Bugs Bunny Superstar Part 1

A 1975 documentary, narrated by Orson Welles of all people. It begins by showing us many of our country’s greatest landmarks. (The U.S.A. for anyone foreign visiting) One of which, is the studio that we know as Termite Terrace. The birthplace of the greatest cartoon character ever, (Porky may be my favorite, but based on greatness I can’t argue) Bugs Bunny. After showing us the short “What’s Cookin Doc?” Clampett tells us that the cartoons were made primarily for adults. (And yet, Watch mojo didn’t know this, putting Looney Tunes as the number one cartoon series made for kids that adults watch. morons) We see alot of awesome merchandise too. I want most of it. Okay, I want all of it. We learn that they were the only animation studio in the WB lot and as such, they were close to the greats. Clampett actually recalls seeing Jolson put on his make-up for the Jazz Singer. (Isn’t it a shame that the first talking film had racsism in it?) Being so close, meant that the stars would freqeuntly poke their heads in, to see what was being drawn. Doing this so often, of course meant that they would be caricatured. Clampett was teamed up with Tex Avery and they named their new HQ Termite Terrace. (So named, because of the dilapidated state of the place) They had good times as Tex and Friz Freleng tell us that they basically did waht they wanted. We’re then shown the short “A wild hare.” (Which for some reason is called THE wild hare here.) From the mid depression to the end of WWII was what they considered their golden age. A time when most of their characters were born. Back then, they had to be their own models for their drawings, so they could sketch the faces just right. We’re also told, tht despite the fact Bug’s carrot looks like Groucho’s cigar, the bit is actually based on Clark Gable eating a carrot in “It happened one night.” Saying that watching that scene, they didn’t see Gable, only a giant rabbit. They also acted out the scenes too, as we see Avery pretend to be a scarecrow. Mentioning Carl Stalling, we actually see some of his scores. But it’s more fun to listen to, and we are shown “A Corny Concerto.” (Finally. A short I talked about) But of course, Bugs wasn’t the only star there, as Clampett explains that Tweety was based on his own nude baby photos. He also mentions that the censors complained about Tweety being naked, and yet, they never noticed that Porky had no pants. (Porky is too cool for that) To end off part 1, we are shown the short, “I taw a putty tat.”

Part two will come someday. If you’re reading this in the futrure, then it may already be here. Go check it out.

Rabbit Romeo

“Women don’t chase men in America.”

Is it possible to be too attractive?

Directed by Robert McKimson

Acme Animal Delivery Service has just delivered a package to Elmer from his ncle, Judd Fudd. (I love that name.) The crate contains a rare species of slobovian rabbit. Her name is Millicent and if Fudd will hold on to her for awhile, Judd will give him $500.00 for the trouble. Elmer is momentarily shocked to find out how…”interesting” Millie looks. (“Wooks aren’t evewything, you know!”) He shows her to her room, but she immediately begins throwing a tantrum. Calling a vet, Elmer learns that slobovian rabbits prefer the company of other rabbits, and hey, who doesn’t? Elmer sets out to get one.

Bugs meanwhile, has been on a diet of icicles, and takes Elmer’s carrot bait without question. Elmer brings him home and Millicent immediately falls for her new boyfriend. Bugs is less than amused. She demands a kiss, so Bugs shoves a goldfish to her lips. She likes it. The fish shoots himself.  (Suicide CAN be funny. You just have to know how to do it.) Bugs tries to hide, but Millie’s strength easily helps remove him from his hiding places. She wants marriage now, and Bugs tries to teach her how the Americans do it: A long courtship.

She rushes through that to get to the good parts. (I love Bug’s annoyed face here.) Not willing to stick around, Bugs jumps out the window, but Elmer marches him back in at gunpoint. Millie next tries to get Bugs to do a traditional slobovian courtship dance. (“When in Slobovia, do as the other slobs do.”) He tries to dance away, but Elmer brings him back again, and tells him to go snuggle with his mate. Fudd goes to bed, and Bugs suggests eloping. Millie agrees and Bugs lets her climb out of the room first. He lets her plummet from the windowsill, leading to a very angry rabbit banging on the door. (That’s June Foray as Millicent. Out of all her roles as deep voiced women, this is my favorite.)

Bugs wakes up Elmer, and tells him that Uncle Judd is here. He gives Fudd a bathrobe to slip on, which is really a rabbit suit. As soon as Millicent sees this, she dumps Bugs and chases Elmer into the hills. Bugs: “Ain’t I the little matchmaker?”

Personal Rating: 4

Looney Tunes: Back in Action! (Deleted Scenes and Final Thoughts)

At least, these are the deleted scenes on my DVD copy of the movie.

Scene #1: An alternate opening. A Batman parody with Daffy as Batman and Elmer as some evil music composer type character. He plays a pipe-organ robot that destroys the city. The citizens running include: Ralph Phillips, Hercules, and Giovanni Jones. Porky and Speedy play the cops. Daffy easily stops Elmer, but the Warner Bros. stop this script reading there, stating that Daffy can’t kill Elmer. Daffy mentions that he comes back from the dead, and Elmer runs off crying in fear.

Scene #2: A bunch of romance scenes involving Kate and D.J., the funniest being Bugs and Daffy pointing out their obvious attractions. (Daffy: “He likes long walks on the beach…” D.J.: “You just made that up.” Bugs: “And she has a weakness for unemployed guys.” Daffy: “And he has a weakness for being unemployed.”)

Scene #3: A bunch of gags at Area 52. Including: Bug’s dressing up as a boxing referee, and getting two Daleks to fight each other, and D.J. feeding one of the fiends without a face to a triffid.

Scene #4: When Bob is holding Kate hostage on the Eiffel Tower, D.J. is constantly buying paperweights from a gift shop and throwing them at Bob’s head

Scene # 5: Kate having more of a sense of humor. Telling the “impatient cow knock-knock joke” and playing hairdresser with Gossamer. (Wait why wasn’t he in this movie?)

Scene # 6: A scene showing what happens at ACME when you don’t push your buzzer. Mr. Chairman has you wrapped up in plastic wrap.

Scene #7: Final scene. In this draft, the Blue Monkey apparently reverts something to an earlier state. At the temple, D.J. has turned his dad into a monkey so he can get away. Mr. Chairman rants about wanting to throw people into the lava, and Bugs getting zapped and turns into Proto-Bugs. (Great gag.) Daffy gets a hold of the diamond and accidentally turns Bugs and Kate into neanderthals. (Bug’s from “Mad as a Mars Hare”) Daffy accidentally aims at himself and becomes an egg. A whistle blows, and Bob leaves his shift and actually talks. Mr. Chairman pulls Taz out of a bag to frighten our heroes. D.J. aims at Mr. Chairman who claims it will only make him smarter, because of him being descended from geniuses. D.J. instead shoots Tweety who has been around this whole time. Mr. Chairman gets the diamond before realizing birds are descended from dinosaurs. The Tweetysaurus flies up and eats him, and Taz crumbles to bits.

Scene #8: Various Daffy gags. Naming restaurants he’s banned at, saying he has special needs, becoming part fly at Area 52, (thanks to Bugs) and various bits of him getting hurt at the temple.

These deleted scenes are very fun to watch as Bugs and Daffy provide the commentary.

Final thoughts: I love this movie! It has action, heart, comedy, cartoons, an entertaining villain, and I can watch it time and time again and not get bored. To me it is the best movie I ever saw.  Are there any problems I have? Well, yes. I still question Shaggy and Scooby being there, and I still hate the part where Taz farts. And I have a very personal problem of there not being enough Porky. But those are small complaints.

It’s a shame that this movie was a flop. But it might have been avoided if the W.B. had advertised it better.  If you’ve never seen this movie, then I think you really ought to. I don’t care who you are or what your preferences are, watch this film!

A fun little side note, you may or may not know this, but on the special features menu, you can highlight the water tower and find a scene of Sam blowing up. Eater egg!

Personal rating: Well, I hate to do this, but I’d probably have to give this film a 3 for the majority of people. It’s good, but I can’ see it converting anyone. Then again, if you are already a full-fledged Looney-tic, then all the cameos, in-jokes, and beautiful blending of live action and animation, earns this a 4. (If you’re me or my clone, then it’s a 5. And well deserved of that number.)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action! (Part 4)

A nice shot of France is shown. (Hey look. It’s Madeline. Clever) Our group is in the Lourve, and they come to the painting they seek. Not understanding what they are supposed to do, Kate sarcastically comments that they’ll have to steal it. (Which Bugs and Daffy are more than willing to do.) Playing with the card, they realize the back part comes off. It’s a window and when they hold it up to the painting, it becomes an x-ray. It shows her underwear (laugh) but also a map to Africa. That must be where the diamond is! They take a picture, (Daffy hopping up and down because he wants to take one) when Elmer appears.

Despite the fact Bugs and him made 35 pictures together. (No really. That’s the correct amount.) He’s “secwetwee evuw”. Bugs and Daffy distract him with card tricks while Kate and D.J. make their escape. Kate mentions that they’ll be all right because Elmer never gets Bugs. That’s what has kept their routine fresh all these years. D.J. is glad real life is different than films, because if this was a movie, then Kate would probably be kidnapped. Completely unaware of the fact that Bob has taken her.

The toons meanwhile, are chasing each other through the paintings. In “The Persistence of Memory” they are melting. (Hey, if the watches can melt, it’s hot enough.) It’s so hot that Elmer’s words become pictures. They run into “The Scream” and get yelled in the face. When Bug’s steps on Elmer’s foot, he makes the same face. (Creepy.) But while they are having fun experimenting with different animation styles, D.J. is still chasing after Bob. He alerts French policeman, Pepe Le Pew about the man carrying the woman away in a bag. But maybe he should have told a different guy. (Pepe is probably thinking that he now knows how to keep Penelope with him.) His scent  soon chases D.J. away.

Back in the Lourve, the trio chases each other into “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” After they exit, Elmer is still pointalized and Bugs dispatches of him with a fan. At the Eiffel Tower, Bob takes Kate to the top. D.J., having lost too much time with Pepe, pulls out the controls for his spy pants and gets ready to fly up there. His pants fly away without him. Immediately, he is heckled by the three bears on vacation. Henrey wasn’t really being a jerk, (I mean c’mon. Who wouldn’t point out the hilarity of flying pants?) but D.J. steals the bear’s pants anyway. (And people wonder why Henrey turned out the way he did.)

Bob waves down a helicopter piloted by Beaky Buzzard. (So he’s also on Acme’s side? Too bad we don’t get more out of him. At least he has a line here. Unlike “Space Jam.”) Bob takes Kate’s phone and begins to fly away. Kate jumps on him, but loses her grip and falls. D.J. uses the spy phone’s grappling hook to grab her and swing themselves to a cafe where Bugs and Daffy are waiting. Kate hugs D.J. assuring us that they will end up together by the end of the film. Even though they lost the picture, Bug’s still has the card. They begin making plans for Africa! (Next week is the final part! Don’t miss it!)

Looney Tunes: Back in Action! (Part 1)

“It’s a little adventure I call: “Daffy Duck’s quest for the Blue Monkey!””

Great to be back. I’ve been waiting forever to blog about this. So let’s begin.

First: the plot. (I’m going to go into a lot of detail here.) Our film starts with magic: Elmer hunting for “wabbits.” Daffy, is of course changing the duck season signs to rabbit season. When Elmer shows up, Bugs does the classic switch line, and a quick montage of Daffy’s beak being blow off ensues. Daffy suddenly interrupts the cartoon. (But it was just getting to the good part!) He is reading a script, the script for this movie. He tells the Warner Brothers that this is a terrible idea for a film.

Bugs appears; he drops a few names. (I’m pretty sure it’s a tribute to Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, and Mel Blanc.) He agrees to stay out of the movie, per Daffy’s request, but the vice president of comdey, Kate Hottan, (Jenna Elfman) says it can’t work without him. Daffy tells the studio heads to choose between the two of them, and he is promptly fired. (Look in the background. Poster’s for “Rabbit of Seville“, “Hair Raising Hare“, and “Baseball Bugs“.)

Elsewhere at the studio, (see this is already an improvement of “Space Jam“. It goes the “Roger Rabbit” route and makes toons real citizens. I love “Space Jam“, but even I can tell it’s not perfect. Confusing setting for starters.) A man named D.J. (Brendan Fraser) is auditioning for the role of a stuntman. (The Crusher is one of two people judging his performance.) He doesn’t get the job. We learn that his father, Damien, is the most popular star at the studio. D.J.’s main job is a security guard, but mainly because he doesn’t want to get any roles based on nepotism.

While washing a car, he sees Kate, escorting Daffy out. Bugs is following close behind. She tells D.J. to get rid of Daffy. While they chat Bugs switches places with Daffy because it’s funny, and Daffy escapes. D.J. goes after him in an amusing chase sequence. Daffy runs onto the set of a Batman movie and tries to steal the Batmobile. D.J. gets him but Daffy already turned the car on and it crashes into the water tower and floods the studio. (Hope the Warner siblings weren’t home.) D.J. is fired. (Sure it wasn’t his fault, but Daffy certainly isn’t going to vouch for him.) Kate and Bugs meanwhile, are at lunch.

Interesting cameos here. Porky and Speedy are currently out of work due to political correctness. Speedy I can begrudgingly understand. Not Porky. And unfunny? HOW DARE YOU! Heads will roll. Shaggy and Scooby are also there, telling Matthew Lillard they weren’t impressed with his live action role. One of my few problems with the movie. It’s an awesome joke that can only be pulled off in a movie like this, but why are they here at all? It’s called “Looney Tunes Back in Action”. I know that WB owns them, but they are not part of the title group! If you have to do this, go all out. Put in other Warner owned characters. Animaniacs. Teen Titans. The possibilities aren’t endless, but they’re tons of fun!

Bugs and Kate are discussing the movie. Behind them, Ralph and Sam are eating lunch together. Sam beats Ralph up for attempting to eat a sheep. Kate tells Bugs that he needs a female co-star. (Background images: pictures of Hugo the abominable snowman (“The Abominable Snow Rabbit”) Buddy, the Gremlin, (“Falling Hare“) and I think Chuck Jones. There’s also a poster for “Singing in the Rain” starring Bugs, Daffy, and Lola. Her only appearance in the film. And a missed opportunity for a special feature!) Bugs tells her that he plays females, as he demonstrates. This causes Michigan J. Frog behind him to start singing. Kate says that nowadays it’s creepy, and no longer funny. Wrong, woman. Bugs is one of the few guys who can do that and never look gay. (The demolition worker takes Michigan again. Probably going to try and sell yet another froggy evening.)

D.J. gets home and it turns out he lives next door to Granny, Tweety, and Sylvester. (Yes, she’s still played by June Foray.) Going inside, D.J. finds that Daffy followed him home. Daffy briefly bemoans the fact he was fired, but instantly perks up when he learns who D.J.’s father is. Even believing he’s a real spy. D.J. hears a ringing from his remote and turns on a recording of his father telling him to go looking for a diamond called the Blue Monkey, because Daffy was spot on: the acting was an act! He IS spy!. He also tells his son to locate someone named Dusty Tails in Las Vegas. Naturally, a promise of a diamond has Daffy volunteering to come along. They take a gremlin car that Daffy is convinced is a spy car. (The “Gremlins” theme plays. Brilliant easter egg.) They drive off, and with the space claer, the real spy car reveals itself.

At the studio, it’s pretty clear that the movie needs Daffy to work. Elmer actually ends up shooting Bugs! (And the rabbit is milking it for he’s worth.) Despite the fact that the heads were the ones who fired Daffy, they blame Kate. If she wants to keep her job, she needs to get him back by Monday. But that might be a mite difficult… After D.J. finally gets sick of throwing him out of the gremlin, Daffy mocks D.J. for being a security guard and D.J. tells him he’s really a stunt man, and did most of Brendan Fraser’s stunts. (Laugh, d*mn it!)

Bugs calls Daffy, saying that he can get his job back, but Daffy is not interested, telling of his plans to go to Vegas. Their conversation is being eavesdropped on by a company known Acme Corp. A man named Bob Smith tells the chairman of this news. The chairman (that’s his name, BTW,) has many Vice Presidents. Including ones for Rhetorical question, Child Labor, and Bad Ideas. (Steve Martin is hysterical here. You won’t convince me otherwise.) It’s revealed that he is the one who captured Damian and shows his people proof via camera. (After accidentally getting “I Love to Singa“.) He explains that soon he will be in total control of the world. (He also hits on one of his employees, Mary. Yes this is important.) He also tells his men to kill anyone who dares get in the way.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN! Cliffhanger! If you don’t know the plot, please don’t go look it up elsewhere. I plan to continue tomorrow, I promise! (If you are reading this at a later time, then just read the next post. It’s finished, I promise!)

An Itch in Time

♪”Oh there’s food around the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for me, (hallelujah brother.) food arund the corner, food around the corner, food around the corner for meee!”♪

Directed by Bob Clampett

Sorry for lack of update last week. (To the two people who visit this place, I was just on a family trip.)

Been awhile since we had a good old screwy Clampett short, eh? In Elmer’s home, Fudd is happily reading Looney Tunes comics. His dog (Willoughby) at his feet. (Or at least a very similar looking dog) Also in this house is a flea. (which some signs point out for us) His name is A. Flea. (A for amusing?) He’s excited because he’s found himself a feast of the grandest proportions: Dog Butt. He hurries over, makes sure the dog is asleep and goes to work. (Singing a song, that I DARE you to get out of your head.)

He gets some salt, ketchup, mustard and bread and puts it around some dog dermis. A bite causes the dog to yelp in pain and try to get the flea, but he only ends up biting himself. Elmer pours flea powder on him, (which A. treats as snow) and warns him that if he scratches once more, its a bath! The dog swears to not scratch. Which is near impossible with A. mining his meat. Elmer is keeping a close eye on him, and Willoughby turns different colors trying to stay strong. He kicks the cat (which A. didn’t want for some reason) who scratches for him. A glare from Elmer makes them both shrink into little masses.

A. sets off some explosives and the dog can’t take it anymore and he scoots around on the floor. (“Hey, I better cut this out. I may get to like it.”) Elmer comes to make good word of his promise, but A. moves onto him. (For the record: fleas rarely bite people, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t if there were two pets in the house.) Willoughby gleefully takes his master to the tub, and slips on a bar of soap landing them both in the water. A. puts them on a “blue plate special” and carries them off. (To eat I presume. If the cat wasn’t still there, I’d complain that parasites don’t try to kill their hosts as it destroys their home as well) Having seen all this, the Cat shoots himself.

This scene is of course censored today, because some people thought it’d be a bright idea to kill themselves. As such, everyone is too afraid to laugh at this. If you play it for laughs, (like here) it is FUNNY. I only care so much, because lets say you watch stuff like this all the time and make a suicide joke. Not aware that people’s sensibilities have changed, and now it makes you look like the evil one. Rant over.

Personal Rating: 4

Bah, Humduck! (A Looney Tunes Christmas)

“What do I look like, an ATM?”

Merry Christmas to all who visit my humble blog! With Christmas nearby, it is time to talk about this direct to DVD movie.

It starts with our narrator, Bugs Bunny. He declares that even though rabbits are associated with Easter, he still loves Christmas. (Besides, remember the last Easter we saw Bugs? That’d sour anyone’s mood.) He is nearly hit by a limo. The owner of said limo? Daffy Duck. Owner of the Luckyduck Superstore. He has an awesome hover scooter, and not one speck of generosity. He refuses to help a poor, homeless, (Playboy) penguin, and steals the generosity bucket of carolers Egghead Jr., Henrey Hawk, Barnyard Dawg as a puppy for some reason, (?) and Priscilla Pig. (more on this cutie, later.)

Daffy has many employees working at his store. Including Sam Sheepdog, Miss Prissy, Charlie Dog, the Three Bears, a security guard (Gossamar) who is sitting on Santa (Cecil) Turtle’s lap, Foghorn Leghorn, Slowpoke Rodriguez, Claude Cat, Hubie and Bertie, Mac and Tosh, Beaky Buzzard, Hippitey Hopper, and  a (Pete) Puma janitor. (Just like his role in “Tiny Toon Aventures”!) He also has some employees with a bit more personality. Including Elmer Fudd, who works very hard, and is exhausted. Wile E. Coyote, who is constantly hungry, Marvin the Martian who is homesick and wishes to return home for the holidays, (Martian Christmas?) Speedy Gonazales who does wrapping, Pepe Le Pew, who tries to get to know a shopper who looks just like a skunk, (No really. Penelope just has a stripe.) and my man, Porky Pig, his assisstant manager. Whom Daffy shortly demotes to assisstant-assissant manager.

Bugs warns him that greedy people tend to get visited by Christmas ghosts. Daffy has no worry and heads to his office. There, he is visited by his idol, Sylvester the (Cat) Investor. He was the greediest person around, before he was murdered. Daffy now has that title, and is being warned that he must change his ways. He may be spooked, but Daffy is sure this is a prank, and pays it little heed.

After being visited by Bugs again, (He was searching for cheap skates, and was directed up here.) he gets a passage delivered by a Roadrunner. (I have no idea if he is an employee or not.) It is a gift Daffy sent to himself, a godly remote that can do just about anything for his office. His employees then come asking for favors, but are all snubbed. Porky just wants to have Christmas off so he can spend time with his daughter, Priscilla. (Now let me just say, that she is ADORABLE! Tara Strong really knows how to bring in a cuter than cute performance.)  Daffy refuses and demands that everyone come in at 5:00 AM the next day. (Where else are the last minute Kwanzaa shoppers supposed to go?) Everyone leaves discouraged.

Bugs is still there with Daffy as the exits are covered in snow. Daffy demands they separate and soon after, is visited by the ghost of Christmas past. Or rather ghosts. Granny and Tweety take Daffy back to his past, and we see how hard his childhood was. He lived at an orphanage, and was never adopted. Morons. Why wouldn’t you want to adopt the world’s funniest duck? (I said FUNNIEST, not most popular. And for that matter where is that swan? She took him in only to leave him behind?) This does little to change his ways and Daffy just wants to use their powers “Back to the Future 2” style to get more money. He is sent back to the store.

The ghost of Christmas present is played by… Yosemite Sam? I think you could have chosen a better character for that. Maybe switch with Sylvester? Anyways, he shows Daffy how hard his employees lives really are. Another adorable scene shows, that Priscilla wants two things for Christmas, a doll, and for her daddy to spend it with her. (Too. Cute.  Daffy is not convinced quite yet, and just begs Bugs to hide him from the promised third ghost, once he returns.

They reenact “Tom Turk and Daffy” but ultimately Daffy is taken away by the ghost of Christmas future, the Tasmanian Devil. He sees his grave, and learns that his employees are out of jobs, because he tried to will the store to himself. Porky remarks that at least he and Priscilla can spend Christmas together. (I meant she with Porky! She didn’t die yet, sickos!) Being an angel anyway, she leaves some cookies on Daffy’s resting place, (which look hilarious, since they look like him) and wishes him luck, since she knows he’s not in heaven. (*Laughing* Best joke right there!)

Daffy finally resolves to change his ways and the next morning, gives everyone a paid vacation, as well as a rocket home for Marvin, and a personal chef for Wile. (Francois from “French Rarebit”) Even Pepe gets a kiss from Penelope. (Her choice even! She wasn’t bribed!) Daffy sees how much his generosity is going to cost him, and briefly tries to take it all back. That’s when Priscilla offers him a hilarious looking cookie, and calls him “Uncle”. (I wish she’d do that to me.) Daffy remains generous to the delight of Bugs and the ghosts. We end with Priscilla saying our “That’s all Folks!” (Did i mention how adorable she is?)

Overall this short, is nothing grand, but if you are a Looney Tunes fan, you’ll enjoy it.

Personal Rating: 2 for the common folk, 3 for the Looney-tics.

What’s up, Doc? A salute to Bugs Bunny

Our documentary begins with Friz Freleng telling us of the first Looney Tunes character, Bosko. Bob Clampett tells us how they ended up in Termite Terrace and why they named it that. Tex Avery tells what it was like working for Leon Scheslinger. The narrator says that although the cartoons were great, they wouldn’t come close to touching Disney until they created our favorite bunny of all time, Bugs. It then plays “A Wild Hare.”

We are told about what inspired Bug’s habits of chewing on a carrot and declaring war. It’s also discussed that Proto-Bugs was very different from the one we know today. ( By that, I mean Classic Bugs) He was extremely hyper.  Pretty much Daffy Duck in a bunny suit. Mel Blanc explains how he came up with a voice for Bugs, and we are also told that it took a while to give Bugs his name. “A Corny Concerto” is talked about being a Fantasia parody, and how Tex was the anti-Disney. “The Heckling Hare” is shown next and we learn that Clampett took over Avery’s unit when he left for MGM. Seeing as how he would later leave himself, we’re shown Clampett’s last short with WB, “The Big Snooze.”

At this point in history, Bugs was now the #1 cartoon star in America. Chuck Jones says he was always concerned with his character. He established the fact that Bugs is a pretty easy going guy. Get him angry and it’s your funeral, however. Friz says that even with that, they still needed him to be fun to watch and listen to. After showing “Hair raising Hare” Friz tells about how he thought Elmer was an idiot. That’s why he created Yosemite Sam. We are then shown Sam’s debut cartoon “Hare Trigger.” We also are told that one thing that makes Looney Tunes so great is that they are fun to hear as well watch.

After mentioning the not talked about enough Treg Brown and Carl Stalling, we learn that many live action stars helped model for Bugs. It also sings praise to some of Treg’s greatest sound effects. From the *zrp* of a character running off, to the *fweefweefweefweefwee* of a character spinning, to the *hubbida hubbida* of something going up and down fast. No doubt that his most famous was the *bay-whoop* for irising in and out. We also learn that Mike Maltese, Tedd Pierce, and Warren Foster were the silhouettes that appeared in many shorts.

Then we learn of the man himself, Mel Blanc. His debut in “Picador Porky” and Clampett telling us of his supposed carrot allergy. They say that he was almost every main character. Except Elmer, played by Arthur Q. Brian. They even mention how Elmer was modeled after Bryan for a few shorts. (Not the only time that kinda thing happened. Remember “Wackiki Wabbit?” the castaways were caricatures of Mike and Tedd, the guys playing the two. Thanks to SuperJNG18 for this tidbit.)

Finally we are left to wonder Bug’s future. Personally, I think he will continue to be the king of cartoons. For as long as the human race shall live. (Even if people think otherwise.)

Personal Rating: If you’re a historian, (like me) it’s a 3. Otherwise, it’s a 2.

Wideo Wabbit

“About time television discovered my talents.”

Bugs is having a relaxing day when he sees an interesting ad in the paper. A TV studio is looking for a rabbit and luckily for Bugs, he is just what they were looking for. They sit him on a stepladder (that unbeknownst to Bugs has a 10,000 volt charge in it,) telling him that unlike the others in showbiz, he starts out on top.

Secretly, a hole is opened above him. We see that the show Bugs is on is “The Sportsman Hour!” With our special host, Mr. Elmer Fudd! YAAAAAAAY! He tells us that he is going to demonstrate how to catch a wabbit. He gives the signal and the volts shock Bugs up on stage. Angry about being shot at, Bugs runs with Elmer in hot pursuit. Elmer chases him into another studio where Groucho (Bugs) is the host of our favorite game show: “You Beat Your Wife.” He asks Elmer whether or not he has stopped beating his wife. Trapped, Elmer muddles it over while Marx makes his exit. Noticing the tail, he gives chase once again.

The next hiding spot is in Studio T, “Liverace.” Bugs is playing Hungarian Rhapsody 2 and notices Elmer. He identifies him as his brother George, and asks him to take a candelabra to their mother. Elmer realizes they’re fire crackers pretty quickly, but can’t stop the inevitable. Eventually Bugs, (in another disguise) tells Elmer they’ve been waiting for him. He forces him to put a costume on and to sit atop a stepladder. Bugs now playing the hunter, gives the signal to shock Fudd into jumping up. Now wearing a rabbit suit, and receiving bullets rather than applause.

Personal Rating: 3

Duck! Rabbit, Duck!

“I’m a wed hot spowtsman aftew wild game.”

The final in the hunting trilogy and it does not fail to disappoint.

The first one took place in summer, then autumn, so logically it’s winter now. Daffy is burning all the duck season signs and sends Elmer off to get some wabbits. Bugs tells Elmer that he can’t be shot unless Elmer has a fricasseeing wabbit license. Daffy writes up the document. He just needs a little help spelling fricasseeing. Bugs helps. “F-r-i-c-a-s-s-e-e-i-n-g-d-u-c-k.” Daffy gets shot and reads the document and admits to being the goat. Elmer shoots him upon reading Bug’s goat season sign.

Daffy calls Bugs a dirty dog. Bugs declares him a dirty skunk and Elmer shoots him upon seeing the dirty skunk sign. Daffy can’t believe what a pigeon he’s being and Elmer shoots him upon sight of the corresponding sign. Daffy takes Elmer away to talk some sense in him and Bugs uses the time to build a snow rabbit. Realizing he should shoot wabbits, Elmer rushes out and obliterates the sculpture. Bugs appears in an angel outfit to complete the illusion. Daffy claims that if Bug’s is dead then he is a mongoose.

Another shot later, he tells Elmer to listen to him and not anymore signs. Bugs puts on a bill and Daffy tells Elmer to shoot the duck. *BANG* Daffy breaks down and Bugs disguises himself as a game warden. He tells Elmer it is really baseball season and sends him off after a baseball. Alone, he asks Daffy what season it REALLY is. Daffy tells him it is obviously duck season and gets shot by many hunters.

Personal Rating: 4