Ant and the Aardvark, The Inspector, and Crazylegs Crane Coming To Blu-Ray Ant and the Aardvark, The Inspector, and Crazylegs Crane Coming To Blu-Ray 12 Animation director Friz Freleng may have died 21 years ago, but he’s having more success in Hollywood this month than many living directors. Yesterday we announced that Warner Bros. was developing an animated feature starring Speedy Gonzales, a character that was popularized by Freleng in the 1950s. Later this month, film distributor Kino Lorber will release complete collections of shorts featuring The Ant and the Aardvark , and Crazylegs Crane , three characters that came out of Freleng’s animation studio, DePatie-Freleng, which he co-owned between 1963 and 1981. Kino Lorber’s Studio Classics division is releasing new HD transfers of the shorts in both Blu-ray and DVD editions.

Later this year, the company plans to release additional collections of DePatie-Freleng series including Roland and Rattfink, Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer, Sheriff Hoot Kloot, Dogfather, and Misterjaw. PARTNER MESSAGE Made during the last throes of Hollywood theatrical shorts production, The Inspector and Ant and the Aardvark series have much to recommend, including smartly made animation on a budget that often exceeds current American TV standards, minimalist yet striking production design, and some surprising elements, like jazz scores on the Ant and the Aardvark series performed by top West coast jazz musicians. (Unfortunately, Crazylegs Crane, a post-theatrical TV series, has much less to offer in terms of quality.) DePatie-Freleng, most famous for its Pink Panther series, never achieved true greatness in any of its productions, but these Kino-Lorber sets offer a welcome opportunity for contemporary viewers to reassess their output. Lots of talented people worked on these cartoons and there’s creative inspiration waiting to be discovered in certain aspects of the studio’s output.

The best news is that the sets are quite affordable, and all of them will include the following documentaries by Greg Ford: Goodbye Warner Bros., Hello DePatie-Freleng and Of Aardvarks, Ants, Inspectors, and Cranes, featuring Jerry Beck, Barbara Donatelli, Will Friedwald, Doug Goodwin, Art Leonardi, Joe Siracusa, and archival audio of Friz Freleng. The Inspector collection includes all 34 theatrical shorts created between 1965-1969, the Ant and the Aardvark collection contains all seventeen theatrical shorts created between 1969-1971, and the Crazylegs Crane disc includes all 16 made-for-TV shorts that appeared in 1978 on the The All New Pink Panther Show. Here’s the cover art for both Tijuana Toads and Roland and Rattfink (courtesy of Amazon): ea I had no idea those three dogs from the 1993 Pink Panther show were from another cartoon series (The Dogfather).

Mesterius Can we PLEASE get a comment from someone in the know about when DePatie-Freleng’s original Pink Panther shorts will be released on Blu-ray? I know they’re a different copyright… but it’s still a bit absurd to see all these lesser-known series from D-F get the HD treatment before their biggest star. Mister Twister As long as it’s the original 4:3 aspect ratio is kept, and the transfer is done PROPERLY, not what Disney does to its old movies, I am sold. Metlow Rovenstein I saw screenshots from the Blu-ray release, and the transfer is both in 4:3 and was done properly. Mister Twister Funny, cartoony, appealing and well-designed characters? What a concept! jhalpernkitcat I love that they’re finally getting released in a single, inexpensive format. I’m especially excited for the Roland and Rattfink one–very underrated series in my opinion. Abdullah Zubair Other than Pink Panther and these 3, I haven’t watched any of his other work..Are they just as good..??

Also, I felt that was a terrible way to start an article(Humor about death and money) jhalpernkitcat I’d avoid Hoot Kloot, that’s the one about a clueless Western sheriff. I’ve seen a few of the shorts, and the character is absolutely unlikable, and not very kind to his horse. The Blue Racer is hit or miss–I’ll admit, I loved the shorts with the very politically incorrect Japanese Beetle as his prey–but eventually the beetle had to be cut out due to complaints. Tiajuana Toads are fun–if you’ve ever seen the Speedy Gonzales short “Mexicali Shmoes” with the two cats Manuel and Jose or the two Looney Tunes shorts “Two Crows from Tacos” and “Crows’ Feat” with the two crows of the same names, then you know exactly what these shorts are going to be like as Toro –the big toad and Pancho, the little toad are exactly like these characters. These guys sadly had to be re-dubbed when they aired on television as the Texas Toads–their voices, names and even music were completely changed to more Western ones.

Luckily, I think we will get all the shorts in their proper, politically incorrect glory. Also, these shorts introduced us to Crazy Legs Crane and the Blue Racer respectively. I’ve only seen one short of Misterjaw and I’ve never seen the Dogfather. However, as I’ve mentioned before, Roland and Rattfink is a very underrated series in my opinion. It’s basically good vs. evil with the twist that good does not necessarily always win. “Hurts and Flowers” “A Pair of Sneakers” and “Hawks and Doves” are probably the best of their shorts, although many of the other ones are quite fun as well. hernandez2014 I remember seeing the Japanese beetle in The Blue Racer shorts on Boomerang. jhalpernkitcat The Japanese beetle originally appeared in a Tiajuna Toads short called “Hop and Chop.” Oh, the lack of political correctness in that short was wonderful–and it was funny as hell too.

The Ultimate Panther Collection The Ultimate Panther Collection 17 Now that you can buy a copy of my Pink Panther Guide for as little as 24Â¢ on Amazon, MGM Home Entertainment is including it with The Pink Panther Ultimate Collection a DVD collection of all almost all Panther live action features and animated shorts owned by United Artists (MGM). This does not include Return of The Pink Panther with those gorgeous Richard Williams opening titles . However, among the 18 dvds are more Inspector, Roland and Ratfink and Ant and Aardvark cartoons than you’ll ever need. Oh, and I as I’ve mentioned, they’re throwing in a copy of my Ultimate Pink Panther book. The Pink Panther Ultimate Collection will cost $199.98 and will go on sale November 25th. More details are posted here . I have the UK Pink Panther Cartoon Collection which almost satisfies my need for anything on this but I could end up buying it just for the Blue Aardvark cartoons. They aren’t available on any other set, are they? Any sign of Crazylegs Crane on DVD? Dave Mackey I don’t even think Vols.

8 (Roland and Rattfink) and 9 (perhaps Tijuana Toads?) have been announced yet! I wonder when we can buy these separately. We’re actually just a few series away from having all the DFE theatricals on DVD… Hoot Kloot, Blue Racer and The Dogfather are still left. Rockland A Pink Panther collection without those Richard Williams titles is like an Orson Welles collection without “Citizen Kane.” “More than you’ll ever need”? Jerry, did you just slam the Ant and the Aardvark shorts? Jason IMO, the only good Pink Panther is the original Panther in the opening credits of the original Pink Panther film. He was cool-looking then. The scrawny, awkward, stiff-looking Panther that emerged later had little to commend it. Oh, and there was one short cartoon that rocked – the one where the Panther tries to paint everything pink and this little guy was trying to paint everything blue. Otherwise the Panther shorts are substandard. And the Aardvark, while it benefitted from John Byner’s voice talents, was just another variation of the Roadrunner, and not a very funny one at that.

Sealtest “The Pink Phink”, the sole good Pink Panther short, won the Oscar and Friz directed it. Friz’s original PP main titles are decent (the first ones animated by Virgil Ross) and the later Dick Williams/Ken Harris titles trump them all. The rest of the PP output, including the upcoming “Pink Panther and Pals” series, not so much. The whole PP oeuvre was a commercially successful route for Friz to extend his Warners brand without embarrassing himself. That didn’t happen until he made those abysmal 1980’s paste-up bumpers with DFE-looking Looney Tunes characters. The Depatie-Freleng theatrical shorts from the 1960s and 1970s deserve recognition for their use of the world’s most repulsive “wallpaper” incidental music. Something bad is wrong with that stuff. It creates anxiety and itchiness. braderunnar It is rather unfortunate that MGM does not own the home video rights to “Return” (you can thank United Artists and their outsourcing of the film to ITC for that), but it can be had on DVD for cheap anyway.

I think it seems likely that the ninth cartoon volume will have the made for TV PP cartoons that don’t have a single disc release. Since this is aiming to be as complete a collection as possible, it seems sensible that MGM would put all the PP cartoons in the set. After all, they’re including Son of the Pink Panther; if MGM can put that in this set, they can definitely include cartoons like Pink Breakfast and Supermarket Pink (shudder). Nicolas Orizaga don’t you think Volume 9 is the Pink Panther animated specials that’s been released? how do you think this bodes for a Vol. 2 set of the cartoons? (Vol. 5-9) braderunnar “don’t you think Volume 9 is the Pink Panther animated specials that’s been released?” I highly doubt it. I don’t think those would sell as well as the theatrical shorts (regardless of quality) would. Maybe MGM could include those as special features, but I don’t think they’d simply throw aside a good percentage of the Pink Panther cartoon filmography to make room for a few TV specials. Although since you mention it, maybe MGM will include them as special features on that volume. “how do you think this bodes for a Vol.

2 set of the cartoons? (Vol. 5-9)” First off, the Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection boxset (5 discs) has all the Pink Panther cartoons released in theatres. If the ninth volume does indeed contain the made for TV shorts, why would MGM rip off people who already bought the boxset by including the same contents of the last disc in another set? And secondly, volumes 5-8 do not star the Pink Panther. He appears on the cover just so people know The Inspector cartoons were made by the same studio as PP cartoons. So why bother releasing a second set if the Pink Panther barely appears? Oh, and also package art. Tea Biscuit 1) Did I miss an announcement? I don’t remember Inspector Vol. 2 being announced separately. That’s what I’m waiting for. 2) The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection is FIVE discs, but note that the Ant-Aardvak single-disk is titled volume FIVE, not six as you might expect if you, like me, gentle reader, are an adherent to the base-10 numbering system.

Therefore I would guess that in the Ultimate Collection, volumes 1-4 are the first four Pink Panther cartoon discs, and the mysterious “volume 9” is really the afore-mentioned fifth Pink Panther disc. Jamie I agree with Tea Buscuit about Vol 9 likely being a port of vol 5 from the original set, but this means that the three TV specials will be left out of the big set again! Surely they are more important than Roland and Ratfink to this collection! Also, will the title sequences from the PP TV show make an appearance this time? The Ant and the Aardvark and Crazy Legs Crane era openings and closers would be most welcome additions if any of these discs are being reburnt. Laughter Free tracks on those early Pinkn Panther shorts affected last time would be a brilliant incentive to rebuy too, btw…. Jeffrey Gray Hey Jerry, why was Return of the Pink Panther completely left out of the Ultimate Visual Guide, anyways? Did MGM not want to make reference to a title they didn’t own or something?

I just hope that the remaining 17 Inspector cartoons, Roland and Rattfink, Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer, The Dogfather and Hoot Kloot get seperate releases too. I have 90% of these anyway but official ones will always be better. Sumner Northcutt In Germany a few months ago was released 3 DVDs: The Blue Aadvark and Inspector 1 and 2. The PAL Region 2 disks have englich menus, audio and subtitles. A few years (when Return was released by Universal, one could get ALL of the Peter Sellers PP films in one box. This was some sort of cooperation between Sony and Universal. That 6 film box is long of of print.

The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (Blu-ray) - Kino Lorber Home Video The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (Blu-ray) $17.97 (40% off) Buy Blu-ray Only ships to US & Canada Also Available On: The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (Blu-ray) Cast Directed by Fritz Freleng Originally produced for theatrical release and later broadcast as part of The Pink Panther television series, The Ant and the Aardvark revived the timeless cartoon conflict of predator and prey, and modernized it with an irreverent sense of humor and a splashy color palette emblematic of the late 1960s and early â€˜70s. This special edition includes all 17 episodes of The Ant and the Aardvark, as well as interviews with the men and women who collaborated on these animated classics.

Blu-ray Extras Include: Commentaries for selected episodes by Friz Freleng (compiled from archival interviews), filmmaker Greg Ford, author Mark Arnold, and historian Jerry Beck | New documentary on the history of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, featuring interviews with Friz Freleng, Greg Ford, animator/director Art Leonardi, ink & paint artist Barbara Donatelli, Jerry Beck, and critic Will Friedwald. To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information, visit Kino Lorber Edu . Related Products The DePatie/Freleng Collection Volume 1 (The Inspector, Roland and Rattfink, The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads) (5 Discs) (85 Cartoons) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice.

More $49.95 $34.97 The DePatie/Freleng Collection Volume 1 (The Inspector, Roland and Rattfink, The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads) (5 Discs) (85 Cartoons) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S. After appearing as supporting character in the Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer and Dogfather cartoons, Crazylegs Crane earned a starring role in his own series of animated shorts, broadcast as part of the... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S. After appearing as supporting character in the Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer and Dogfather cartoons, Crazylegs Crane earned a starring role in his own series of animated shorts, broadcast as part of the... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S., U.S. The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S.

The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. The timeless melodramatic tradition of duelling polar opposites became the foundation of many an animated conflict, but never were Good and Evil so stylistically rendered as in the ROLAND AND RATTFIN... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. The timeless melodramatic tradition of duelling polar opposites became the foundation of many an animated conflict, but never were Good and Evil so stylistically rendered as in the ROLAND AND RATTFIN... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. Like an amphibian Laurel & Hardy, TIJUANA TOADS revives the thin guy/fat guy formula for comedy, and endows it with a distinctive south-of-the-border flavor. Toads “Pancho” and... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. Like an amphibian Laurel & Hardy, TIJUANA TOADS revives the thin guy/fat guy formula for comedy, and endows it with a distinctive south-of-the-border flavor. Toads “Pancho” and... More Princess Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark The 32-year-old clergyman August returns home from years of missionary work after hearing about the death of his sister Christina, who, after going from greatness to the gutter as the famous porn... More Gaumont Treasures (1908-1916) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France The premiere French film company during the early cinema, the Gaumont Film Company played a key role in the growth of cinema into a sophisticated art form. Gaumont was also a place of great technica... More Cabiria Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl, Giovanni Pastrone Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France, Italy Set amidst the splendor of ancient Rome, this film quickly became the most spectacular of the italian cinema's epic, historical genre. Restored using newly mastered materials, variable speed... More Saint Clara Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl, Giovanni Pastrone, Ari Folman and Ori Sivan Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France, Italy, Israel, Middle East A Russian immigrant teenager's clairvoyant powers create mayhem among the students at Golda Meir Junior High in this jumpy, highly energetic, off-kilter Israel where first love and the apocalypse see... More Join the conversation @KinoLorber on Jan. 19 2017 at 3:46pm Simon Stone’s THE DAUGHTER opens Jan 27 at @Cinema_Village , after receiving 10 Film Critics Circle of Australia nom… @KinoLorber on Jan. 19 2017 at 11:22am “Oscar-worthy” & “gorgeously composed” (Detroit Press) Fire at Sea starts tomorrow @DIADetroit in #Detroit Tickets: @KinoLorber on Jan.

17 2017 at 3:30pm Congratulations Isabelle Huppert for receiving the @uniFrance's French Cinema Award! @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 9:28pm RT @MarkHallFilm : @laeater reports on mislabeled fish for sushi 🍣 In L.A! Time to rewatch SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH @amazon @iTunes @KinoLorb… @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 4:04pm KING: A FILMED RECORD...MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS is a monumental documentary that follows Dr. King from 1955 to 1968.… @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 3:28pm A @NewYorker story on Csanád Szegedi, the Hungarian politician who’s the focus of KEEP QUIET, opening Feb 17 in #NYC @KinoLorber on Jan.

16 2017 at 1:09pm RT @alamogreaterny : Happy MLK Day! At 7pm, we screen 3 films from @KinoLorber's Pioneers of African American Cinema to benefit @ACLU https… @KinoLorber on Jan. 13 2017 at 9:33pm We couldn't be prouder: NEON BULL @boi_neon by Gabriel Mascaro has won the @CinemaTropical award for Best Latin American Film of the Year. @KinoLorber on Jan. 12 2017 at 7:54pm Come see the film @indiewire called "The First Satisfying Movie of 2017." THE SON OF JOSEPH premieres this Friday a… @KinoLorber on Jan.

12 2017 at 3:05pm Congratulations to @keithmaitland and team for winning the @cinemaeyehonors award for Outstanding Achievement in An… The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (DVD) - Kino Lorber Home Video The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (DVD) $11.97 (40% off) Buy DVD Also Available On: The Ant and the Aardvark (17 Cartoons) (DVD) Cast Directed by Fritz Freleng Originally produced for theatrical release and later broadcast as part of The Pink Panther television series, The Ant and the Aardvark revived the timeless cartoon conflict of predator and prey, and modernized it with an irreverent sense of humor and a splashy color palette emblematic of the late 1960s and early â€˜70s. This special edition includes all 17 episodes of The Ant and the Aardvark, as well as interviews with the men and women who collaborated on these animated classics.

DVD Extras Include: Commentaries for selected episodes by Friz Freleng (compiled from archival interviews), filmmaker Greg Ford, author Mark Arnold, and historian Jerry Beck | New documentary on the history of DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, featuring interviews with Friz Freleng, Greg Ford, animator/director Art Leonardi, ink & paint artist Barbara Donatelli, Jerry Beck, and critic Will Friedwald. To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information, visit Kino Lorber Edu . Related Products The DePatie/Freleng Collection Volume 1 (The Inspector, Roland and Rattfink, The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads) (5 Discs) (85 Cartoons) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice.

More $49.95 $34.97 The DePatie/Freleng Collection Volume 1 (The Inspector, Roland and Rattfink, The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads) (5 Discs) (85 Cartoons) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S. After appearing as supporting character in the Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer and Dogfather cartoons, Crazylegs Crane earned a starring role in his own series of animated shorts, broadcast as part of the... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S. After appearing as supporting character in the Tijuana Toads, Blue Racer and Dogfather cartoons, Crazylegs Crane earned a starring role in his own series of animated shorts, broadcast as part of the... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S., U.S. The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S.

The screen's most comically inept detective wreaks havoc on the boulevards of Paris as he, with the help of his sidekick Deux Deux, wages a single-minded (and narrow-sighted) battle for justice. More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. The timeless melodramatic tradition of duelling polar opposites became the foundation of many an animated conflict, but never were Good and Evil so stylistically rendered as in the ROLAND AND RATTFIN... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. The timeless melodramatic tradition of duelling polar opposites became the foundation of many an animated conflict, but never were Good and Evil so stylistically rendered as in the ROLAND AND RATTFIN... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. Like an amphibian Laurel & Hardy, TIJUANA TOADS revives the thin guy/fat guy formula for comedy, and endows it with a distinctive south-of-the-border flavor. Toads “Pancho” and... More Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S. Like an amphibian Laurel & Hardy, TIJUANA TOADS revives the thin guy/fat guy formula for comedy, and endows it with a distinctive south-of-the-border flavor. Toads “Pancho” and... More Princess Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark The 32-year-old clergyman August returns home from years of missionary work after hearing about the death of his sister Christina, who, after going from greatness to the gutter as the famous porn... More Gaumont Treasures (1908-1916) Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France The premiere French film company during the early cinema, the Gaumont Film Company played a key role in the growth of cinema into a sophisticated art form. Gaumont was also a place of great technica... More Cabiria Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl, Giovanni Pastrone Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France, Italy Set amidst the splendor of ancient Rome, this film quickly became the most spectacular of the italian cinema's epic, historical genre. Restored using newly mastered materials, variable speed... More Saint Clara Directors : Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H. DePatie, Fritz Freleng, David H.

DePatie, Anders Morgenthaler, Jacques Feyder, Jean Durand, Emile Cohl, Giovanni Pastrone, Ari Folman and Ori Sivan Country: U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., U.S., Denmark, France, Italy, Israel, Middle East A Russian immigrant teenager's clairvoyant powers create mayhem among the students at Golda Meir Junior High in this jumpy, highly energetic, off-kilter Israel where first love and the apocalypse see... More Join the conversation @KinoLorber on Jan. 19 2017 at 3:46pm Simon Stone’s THE DAUGHTER opens Jan 27 at @Cinema_Village , after receiving 10 Film Critics Circle of Australia nom… @KinoLorber on Jan. 19 2017 at 11:22am “Oscar-worthy” & “gorgeously composed” (Detroit Press) Fire at Sea starts tomorrow @DIADetroit in #Detroit Tickets: @KinoLorber on Jan.

17 2017 at 3:30pm Congratulations Isabelle Huppert for receiving the @uniFrance's French Cinema Award! @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 9:28pm RT @MarkHallFilm : @laeater reports on mislabeled fish for sushi 🍣 In L.A! Time to rewatch SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH @amazon @iTunes @KinoLorb… @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 4:04pm KING: A FILMED RECORD...MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS is a monumental documentary that follows Dr. King from 1955 to 1968.… @KinoLorber on Jan. 16 2017 at 3:28pm A @NewYorker story on Csanád Szegedi, the Hungarian politician who’s the focus of KEEP QUIET, opening Feb 17 in #NYC @KinoLorber on Jan.

16 2017 at 1:09pm RT @alamogreaterny : Happy MLK Day! At 7pm, we screen 3 films from @KinoLorber's Pioneers of African American Cinema to benefit @ACLU https… @KinoLorber on Jan. 13 2017 at 9:33pm We couldn't be prouder: NEON BULL @boi_neon by Gabriel Mascaro has won the @CinemaTropical award for Best Latin American Film of the Year. @KinoLorber on Jan. 12 2017 at 7:54pm Come see the film @indiewire called "The First Satisfying Movie of 2017." THE SON OF JOSEPH premieres this Friday a… @KinoLorber on Jan.

12 2017 at 3:05pm Congratulations to @keithmaitland and team for winning the @cinemaeyehonors award for Outstanding Achievement in An… Olive Films - FATAL BEAUTY and BETRAYED on Blu-ray FATAL BEAUTY (1987; Tom Holland) It is still kind of shocking to me to think about the act that Whoopi Goldberg was making R-rated films back in the 1980s. JUMPIN' JACK FLASH, BURGLAR and FATAL BEAUTY all came out in close proximity to one another. So not only is it strange for me to recall the adult nature of her 80s films, but it is equally odd to see her working with genre director Tom Holland - who is responsible for things like FRIGHT NIGHT, CHILD'S PLAY and PSYCHO II (which he wrote). These two things don't really go together in my mind from the outset. That said, I did remember that FATAL BEAUTY was perhaps the most violent of all the Whoopi vehicles and that makes some sense. While it is pretty violent in parts, what I think I was remembering was the high body count.

Now some of that is due to gunplay, but a big chunk of the deaths in the movie result from people overdosing on a bad batch of cocaine (nicknamed "Fatal Beauty"). This movie basically opens with a scene between Whoopi and Cheech Marin (as a bartender) which is never a bad thing. Like Chevy Chase's FLETCH, Whoopi's character here is also something of a smartass master of disguise. She's Rita Rizolli - a smartass, but a clever cop. Streetwise. The movie is a decent showcase for Whoopi and her comedic persona, but the real highlight of the film is the low key romance between she and Sam Elliott's characters. It's a pretty adorable courtship and they have nice chemistry together. It's also neat because Sam Elliott starts off at a pretty big romantic disadvantage (as opposed some of his much more confident characters). Except for one kind of over the top emotional scene (which seems a little shoehorned into the movie), all of the scenes with Goldberg and Elliott are great. The supporting cast is also great. Brad Dourif and John P. Ryan with white hair, looking like Lorne Greene are both fun to watch here.

And keep an eye peeled for the guy from THE THING whose chest bursts open and bites off that guys arms (Charles Hallahan), and a super young James Legros. Also, as a deep cut, the guy who played Craig Mattey in THREE O'CLOCK HIGH is here too. BETRAYED (1988; Costa-Gavras) It's always intriguing to me to take a trip into the past via a movie that is almost thirty years old. The movie star landscape is totally different obviously. Tom Berenger was a solid box office draw as was Debra Winger was still going strong. Character actors like John Heard (one of my favorites) and John Mahoney were still regular go-to guys for big studio films. It was also a time when studios made middle budget adult dramas (which is sadly almost gone nowadays). BETRAYED is an interesting slow-burn thriller. We're set up to believe that Katie Phillips (Winger) is just a gal working the combines in the American Midwest. She's actually an FBI agent, under a false name conducting and undercover investigation of a one specific farmer and his family.

At first it feels like a domestic romantic drama, but when it turns it turns hard into darker territory and almost becomes a horror movie. I won't go into details about what this movie is loosely based on, but it will justifiably make you pretty uncomfortable. Veteran director Costa-Gavras handles the material pretty well and coats everything in an aura of low-level dread (until its not low-level anymore). The script by Joe Eszterhas, is during the period a few years before he broke out big with BASIC INSTINCT, but it absolutely has an edge to it. I remember when thrillers along the lines of this one were coming out all the time. I felt like the thriller was the principle movie genre when I was a kid because my parents and our family used to see so many of them. There are plenty of thrilling films still around, but many of them veer more into straight horror territory. The adult drama variety thriller was an enjoyable genre. This movie actually has a moment of "discovery" where I felt myself trying to lean back away from the screen - as it was quite troublesome. Berenger is a charismatic actor who can play both wholesome and less than that in similar degrees of quality.

I like it when an actor isn't afraid to go to dark places like that. I know I couldn't do it myself. That has to be truly challenging to find that grounded, humanized place wherein evil still flourishes. Scream Factory - DEATH BECOMES HER on Blu-ray DEATH BECOMES HER (1992; Robert Zemeckis) DEATH BECOMES HER is a pretty unique movie in it's tone and scale. It is a reminder of a Hollywood Studio era wherein a large budget special-effects heavy gothic comedy could get made at all. Obviously we've seen the collapse of most middle budget studio films taking hold for a little while now, but even the higher budgeted studio comedies of today would never dare to go to the dark places that DEATH BECOMES HER goes to. It is also a bit of an "on Hollywood" kind of film in that it is skewering the ridiculous lengths to which rich folks (and movie stars) will go to maintain their beauty. It is a movie about excess, vanity and body horror. Though not like the kind of body horror we often associate with say David Cronenberg, this movie lives in a somewhat similarly heightened macabre universe.

Zemeckis kind of made a newish genre offshoot with this grotesque and fantastic screwball satire. There were a few others along slightly similar lines (THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK comes to mind), but DEATH BECOMES her is really a pretty singular film all told. Zemeckis' heightened reality here is pretty spectacular. While it sometimes doesn't quite hold together in terms of the comedy, it is pretty committed to the outlandish and preposterous places it wants to go to. It reminds me of a large scale Tales From Crypt episode, with more humor added in. There's also this wonderful FRANKENSTEIN vibe to the whole thing and I love that. I remember it being a pretty big deal right before the film was released. There was some kind of behind the scenes piece that I saw on TV where they showed how complicated the special effects were and that part of the magic was achieved through the then youthful process of CG. The featurette showed them shooting both scenes with Meryl Streep's head on backwards and Goldie Hawn with the giant shotgun blast hole through her stomach.

I had no context when I saw it, but this was all pre-JURRASIC PARK, so we were not at all to the point where we had no real idea of what the computer was capable of as a tool for special effects. It was fascinating to see this peak behind the curtain in the early 90s, but I feel like I didn't get it at the time. My sense of humor hadn't skewed quite that dark then so it all seemed quite sad and strange to me in a way that I couldn't explain. I think I was aware that it was the new movie from Robert Zemeckis and perhaps that effected me. Here was the guy who made BACK TO THE FUTURE making what felt like a pretty mean spirited film and it might have been disappointing for me. I've come to appreciate it a lot more over the years. Bruce Willis is a big part of that. Let me just say that I love Bruce Willis in comedies. He doesn't do it much anymore, but I always enjoyed his comedic performances in the 80s and 90s when he would really cut loose like this. He has a particular timbre to his voice when he starts yelling dialogue and it always played pretty funny to me.

He was one of those actors who could go really big and get away with it for some reason. He felt like an actor from the 30s in his manner and the way his eyes would widen when he became enraged always amused me too. Both the leading ladies are outstanding too. It takes a remarkable performer to help create and maintain this kind of elevated reality and both Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn absolutely deliver some bigger than life comedic characters. I thought I remembered DEATH BECOMES HER being a complete and total box office failure upon its release, but in examining the numbers, it looks like it didn't really flop. I may be mistaking poor reviews for box office deficiency. The movie has certainly picked up a much larger adoring fanbase since 1992. It is in a pocket of movies that are not well-remembered by the public at large anymore, but that have some real heavy duty admirers. It's nice to see Scream Factory pick up this one and bring it out with some extras.

Special Features: The big supplement here is the new 25-minute Making of Featurette which includes interviews with director Robert Zemeckis as well as screenwriter David Koepp, cinematographer Dean Cundey, production designer Rick Carter, and special effects artists Lance and David Anderson. -Also included is a vintage "Making-Of" featurette from back when the film was put out. This may have actually been the one I saw as a kid. Underrated '86 - Justin LaLiberty Justin LaLiberty holds degrees in Critical Film Studies and Film Preservation in Archiving. He is currently responsible for programming at Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, NY and is an itinerant projectionist, ready to run reels if you've got 'em. He is a regular contributor to Paracinema and can usually be found in whichever NYC art-house is showing the most sordid content on a given day.

Check out his Underrated '96 list here: -------- MAUVAIS SANG (Leos Carax) Almost oppressive in its ability to stylize everything and anything, Carax’s unclassifiable genre oddity melds together tropes of science-fiction, crime cinema and romantic melodrama deftly all the while amounting to something utterly confounding and without peer. It’s a lot of things at once – a bold cinema metaphor for the AIDs crisis; a heist film; a futuristic drama about crossed lovers – but it still manages to be something singular. And it may feature the best use of a David Bowie song in any movie regardless of genre or country of origin, and in 2016 that really matters. RADIOACTIVE DREAMS (Albert Pyun) Speaking of movies that try to be a lot of things at once, here is Albert Pyun’s post-apocalyptic neo-noir comedy musical! This has all the makings and trappings of what some would consider to be a “cult classic” – I really fucking hate that classification though – but here we are and I can count the people that I personally know who have seen this on one hand.

It’s the post-apocalyptic STREETS OF FIRE that shouldn’t work nearly as well as it does, and that it does is both a testament to Pyun’s steadfast direction and the charisma of its leads: John Stockwell and Michael Dudikoff. ROUTINE PLEASURES (Jean-Pierre Gorin) Jean-Pierre Gorin’s politically motivated Francophile cinema is likely not for most people – and almost definitely isn’t what they think of for under-appreciated 80s cinema. But this breezy – almost silly – doc about model train collectors and Manny Farber (what…?) is just too damned strange and fascinating to ignore. It’s also a rather moving testament to the power(s) of nostalgia, creation and collection. Which are things that any cinephile should immediately relate to. HAMBURGER: THE MOTION PICTURE (Mike Marvin) Speaking of nostalgia: who doesn’t get a tiny bit misty eyed when thinking of fast food and/or sex? What about the two together? You’ll be singing along to the toe-tapping theme song in no time “America, you’re getting burger hungry! Hungry for the burger that makes you full!”. And you’ll really, really want that burger bed.

Perfect for pairing with GOOD BURGER and or BETTER OFF DEAD with your favorite order from In-N-Out or Shake Shack (your region may vary). EYE OF THE TIGER (Richard C Sarafian) Have you ever wanted to watch a movie that uses that Survivor song more often and with more gumption than ROCKY III does? Did you really want that movie to star Gary Busey as a Vietnam vet hell bent on destroying the evil biker gang that has taken over his town? It’s like a mash-up of all of the best things about STONE COLD and ROLLING THUNDER and it’s every bit as awesome as it sounds. F/X (Robert Mandel) Two things that I can’t get enough of: movies about making movies and buddy action-comedies. F/X is both. And adds a heap of BLOW OUT style paranoia to the mix. The extended chase scene involving a slew of practical special effects both within the movie and as the movie itself, is great fun. THE PARK IS MINE (Steven Hilliard Stern) And we have another movie prominently featuring a Vietnam vet. This time he’s played by Tommy Lee Jones and he decides to take over Central Park in an act of protest.

It’s like DOG DAY AFTERNOON by way of HOME ALONE. It’s made-for-TV trappings are fairly obvious and it’s profoundly silly, but there’s something alternately charming and insane about Jones running around Central Park with a shit ton of explosives and ammunition and watching the NYPD bumble around trying to take him down. It’s the type of thing that would cause mass panic now yet seems so quaint (and frankly impossible) thirty years ago. 52 PICK UP (John Frankenheimer) This isn’t a great movie. It’s not one of Frankenheimer’s best, nor is it one of the better Elmore Leonard adaptations. But it is almost reprehensibly sleazy. Which counts for something. Or a lot, if you’re me. Brought to us by Golan and Globus who could do no (or all) wrong in the 1980s. Featuring an inspired dirtbag performance by Roy Scheider and a sequence set inside a projection booth, which will always get my attention. Rich people should probably just not make sex tapes. DEMON QUEEN (Donald Farmer) I can’t believe I’m recommending this to people.

Some sort of SOV, neon soaked UNDER THE SKIN by way of the 1980s. It’s barely an hour long and has even less of an emphasis on anything resembling plot and much more of an emphasis on a de-tuned Casio keyboard score as written by that asshole kid you used to babysit that only exists to piss you off and getting gross. The gore effects are pedestrian yet inspired, the T&A is the sort that you feel guilty for watching and the whole thing feels like something that wasn't truly made by or for anyone, yet exists as an artifact as timeless as video tracking lines. The scene in the video store thrusts this into some echelon of Americana that it wouldn't reach otherwise. It may even be the most American movie of 1986. And that's the year of Top Gun and Howard the Duck. DANGEROUSLY CLOSE (Albert Pyun) 1986 is definitely the only year that I can get away with including tow Albert Pyun films on an “underrated” list. But DANGEROUSLY CLOSE has to be given some credit. It’s basically THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME set inside a high school but with paintball guns.

Because that makes sense. Also from Cannon, because why wouldn’t it be. Stars RADIOACTIVE DREAMS’ John Stockwell and is also from his script. Ripper is a badass. Soundtrack features Depeche Mode and Robert Palmer. Probably the most 80s movie on this list. Kino Lorber Animation - THE INSPECTOR, THE ANT AND THE AARDVARK & CRAZYLEGS CRANE on Blu-ray These three Blu-rays are the inaugural releases from the new (and greatly anticipated by me) Kino Lorber Animation imprint. All three sets sport good-looking new HD transfers and some nice supplements. Based on these, I'm very much looking forward to more KL Animation discs. Ryan and I talked about these discs a bit on this episode Off the Shelf (from about 57:00-1:08) if you wanna listen to that as well: THE INSPECTOR "Crow de Guerre" (excerpt) from Bret Wood on Vimeo . THE INSPECTOR (1965-69) This is a really fun show.

It's obviously playing off of the Inspector Clouseau character from the PINK PANTHER movies (and the cartoon was later a part of the Pink Panther animated show), which is an enjoyable scenario. The Inspector himself is not exactly like Peter Sellers' rendition, but they have many similarities. This inspector is rather bungling at times (though prone to moments of poor judgement more so than the complete buffoonery of Clouseau) and always taking heat from his boss. He has a sidekick (Sergeant Deux-Deux) who is not exactly like Kato, but the dynamic is familiar. There's a running gag where his sidekick always says, "Si" instead of "Oui", which somehow never gets old somehow. Both The Inspector and Deux-Deux were voiced by capably and humorously by Pat Harrington, Jr. Also, each cartoon typically features a new and colorful evil villain type dude with some scheme or robbery in the works. And the Henry Mancini theme music adds some nice groovy flavor to the whole affair. Good stuff. Two-disc set. Even the episode names are wonderfully clever.

Cartoons Included: (Disc 1) The Great Degaulle Stone Operation, Reux Reaux Reaux Your Boat, Napoleon Blown-Aparte, Cirrhosis of the Louvre, Plastered in Paris, Cock-A Doodle Deux Deux, Ape Suzeete, The Pique Poquette of Paris, Sicque! Sicque! Sicque!, That's No Lady That's Notre Dame!, Unsafe and Seine, Toulouse La Trick, Sacre Bleu Cross, Le Quiet Squad, Bomb Voyage, Le Pig-Al Patrol, Le Bowser Bagger. (Disc Two) Le Escape Goat, Le Cop On Le Rocks, Crow De Guerre, Canadian Can-Can, Tour De Farce, The Shooting of Caribou Lou, London Derriere, Les Miserobots, Transylvania Mania, Bear De Guerre, Cherche Le Phantom, La Great Dane Robbery, Le Ball and Chain Gang, La Feet's Defeat, French Freud, Pierre and Cottage Cheese, Carte Blanched. Underrated '86 - Gems from 30 Years Ago 1986 was another good movie year for me.

My family had a VCR so we were constantly renting movies on VHS, but we also made a regular habit of going to the movies. Mostly we went to double features at our local drive-in. The place ran mostly first-run films and I saw many of my 80s favorites there. ARMED AND DANGEROUS is the only one of the films on my list that I actually saw at the drive-in. The rest had to be discovered later. Though folks are aware of these movies, I believe them to be a bit under-loved. ----- ARMED AND DANGEROUS (1986; Mark L. Lester) Was reminded of my affection for this movie when it cropped up in a significant way in the second episodes of Netflix's recent show LOVE. Honestly, it was references to the movie that kinda won me over whole-hog to the series. As was the case with many films from 1985-1987, I saw ARMED AND DANGEROUS at our local drive-in theater (looong since closed) - probably as the second half of a double bill.

John Candy was simply one of the funniest guys in movies in the 80s and you couldn't help but adore the guy in just about every film he ever appeared in. He's paired with the great Eugene Levy here and they are fantastic together. They play a disgraced police officer and a terrible lawyer who find jobs for themselves at "Guard Dog Security", as night watchmen, but they can't help but get into trouble. Tangent - some t-shirt company out there, please make a Guard Dog Security shirt - I would buy it in a heartbeat. This movie is also yet another feather in the cap of cult filmmaker Mark L. Lester - who brought us gems like COMMANDO, CLASS OF 1984, ROLLER BOOGIE and TRUCKSTOP WOMEN. This was actually his follow-up to COMMANDO (which is my favorite Schwarzenegger flick) and it would make an interesting double bill with that movie. I was reminded of my affection for this movie, when it was featured prominently in one episode of the recent Netflix original series LOVE (which made me like the show even more). I love the alternate poster I found for it above - had not really seen this one before.

The Image Entertainment Blu-ray is available here: Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Tijuana Toads continued below very much of a stink — provided you showed them months apart and made people go to movie theatres to see them, instead of getting "in your face" with the viewers on their own TV screens, several times a day. Tijuana Toads, an Hispanic, amphibian comedy pair named Toro and Pancho, debuted on August 6, 1969, in a cartoon titled, of all things, Tijuana Toads. It was directed by Hawley Pratt, who had assisted Friz Freleng back in the Looney Tunes days, when they worked on such classics as Tweety & Sylvester and Yosemite Sam. Toro, the fat one, was the dominant partner. He was voiced by Don Diamond, whose most prominent other voice role was the fat sergeant (here, named Gonzales) in the Zorro segment of Filmation's The Tarzan /Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour. Pancho was the skinny one who got ordered around a lot.

His voice was done by Tom Holland, whose only prior role in animation was also a spoof of Mexicans — Slowpoke Rodriguez, a supporting character to Speedy Gonzales. The Tijuana Toads came along in the waning days of theatrical animation, and got swept away with the tide along with all the rest. Their series, consisting of 17 cartoons, ended with Flight to the Finish, released April 30, 1972. Along the way, it introduced two characters that would be spun off into series of their own, The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane. But they found new life on NBC's 1976-77 season, when The Pink Panther headed up a show that ran 90 minutes, and featured The Ant & the Aardvark, Misterjaw and whatever else could be fitted in from the DePatie-Freleng inventory. But with an object lesson provided by the now-defunct Frito Bandito, they were renamed. Toro became Fatso and Pancho became Banjo ( no relation ), and together they were The Texas Toads. They were re-dubbed without accents, and some scenes were re-shot. A few new episodes were made.

As such, they lasted only a year. But they were back to their old selves three decades later, when Boomerang, the cable station that specializes in old animation, started airing most of their old theatrical cartoons. Confusingly, however, a few Texas Toads episodes got into the mix, so viewers aren't quite sure who the stars are. — DDM

Question: Whose partners include Crazylegs Crane and the Aardvark?
Answer: Pink Panther