Ashes of Doom

. . . picture of All-Time, ASHES OF DOOM provides America's provincial Northern Neighbor's spin on the Dracula Saga. Granted, what passes for Art in the backwaters of Ghana, Guam, Guyana, Greenland, Mongolia and Canada won't necessarily pass muster in Tinsel Town, even by boon-dock standards. ASHES OF DOOM may be seen by some as a plunger short of a plumber's kit. Perhaps the best-loved foreign Dracula, Germany's NOSFERATU, had 36 total cast and crew credits, with a running time of 94 minutes. On the other hand, ASHES OF DOOM boasts 48 total cast and crew--33% more than NOSFERATU--but merely a 2-minute elapsed time--which is less than 3% as long as the German favorite. Furthermore, the opening credits for ASHES OF DOOM drag on for a mind-boggling 52 seconds, which is nearly HALF of it's total length!

. . . gave him the idea to make the opening credits for a two-minute life-or-death public service announcement 60 seconds or so long. To the uninitiated, Jones directed the two greatest trilogies of animated shorts ever created during the 1950's. Of course, Bugs and Elmer star in the Hunter trio--RABBIT FIRE (1951), RABBIT SEASONING (1952) and DUCK! RABBIT, DUCK! (1953). Jones interwove his triumphant Musical Triptych with the three entries in the Hunter set, beginning with RABBIT OF SEVILLE (1950), continuing through ONE FROG-GEE EVENING before concluding with that all-time great, WHAT'S OPERA, DOC? (1957). Jones had a wry sense of humor, which sometimes saw him providing buffoons with enough rope to string themselves up from the rafters of their batty belfries.