Category: Merrie Melodies

Cartoons that were labeled as such.

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Wackiki Wabbit

“Ah! White man!”

Don’t let the title fool you. There is no Fudd in this short.

Our main characters are two castaways. Let’s call them Fatty and Slim. They must have been afloat for days because they are trying to eat one another without the other one noticing. That is until they spot an island. They arrive and explore their new locale. They spot Bugs and immediately declare him food. (It’s official. They’re gonna starve.) Bugs runs and they find him doing a tribal dance. He spouts some long gibberish which translates to “What’s up, Doc?” Then he says something short which is translated as a huge saying. Slim thanks him and his words get translated into Bug’s dialect. (“Did you say that?” Fatty asks.) Bugs dances and they join in allowing him to escape.

Consulting their book on the Sea Islands, (as opposed to the numerous land ones.) they learn that the natives dive into water to retrieve coins. (No, I don’t know where they got the book.) After they toss a coin into their cauldron of water, Bugs steals the whole thing. Luckily for them, he uses it as a bath and doesn’t notice what it’s intended for until he joins in their singing of “We’re gonna have roast rabbit!” He goes to his tree house and attaches a chicken to some strings. He freaks out the men by making it look like the chicken is scolding them. However the strings tangle causing the puppet to reveal Bugs. They pull on the strings bringing Bugs with it.

He runs and takes the chicken meat with him. The men break down and cry. Then to their luck, a boat arrives. They are so happy they fail to notice Bugs has switched places with them, until the boat vanishes over the horizon. They see each other as food before chasing each other into the hills. (Personally, my money’s on Slim) I’ve heard a rumor this short was based on a real experience of Jones where he was shipwrecked. Anyone know if that’s true?

Personal Rating: 3

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Case of the Missing Hare

“Look Doc! Do I go around nailing signs over your house?”

So this cartoon begins with a magician nailing signs everywhere to advertise his show. (At least, I think so. He does it very subtly.) The magician’s name is Ala Bahma. He is in the middle of nailing a sign over a tree. Bugs burst out. Apparently he lives in a tree now. (I guess Ala nailing a sign over a hole in the ground would be a little TOO weird. Even for a cartoon.) Ala is a jerk and quickly nails a new one. When Bugs complains, Ala throws a “blacksberries” pie in his face and leaves laughing. Bugs is not amused.

Later at his show, Ala prepares for his first trick: pulling a rabbit out of a hat. Cue Bugs. He pulls himself out of the hat, and steals Ala’s applause. He tells Ala to tempt him with a carrot. Ala tries to do so, but Bugs hits him over the head with his hammer. Later, Ala nails his hat shut so Bugs can’t bother him any more. His next trick requires a young boy’s assistance. Bugs comes up (dressed up in a Pinocchio like get up,) and Ala explains the trick. Bugs will be in a basket and Ala will seemingly stick swords into him. While doing so, Bugs appears to squeal in pain in the basket. (One of the greatest Looney Tunes moments ever.)

Ala finds Bugs is the one handing him the swords, so Ala prepares to murder him and Bugs plays “red light green light” with him. To finish off, he gives him an exploding cigar. The magician is dazed and in a sense of poetic justice, Bugs hits him in the face with another “blacksberries” pie.

Personal Rating: 3

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Homeless Hare

“Well toodles, do I get my home back or do I have to get tough?”

Sorry for lack of updates last week. It was my birthday and I did not feel doing my mediocre, tiny blog posts that I call “working”. But now I’m back, and ready with a new short!

At a construction site, Bug’s house is accidentally dug up. Despite asking very politely to put his home back, the worker dumps ‘im into a pile. The worker (who Bugs dubs Hercules) laughs until Bugs drops a brick on his face with a note that declares war. Hercules hops in an elevator and tries to reach Bugs who is controlling the elevator and he ultimately sends Herc into a vat of wet cement.

Bugs dresses as a foreman and demands that Herc build a huge tower. At the top Hercules is balancing on a thin board balanced by a pile of bricks. Bugs takes great delight in removing them one by one. (Best scene of the picture, right there.) Herc gets his revenge by swinging an I beam into Bugs’ face, which sends him on a dazed walk where in the classic cartoon way, he is saved by various machinery before falling into a rain barrel.

Bugs devises a clever plan, and drops a red-hot rivet which travels along a complex path before landing on a rope, burning said rope, and dropping a huge piece of machinery on Hercules. He concedes defeat and agrees to give his home back. The building gets built still, but now it’s built around Bugs rabbit hole.

Personal Rating: 4

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Bowery Bugs

“Sorry, Mac! Me luck’s run out!”

In the only Bugs Bunny cartoon to be directed by Arthur Davis, we find Bugs telling some random old man the story of how a man named Steve Brody jumped off the Brooklyn bridge. (For the record: Brody was a real guy, and he survived his fall. He did not, however, sound like Billy Bletcher.) The tale starts with Brody deciding that his life needs a lucky charm and so he goes in hunt of a rabbits foot. (Why are just they considered lucky? Surely the rest of the body it is attached to counts for something.)

Bugs eludes injury by telling the fellow to visit someone known as the Swami Rabbitima instead. Brody ( for the record, is voiced by Billy Bletcher) goes and finds this swami. (Bugs in disguise.) The swami tells him that a man with a carnation will be his lucky mascot, if he keeps him nearby at all times, success is sure to follow. Brody finds this man, (Bugs in disguise.) and drags him to a casino. He wins nothing and gets booted out to…boot.

He heads back to the “swami” for revenge but forgets it after he is told that he will find true love. He spots a girl (Bugs in disguise…again.) who acts offended and gets Brody in trouble with a cop. Back with the “swami.” He asks why Brody why he wants good luck so bad. Brody just wants some dough. That’s a fair request, right? The swami tells him where he can gets lots of it. Brody ends up at a bakery, baked into a pie by the baker. (Bugs in… oh screw it.) Brody realizes that the baker IS Bugs and deduces that he was everyone else too. Driven to insanity, he jumps. Bugs finishes his story and the old man buys it. (Literally.)

Personal Rating: 3

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The Wabbit who came to Supper

“Oh, that you Murt? How’s every little ting?”

Bugs is on the run from Elmer and his pack of dogs. Just as he is about to meet his fate, Fudd (in his fat design) gets a telegram. Elmer’s uncle Louie has just decided that when he dies his $3,000,000.00 will go to Fudd. There’s just one catch: no harming animals. Especially Rabbits. (I dunno, maybe its a test to see if he’s worthy? Or Louie just really loves animals. Rabbits in particular.) Elmer grants Bugs his freedom and goes home to find the wabbit in his shower.

Elmer pulls a gun on him, but Bugs reminds him of his Uncle’s words. Elmer begs Bugs to leave and ultimately locks him out of the house. Bugs puts on a act that he is dying in the cold, and mentions that the scene should get him an academy award. (Here’s a legit question: WHY DIDN’T LOONEY TUNES GET ONE TIL 1948!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?) But clearly I digress. Elmer brings him in and caters to his every whim.

Soon he gets a note telling of his uncle’s passing. However, dues to tax deductibles it ends up with Elmer actually owing money. Free of his burden, he chases Bugs. Bugs tries to pass it off as New Year’s Eve, and pulling his drag routine for the first time, before finally running from the house. But at least he was kind enough to leave Elmer a gift: An Easter egg full of little rabbits.

Personal Rating: 3

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A Hare grows in Manhatten

“I’ll moidalize ya!”

We begin with a voice identified as Lola Beverly. She is in Hollywood and aims to interview the stars. Naturally, we come to Bugs. He tells his life story which begins with him being born in New York. He grows up, and one day runs into a gang of dogs. (Yep. That one with the derby is Spike.) They think they spy an easy target and “dogpile on the rabbit” (with Bugs being the one on top.)

Bugs ducks into a sewer and when Spike tries to follow, he smacks his head on the manhole. Bugs pulls the ole “Does the rabbit have big ears, a fluffy tail, and hops” gag, with a great response from Spike that I’m not about to spoil.  After catching on, the chase continues. Bugs hides in a cigarette ad, which rats him out, so he sends Spike over the edge of the building with a stick. Spike grabs on to a clothes line, but Bugs plays Tweety and slowly removes his toes. (Apparetnly Spike was Bug’s 30th dog that day.)

Bugs walks on, thinking he’s rid of the canines, when they corner him in an alley. He grabs a book to defend himself but there’s no need. The dogs leave when they read the title: “A tree grows in Brooklyn”

Personal Rating: 4

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Hare Remover

“All out of expewamentew animaws. I’ll have to twap a wabbit.”

So now that the site is two years old, I’m trying to improve it anyway I can. So now if I can’t find a clip, I’ll still try to find a picture for the short.

In this short, Elmer is a scientist. He never says what he is working on, but I assume it’s a standard Jekyll/Hyde formula. He gives some to his lab dog, who rushes out to eat grass. (I only assume it does not work, you don’t need to  invent something that makes dogs eat grass.) Since that was his last “guinea pig,” Fudd decides to trap a lagomorph. (To use Latin.)

He sets up a trap, and Bugs comes out, amazed such obvious traps still exist. Taking pity, he decides to play along and gets in. (Notice Elmer seems to have buck teeth in this short?) Back at the lab, the formula seems to have no effect on Bugs. Elmer gives up. (Scientists have to be used to failure, so I guess it’s true when he says he’s a horrible scientist.) To calm him down (or maybe to give him a taste of his own medicine,) Bugs gives him a drink of the concoction. I still don’t know if it works. Elmer freaks out, so does it only work on people? He runs to join his dog in grass eating but on the way he runs into a bear, leaving his hat behind.

The bear walks to the lab, and when Bugs sees the ursine wearing Fudd’s hat he assumes the potion did it. He whips up something to turn him back. The bear drinks it and hates the taste. Bugs flees for his life. The bear takes a bite out of Bug’s carrot to remove the taste in his mouth. Fudd comes back and seeing the bear with the carrot, also assumes the stuff worked. He whips up a potion to remove the effects, but the bear is not drinking that again. Bugs reappears and Elmer flees from what he now knows is 100% bear.

Bugs advises him to play dead, and just like in “Wabbit Twouble” it works. Fudd is relieved, but Bugs acts like a bear to torment him. Elmer continues to play dead while the real bear concludes that the two are insane.

Personal Rating: 3

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Hare Force

“Heavens to Betsy! A poor, little, rabbit out in the cold!”

It is a cold evening. Our setting is a house that is home to a Proto-Granny and a dog named Sylvester. (Proto putty-tat? I’ll leave that up to you. He looks more like Willoughby to me) Sylvester is happy to be in front of a toasty fire but is angered when Bugs is found at the door and he is instructed to take care of the rabbit. As soon as the old lady leaves, he throws Bugs out. Bugs makes a snowman in his likeness and when the guilt-ridden dog brings it in, he flips out when it melts.

Bugs tells him to hide outside, but when he hears the granny returning, he pretends the frozen dog is posing for a picture. After getting put out again, Sylvester jams a stick in the door frame to keep the door open, but Bugs closes the bottom half anyway. Later, Bugs feels guilty and when he goes to let the dog in, he gets put out. They continuously throw each other out until the woman gets fed up and decides to throw them both out. They form a truce and toss her out instead.

Personal Rating: 3

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What’s Opera, Doc?

“Oh mighty warrior of great fighting stoooock! Might I inquire to ask, ‘Ehh, What’s up Doooc?!'”

This is the greatest cartoon ever. (Or so says “The 50 Greatest Cartoons” I’d trust it.) While I don’t personally agree, I can agree this is some fine work.(In my opinion, it’s “Porky In Wackyland” which is also on the list.) This whole cartoon is an opera, and Elmer (as Siegfreid) sings that he is hunting wabbits. Bugs appears and Fudd tells him he will use his spear and magic helmet. (Which can control weather) Bugs runs away just as Elmer gets wise.

Bugs renters the picture in disguise as Brunhilde. (Riding the world’s fattest horse, I might add.) They dance and sing and proclaim their love just as Bug’s disguise falls off. In his fury, Elmer conjures up many forces of weather to kill da wabbit. (Blanc yells Elmer’s line of “SMOOOOOOG!” The man is a good yeller.) After this, Elmer sees Bugs is dead (Yes, really.) He feels remorse and carries Bugs into the sunset. As the cartoon ends, Bugs asks us if we honestly expected a happy ending.

Personal Rating: 5

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Stage Door Cartoon

“Bewieve it or not, I’m hunting a cewtain wascawwy wabbit.”

Elmer is hunting Bugs and has a genius idea of using a fishing pole. Bugs hooks it to Elmer’s pants and then offers to help reel him in. Finding him too small, Bugs throws him back and then Fudd chases him into the city. There, Bugs hides in a theater for cover and Elmer follows. He traps Bugs on stage where in order to please the crowd, he dances, and then plays a piano Elmer is hiding in.

When the curtain comes up again, Bugs gets Elmer to dive into a glass of water and then gets him to make faces at the audience. Bugs puts on a disguise and the next thing Elmer knows, he’s being arrested by a sheriff, (Pretty much a Proto-Yosemite Sam.) for his indecency. As they leave, a Bugs Bunny short comes on and the sheriff insists they watch.

It turns out to be the cartoon we are watching right now and when Elmer sees Bug’s putting on a disguise he pulls off the sheriff’s clothes to reveal… a sheriff in his underwear. As the sheriff takes Fudd away to be hung, Bugs reveals he disguised himself as the music conductor.

Personal Rating: 3