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Pepe Le Pew Marathon Smells Fine For Valentine Day

Boomerang, Cartoon Networks commercial-free classic animation network, will present a Valentines Day mock-celebration Love Stinks! featuring that odiferous lover with a French accent, Pepe Le Pew, in a 24-hour marathon beginning at 6:00 on Feb. 14, 2005. Looney Tunes ardently amorous skunk earnestly tries to win the tender affections of unwitting females never quite succeed, he remains loves greatest champion through his enduring optimism and never-say-die commitment to the pursuit of lamore.

All 17 PEPE LE PEW animated shorts (including cameo appearances) will air in chronological order, which will then repeat throughout the day.

The world of classic cartoons is filled with famously romantic couples: Popeye and Olive Oil, Fred and Wilma, George and Jane as well as Lois and Clark, to name several, said Marc Buhaj, vp of programming and scheduling for Boomerang and Cartoon Network. But those celebrated pairings neednt hog the entire Valentine spotlight. I think viewers of all ages at one time or another have experienced the more common heartache of unrequited love, when fragile affections have been spurned and trampled or, at best, ignored. Thats why we decided to give Pepe Le Pew center stage this Valentines Day to serve as a beacon of hope to all whove loved and lost, that they too might never give up in their pursuit of romance.

First appearing as Stinky in the 1945 animated short, THE ODOR-ABLE KITTY, Pepe Le Pew hit movie screens around the world in 1947 (SCENT-IMENTAL OVER YOU) when story-man Michael Maltese created and refined the French skunk into a Looney Tunes superstar. Pepes unctuous accent (provided by Mel Blanc) and irresistible personality were based on famed French actors of the period Charles Boyer, Maurice Chevalier and others.

Pepe won an Academy Award for his starring role in FOR SCENT-IMENTAL REASONS, directed by the legendary animator Chuck Jones.

Pepe remained a popular Warner Bros. entry through 1962, when his final cartoon, LOUVRE COME BACK TO ME, was released to theaters. Pepe returned to the screen briefly in the 1990s, first in the Bugs Bunny 1995 animated parody of the 1942 classic CASABLANCA entitled, CARROTBLANCA, then in the 1996 live-action/animation hit feature, SPACE JAM, starring Michael Jordan.

Boomerang is also paying tribute every Saturday afternoon in February from 2-4:00 pm to Smurfette, the lead female character among tiny blue creatures in THE SMURFS.

In 1981, Hanna-Barbera introduced the Emmy Award-winning animated series to delighted audiences around the world. The show often focused on the love-lorn trials of Smurfette, the blonde beauty of the bunch who often used her uniquely feminine charms to help save the day when family and friends such as Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Clumsy Smurf and Grouchy Smurf ran into trouble they could not overcome on their own. Not part of the original graphic novel series created by Pierre "Peyo" Culliford in Belgium, HB added the leading lady, voiced by Lucille Bliss who provided the blend of sweetness, spunk and coquette-like attitude that made Smurfette one of the most enjoyable and memorable personalities among THE SMURFS.

Boomerang (www.Boomerang.CartoonNetwork.com) showcases Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Warner Bros. classic characters. Available in more than 15.8 million cable and satellite households, the network arranges its weekly schedule into three different programming categories designated by character strips, year (television season) and action-adventure genre. In partnership with Cartoon Network, the service boasts 75% unduplicated programming and is available to cable/satellite operators and their customers in Spanish.

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