The Extras
The Extras
How TCM Is Bringing Looney Tunes Back To Classic Movie Nights
Bugs Bunny is TCM's February STAR OF THE MONTH. Scott McGee, Senior Director, Original Programming at TCM, joins the podcast to explain what fans can expect, and what he knows about the 6-year licensing deal TCM made for the Looney Tunes Library. We also provide updates how this impacts the airing of Looney Tunes on TUBI and MeTV. This is an episode that subscribers of TCM, TUBI, or MeTV Toons don't want to miss.
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Hi Tim Millard here. I know many of you are fans of both Looney Tunes and TCM. And recently they announced that Bugs Bunny will be the star of the month for February. So that was exciting news, and then that was just followed by an announcement of a licensing deal for six years between these two iconic Warner Brother brands. But there are also a lot of questions, so I reached out to a friend of the podcast, Scott McGee, who is the senior director of original productions at Turner Classic Movies. And this is my conversation with him. He gives us some background on what this partnership means, what the start of the month means, and I think you'll find that it answers many of your questions. So stick around to the end because I did get more information that's crucial to fans of both TCM and Looney Tunes. So stick around for that at the end of our conversation. So Scott, earlier this month you posted about Bugs Bunny being TCM star of the month for February. So let's start there. What brought this about and what are some of the details behind that?
Scott McGee:Well, uh I myself found out about this back in November. I was not aware that this was even a thing until Charlie Tabish, uh our head of programming, does what he does best, and that is burying the lead. He often does this when he's in meetings. He'll just casually drop something and then we're like, wait, what? And that was one such moment for me when he just casually mentioned, oh yeah, and we're gonna be getting the Looney Tunes Library in February, uh, and then other items. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What did you just say? He he knew that I would be that excited about it. Um, so I I was not aware of it. Uh, and so I don't really know how this came out. I I do know that as it often is, that Charlie had been in some sort of form of discussions with people at Warner Brothers. Uh, and I'm just I'm just so thankful that it happened. This is something that as a film lover and somebody who wants definitely wants TCM to succeed, I've always felt in my bones that the Looney Tunes belong on TCM. Uh and and lo and behold, it just came out of nowhere and happened. So um I'm really, really excited about that. Uh, in terms of the parameters of the deal, I'm not really aware of it other than I know that it's going to be for an extended period of time for the foreseeable future. I don't know if these will be going on HBO Max. I don't know anything like that, other than what uh what we have plans for them on air, which are also ongoing in and of themselves, because there's so many of them that you know we we s we got to come up with you know a strategy and how we how we show them and how we program them. I'm not one that's usually involved in the programming of the of the channel, uh, but I do of course lend my insight and my my own feelings on the matter to Charlie, and he he is very receptive to to input from me and and and all others as well. So uh I'm sure it'll be uh it's an ongoing effort to kind of figure out how we're gonna fit these in and and how we're gonna program them and curate them and and how they best complement uh all of the films that you know that we have unspooling on TCM every day of every hour of every week of every year.
Tim Millard:Well, let's go back to just uh specifically we can talk about the the Bugs Bunny star of the month because I think that's out there with some details. It starts February 2nd. I I read that you're gonna launch with A Wild Hare from 1940, directed by Tech Savory. Then you're just going to, for what, two weeks or so um have just a lot of of bugs on every day. I think it's the first week.
Scott McGee:Uh this is this is one of those uh instances where, for various reasons, due to practicality and just other programming commitments that we have in February, most notably 31 Days of Oscar, that sometimes it's it's beneficial or uh even necessary to kind of backfill or front fill rather the offerings of whoever that star of the month is. And in this case, being Bugs Bunny, yeah, it just made more sense to sort of isolate them to one week. But that's that's just a taste of what's coming on on the regular for TCM. You're going to see these Looney Tunes. I don't know if they'll be in every break, but they will be they will be on throughout the day. Uh and and so we're looking forward to seeing how that how that all works out. But getting back to Bugs, I think it was kind of a no-brainer uh to make him the bug uh star of the month. In fact, it was not even something I had even dreamed of. That was just something that Charlie came up on his own. But it makes sense. I mean, Bugs Bunny is the flagship character for the Looney Tunes library. Um, he is, you know, the greatest star out of out of the lineup. And, you know, he's in a lot of ways has been a corporate mascot for Warner Brothers itself. So, and and frankly, he is one of the biggest stars uh who ever came out of Hollywood. He is a he's known the world over, and um, you know, and he rubbed elbows, so to speak, with all the greats, you know, James Cagney, uh Betty Davis, uh Jack Warner, uh later on Mickey Mouse, and uh 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But uh, as we show in a new TCM original that is that is coming down the pike, should be up on the air uh very, very soon, and it will be on YouTube as well. But it's a it's one of our celebrated Star of the Month uh specials on whoever the Star of the Month is. You know, in the past we've had you know very well-known people read a script or talk about in voiceover only uh their association or their fandom of of whatever star. You know, I we had the the late great Richard Lewis talking about Star of the Month Buster Keaton for one time, one time exact uh for example. But this is an instance where we have we had an opportunity to put somebody on camera. And so for uh uh about a five to six minute piece, we have talking about Bugs Bunny, uh Patton Oswalt, uh Dana Gould, and Bill Hayter. And and so they will uh pop up uh throughout, and you know, you'll be seeing uh the highlights of Bugs' career. Uh, you'll be seeing some of his greatest moments, and you'll be seeing uh why he is such an enduring star of uh of the small and the big screen. So I'm really, really excited to share that with you guys. And um and I'll I'll post I'll post the TCM YouTube link just as soon as it's available.
Tim Millard:Right. Yeah, I'm looking forward to those. You always do a great job with those. They're in the programming on the broadcast, but then available for others, which is always nice. Well, going back to that news about this six-year licensing deal to bring the Looney Tunes library to TCM, what does that partnership look like? Is it an exclusive deal or just something that you'll be populating on a regular basis? Any details?
Scott McGee:Don't know. I don't know. I do not know if it's an exclusive deal. I know people some people have had questions about that regarding uh Looney Tunes on Me TV, I believe. Right. Uh, but I don't I have no idea how it how it affects those other uh agreements. Um as for how they're implemented, it's just depending on how we end up, you know, how we program them all. Uh and I so I don't know if Charlie has in mind other other ways of using this these Looney Tunes libraries, um, even off-channel. Uh I imagine that we will try to get some of them, as we have before in the past, uh, get uh some of them into our film festival programming. Uh so that's always something that we all uh opportunities that we always look for. And so that will continue. Um, but as far you know the other questions regarding the uh the deal and the limits, uh that's yeah, that's that's about as far as I know at this point, Tim.
Tim Millard:You bet. And I think you've had other cartoons on, like uh Popeye cartoons on Saturday mornings. Do those stick around? Do those go away? Do they get replaced by this? Any idea?
Scott McGee:I don't know uh what Charlie has in mind for the for those cartoons. I do know that we're not going to stop uh celebrating and highlighting uh animation from from wherever they may come from, uh regardless of whether or not they're Looney Tudes or Warner Brothers uh cartoons. We've had uh looks at the Fleischer cartoons, we've had looks at at some Disney shorts, I think, we've looked at uh the the uh the Patty Freeling uh cartoons, UPA output. And so, yeah, that's that's always been really important to celebrate animation no matter where it comes from, and in no matter what form or style it may take. So that will continue. But as for the Flintstones and and other Hanna Barberas, I'm not sure how that will be impacted, if at all.
Tim Millard:Yeah, I mean it's uh it's an evolving thing, but this is great. And then let's uh talk a little bit about the cartoons themselves. Do you know anything in terms of will these be some of the the previous versions that were edited or censored?
Scott McGee:No, these will not be edited or censored, just like everything else that we are on TCM.
Tim Millard:That's terrific. That's terrific.
Scott McGee:Uh of course, you guys, as you all you guys all know, there is some uh uh humor that does not date very well uh to today's audiences. And as always, we are very respectful and very mindful of of those of the way those images are are handled, way the way they are presented, uh very unfairly, uh and in a lot of ways in very racist ways. Uh, but that doesn't mean that we just pretend they never happened. And so we will prov we will be very sensitive as we always are in presenting these cartoons and indeed all the movies that we present uh with the proper context of of uh what it means, why it's there, um, and why it's important not to uh not to pretend it never happened.
Tim Millard:Yeah. And I think uh being being that TCM is a broadcast channel, it's gonna be different than those people who who just collect on physical media, on Blu-rays. Uh, you have to be you know more sensitive to that stuff.
Scott McGee:That's right. That's right. I will also note that um I do not know if this agreement has uh includes the Censored Eleven, uh, which um are a handful of Warner Brother Looney Tune cartoons that have been taken out of circulation because of the racial content is so severe. And uh we did present a collection of these at one of the film festivals, I think in 2010 or 2011, with Donald Bogle uh presenting them and giving his expert insight and context to them. But I don't know if Charlie has any plans to air them or even if we can. So um that is yeah, that's just not something I'm really familiar with, other than I know they're out there, um, but uh but that's as far as I know.
Tim Millard:Some people have had a question, you know, aren't TCM and and Looney Tunes, Warner Brothers, aren't they all the same company? And I think some people are curious about, you know, why do they have to license them and things like that? Without getting into the weeds, maybe you could explain a little bit of of why you have to license these.
Scott McGee:Well, it's an accounting thing, I believe. This is no secret as well. Movies like Casablanca and Adventures of Robin Hood and all that, we have to license those two from Warner Brothers. So the cartoons are no different.
unknown:Yeah.
Tim Millard:Well, it's been announced already that Warner Brothers Discovery is spinning off its linear TV networks into a separate company called Discovery Global, and uh TCM is a cable network. So will it be a part of uh Discovery Global? And uh how does that uh have any bearing on on you and where you will be in terms of that split and the other people there who work at TCM?
Scott McGee:Uh this is what I know. Uh TCM will fall under Warner Brothers, not just not Discovery Global. Um, I do not know, and I don't think really anybody knows yet how we're gonna be fit in, but we're be very optimistic that being under Warner Brothers will be a great fit for TCM.
Tim Millard:Well, Scott, that was great. Appreciate it. I think we covered you know at least what we know so far. And the big deal here, I think, is this star of the month, which is gonna be happening very, very soon, and just how you're gonna be promoting that to kind of launch this whole multi-year uh agreement between uh uh Looney Tunes and and TCM. So that's fantastic. I love the the the fact that it seems like it's uh it's been mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter at least as being six years, whatever it ends up being, that it's a nice long commitment and shows a real big commitment to Looney Tunes.
Scott McGee:Yes, and I will also note that you know, in addition to the Bugs Bunny Star of the Month original that will be coming, that's already uh it's already been made, we're just gotta get it up. We have an additional piece that will be airing starting towards the end of the month of February. And it's called Looney Tunes Come Home, this original. And it too will be a short five to six-minute piece that kind of contextualizes why Looney Tunes belong on TCM. In a fact, they're really coming home to where they've belonged all along. Because these films, um, these short films are now rejoining a lot of the same classic films that they accompanied when they first debuted in theaters back in the 30s, the 40s, and the 1950s. And so this development of Looney Tunes Coming to TCM is really pretty historic because this will be the first time that these cartoons made by a studio for a movie-going audience, this will be the first time that these tunes have been rejoined with the classic feature films that they were made alongside of. Uh be the first time that they've been programmed and curated in this way. Uh to be to be part of again part of classic movies on an ongoing and regular basis. And I I just I just think that's that's an amazing development for people who you know want connection. They want they want that connection that they get on TCM. Interspersed between the features, you know, you get you get your your short subject, you get your trailer, you get your wine club commercial. Uh, but man, isn't it just great to get one froggy evening, for example, or a classic Roadrunner Wiley Coyote cartoon that just makes you laugh stupidly. Um that's that's what I that's what I love about this deal. You know, because I I'm a as you know, a ginormous Looney Tunes fan. Um, you know, I got this on my arm uh last March. Um my first and probably only tattoo. I'll get it a little closer for you guys. Uh this was this is my own little uh message to the world at large. Bugs Bunny does not abide a bully. And so I it was time for me to get Bugs Bunny on my arm. Uh, but I digress. My point being, I am a huge Looney Tunes fan, and I just can't tell you how how excited I am that all of this is coming down the pike, and that you know, the that seeing these cartoons and you know, having them being able to liven up our day and just make us laugh, um, is I I think it's something people are gonna really love to have.
Tim Millard:Yeah. It's such a great reflection of the history of Warner Brothers the studio because they released their films in theaters, they released these theatrical shorts in theaters. They historically have been together. And uh now you know you guys are gonna replicate that, and that's fantastic.
Scott McGee:So let me say another word about the other uh original Looney Tunes Come Home. It too will feature uh Dana Gould, Bill Hayter, and Patton Oswald, but also additionally, uh TCM's good friend Joe Dante, who he appears on camera, and also two um cartoon experts, uh Mark McCrae and the author co-author of this Bible, The Looney Tunes and Mary Melody's Guide, a complete illustrated guide to all of them, all of those Looney Tunes. Uh Jerry Beck uh is on camera too, talking about them. So um, and and also there's going to be more of these short uh short interstitials talking more about the Looney Tunes in general. There'll be some additional ones about Mel Blank, about the music, the sound effects, certain directors, um, and maybe even one or two of these guys, Patton or Dana or whomever, talking about one of their favorite cartoons. Um, so those won't be ready in February or March, but they will be coming down uh down the down the line later on in the year.
Tim Millard:Well, that's fantastic. Jerry Beck uh is on our podcast uh frequently talking about the physical media releases. So we know that he knows his Looney Tunes and his animations. So uh terrific to hear that. It's always great to talk to you, Scott. So appreciate you giving us this update.
Scott McGee:You are very welcome. Very welcome, Tim. And and uh uh you guys enjoy the Looney Tunes, man. I'm just so happy to have them home.
Tim Millard:Well, there were a few questions that Scott couldn't answer, so I checked with our good friends at Warner Brothers and was able to verify that this is not an exclusive agreement. So there should be no impact for those of you who watch Looney Tunes on Tubi or MeTVTunes. As a matter of fact, you can kind of think of it like this TTM is where you can watch Looney Tunes on cable. Tubi is where you can watch Looney Tunes on streaming, and MeTVTunes is where you can watch Looney Tunes on broadcast. And everyone should know that Warner Brothers is a partner with Recall Broadcasting on Meetv Tunes. So there's a relationship there that isn't going to suddenly disappear. Obviously, we couldn't answer how the actual programming of the Looney Tunes short will look on TTM, but that's it's going to be evolving. We do know what it's going to be like at the first week of the month when Bugs Bunny is highlighted. But after that, we'll have to see how that develops. But those of you who watch TCM already, um, I'm sure that will be provided to you. And I'm really looking forward to seeing these extra videos and behind the scenes things that uh Scott mentioned. So I'll be sure and post those on our Facebook page and other social media sites when those are made available. If you haven't yet followed our podcast, uh, you may want to do that whether you watch on YouTube or if you listen to the audio podcast. We do provide updates and of course we have the ongoing uh releases from the Warner Archive for Looney Tunes, Hanna Barbera, and all of the other animation that comes from Warner Brothers. So if you want to do that, if you haven't yet, you may uh find that to be a great benefit. Until next time, stay slightly obsessed about Looney Tunes.