tomfi@tekig4.UUCP (Tom Fitzpatrick) (11/25/85)
< Lunch Ti.... > As long as we're discussing cartoons around here, maybe someone out there can help me. In the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare" in which Bugs buys a hurdy-gurdy and monkey, fires the monkey, and then eventually gets the gorilla to collect for him, Bugs' last line is: "I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is Petrillo. I thought it might be the guy he bought the stuff from, but I can't remember enough about the episode to support this. Or maybe he was someone well-known back in the 40's? Thanks in advance, -- The Spitzer a.k.a. Tom Fitzpatrick "And another thing: Stop breathing in my cup!" -- B. Bunny
rose@Shasta.ARPA (11/29/85)
In article <415@tekig4.UUCP> tomfi@tekig4.UUCP (Tom Fitzpatrick) writes: > > As long as we're discussing cartoons around here, maybe someone >out there can help me. In the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare" >in which Bugs buys a hurdy-gurdy and monkey, fires the monkey, and then >eventually gets the gorilla to collect for him, Bugs' last line is: >"I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is >Petrillo. I thought it might be the guy he bought the stuff from, but I >can't remember enough about the episode to support this. Or maybe he was >someone well-known back in the 40's? Unless I'm thinking of someone else, Petrillo (, James C.?) was the president of the main musician's union back in the 40's. From 1942 to 1944, and again shortly in 1947, he banned union members from performing at recording sessions for record companies. I may have gotten the dates slightly wrong, but they're close. Thus, there is a huge gap in recorded popular music, which is filled only by VDiscs, broadcasts and airshots preserved on acetate discs, and obscure labels whose artists didn't comply with the ban. In addition, crooners such as Sinatra ingeniously got around the ban by making several recordings a capella, i.e. with a backup vocal group and no instrumental accompaniment. Sadly, though, the great Hines and Eckstine orchestras, which indirectly gave birth to bebop during this period, are only a legend. Sigh. -- David. (rose@su-shasta.ARPA)
gordon@cae780.UUCP (Brian Gordon) (12/01/85)
In article <415@tekig4.UUCP> tomfi@tekig4.UUCP (Tom Fitzpatrick) writes: >eventually gets the gorilla to collect for him, Bugs' last line is: >"I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is >Petrillo. ... James C. Petrillo was President of the International (i.e. U.S.!) Musicians' Union from way back when until the mid-1950's. Make sense now? FROM: Brian G. Gordon, CAE Systems Division of Tektronix, Inc. UUCP: tektronix!teklds!cae780!gordon {ihnp4, decvax!decwrl}!amdcad!cae780!gordon {nsc, hplabs, resonex, qubix, leadsv}!cae780!gordon USNAIL: 5302 Betsy Ross Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054 AT&T: (408)727-1234
wjh@bonnie.UUCP (Bill Hery) (12/02/85)
> As long as we're discussing cartoons around here, maybe someone > out there can help me. In the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare" > in which Bugs buys a hurdy-gurdy and monkey, fires the monkey, and then > eventually gets the gorilla to collect for him, Bugs' last line is: > "I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is > Petrillo. I thought it might be the guy he bought the stuff from, but I > can't remember enough about the episode to support this. Or maybe he was > someone well-known back in the 40's? > I believe the head of the musicains usion in the early-mid 1940's was named Petrillo. During that period, there were two strikes against the record companies (I don't recall the issues off hand) that led to two intervals (one over a year) of no new recordings being made by union musicians (which included most major artists). I don't know about the effect on other forms of music, but the ban kept much of the experimental early modern jazz (be-bop: Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie, Thelonious Monk) from being adequately documented.
sji2796@ritcv.UUCP (Sam Iraci) (12/05/85)
[] In article <415@tekig4.UUCP> tomfi@tekig4.UUCP (Tom Fitzpatrick) writes: > > In the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare" ... Bugs' last line is: >"I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is >Petrillo ... maybe he was someone well-known back in the 40's? The responses all say that James Petrillo was the leader of the musicians' union back then. Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? Granted, the kids weren't watching it on TV Saturday morning, but would the grownups know who Petrillo was? Was this meant for the general public or was WB trying to say something to the musicians specifically? I've always thought Bugs was cool, but lately I've noticed that he really has his stuff together. He is definitely not speaking solely to the six-year= olds all the time, but in this case, to whom is he speaking? I know I'm carrying this too far, and the line was only intended to get a laugh out of those who understood it.............. Isn't it great that RIT pays the phone bills so that I can psychoanalyze a rabbit?! :-)
shiue@h-sc1.UUCP (steve shiue) (12/06/85)
> In article <415@tekig4.UUCP> tomfi@tekig4.UUCP (Tom Fitzpatrick) writes: > > In the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare" ... Bugs' last line is: > >"I sure hope Petrillo doesn't here about this." My question is: who is > >Petrillo ... maybe he was someone well-known back in the 40's? > > The responses all say that James Petrillo was the leader of the musicians' > union back then. > > Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? > > I've always thought Bugs was cool, but lately I've noticed that he really > has his stuff together. He is definitely not speaking solely to the six-year= > olds all the time, but in this case, to whom is he speaking? > > I know I'm carrying this too far, and the line was only intended to get a > laugh out of those who understood it.............. > I think that the key to this question is in something that a major animator (either Chuck Jones or Tex Avery) said, to the effect that they made the jokes not so much for kiddies or adults as FOR THEMSELVES. -Steve Shiue "You're a big boy now... take your fingers outta your mouth!" -Bugs Bunny, "Hurdy-Gurdy Hare"
man@bocar.UUCP (M Nevar) (12/09/85)
<Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? < <Granted, the kids weren't watching it on TV Saturday morning, but would <the grownups know who Petrillo was? Was this meant for the general public <or was WB trying to say something to the musicians specifically? <I've always thought Bugs was cool, but lately I've noticed that he really <has his stuff together. He is definitely not speaking solely to the six-year= <olds all the time, but in this case, to whom is he speaking? Just as a point of interest, and maybe even an answer: The Museum of Modern Art in NY is having an exibit on Warner Bros Cartoons. This past weekend I went there for my third time. They have a video with all the directors talking about the cartoons and at one point Chuck Jones says: "Everyone asks how we could think kids would understand this stuff. We weren't writing for kids, hell we were doing this for ourselves !" Anouncement of major party: For all you people in the NJ area, there is a Bugs Bunny party in the final planning stages set for Feb 1986. All Bugs Bunny fans are welcome. If you want more information on this, send me email and I will contact you. Mark You proved you're a better man than me. But, only because I'm a rabbit !!
mcewan@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/09/85)
> I've always thought Bugs was cool, but lately I've noticed that he really > has his stuff together. He is definitely not speaking solely to the six-year= > olds all the time, but in this case, to whom is he speaking? These cartoons were NOT made for children - they were made for a general audience and were shown before feature films in a theater. Although they were not made EXCLUSIVELY for adults, there were many gags that no child was expected to understand. Scott McEwan {ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!mcewan "Listen! You smell something?"
dave@cylixd.UUCP (Dave Kirby) (12/10/85)
In article <9117@ritcv.UUCP> sji2796@ritcv.UUCP (Sam Iraci) writes: >The responses all say that James Petrillo was the leader of the musicians' >union back then. > >Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? This isn't a dumb answer, but it might qualify as a dumb speculation. Bugs Bunny and other cartoons were run before every movie, as "selected short subjects." You have to be pretty old to remember when theatres actually showed cartoons instead of advertisements for the refreshment stand. I speculate that Mr. Petrillo must have made national news prior to the cartoon in question; thus his name was still on the public's mind. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Kirby ( ...!ihnp4!akgub!cylixd!dave)
marv@ISM780.UUCP (12/14/85)
>>Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? >This isn't a dumb answer, but it might qualify as a dumb speculation. >Bugs Bunny and other cartoons were run before every movie, as "selected >short subjects." You have to be pretty old to remember when theatres >actually showed cartoons instead of advertisements for the refreshment >stand. >I speculate that Mr. Petrillo must have made national news prior to the >cartoon in question; thus his name was still on the public's mind. As one who is old enough to remember the era in question, I can testify that your speculation is very accurate. Petrillo got about the same amount of continuing press and radio coverage as the president. Even 10 year old children knew who he was. Marv Rubinstein
overlord@nmtvax.UUCP (12/26/85)
>>>Dumb question: Who was watching Bugs back then that would know that? >>I speculate that Mr. Petrillo must have made national news prior to the >>cartoon in question; thus his name was still on the public's mind. >As one who is old enough to remember the era in question, I can testify that >your speculation is very accurate. Petrillo got about the same amount of >continuing press and radio coverage as the president. Even 10 year old >children knew who he was. On Christmas Eve, the movie "The Bells of St. Mary" was aired and in it Father O'Malley was questioned on how he found a piano-player husband that hadn't been seen in about 10 years or so and the Father replied: Once a piano player, always a piano player. So I contacted the Union......and went straight to the top, Petrillo! Another thing to remember: Can you tell me (off the top of your head), the name of the commissoner of the NHL? How about the NBA? You can't! Well, if there was a strike do you think his name would be known then? Back then you when to movies houses or to the theater for a live play. Today, (most) people sit home and watch TV:-( (or cable if they're ambitious ). And yes, even 10 year olds knew who Petrillo was. He had command of all of music back then. There really isn't a modern analogy to him. Maybe Ted Turner and his Superstation but even that analogy fall flat. Alan Kerr New Mexico Tech -- ...{convex,ucbvax,gatech,csu-cs,anl-mcs}!unmvax!nmtvax!overlord ...{purdue,cmc12}!lanl!nmtvax!overlord