Bartholomew Versus the Wheel

Bartholomew Versus the Wheel is a 1963-produced, 1964-released Merrie Melodies cartoon,^[1] directed by Robert McKimson.^[1] It was released theatrically on February 29, 1964 and produced by David H. DePatie. The cartoon has a running length of 5.51 minutes.^[2] This was the second of three cartoons to use the "modern" abstract Warner Bros. opening and closing sequences created by Chuck Jones;^[3] this sequence was previously used on Now Hear This and would be used once more in Señorella and the Glass Huarache.

Plot synopsis

The cartoon is told in the form of a monologue and begins with narration by a young boy, who tells of his dog, Bartholomew, who is friendly with everyone but is bullied by the family's cat which eats all of his food and wins the attention of the kids. One day, Bartholomew's tail is accidentally run over by a young boy on a scooter, which leads Bartholomew to hate wheels. He begins to terrorize the neighborhood, stealing wheels from bicycles and other vehicles, and burying them in the family's garden. The narrator explains "when he was little, he took little wheels, but when he got big, he took big wheels." Eventually, Bartholomew is lifted into an airplane's luggage hold whilst trying to remove one of its rear wheels, and he ends up somewhere in the Middle East. Bartholomew gets very lonely in his new environment because no-one wants to play with him or even look at him, as stated by the narrator. Worse still, there are no wheels for him to chase. Eventually, Bartholomew gets fed up with being ignored and decides to go home the same way he left, by traveling in the airplane which took him there. He boards a plane bound for the United States and is soon home again. The narrator explains that Bartholomew no longer hates wheels but "does hate what dogs are supposed to hate- cats.", with Bartholomew chasing the cat away from his food bowl as the cartoon ends.

Cast and Crew

• Director - Robert McKimson
• Story - John Dunn
• Animation - George Grandpré, Ted Bonnicksen, Warren Batchelder
• Layouts - Bob Givens
• Backgrounds - Robert Gribbroek
• Editor - Treg Brown
• Voice Characterizations - Mel Blanc, Leslie Barrings
• Musical Direction - Bill Lava^[1]

DVD availability

The cartoon is available as an extra feature on Disc Four of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume Six DVD set (4).^[4]

References

• Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide (Hardcover) by Jerry Beck, page 73