Tex Avery Screwball: Vol 3

After altering the face of cartoon comedy at Warner Bros. with his development of characters such as Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, Avery headed to M-G-M to further his reign of mayhem with the likes of Screwball Squirrel, Red Hot Riding Hood and Droopy. All of Avery's star characters are featured here: Droopy, as a Mountie, a bullfighter and a Western deputy; Spike, as a hibernating bear's weary watchdog; Red, as both Cinderella and a frontier cowgirl; and Screwball Squirrel, as -- what else? -- an escapee of a lunatic asylum. But it's the stories, premises and gags that are front and center in Avery's films -- and this collection features his absolute best. Where to begin? With a cat, a mouse, a dog and a canary drinking "Jumbo Gro"; a lovelorn skunk stuck on imitating Frank Sinatra; or a baby billy goat who eats absolutely everything including the cartoon's background paintings? Avery's screwball classics, his one-shot wonders, are what really made his reputation.

• animation
• comedy