Gravity - the eternal enemy

[threemonkeys]

Its Friday afternoon and I'll soon be on my way home. On the way, I'll pass the premises of a company called ACME Engineering.

How many of you went "beep beep" at that name? The association just never goes away.

For the end of the week, I offer the following. These are supposedly from the autobiography of Chuck Jones, the creator of the Road Runner cartoons. I'm particularly struck by the third rule. But then I always wanted Wile E Coyote to catch that damn bird.

"Rules obeyed in the Coyote-Road Runner Series:"

1. The Road Runner cannot harm the Coyote exept by going "Beep Beep!"

2. No outside force can harm the Coyote - only his own ineptitude or the
failure of the ACME products.

3. The Coyote could stop anytime - IF he were not a fanatic. "A fanatic
is one who redoubles his effort when he has forgotten his aim" -George
Santayana.

4. No dialogue ever, except "Beep Beep!"

5. The road Runner must stay on the road - otherwise, logically, he would
not be called Road Runner.

6. All Action must be confined to the natural environment of the two
characters - the Southwest American desert.

7. All material, tools, weapons, or mechanical conveniences must be
obtained from the ACME Corporation.

8. Whenever possible, make gravity the Coyote's greatest enemy.

9. The Coyote is always more humiliated than harmed by his failures

Comments

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

Have you read Ian Frazier's legal brief for 'Coyote vs. Acme' (reprinted in an issue of The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror)? It's hilarious.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I have and I agree that it is.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

"The Coyote Gospel", from Grant Morrison's run on Animal Man, is also pretty brilliant.

Do you mean Chuck Jones, rather than Chuck Young?

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Yes, I guess I do - the perils of cut & paste perpetrating somebody else's mistake. I'll edit accordingly so anybody copying this does not make the same mistake. Thanks.

[mashugenah.livejournal.com]

I think "Beep Beep" is more of a dramatic monologue.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Good point! Coyote did get to hold up a sign occasionally but I don't think that counts.

[littenz.livejournal.com]

My favourite of his signs was "Can we finish now?" as he fell from yet another mesa.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm always a fan of that type of self referential in joke too.