Chuck Jones Lends Fragrance to Scent-imental Romeo (1951)
A surest route to Employee Of The Month at
Warner animation was to develop a new character that might catch on with exhibs
and a public. Pepe LePew was such an invention, and I can imagine him as quite
the fad before repetition/ennui set in. Like the Road Runner, this was a
one-joke affair, but unlike RR with Coyote in pursuit, there was less variation
at hand. Essential to Pepe was his misidentifying a female cat as another
skunk and potential mate. With Chuck Jones at ongoing helm, the idea bore fruit
despite retelling, but no way could LePew be so frequent and welcome as was Bugs and Daffy. Part of barrier to longevity was his character,
Pepe a lover rather than fighter in animated arena where romance was for
briefestasides. Jones used the skunk as benign foreground to verbal gags, many
of them sign-posted along Paris
boulevards Pepe inhabits. In no place did Jones' sophistication (appreciated perhaps
best by himself) get better airing, the LePews set at same subtle key as Ralph
Phillips shorts the director had made. To put it in '52 election context, I'd guess Adlai Stevenson supporters were quietly amused by intellectual flatterer
Pepe (and his director), while Eisenhower voters howled at Bugs. Like Adlai,
Pepe would eventually lose.
Further adventures of Pepe LePew as recalled by Donald Benson:
For high-and-inside gags, see "Past Perfumance." That's the one where Pepe invades a 1920s French movie studio, seeking the autograph of "Norma Thalmáge". A limo bears the name Clara Beaux (Le "It" Femme); a big shot producer has an entourage of beréted "oui" men; etc. Even in '55, how many of those references were purely for buffs?
There were a few attempts to shake things up. In one very late entry, a lovesick female cat -- cursed by a natural white stripe that scares away suitors -- actually tries to respond to his overtures despite his air of distinction.
Better was one where a wildcat got the paint treatment. Every time Pepe caught up, she'd rip him to shreds before fleeing -- which he clearly regarded as foreplay. Creepy by enlightened standards, but funny to see Pepe take Coyote-level abuse with his usual elán.
Michael Hayde tells about a favorite among Pepe cartoons:
Hi, John:
My favorite among the Pepes is the oddball of the lot: REALLY SCENT (1959), directed by Jones' animator Abe Levitow. In this one, a lonely feline desperately WANTS to be loved by Pepe, but the odor is just too much for her. Eventually she decides to create her own noxious fragrance; unfortunately, it's right when LePew finally(!) understands how offensive he is and has himself de-skunked ("For her, I will make myself daint-ee!"). The payoff, of course, is that now he's the one pursued by an unpleasant-smelling amour.
I remember after school and Saturday morning disappointment when the credits would reveal a Pepe about to unspool -- the same way I felt when a Speedy Gonzales cropped up, another one joke character.
I'd always feel I'd been cheated out of 7 minutes of Bugs, Daffy, Porky or Sylvester!
3 Comments:
Further adventures of Pepe LePew as recalled by Donald Benson:
For high-and-inside gags, see "Past Perfumance." That's the one where Pepe invades a 1920s French movie studio, seeking the autograph of "Norma Thalmáge". A limo bears the name Clara Beaux (Le "It" Femme); a big shot producer has an entourage of beréted "oui" men; etc. Even in '55, how many of those references were purely for buffs?
There were a few attempts to shake things up. In one very late entry, a lovesick female cat -- cursed by a natural white stripe that scares away suitors -- actually tries to respond to his overtures despite his air of distinction.
Better was one where a wildcat got the paint treatment. Every time Pepe caught up, she'd rip him to shreds before fleeing -- which he clearly regarded as foreplay. Creepy by enlightened standards, but funny to see Pepe take Coyote-level abuse with his usual elán.
Michael Hayde tells about a favorite among Pepe cartoons:
Hi, John:
My favorite among the Pepes is the oddball of the lot: REALLY SCENT (1959), directed by Jones' animator Abe Levitow. In this one, a lonely feline desperately WANTS to be loved by Pepe, but the odor is just too much for her. Eventually she decides to create her own noxious fragrance; unfortunately, it's right when LePew finally(!) understands how offensive he is and has himself de-skunked ("For her, I will make myself daint-ee!"). The payoff, of course, is that now he's the one pursued by an unpleasant-smelling amour.
Michael
I remember after school and Saturday morning disappointment when the credits would reveal a Pepe about to unspool -- the same way I felt when a Speedy Gonzales cropped up, another one joke character.
I'd always feel I'd been cheated out of 7 minutes of Bugs, Daffy, Porky or Sylvester!
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