Stop Look And Hasten

Stop Look And Hasten is a 1954 Happy Melodies short directed by Chuck Jones.

Title

The Title is a pun on Stop Look And Listen

Plot

The Coyote (Eatingus Anythingus) trudges across the desert floor, catching and eating anything that he finds to satisfy himself, ranging from a fly to, after finding nothing inside it, an entire tin can, before being flattened by Road Runner (Hot-Roddicus Supersonicus). The Coyote after recovering, blinks his eyes and sees a wonderful Road Runner feast. Seeing no need for a comparatively tawdry can, he chases Road Runner. until the bird rockets away. The Coyote's eyes pop out of his sockets and he is left dejected, planning his next scheme.

1. First, the Coyote uses a rope and rock trap to smash the Road Runner, hoping the extra complexity will stop himself from being squashed instead. No dice; Coyote. is squished by his own trap as Road Runner stops and makes fun of him.

2. Now angry, the Coyote holds a lasso out in the road and listens for Road Runner, but instead of the bird, he gets a truck which pulls the lasso and the Coyote with it across the hard ground. Coyote is left with a bare rear end from the friction as he paces off the road.

3. Coyote builds a tiger trap according to an ACME How-To book: dig a hole and cover it with a camouflaged sheet. The Coyote hides behind a rock and, hearing Road Runner and the trap activating, dives in to capture his prey...but instead, he gets throttled by a *real* Tiger (*Surprisibus! Surprisibus!*), which climbs out of the trap.

4. Coyote has now constructed a massive pop-up grate in the middle of the road, and tests its crank control. But when it is meant to block Road Runner, it fails to work. The Coyote tries every method possible to get the grate to function, but this fails. He resumes the chase in outrage, but not for long, as he gets stopped by a railroad crossing. Road Runner taunts the Coyote as he slowly prances the tracks and his opponent is lifted into the air by the striped divider. Coyote drops off and chases Road Runner down the tracks, which run through mountains. The two pass by opposite lanes and Road Runner signals the Coyote, who stops cold after a few seconds and turns back...but too far again. He starts back the other way and soon finds Road Runner is on a lower track than he is. They finally chase on the same track until a train stops the chase. The Coyote dashes in and out of a rockface and sees the train pass by on a track underneath him. He sighs with relief - until a second train approaches where he is standing from inside the rock. Coyote holds up a Stop In The Name Of Humanity sign, but since Coyote isn't human, nothing happens except for the massive impact.

5. Next, Coyote moves into a grooved pipe intending to set TNT underneath the road, but the detonator hangs up on a loose rock and blows the Coyote up while he's still inside the cave.

6. The Coyote now has possession of an insanely fast motorcycle, but when he starts it to chase a passing Road Runner, he simply slams into a tree and is jiggled around by the intense engine vibrations.

7. Now, Coyote has painted a white circle in the middle of a large suspension bridge and baits it with bird seed, then hides underneath the bridge to cut out the circle as Road Runner feasts. Instead, he cuts out the rest of the bridge with him underneath it, leaving Road Runner and the circle floating in midair.

8. Finally, the Coyote attempts to outrun his rival by taking ***ACME** Triple-Strength Fortified Leg Muscle Vitamins.* He burns rubber on the road, then dashes off fast enough to leave the highway on fire. This warp-speed chase continues until they pass by the cranked-up grate, which finally decides to raise itself in between the sprinters. Coyote smashes into the grate, and Road Runner brakes and views his hapless rival before burning more rubber on the road, spelling out "That's all, folks" in smoke.

Notes

In the film *The Shining*, Danny and his mother are watching this cartoon.