I, Fudd - a rivalry is born

Edwina Fudd, nee Rudd, still has the slim figure and the flashing green eyes that broke hearts up and down the East Coast while she performed assorted roles from Shakespear. On Broadway she was a rising young star when she was cast as Desdemona in Elmer Fudd's production of Othello.

"That was the first time I'd met Elmer." she tells me, sitting at the same table in the study, her voice still strong and confident and reminiscent of her days on stage. "He was so charismatic, so talented, so charming. He'll tell you he's not funny but he's great at telling funny stories. He made me laugh. And he was intense. Passionate about his craft.

"But then, he brings in Wile (Coyote) from England. Wile was setting the world on fire over there and Elmer thought he'd make a great Iago to his Othello. He was right, and Elmer was so gracious to allow the newcomer to have that role--Iago is one of Shakespear's meatiest parts. But that's typical. Unfortunately, trouble started at that point."

Elmer and Coyote won raves--they had a great chemistry onstage. They were also notorious ladies' men, bachelors who ran up quite a score among beautiful young women.

That changed, though, when Elmer met Edwina. "Man, she was so beautiful." Elmer told me, with a wistful sigh. "Those eyes. That hair. Those freckles. Her laugh was like music. Her voice like a song. Her wit was razor sharp, dangerous and wonderful. I was in love. Crazy in love. I've never felt that way before. About anybody.

"But so was Wile. We were only a week or so into our run when we figured out we were going to have a problem."

"I suppose I could have just ended it by deciding between the two of them." Edwina said. "But I couldn't. Elmer was so . . .  so . . . he was just such a powerful prescence. Almost hypnotic. Sensuous and passionate. But then, Wile was so handsome, exotic--he's Czech, which made him a bit mysterious to me at that time. Charming, clever, and so talented. These two incredible actors, and they were both crazy in love with me. What's a girl to do?"

There were rumors of clashes between the two men over Edwina which esculated into a backstage brawl. Eventually the run came to a premature end--while Fudd and Coyote were consumate professionals and went onstage and performed every night, the cast and crew soon grew tired of the walking-on-eggshells atmosphere of the production and quit, en mass. Coyote remained in New York, havng made some connections, and was soon performing in other productions. Edwina  also made her decision.

"I had to pick. As much fun as I had with Wile, it was just a fling, really. He wasn't in his heart ready to settle down. Elmer was. That was that. But it was too late to stop the bitterness between them. They didn't speak again for several years."

Elmer decided he couldn't stay in New York any longer. After long meetings with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, it was decided that they would move to Hollywood, form a production company and try their hand at making films.

Looney Toons was born.