Golden Age of Looney Tunes Laser Discs ...

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by chip-hp, Jun 17, 2008.

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  1. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    This morning, I picked up Volumes 1 thru 4 (5 discs each) of The Golden Age of Looney Tunes 1933 - 1948 on laser disc.

    Are there any cartoons that appear on these 4 Volumes that don't appear on the first 5 Volumes of the DVD collections?

    Is there any reason to transfer the laser discs to DVD before I sell them?
     
  2. Greatest Hits

    Greatest Hits Just Another Compilation

    I believe the laser discs don't have the infamous "noise reduction" that is apparent in some of the cartoons on the DVD.
     
  3. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Thanks ...

    Anybody know of a website devoted to the discussion of laser discs?
     
  4. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    Oh Good Lord, yes. There's tons of stuff on those that haven't been reissued yet. More than I could list here.
     
  5. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Yup, the laserdiscs have lotsa titles not on DVD yet... also know that there is a 5th GAOLT LD that feature predominantly 30s titles, most of which are not on DVD.

    If you need to precisely find out which toons are where, you could go on Amazon where titles are listed for each DVD box... or someone on this golden-age cartoon forum may be compiling such a list: http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/forumdisplay.php?s=322f052969e79ae8649f16ff9560203

    There are approx 1000 WB theatrical cartoon titles... 350 of them are on the GAOLT LDs... there are also 10(?) other individual LDs with an additional 150(?) titles... there are plans to release ten DVD boxes – 650(?) titles – but plans change.

    I guess like anything collectable, the best advice is collect and keep 'em all... at least those are my plans for these cartoons.

    LD is nice enough, but it's a really dead medium... this thread might catch Rachael Bee's eye, she's an enthusiast... and you might find an area for LD discussion on the AVS forum.
     
  6. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    Yeah, but that ellusive 5th set runs in the hundreds when it appears on e-bay. To rich for my blood.

    I've got the rest though. Still love Inki and the Minah Bird and those WWII cartoons.
     
  7. Anthology123

    Anthology123 Senior Member

    One cartoon from the Laserdisc collection (before they removed it on subsequent versions) was Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips. You can tell even by the title why might have a problem.
     
  8. PhilCohen

    PhilCohen Forum Resident

    Then I've got a collectors item. I've got all 5 volumes of "The Golden Age of Looney Tunes" Laserdisc boxes, and "Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips" is on my discs. I also wisely transfered all my Laserdiscs(the titles that haven't appeared on DVD) to DVD-R. I've still got my Laserdisc player, but I realistcally understand that if it ever breaks down, there won't be parts to repair it.

    Are the "Looney Tunes" DVD's worth buying,and do they have anything that I don't already have? Also, what is the difference between the original soundtrack versions and "dubbed versions" which exist for certain cartoons?
     
  9. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    So many topics...

    'Nips' is nice to have, but it's reasonable to assume it will show up on DVD.

    If your LD player is a Pioneer (and if it ain't, it oughta be, they were first-est with the most-est in this format), these guys still carry the torch... service, sales, trades, etc: http://www.laserdiscservice.com/

    The Looney Tunes DVDs are must-haves for classic cartoon fans... amazingly restored (ok, occasional imperfections), clearly better than the LDs... titles cross over – these weren't prepared with laserdiscs in mind, but they include old 30s B&W titles and a few post-60 shorts, while concentrating on the core 40s-50s titles... 60+ toons in each box... outstanding documentary material, newly made with knowledgeable historians, rare footage etc etc.

    'Dubbed' has nothing to do with soundtracks... in the 90s, some cartoons were re-dubbed with a color boost for broadcast purposes... ignore these, they are not included in the main restored DVD titles.

    Th-th-th-that's all folks!
     
  10. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    I still have those LDs, the single-disc collections. Glad I didn't pay the $200 for the boxes, since I think the DVD Golden Collections that come out every year are by far most bang for the buck and restored really well.

    But that was how I had "One Froggy Evening" on non-VHS for a while....
     
  11. JA Fant

    JA Fant Well-Known Member

    I have read that the DVD sets are politically corrected vs the laserdisc versions?
    Any comments experts?
     
  12. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Uncensored.

    Uncut.

    No PC nuthin'.

    There are fanatics overseeing the content on these.
     
  13. Sckott

    Sckott Hand Tighten Only.

    Location:
    South Plymouth, Ma
    Thank flippin' god...
     
  14. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Yep..... :agree:
     
  15. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    The last one went for a BIN price of $249 (plus shipping) ... and there are only 57 (or is it 59) cartoons on it.
     
  16. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    The 5 disc boxes retailed for $200 each? ... Got mine for a whole lot less ... They were part of a 60 LD lot.
     
  17. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    So ... the answer is ... No ... any cartoons on the LDs that aren't on the DVDs (no mater how un-PC they may be) will eventually appear on the DVDs ... in better condition.
     
  18. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Dunno about those cartoons like the "Banned 11" material (basically the cartoons with overt racial caricatures) making an appearance. They have been restoring all the cartoons in the vault, so if they do get released they'll look better than what trickled out on the laser discs. Every now and then they show up on YouTube - most of them are average to below average in the humor department, but they're definitely eyebrow raising at a minimum and pretty offensive at their worst - not something for the kids to watch. Universal has released some Swing Symphonies in their Woody Woodpecker set, but I doubt the sales on those comes remotely close to those of the Looney Tunes dvds. Maybe Warner will break down and issue them when the series has lost its steam.
     
  19. mrwolk

    mrwolk One and a half ears...no waiting!

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
  20. chip-hp

    chip-hp Cool Cat Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    If I am reading this link correctly ... none of the "Banned 11" appear on any LD.
     
  21. indy mike

    indy mike Forum Pest

    Those are the "worst offenders" if you will - things that are included on the LDs like the Inki/Mynah Bird cartoons aren't shown on tv anymore, the Bugs Bunny short mentioned above might sneak out into a PBS documentary about propaganda or WW 2. If you can get the discs transferred inexpensively or can do them yourself I'd transfer them before something like rot occurs.
     
  22. 93curr

    93curr Senior Member

    I don't recall them being that expensive. I only bought the first two, but I believe only paid about $150 each when they came out. And that was as US imports.
     
  23. harmonica98

    harmonica98 Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    $99.99 each according to LDDb.

    Tom
     
  24. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    The Censored 11 – more like a few dozen by now – are the source of recurring speculation, publicly on the forums (fora?), and behind closed doors at WHV... there really are truly dedicated historians / film buffs consulting on content... and for WHV's part, they've been excellent about no censoring – several coincidental "blackface" gags have appeared in the DVD sets to date, as if to test the waters.

    Written disclaimers precede the menus on these discs.

    One ray of hope: the next box set is (tentatively) scheduled to have a World War II collection... this is another arena that was quietly shelved over the years, over concerns of unflattering caricatures of Germans and Japanese... if this gets released without a lot of flak, they may well be encouraged to move ahead with more controversial titles.

    In addition to racial caricatures, concerns over sexist depictions have popped up in the last decade or two, for better or worse – welcome to the 21st century... in any event, even with the best intentions, WHV can't just rush these right out and cheerfully trumpet them... some titles are cringeworthy, but others are brilliant... any thoughtful film fan should encourage their release.

    It's reasonable to assume there is lengthy debate on how to present and market these titles... maybe alternate packaging, or limited release.

    Birth of a Nation has been released, and broadcast... and the world didn't come to an end.
     
  25. jupiter8

    jupiter8 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ, USA
    As long as Leonard Maltin is there to apologize before them, all is forgiven...
     
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