Author: Dr. Foolio

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Hyde and Hare

“You…are a mental case.”

During a particular nice day at the park, Bugs observes old people feeding the pigeons. He realizes that he guy who feeds him carrots should be here. Sure enough, there he is. Since they go through this routine every day, Bugs suggests he just become the man’s pet. The man agrees, but as you could probably tell by the title, he’s Dr. Jekyll!

Once home, he goes to get Bugs another carrot, but as he passes by his infamous formula, he gives in to temptation and drinks it. While making himself at home, Bugs finds the monster and tries to get the doc’s attention. He never catches on, despite the doctor and the monster switching places continually. He gives the doctor weapons and drags him into hiding places only for the same result.

Vowing to throw the formula away, the doc finds it gone. Bugs is insulted about being accused of drinking it, and leaves. However, as he gets back to the park, the potion takes effect…

Personal Rating: 3

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Baby Buggy Bunny

“Dada.”

A stick up at a local bank is taking place and the thief is a tall, shadowy figure. Or so it would seem. In reality, it’s a pint-sized burglar known as Ant Hill Harry, alias: Baby Faced Finster. That comes from the fact that he is able to disguise himself as a baby so he will not get noticed. (Because babies left alone in alleys are not suspicious.) After the cops go past, his buggy with the loot inside rolls away. The money lands in Bugs’ rabbit hole and he laughs at his fortune.

Thinking it over, Finster decides to play orphan so he can get in, and the guise fools the rabbit. Once inside the crook makes it clear he wants the money and holds his breath so Bugs will comply. Once he gets it though, he tries to escape. The rabbit never gets wise. Later at bedtime, every time Bugs turns out the light he gets clobbered. He pretends to turn out the light and sure enough Finster is the one responsible. He plays innocent and Bugs is still deceived… that is until he turns on the tube and sees a news report about the robbery that took place earlier. Bugs gets his revenge and Finster is sent to prison.

Personal Rating: 3

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Slick Hare

“If it’s rabbit baby wants, rabbit baby gets.”

At the Mocrumbo restaurant, (a takeoff of the real Mocombo , it seems like every star in Hollywood is there. Leopold Stokowsky conducts a jukebox, Gregory Peck cuts his steak with a razor, and Sinatra gets sucked into his own straw. Humphrey Bogart is ready to order, and despite Elmer telling him they are out, he demands fried rabbit. He tells Fudd he has twenty minutes to comply and if not… well…

Elmer finds Bugs and tells him that Bogart wants him for dinner. Bugs is happy to oblige until he finds out what is on the menu. He disguises himself as Groucho, only to find Elmer as Harpo. (Where did the real Harpo go? He was right there.) Running away, he hides in Carmen Miranda’s headdress.

One great dance scene later, he tricks Elmer into giving him pies to throw back at him. Fudd gets wise and throws one, only to hit Bogart. He demands his rabbit and Fudd fearfully tells him there is none. Humphrey says that his wife will just have to settle for a ham sandwich. Hearing this, Bugs is more than happy to let Lauren Bacall eat him.

Personal Rating: 3

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Rabbit Transit

“Lets agree not to cheat.”

(Note: Every time Cecil was used, he was with a different director. I don’t know. I think it’s fascinating.)

At an animal sauna (geysers) Bugs is reading the classic fable, “The tortoise and the hare.” He finds it ridiculous that a hare got bested by a tortoise. Yeah, Cecil is there too. He says he can beat Bugs. (This short forgets about the past two races. Shame, I was liking the continuity.) So a race is held to prove it.

Cecil is planning to cheat, but Bugs gets rid of almost all of his tricks. He did not however get rid of his rocket powered shell. Easily outrunning Bugs, he has time to send him a postcard. Feeling guilty Bugs sends a gift back. When Cecil gets it, Bugs jumps out and is in the lead again.

Cecil charges, but Bugs takes the shell for himself. It breaks down, and Cecil fixes and takes it back again. Bugs, however, puts water in it shorting it out. Soon, they are near the finish line and Cecil throws the race. Bugs boasts about how fast he was going, a 100 easy! Cut to the cops standing near a 30mph sign. Bugs swears revenge at the toitle as he is arrested. Iris out.

Personal Rating: 3

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Tortoise beats Hare

“I tell ya, it just don’t make sense.”

Sorry for the delay. Christmas came and with it, Looney Tunes. I have been watching a lot of new ones and now I am ready for more action!

This is an early Bugs Bunny cartoon, number 3 for him. It was also one of the few made by Tex Avery. (I just noticed, he directed Daffy, and Bugs’ first cartoons.) Back on topic, Bugs comes out and reads the title and credits. (Pronouncing them wrong) When he gets to the title, he freaks out and demands a race with the tortoise. Winner gets ten bucks.

When the race begins, Bugs is off and Cecil calls nine other turtles to help him cheat. Bugs is still running and passes one of them. Needless to say, he is dumbstruck. He leaves him behind, but no matter how fast he goes, he keeps finding a tortoise ahead of him. He tries leaving various debris in the path, and destroying a bridge, but when he comes to the end, Cecil is already there.

Bugs gives him the money and wonders if he was tricked. Cecil and the turtles (each holding a dollar) tell him its a possibility. (I should have talked about this one before the second one.)

Personal Rating: 4

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Little Red Riding Rabbit

“Hey grandma! That’s an awfully big nose for you… ta have!”

Just like the original story, we open with Red going to her grandma’s house. She is an annoying, loud, bobbysoxer, who is obsessed with getting the story right. She is going to give her grandma a rabbit and as to be expected, a wolf makes it there first. (Grandma is not home.)

When Red arrives, the wolf kicks her out because all he wants is the rabbit. He chases Bugs through a great gag involving lots of doors. After this, Bugs decides to be helpful and show where he is hiding. Throughout this whole cartoon, Red keeps coming in to say her lines only for the wolf to throw her out again.

In the climax, the wolf is dangling over a pan of hot coals, and just as Bugs is about to make him fall, Red comes in again. Fed up, Bugs switches her with the wolf. Now the two are pals. It looks like a beginning to a beautiful friendship.

Personal Rating: 4

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The Heckling Hare

“Uh… flowers.”

Willoughby is out sniffing and, finding a hole, decides to dig for whatever reason. Bugs appears and the chase is on. After that, Bugs starts imitating his adversary’s faces and pretty soon, he gets Willoughby to copy him. He then clobbers him with a bat. Bugs dives into a lake and the chase briefly continues underwater.

After they get out, Bugs dives behind a tree while Willy reaches into the knot hole for him. Bugs puts a tomato in his paw and when he squishes it, he pines for the rabbit he “crushed.” Of course, once he realizes it was a trick he digs again only, to dig through a cliff! He manages not to fall but ends up walking off the cliff. Bugs is not remorseful but doesn’t watch his step and winds up falling too!

It’s too bad that Avery’s initial choice of ending; wherein the two would land safely, only to fall off another cliff was frowned upon. This would eventually lead to Avery leaving for MGM. It’s not like his work there could be considered bad cartoons (“King Sized Canary” is one of my favorite films, ever.) but it would have been great if Tex stayed. I’d really like to see how that reality would have panned out.

Personal Rating: 3, but it probably could have reached 4 if Avery had been allowed to end it how he wanted to.

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Willoughby

Warner bros. had plenty of dog characters, but most of them would only get the honor of appearing in one cartoon. Maybe two. One of the lesser known that still makes my five appearance rule, is this canine.

Willoughby in one word is: stupid. I’m sorry, but he is. That does not mean I hate him. He is quite funny. He is a bloodhound I think, and the majority of his pictures were him hunting. Of course he would fail. Whether it was a quail, Bugs, or a fox, he never was able to catch what he was after. By far his greatest appearance (in my opinion) is “An Itch in Time.” (A short that I should really talk about soon.

As a final note, you might find it interesting to know that this dog was voiced not by Blanc, but by his creator,  Tex Avery.

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Hare Conditioned

“Hmm…taxadoimy.”

At a department store, there’s a smaller store that is having a sale on sporting goods. As a nice touch, they also have a rabbit hopping around. The bad news is that the sale is over and Bugs is going to be…stuffed! The manager (a caricature of an old radio person, the Great Gildersleeve) is yellow and has an annoying laugh. When Bugs realizes what’s to become of him, a chase starts.

Bugs dresses in drag and yellow guy becomes a pervert. Soon after he learns it’s a ruse, and they begin the chase again. Each time they run into a clothing section, they come out wearing the wares. Soon, Bugs has been cornered on the roof of the building (this reveals Bugs’ eye color to be blue) and running out of tricks, tells about a story he was reading.

There was a situation like this, but behind the big character was a “frankinsense” monster. Bugs leaps behind him and makes a face. This scares the manager, and he leaps off the building. Bugs makes the face to himself and is so scared he jumps too.

Finally: I wonder why Porky does the ending. I think that’s the only time he did that for a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

Personal Rating: 3

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The Hare-Brained Hypnotist

“Who’s the comedian in this picture anyway?”

Typical start. Elmer is hunting and he reads that animals are dumb* and can easily be hypnotized. He bumps into a bear and unlike most people (or his past self) he does not freak out and uses his new found knowledge to get the ursine to believe he is a canary. It actually works and the bear flies away.

Bugs pops up and Elmer immediately tries his new skill but just ends up with a balloon lookalike. He does not notice he is floating away until the bear flies by. He shoves his gun into the hole and a tug of war ensues. After this, Elmer breaks down and Bugs agrees to let him have a try at the hypnotism thing. However, Bugs hypnotizes Elmer instead and has him believe he’s a rabbit. Guess who Elmer takes after?

He acts like Bugs, while Bugs begins hunting Elmer, so he can snap him out of it. It climaxes with Elmer hypnotizing Bugs at last, but Bugs laughs because he can’t be hypnotized. Noticing the time, he flies to the airport. He is a B-19 after all.

* I will never type this again

Personal Rating: 3