''Whoa, Be-Gone!'' is a 1958 Warner Bros. ''

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 1970s to the ...

'' cartoon directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, pro ...

. The short was released on April 12, 1958, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

Eddie Selzer Edward Selzer (January 12, 1893 – February 22, 1970) was an American film producer and publicist who served as head of Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1944 to 1958. He served in the US Navy and fought as a Golden Gloves boxer. He won a boxing exhibi ...

, who produced all of Warner Bros. cartoons since September 1944, retired in 1958. ''Whoa, Be-Gone!'' was the final cartoon he produced. John W. Burton took over after this release.

Plot

Wile E. Coyote (''Famishius Vulgaris Ingeniusi'') and the Road Runner (''Birdius High-Ballius'') continue their game of

cat and mouse Cat and mouse, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes." The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse ...

. Over the title cards, the Coyote chases down the Road Runner with a rocket, but before he can deliver the final blow, he hits his head on a tunnel arch as the Road Runner goes through it. The Road Runner escapes and the rocket makes an U-turn toward its owner. Wile E. dodges from the rocket, but ironically, is hit by an ACME truck. 1. Wile E. is pacing around a mountaintop when he runs directly into the Road Runner, who beeps and causes the Coyote's head to retract after being scared into a rock ceiling. The Coyote chases after the bird through a cloud of dust, but only manages to throw himself into thin air. The Road Runner alerts the Coyote, who promptly falls into the canyon with an angry arm-folded glare. He manages to climb back up the mountain again, but no sooner does he do so than the Road Runner, on another plateau, beeps again. 2. The Coyote uses a see-saw and rock to attempt to launch himself towards the Road Runner, but the rock breaks through the cliff's edge, and the Coyote slides from the top of the board down and through the hole. He falls into almost the same spot as the first time, creating a cross of coyote imprints in the ground. 3. The Coyote patches up a trampoline on the desert ground and then proceeds to man a sniper rifle. He hears the Road Runner's beep, but doesn't see him approaching. He turns around to find the bird right behind him. So he turns the rifle around, but there's no space on the other side. Wile E. falls off the cliff again, smiling because he thinks the trampoline will save him. He busts directly through it, though. 4. The Coyote has now ordered a giant rubber band and ties it around two rocks, hoping to trap the Road Runner. However, it is so elastic that it pulls the two rocks together while Wile E. is still in between them. 5. Now, Wile E. lights a bunch of fireworks inside a barrel and bungee-swings the barrel out into open space above the road which the Road Runner is about to pass. But the very edge of the rock that Wile E. is standing on breaks off, causing the Coyote to swing directly below the barrel. As the rope begins to snap, Wile E. climbs up to escape the calamity, but fails to make it off in time. He falls to the ground and is smashed by the barrel. Now, the Coyote has to escape his own security measure, a nailed-shut lid. Wile E. manages to hammer off all the nails and climb out of the barrel, then hide and wait for the explosion. However, he forgot to check the fireworks on the lid, which Wile E. is still wearing! 6. Next, Wile E. builds a high wire structure and dons a wheel-head. He struggles to get himself balanced upside-down on top of the wire (even after the Road Runner is long gone), and when he finally is able to let go of the rock, the wire (predictably) snaps, sending Wile E. crashing headfirst into the ground. Then, the wire drapes over a power line while one end falls into the Coyote's hole, resulting in the Coyote incurring a violent electrical shock. 7. The Coyote now attaches TNT to the bottom of a high bridge as he waits on the ground with the controller. The Road Runner moves towards the intended target, but stops short of the bridge. The bridge detonates and the concrete falls directly upon the poor Coyote. 8. Wile E.'s final plan involves ACME Tornado Seeds in hopes of trapping the Road Runner. After a quick test with a cactus, Wile E. drops a handful of seeds into the road just before the Road Runner turns up. However, he gets trapped by a tornado, which drags the Coyote into an army mine field. Wile E. suffers explosion after explosion as the Road Runner pulls down the "That's All Folks!" end-title card like a curtain.

Crew

*Story:

Michael Maltese Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of '' Merrie Melodies'' cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably " ...

*Animation:

Ken Harris Karyl Ross "Ken" Harris (July 31, 1898 – March 24, 1982) was an American animator best known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons under the supervision of director Chuck Jones. Life and career Ken Harris was born in Tulare County, Califor ...

Abe Levitow Abraham Levitow (July 2, 1922 – May 8, 1975) was an American animator who worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons, UPA and MGM Animation/Visual Arts. He is best known for his work under Chuck Jones' direction. Career Levitow was born in Los Angeles ...

, Richard Thompson,

Ben Washam Benjamin Alfred Washam (March 17, 1915 – March 28, 1984) was an American animator who is best known for working under director Chuck Jones for nearly 30 years. According to his World War II draft registration, he was born in Newport, Jackson Cou ...

, Keith Darling *Layouts:

Maurice Noble Maurice James Noble (May 1, 1911 – May 18, 2001) was an American animation production designer, background artist and layout designer whose contributions to the industry spanned more than 60 years. He was a long-time associate and right-hand man ...

*Backgrounds:

Philip DeGuard Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

*Effects Animator: Harry Love *Film Editor: Treg Brown *Vocal Characterizations: Paul Julian (uncredited) *Music Score:

Milt Franklyn Milton J. Franklyn (born Milton Julius Frumkin; September 16, 1897 – April 24, 1962) was an American musical composer and arranger who worked on the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoons. Career Franklyn was born in New York City Se ...

*Directed By:

References

{{Chuck Jones 1958 animated films 1958 short films 1950s Warner Bros. animated short films Merrie Melodies short films American animated short films Short films directed by Chuck Jones Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner films Films scored by Milt Franklyn Animated films without speech Films with screenplays by Michael Maltese Films produced by Edward Selzer Films about Canis Animated films about mammals Animated films about birds

Plot

Crew

See also

References