Looney Treasures

By RICHARD CORLISS

Long-Haired Hare, Yankee Doodle Daffy, Duck Amuck, Wabbit Twouble, Fast and Furry-ous, Feed the Kitty. These titles, of Warner Bros. cartoon shorts from the '40s and '50s, may not sound like those of enduring works of cinematic art, but they are--as surely as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are two of the deftest farceurs to grace the movie medium. Now, on a four-disc DVD set, Looney Tunes Golden Collection ($64.92), the magnificent menagerie lives again, pristinely restored. Any fan can argue with the choices (Why not more Bob Clampett stuff? Where is Tex Avery!?) but not with the hours of cogent analysis and interviews. They show that what the front office dismissed as program filler and kid stuff was, in reality, the greatest sustained burst of American movie comedy. --By Richard Corliss