Book Revue

''Book Revue'' is a 1946 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The cartoon was released on January 5, 1946, and features Daffy Duck.

A semi-remake of Clampett's earlier short '' A Coy Decoy'' (1941), it also incorporates plot elements of Frank Tashlin's '' Speaking of the Weather'' (1937) and '' Have You Got Any Castles'' (1938).

Plot

A collection of books becomes animated after midnight, starting with the ''Complete Works of Shakespeare'', depicted as clockwork mechanisms to the tune of " My Grandfather's Clock". The narrative transitions to various book covers, including '' Young Man with a Horn'', where a caricature of Harry James begins playing " It Had to Be You" in jazz style. An emaciated caricature of Frank Sinatra sings the song amidst the revelry, captivating other book cover characters. A jam session ensues, featuring a variety of characters from different books.

Daffy Duck interrupts the festivities and commands the music to stop. He reminisces in an accent akin to Danny Kaye's Russian characters before inadvertently teasing the Big Bad Wolf, who pursues Daffy through various book scenes. The police apprehend the Wolf, who is then sentenced to life by a magazine cover judge. The Wolf flees, but inadvertently falls into the cover of Dante's Inferno with the assistance of Sinatra.

The celebration continues as the characters dance to "'' Carolina in the Morning''," but the Wolf emerges from Dante's Inferno, demanding an end to the dancing.

Voice cast

* Sara Berner as Mrs. Aldrich, Swooning Girls
* Mel Blanc as Daffy Duck, Big Bad Wolf, Mice, Cop, Cuckoo Clock, Sailor
* Bea Benaderet as Bobby-Soxer, Lady on '' Freckles'' cover, Red
*Screams provided by Bea Benaderet
*The Sportsmen Quartet as Singing Group
* Richard Bickenbach as Frank Sinatra
* Robert C. Bruce as Henry VIII

Influence

*Later releases of the short had the title card replaced with Warner Brothers' "Blue Ribbon" title card on which the title was misspelled (see below). The original title card has since been located and the fully restored short can be seen on the ''Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Vol. 2'' four-DVD box set, the ''Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Vol 2'' two-DVD set and on the '' Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 2'' Blu-ray set
*In 1994 it was voted #45 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field.
*''Animaniacs'' paid tribute to the short in an episode segment titled "Video Review" (first aired on November 23, 1993), which takes place in a video rental store and sees Yakko, Wakko, and Dot facing off against a tyrannosaurus rex who emerges from the cover of a copy of ''Jurassic Park'', in a similar vein to Daffy squaring off against the Big Bad Wolf.
*In 2015, the image of Daffy Duck in a zoot suit became an internet meme on 4chan. Posters will frequently post images of Daffy proclaiming that he is "literally them" or reply to images with sentiments such as "Where did you get this pic of me?". The image later became associated with the anime series '' Jojo's Bizarre Adventure'' due to Daffy's similarity to characters from the franchise.
*In the mobile game ''Looney Tunes World of Mayhem'', Daffy appears as Zoot Suit Daffy, with the same outfit used in the short.

Production notes

The film was reissued in 1951, as ''Book Review''.Book Revue (1946) - Trivia
/ref> The original title is a pun, as a revue is a variety show, while a review is an evaluation of an artwork; this pun is however not retained in the title of the reissue.

Reception

Animation historian Steve Schneider writes that many of the cartoon's references are dated, "but who cares? ... Better simply to revel in ''Book Revues headlong brio, overlapping settings, meticulous economy of gesture, intertwining narratives, resourceful color effects, super-efficient use of screen space—and a great, great turn by a duck called Daffy, as he dances, scat-sings, cavorts, and distorts in one of his true moments of glory... ''Book Revue'' is an encyclopedia of what can be done in the animated medium if you're brilliant enough."

References

External links

*
List of the "50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time"

''Book Revue'' on the Internet Archive

{{Daffy Duck in animation, state=collapsed

1946 films
Looney Tunes shorts
Warner Bros. Cartoons animated short films
Daffy Duck films
Films directed by Bob Clampett
1940s Warner Bros. animated short films
Cultural depictions of W. C. Fields
Cultural depictions of Frank Sinatra
Cultural depictions of Jimmy Durante
Animation based on real people
Films scored by Carl Stalling
Cultural depictions of Henry VIII
Films based on Little Red Riding Hood
Films set in bookstores
Internet memes introduced in 2015
Films with screenplays by Warren Foster
1946 animated short films