Release Date:

December 1, 1951

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

The star of Colonel Korny’s World Famous Circus is a Russian acrobatic bear known as “Bruno the Magnificent”. Bruno is not pleased to hear that he will be sharing the spotlight with acrobatic rabbit Bugs Bunny and attempts to sabotage him during the show.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1195 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue.

This is the second Bugs Bunny cartoon to take place in a circus, with the first being “Acrobatty Bunny”, which coincidentally McKimson’s first Bugs Bunny cartoon.

I went to Carowinds (an amusement park that is in both Carolinas) once in the spring of 2019 and at one point, they played John Philip Sousa’s “Washington Post”, which plays under the opening credits of this cartoon (instead of “What’s Up Doc”). Since this was the rendition I was the most familiar with, it was naturally this cartoon I thought of.

Bugs’ line, “Don’t you believe it!” references the radio show of the same name. The Tom and Jerry cartoons at MGM used this once before in “Mouse Trouble” (1944) and would do so again in “The Missing Mouse” (1953).

The cartoon was originally restored for the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 DVD set in 2003 in its correct pitch. It was re-restored again for HBO Max in 2020, but was inexplicably low-pitched.

The animator draft for the cartoon can be viewed here.

Bruno shares the same name as Bosko’s dog.

This is one of two Warner cartoons to have animation by former Columbia/Screen Gems director Bob Wickersham, with the other being “Thumb Fun” (1952), also directed by McKimson.

This is the first McKimson cartoon to have layouts by Peter Alvarado.

While uncredited, this is the first cartoon since “Catch As Cats Can” to have Herman Cohen as an animator as well as the first McKimson cartoon to do so (he wouldn’t be credited until 1952’s “The Turn Tale Wolf”). Cohen would stay until 1955 animating solely for McKimson, alongside Phil DeLara, Charles McKimson, and Rod Scribner.

Favorite Scene:

The rising platforms scene which ends with Bruno diving 1,000 feet headfirst into a block of cement.

What Happens in This One:

Lolling on pillows in his cage, Bruno asks the audience, “Am I not magnificent?” before chuckling pompously. In his office, Colonel Korny gets a phone call with Bruno eavesdropping on the whole conversation. He folds his arms and gives a smug expression when Korny mentions he doesn’t need another animal act before exclaiming, “Fah!” upon hearing Korny question, “What!? A performing rabbit!?” Upon hearing what this performing rabbit, Bugs, can do, Korny accepts this and decides to put him in the same act as Bruno. Bruno reveals how selfish he is, “Bah! Nobody shares the spotlight with Bruno the Magnificent! Especially a stinking little rabbit! Ptoo!” and spits in disgust (animated by Charles McKimson).

At the show, Korny introduces “the world’s only acrobatic… rabbit!”, much to the audience’s applause (animated by Bob Wickersham). As Bugs makes his entrance from rising out of a hole, he thanks the audience for their applause (animated by Charles). “And his partner… Bruno!” Bruno comes in waving his arms in a victorious manner and while taking his bows, intentionally smacks Bugs off to the side, and snickers rudely (animated by Wickersham). Bugs just comes back and asks a confused Bruno, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” Pretending to have been concerned, Bruno exclaims, “Oh, there you are, little partner! I was ‘fraid something terrible had happened to you!” (animated by Charles)

Bugs and Bruno hear the whistle and Bruno heads up a ladder onto a platform with the intention for him to jump on the other end of a teeter board Bugs is standing on to propel him upward through several paper targets. Bruno calls down, “En garde, uh, I mean, are you ready, little rabbit partner?” Bugs answers, “Yeah, I’m ready. Willing and Mable, partner!” After Bruno jumps on the other end, Bugs goes upward through the hoops but hits his head on one of them due to an anvil being placed there (animated by Wickersham). Bruno asks in a confused manner, “Well, what you know about that? Now who you suppose put that anvil up THERE?” and snickers before appearing innocent with a halo above his head. Realizing Bruno could be trouble, Bugs asides, “Hmm. Innocent as a newborn baby. Baby RAT, that is” (animated by Rod Scribner).

On separate platforms opposite each other, Bugs and Bruno are both shown with their own trapeze to swing towards the other as Bruno calls out, “Okay, little partner! Don’t be for’fraid! Nothing could happen to you!” Bugs calls to the audience, “Don’t you believe it!” (animated by Scribner) before swinging out and doing flips in mid-air. When Bugs calls, “Catch me, Bruno!” Bruno just puts his hand near his ear and asks, “Did somebody call my name?” As he falls, Bugs takes out two large springs from a watch to enable himself to bounce back upward. He hands Bruno the phone, answering to his earlier question, “Yeah. Someone wants you on the phone. Here”. Bruno answers, “Hello?”, oblivious that he’s allowed his feet to let go of his trapeze as Bugs talks to him from the other end, “Hello, Bruno. What’cha doin’ way up there in the air all by yourself?” Once Bruno realizes where he is, Bugs calls out, “Goodbyyyyeeee” to which Bruno gives out a meek “Good…bye”, before falling (animated by Phil DeLara) into an orchestra member’s tuba whose blast results in him landing in a kettle drum as the drummer taps him like a drum (animated by Wickersham).

Back on the platform with the trapeze, Bruno confides, “Ha! There’s more ways than one to skin a rabbit!” before calling out, “Swing out, little partner! I’m catch-ink!” (animated by Wickersham) Bugs responds, “Okay, I’m swing-ink!” (animated by Scribner) This time, when Bugs does flips in the air, Bruno hands him a pair of handlebars with fake hands attached (animated by DeLara). Seeing he’s falling, Bugs uses the handlebars to ride an invisible bicycle back up into the air and onto the platform. Bewildered at this, Bruno declares, “I don’t know how you do this. But if you could do it, Bruno could do it better!” He attempts to use the handlebars like a bicycle going off the platform into mid-air but falls instead. He lands in the tuba and the kettle drum again, with them both happening offscreen this time as Bugs watches (animated by Herman Cohen).

Bugs slides down the rope towards the kettle drum Bruno’s still in and tells him, “That does it. You’ve ruined the act. You’re too clumsy. From now on, I’m on my own” and heads toward a rising platform. Bruno walks over to the rising platform next to his and asks, “Hey! What you think you’re gonna do?” Bugs responds, “Who me? Oh, uh, I think I’m gonna dive 200 feet off of this platform into a tank of water” and starts rising the platform (animated by Scribner). Every time, Bugs and Bruno attempt to do a better stunt, they rise the platforms very high. Bruno: “Nobody could outdo Bruno the Magnificent! I dive 300 feet into BUCKET of water!” (animated by Wickersham with Charles animating the shot of Bugs looking at the audience) Bugs: “Oh, yeah? Well, I’ll dive 500 feet into a damp sponge!” Finally, they rise out of the tent and into the air as Bruno dares, “And I, Bruno, will dive 1,000 feet into a block of cement. On my HEAD, yet!” (animated by Scribner)

Rising even higher (animated by Scribner) Bugs decides, “Say, that’s a good stunt. I’ll buy that (animated by DeLara). But the star goes first (animated by Charles). Here I go!” Bruno insists he’s the star and he goes first. Bugs argues, “Uh uh. I go first” before Bruno grabs him by the throat and shrieks, “I GO FIRST!” (animated by DeLara) In a strained voice, Bugs agrees, “Okay, pal. You win. You go first”. Bruno snickers and does indeed dive 1,000 feet into a block of cement, which flattens his body down into his pants (animated by DeLara).

Bugs gives a dazed Bruno some gifts and leads him (animated by DeLara) to go on a gangplank for a trip. Bruno replies, “But I’m not going on any trip” (animated by Wickersham). Bugs tells him, “Oh, yes you ARE” in a singsong voice before cutting the ropes holding a 1,000 pound weight (animated by Charles). Said gangplank is actually a teeter board which propels Bruno into the air once the weight lands on it. Bruno flies onto a trampoline, which he bounces off of, lands on the stomach of a fat lady, and is kicked like a ball back onto the trampoline by an acrobat juggling him with his feet (animated by Cohen). Up in the air, Bruno is kicked by a swinging acrobat in mid-air onto a bicycle where he rides it on a loop-the-loop, before flying into a cannon. Bugs fires it which shoots Bruno out into the distance (animated by Wickersham). Having disposed of Bruno, Bugs confides, “Well, that’s one way to wind this up with a bang!” (animated by Charles)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½