Chuck Jones: BARBARY COAST BUNNY

Another plug for the Chuck Jones blog. It's not only full of incredible drawings, but the "Chuck Jones' Letters to Linda" are filled with fascinating insight into Chuck's thought process during his most creative period. I especially enjoyed reading this section on the recording of Daws Butler and Mel Blanc for one of my favorite Jones cartoons, BARBARY COAST BUNNY:

I just returned from recording a new picture:  BARBARY COAST BUNNY.  I used a new actor, name of Daws Butler, in the role of the heavy.  He’s a very clever guy, hard working, intelligent and refreshing.  He’s the one who worked with Stan Freberg on all those records, they wrote and acted in them together.
 
I must say that I learned a great deal from him.  He gave a splendid and new angle to this character, a sort of Marlon Brandoish mushy-mouthed delivery that seemed very funny to me.  In Streetcar Named Desire Brando was a troglodyte but with his speech dotted with completely incongruous delicacies.  This effort to attain elegance was what gave the character its odd twist, like an orangutan in an evening gown.  So we rewrote the dialogue a little to fit this new conception and, as I say, it came off beautifully.
 
Another thing I noticed is that Mel Blanc, who was there to record the rabbit, was well aware that he has some competition from Daws.  He really worked today.  I have never seen him evidence more interest in his work.  I think I shall hire a sort of stand-by talent on recording days if this is what the goad of rivalry does for Mel.  Like others, I suppose, he is likely to get a trifle smug occasionally.  All in all, a good day.

Chuck also writes about his next cartoon, another favorite:

I am on the backstretch of another story I think you will like. The one about the year when Mars approached so close to the earth that it affected a cosmic mix-up and a Martian baby was diverted to the earth while the Earth baby went by mistake to Mars. At any rate a pleasant average young married couple find themselves with an odd lightish green highly intellectual baby with a disconcerting knack of talking to bees. Before the babies are traded back we have quite a time for ourselves. I’m using a wholly new drawing technique for me, like the enclosed drawings, they’re rough but I think you can get the idea.

This cartoon turned out to be "Rocket bye baby", of course. I'd love to see those drawings! The style Chuck used for this cartoon is so perfect, very 1950's Hank Ketcham.

S.