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The Ant and the Aardvark

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Charlie Ant
Portrayed byJohn Byner
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationAnt
The Aardvark
Portrayed byJohn Byner
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationAardvark

The Ant and the Aardvark was a series of theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released by United Artists from 1969 to 1971.

Production

The cartoons were released by United Artists. Directors included Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt. 17 theatrical shorts were produced in the original series, and were subsequently featured in various television syndication packages, usually shown with DFE's other characters such as the Pink Panther and the Inspector. Three of the 17 entries (The Ant and the Aardvark, Never Bug an Ant and Don't Hustle an Ant with Muscle) appear in their television syndication form, complete with an audible laugh track.

When the Ant And The Aardvark first appeared on The Pink Panther Show (1970), the cartoons gained a tremendous amount of attention; so much in fact that the Ant And Aardvark became a featured part of the NBC series. Surprisingly, even though the series was successful throughout the 1970s, the same 17 cartoons would continue in repeats with no new cartoons produced.

Notability

Unlike The Pink Panther and The Inspector, The Ant and the Aardvark was the first Original DFE theatrical cartoon series produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng. The Ant And The Aardvark was created by invaluable DFE staffer John Dunn, who conceived the idea well before joining DFE as a key staff member.

Plot

The cartoon follows attempts of an unnamed blue aardvark (voiced by John Byner[1][2][3], impersonating Jackie Mason) to catch and eat a red ant named Charlie (Byner again[1][2][3], but impersonating Dean Martin), usually doing so by inhaling with a loud vacuum cleaner sound. However, in Rough Brunch, the aardvark states his name is indeed Aardvark. The ant has given him names as well, always beginning with "Old" ("Old Sam," "Old Ben,"...etc.). In The Ant From Uncle, Charlie calls Aardvark "Dad" the entire episode. The Ant and the Aardvark was also the name of the first cartoon in the series.

In the episodes I've Got Ants in My Plans and Odd Ant Out, the Aardvark tussled against a rival green aardvark (also voiced by Byner), similar to the way Sylvester fought other cats over Tweety in a few of Freleng's earlier shorts at Warner Brothers. Because many Warner alumni worked for DFE, a lot of familiar plots were recycled in the latter studio's cartoons. In Technology, Phooey, the Aardvark utilizes a computer to help think up ideas to catch the ant — very similar in concept to a Chuck Jones short with Wile E. Coyote. This cartoon also features yet another vocal impersonation from Byner, as the Paul Lynde-esque computer. Also, the last short ever made, From Bed to Worse, borrowed heavily from the Looney Tunes short, Greedy for Tweety.

There were many minor characters in the series. Among them was Cousin Term the Termite, the unnamed cousin ant, Charlie's Aunt Minerva (one of the Gi-ants), Tiny the Elephant (Charlie Ant's lodge brother), Tiger (voiced by Marvin Miller), the faceless scientist with a Boris Karloff-like voice, the unnamed nurse (voiced by Athena Lorde), the mischievous dog, the anteater-eating shark, the lifeguard who mistook Aardvark for a dog (he always said, "OFF THE BEACH!"), an unnamed bear that always hurts Aardvark and even a Tarzan character (another lodge brother). Most of the minor characters were also voiced by John Byner.

The German Version

The German-dubbed versions of the cartoon are extraordinary for several reasons. The protagonists no longer imitate well-known actors. The male aardvark is, for unknown reasons, transformed into a female anteater named Elise (Eliza). Charlie the ant (voiced by Fred Maire) remains male, but is no longer a Dean Martin parody. Elise is voiced by Marianne Wischmann, one of Germany's most renowned voice actresses.

The German-dubbed versions of the cartoons have gained a huge fan community over the decades [4][dubious – discuss][5], mainly because of Wischmann's incomparable dry and matter-of-fact delivery of Elise's punch lines, as well as the distinctive vacuum cleaner sound Elise makes with the nose. Thus, the cartoons are commonly known under the title Die blaue Elise (Blue Eliza), leaving out the mentioning of Charlie the ant completely.

Filmography

1969

  • The Ant and the Aardvark (Friz Freleng)
  • Hasty But Tasty (Gerry Chiniquy)
  • The Ant From Uncle (George Gordon)
  • I've Got Ants in My Plans (Gerry Chiniquy)
  • Technology, Phooey (Gerry Chiniquy)
  • Never Bug an Ant (Gerry Chiniquy)

1970

  • Dune Bug (Art Davis)
  • Isle of Caprice (Gerry Chinquy)
  • Scratch a Tiger (Hawley Pratt)
  • Odd Ant Out (Gerry Chiniquy)
  • Ants in the Pantry (Hawley Pratt)

1971

  • Science Friction (Gerry Chinquy)
  • Mumbo Jumbo (Art Davis)
  • The Froze Nose Knows (Gerry Chinquy)
  • Don't Hustle an Ant with Muscle (Art Davis)
  • Rough Brunch (Art Davis)
  • From Bed to Worse (Art Davis)

Credits

  • Produced by: David H. DePatie, Friz Freleng
  • Directed by: Friz Freleng
  • Story: John W. Dunn
  • Animation: Warren Batchelder, Manny Gould, Manny Perez, Don Williams, Art Leonardi
  • Graphic Designer: Corny Cole
  • Color Designer: Tom O'Laughlin
  • Title Cards: Art Leonardi
  • Musicians: Ray Brown, Billy Byers, Pete Candoli, Shelly Manne, Jimmy Rowles, Tommy Tedesco
  • Coordinator: Harry Love
  • Camera: John Burton Jr.
  • Film Editor: Lee Gunther
  • Music by: Doug Goodwin

Other Appearances

  • John Byner reprises his roles of Charlie Ant and the Aardvark in the 1990s The Pink Panther TV series.

DVD Releases

The shorts were also digitally remastered and issued on its own single-disc DVD collection by MGM Home Entertainment/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2007.

Also on January 27, 2009 the shorts were released again as part of a DVD Collection titled Pink Panther & Friends Classic Cartoon Collection by MGM Home Entertainment A 9 DVD Set containg 5 DVDs Of The Pink Panther, 1 DVD Of The Ant & The Aardvark, 2 DVD's Of The Inspector and 1 DVD of Rolland And Ratfink.

References

  1. ^ a b Simonson, Robert (22 June 2004). "Sondheim, Lane and Stroman's The Frogs Finds a Lily Pad at Lincoln Center Beginning June 22". Playbill. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  2. ^ a b Scott, Vernon (26 July 1985). "JOHN BYNER IS THE MAN BEHIND CHARACTER'S VOICE". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  3. ^ a b Jefferson, Graham (7 December 1993). "Pink Panther breaks silence // The cool cat acquires a voice from Matt Frewer". USA Today (subscription required). Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  4. ^ This page on the German site wunschliste.de (a site for old TV series) contains forum postings by fans discussing the series, with multiple mentioning of the series popularity.
  5. ^ This review of the German DVD release briefly mentions the cult status of the series.
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