The Rebel Without Claws
| The Rebel Without Claws | |
|---|---|
| Production company | Warner Bros. Cartoons |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | July 15, 1961 |
| Run time | 6:15 |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Producer(s) | David H. DePatie |
| Music composed by | Milt Franklyn |
| Story by | Friz Freleng |
| Animation | Gerry Chiniquy Art Davis Virgil Ross |
| Director(s) | Friz Freleng |
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The Rebel Without Claws is the four hundred and seventeenth Looney Tunes theatrical short. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 15, 1961. It was written and directed by Friz Freleng.
In the midst of the Civil War, a Confederate sergeant of the Signal Corps has to send an important message to General Robert E. Lee. But with no more carrier pigeons to send, he reluctantly use Tweety to deliver the message instead. However, the Union general orders a counterattack by sending out a messenger destroyer, who is none other than Sylvester.
Detailed summary
Memorable quotes
Tweety: Hmph. How does a biwd go about gettin' twansferwed out of this outfit?
Tweety: I tawt I taw a damn Yankee tat!
Sylvester: It'sth a good thing that I only have nine livesth. With thisth kind of army, I'll need 'em!
Characters
In order of appearance: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Organizations
- Confederate States Army
- Union Army
Locations
- Earth
- United States
- Mason-Dixon line
- General Lee's office
- United States
Objects
- Carrier message
- Cannons
- Gunpowder keg
- Makeshift wagon
Vehicles
- Confederate ironclad ship
Production
Development
Filming
It was copyrighted in 1961 (MCMLXI).
Music
The music was composed by Milt Franklyn.
Crew credits
- Layouts: Hawley Pratt
- Backgrounds: Tom O'Loughlin
- Film editor: Treg Brown
Release
Dates are in order of release:
- United States: July 15, 1961 in theatres
Behind the scenes
- The title is a play on the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean.
- The MPAA certificate number is 19539.
- While the American Civil War was not an unheard subject within the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies series, the short is different in that it portrays the Confederate Army in a sympathetic light, while casting the Union Army as less favorable light.
- The short's plot is a loose remake of 1944's Plane Daffy, but with World War II references replaced by things related to the Civil War among other changes.
- The scene of Sylvester getting blasted by the ship's cannons were influenced by a similar running gag in Buccaneer Bunny.
- Tweety's line, "I regret that I only have one life for my country," is a paraphrase to the purported last words of Nathan Hale, an American soldier and spy during the Revolutionary War.
- When shown as part of The Merrie Melodies Show, among other anthology TV programs, the title was changed to Rebel Without Claws.
- This short was censored a few times on television:
- When it aired as part of Merrie Melodies Starring Bugs Bunny & Friends, the scene involving ship cannons was removed, but only in the cartoon proper. This scene was included, however, as part of a "Hip Clip" segment in another episode.[1]
- In Cartoon Network (and Boomerang), a black fade transition was added before the Confederate soldier could say, "Damn Yankees." Tweety's line, "I tawt I taw a damn Yankee tat," has the word "damn" removed.[1]
- In The WB, the Confederate solder's line, "Damn Yankees," has the word "damn" removed. Tweety's "damn Yankee tat" line was also cut altogether.[1]
Legacy
- It was featured in the television special Bugs Bunny: All American Hero
Critical reception
In other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Home availability
- In the United States:
- June 1999: Warner Home Video releases Looney Tunes Presents Tweety: Tweet and Lovely on VHS.
- December 12 2023: Warner Archive Collection releases Looney Tunes Collector's Choice: Volume 2 on Blu-ray.
- In Japan:
- 2001: Warner Home Video releases I Love Tweety: Volume 3 on DVD.
