Flurry

This book has absolutely nothing new to say about Chuck Jones. In fact it doesnt say much at all; just endless amounts of prose that add up to nothing. Rather than doing any reserach on his own, Kenner just takes his historical information from already published books on animation or from interviews he has done with Jones.The problems with interviewing Jones, however, is that he can be pretty self serving at times. So dont expect getting any real insight into Mike Maltese and Maurice Noble's contributions to his films, and certainly not any comparision to the work of Bob Clampett, who Chuck Jones hates with his guts. (They had a lifelong feud) For real insight into the work of Chuck Jones, try the articles written by Richard Thompson in Film Comment in the seventies, or Michael Barrier's book Hollywood Cartoons

Professor Kenner turns his pen toward a study of the creator of The Roadunner and the Coyote, and of Bugs Bunny in this wonderful little monograph. Writing with wit and verve he traces Jones' career from the beginning to the present,touching on the high and low but always bringing us the essence of a true comic genius.

I'm not sure if GP is losing steam, (running out of ideas) but this book seems tired in comparison to some of the others. There are some nice crafts here, how to's are included for the usual snowmen, homemade cards, garlands, cookie bowls, etc. Some of this stuff is done is variations in other GP books. A few pages on bulb arrangements are here, but they're well, simple. Gift bagging is in here, remember the -turn a brown bag into a reindeer gift bag-? That's in here too. Goodies such as Candy Bar Cake, Merry Berry Syrup, Fruitcake Cookies, Coconut Brownie Mix, are offered. There is a section for kids to make gift mixes, and it is nicely done. Wild rice Soup, Roast Turkey and something called Comfort Soup, a canned soup & broccoli creation are in here too. I wouldn't call this book a disappointment but it lacks the "punch" (I swear that's not supposed to be a pun) that the other books have. The graphics and layout are wonderful as always.