To Beep or Not to Beep

To Beep or Not to Beep
Merrie Melodies (Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner) series
A screenshot from To Beep or Not to Beep
Directed by	Chuck Jones Maurice Noble (co-director)
Produced by	David H. DePatie (Uncredited)
Story by	John Dunn Chuck Jones
Voices by	Paul Julian (uncredited)
Music by	Bill Lava
Animation by	Richard Thompson Bob Bransford Tom Ray Ken Harris Harry Love (effects animation)
Layouts by	Maurice Noble (uncredited)
Backgrounds by	Philip DeGuard
Studio	Warner Bros. Cartoons
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	December 28, 1963 (USA)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	6'
Language	English

To Beep or Not to Beep is a Merrie Melodies animated short starring Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner. Released December 28, 1963, the cartoon was written by Chuck Jones and John Dunn, and directed by Jones (Maurice Noble received credit as co-director). That is the final short that Chuck Jones directed at Warner Bros. during the original "classic" era.

The title is a play on the famous line in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. This installment of the Coyote-Road Runner series marked the first time that no Latin-esque terms are used to indicate who each character is.

Almost all of the footage was originally made as part of a television pilot named Adventures of the Road-Runner. The pilot was never sold, and several gags from the short were rearranged into this cartoon in a cost-cutting measure (a similar practice was used in the Three Stooges two-reelers of the mid-to-late 1950s). A whole new soundtrack was crafted by musician Bill Lava and editor Treg Brown.

Introduction: The opening scene shows Wile E. Coyote reading a "Western Cookery" recipe book in total peace. Completely unaware that his prey has zoomed up behind him to sneak a peek at his book, he slurps at the prospect of a road-runner banquet featuring "Road Runner Surprise," and gets answered by another slurp. Turning to find himself nose-to-beak with the Road Runner, the Coyote gives himself a real headache responding to a startling "BEEP-BEEP!" from point-blank range.

1. The Coyote places a lasso in the road, and pulls back as soon as he hears his opponent, but he soon realizes that (1) he missed, and (2) there is no room on the cliff behind him to step back. He falls toward the ground, and the end of the lasso latches onto a loose rock on another outcropping as he passes it. Thinking the rock will be heavy enough to support him and prevent the impact, Wile E. ties his end of the lasso around his waist, but doesn't realize that the rope is too long before hitting the ground at full force. Still dazed by his miscalculation and the resulting impact, the Coyote pulls on the lasso and dislodges the rock, which drops on himself, leaving his form coiled up as he walks away.