Papa Bär hat's mächtig schwer (1951) Online

It's Father's Day and "Junyer," who looks like Baby Huey except he's a bear in diapers, has set off a ton of alarm clocks early in the morning. The father, "Henry," gently tells his kid he's not happy with those clocks, punching his kid in the face! When Ma reminds Pa that it's Father's Day, Pa literally turns into "a first class heel."

That kind of sets the tone for this cartoon. The kid wants to pamper the old man for the day - but will kill him instead because he's so stupid (i.e. he spells "tobacco" g-u-n-p-o-w-d-e- r) and the father doesn't want the attention, just to be left alone. The mother is kind of goofy, too. This is a real dysfunctional family.

In the last three minutes, I laughed out loud a number of times as the material in here got better and better with some clever, dark humor lines. Junyar's one-act play and Ma's tap dancing are both flat-out hilarious.

This cartoon is absolutely delightful! While not the best series of cartoons Warner Brothers did, it was quite often effective. I rarely have much sympathy for Pa Bear, but here my heart goes out to him. This has got to be the most nightmarish Father's Day on record! The number of memorable scenes is quite high, but my favorite has to be whe Junyer fills Pa's pipe for him! Second has to be when Junyer shaves Pa! This is just wonderful. Cartoon Network runs this one fairly often. Most recommended. From the top of the key, he shoots and nothing but net at the buzzer!

The last of the cartoons featuring the three bears features Junyer celebrating Father's day much to the chagrin and broken bones of Pa. I have to say that the three bear characters were far from my favorites, but this last one was the best that they ever got. Which granted was a little above average, but that should count for something, right? This animated short can be seen on Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2. It also features an optional commentary by Micheal Barrier that is pretty informative, as well as a music and effect only track.

My Grade: B

"A Bear for Punishment" is a Warner Bros cartoon from 1951 (had its 65th anniversary last year) and if you hear the name of this company associated with the Golden Age of Animation, then the likes of Saffy, Porky and Bugs of course are what come to mind first I am sure. But there is also the Bear Family and this is the last of a series of cartoons starring Pa Bear, Ma Bear and their son. I thought this was a decent watch. It is funny right away hen we see the differences in size that Father Bear is considerably smaller than his son, and even slightly smaller than his wife. The focus in this quick comedy is on Father's Day and Pa Bear has to go through all kinds of stuff he really doesn't like, even if at times it does not become clear 100% why. Of course being thrown into a bucket of flour is nothing nice, but why was he so mad during the music show. Anyway, it was still well done overall I guess. The first half is about the comedy, the second is about music and political references even, also all comedic surely. The political references are no surprise as WB made statements before already, especially during the days of World War II. Overall, you can see that some of Warner Bros finest worked on this film, behind the camera as well as in front of it (including Bear Benaderet, oh yes I did!). Watch it if you like cartoons and I am positive you will like it as much as I did.

Chuck Jones was, and still is considered to be, one of the geniuses in animation with many classics under his belt. There is much to like about his barely talked about "Three Bears" series, and 'A Bear for Punishment' is one of the strongest.

It is also one of those cartoons that this reviewer appreciates and loves even more as a young adult. It is true that it is essentially plot-less but with everything being so well done this is a case of that not mattering.

The animation has Jones' distinctive animation style all over it, especially in the character designs. Everything is vibrantly coloured, the backgrounds are rich and meticulous in detail and it's all beautifully drawn. The music from Carl Stalling, though an uncredited Milt Franklyn also had a hand in orchestration, is typically outstanding, there is so much energy and life to the rhythms, orchestration is cleverly matched and lush and it fits so well with the action and adds to the impact.

What is especially good about 'A Bear for Punishment' is the humour. At its best, like the uproariously funny gag with the pipe and the riot that is the deliciously bizarre climax, 'A Bear for Punishment' is hilarious, and is unusually dark (but wonderfully so) and the satirical edge bites. The dialogue has plenty of wit and bite and the gags all work, starting very strongly and getting even better all the time.

Lack of story, as said already, is not an issue, it's still engaging and has not a single dull stretch and there's enough heart and charm too. The brilliant execution of the humour helps here too. All three characters are very well written, with Junyor coming off best. With the voice acting, sure you do miss Mel Blanc but Billy Bletcher, Bea Benaderet and Stan Freberg (three of the better and most prolific voice actors of the time) voice with every bit the same amount of enthusiasm and energy, if just lacking that special touch that Blanc had which was his ability to bring distinction and individuality to multiple characters (which in all fairness that opportunity is not necessarily given to them here).

Overall, hilarious and brilliantly executed cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

. . . a live-action release playing in theaters during Spring, 2016, but Papa Henry Bear gets top billing as the title character of this Warner Bros.' animated short, A BEAR FOR PUNISHMENT, perhaps the best Father's Day film ever made. About 3 minutes, 40 seconds into BEAR, Henry dons a Shriners' hat, giving away the fact that this Ode to Dads also is intended to expose all the Masonic Secrets to normal Americans. In the 1900s, most affluent (or Fat Cat) male White U.S. adults either belonged to the Masons or the Ku Klux Klan. The KKK were prevalent in the American South, while the Masons ruled the North. For instance, when I was looking for a parking spot in downtown Detroit the night the Orioles eliminated the Tigers from the 2014 MLB Playoffs, I remember that the towering but semi-abandoned Masonic Temple was the biggest building there. As Henry's wife (that is, Mama bear) trots out past her stripper's pole and bumps and grinds out her Happy Father's Day Promises around five and a half minutes into BEAR, viewers will realize that Warner is warning America that the Masons are a perversely wild sex club out to contaminate U.S. Culture with decadent Eurotrash notions. Average Americans took this caution to heart, and Today the Masons as a cult are about where the Shakers were in the late 1900s (that is, their youngest members have been drawing Social Security for two or three decades).

The lesser discussed by largely hilarious Three Bears series directed by Chuck Jones drew to a close in monumentally funny style with 'A Bear for Punishment'. A very simple premise makes for an hysterical cartoon. It's Father's Day and a reluctant Papa Bear must sit through his family's attempts to honour him in more and more violent or humiliating ways. This culminates in a ridiculous variety show which climaxes with a bizarre tableau in which the Three Bears assume the roles of Washington, Lincoln and the Statue of Liberty. As well as the ample laughs, 'A Bear for Punishment' also offers a slightly tragic angle as we witness the Baby Bear's unconditional love for his Pop contrasting with Papa Bear's genuine violent contempt for his son. As well as being a triumph of timing and an ability to draw riotous comedy out of an essentially plot less cartoon, 'A Bear for Punishment' is especially notable as a performance piece, with voice artists Billy Bletcher, Bea Benederet and Stan Freberg giving the most remarkable performances they ever gave as these characters. 'A Bear for Punishment' is a fittingly uproarious finale to an under appreciated series.

The three bears' cartoons from the Looney Tunes crowd aren't in my vocabulary as much as Bugs Bunny and his ilk are, but the two that I've seen ("Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears" and this one) I really like. "A Bear for Punishment" portrays Father's Day, and so Ma and Junyer try to make Pa happy...all the while irking him due to arch-incompetence and excessive affection. They should have just left the guy in peace! So, Chuck Jones had every reason to be proud of this cartoon. One can imagine how much fun voice artist Stan Freberg must have had turning Junyer into his dopey self. Really funny.

I wonder why Junyer is twice his father's size.

Bear for Punishment, A (1951)

** (out of 4)

Ma, Pa and Baby Bear star in this short that takes place on Father's Day as the dimwitted Baby tries to give dad a good gift but of course fails. BUGS BUNNY AND THE THREE BEARS is one of my favorite animated shorts but this here certainly isn't in the same league. I think one of the biggest things missing is the voice work of Mel Blanc as none of the bears here contain the same energy, charm and fun of the original. The voices here just aren't the same and it really takes away from the story because the grumpiness of Pa just comes off as cruel and not funny. There's one hilarious scene that has Baby Bear fixing dad a pipe, which doesn't go as planned and this here is without question the best scene in the movie.

"A Bear for Punishment" is a hilarious Warner Bros. cartoon that simply cannot be missed. Directed by the magnificent Chuck Jones, it stars the Three Bears. (Well, the WARNER BROS. version of the Three Bears, anyway.) Papa Bear, voiced by Billy Bletcher, is a short, hot-tempered grouch. Mama Bear, voiced by Bea Benaderet, is the mild-mannered voice of reason in the family. And "Junyer" Bear, voiced by Stan Freberg, is a seven-foot-tall diaper-donning pea-brain. Because it's Father's Day, Mama and Junyer go to ridiculous extremes to see to it that Papa has every bit of comfort and entertainment. They need not have bothered!

My favorite scenes in "A Bear for Punishment" include the following (PLEASE do not read any further if you have not yet seen this cartoon). By far the most hilarious scene in this short is that of Mama tap dancing and singing to the accompaniment of "I'm Just Wild About Harry". Junyer is quite funny as he chases Papa around the house while wielding a dangerously sharp razor and later as he recites his "My Pa!" poem.

"A Bear for Punishment" is probably the epitome of Father's Day disasters. Is it any wonder that the grumpy old Papa Bear cringes with increasing embarrassment as he watches Mama Bear & Junyer Bear present their theatrical Father's Day tribute?