Hear This is available on Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation CollectionWarner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation CollectionDue to the success of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection and Popeye DVD series, Warner Home Video issued a 3-DVD set on February 12, 2008 showcasing the various animation properties that they own including their home-grown product Looney Tunes...
, Disc 3 and on Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6 is a four-disc DVD box set collection of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 21, 2008....
, Disc 4.