Release Date:

March 13, 1954

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Rocky and Mugsy

Summary:

Bugs Bunny mistakenly gets into the vehicle of Rocky and Mugsy, who have just robbed the bank Bugs keeps his carrots stored in. Realizing they have a stowaway who “knows too much”, Rocky and Mugsy keep Bugs with them, only to end up regretting it.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1299 and was released as a Looney Tune.

This is the first appearance of Mugsy, who is now Rocky’s permanent partner. Rocky and Mugsy would also go up against Bugs in two more equally superb cartoons: 1957’s “Bugsy and Mugsy” and 1963’s “The Unmentionables” (both also directed by Freleng).

Rocky and Mugsy are also an example of “smaller, more intelligent boss” and “big dumb sidekick”, respectively (Mugsy is also another character that makes you wonder how on earth he got his driver’s license).

This is the first cartoon to be scored by Milt Franklyn, who would start scoring more cartoons than Carl Stalling in 1955. Since Stalling scored more cartoons than Franklyn in 1954, every cartoon from 1954 that Franklyn scored will be pointed out in their future posts.

This is the first cartoon to use the new Bugs headshot due to the smaller rings. This would be used on almost all subsequent Bugs Bunny cartoons from the Golden Age.

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

A sign at the gas station reads, “Change Your Oil to ACME”. Freleng’s director credit is also shown in front of a safe labeled “ACME Safe Co.”

This cartoon was released two days before the doo-wop group, “The Chords” recorded their hit, “Sh-Boom”, that was released a month later (coincidentally, Stan Freberg did a spoof of this song later on in 1954). This song is of course famous today for its usage in Pixar’s “Cars” (2006) (side note: from when I first watched the film in around late 2007 or early 2008 up until I rewatched the Cars trilogy this past November, I never realized that “Sh-Boom” came from the 1950’s and that the song was 52 years old at the time of the movie’s release. So I basically went through my whole childhood without knowing this song was released when grandparents were little kids due to always associating the song with the movie. Rather fitting that I found this out when we were in the middle of the 1950’s on this blog and still are currently).

Favorite Scene:

The hiding in the stove gag, which is also one of the all-time greatest gags in all Warner cartoons.

What Happens in This One:

Bugs rises up out of an elevator in his hole while reading the paper, “Rabbit Season Opens Today. Hundreds of Hunters Swarm the Countryside”. Oblivious to all the cars whizzing past him as he crosses the street, Bugs remarks, “Boy, am I glad I live in the city where it’s safe. Huh! A guy could get killed out there in the country with all them guns going off”, before walking into the city bank. After getting a carrot from his personal vault, he walks back out (animated by Ken Champin) and calls, “Oh, uh, taxi!” to a red car. Rocky comes running out into the bank with his gun, revealing this is his getaway vehicle. Bugs mistakes Mugsy for a taxi driver and gives him a request, “Eh, couple of times around the park, mac” (animated by Virgil Ross).

Rocky robs the bank from inside offscreen while shooting and after tossing the money bags he’s stolen into the vehicle, shoots some more bullets into the bank. Once inside the car, Rocky orders, “Okay! Take off, Mugsy!” The second Mugsy drives the car away from the bank, Rocky flies up backwards against the back windshield. Bugs emerges from under the bags of money, much to Rocky’s surprise. Bugs tells him, “I don’t mind sharing the ride, but all this laundry! After all-” Realizing they have a witness about the robbery, Rocky points his gun at him, “Stop right there, rabbit. How much do ya know?” Bugs takes him literally, “Who me? Oh, I know a lots of things! Two and two is four; Carson City is the capital of Nevada; uh, George Washington was the first president…”, only for Rocky to interrupt him, “Cut it. This guy knows too much, Mugsy. We’ll take him for a ride”. Mugsy answers, “Okay, boss”. Bugs takes this literally as well, “Ride?”, to which he ducks down and comes back up in a motorist outfit, “I just love rides, especially on a lovely spring day. There’s nothing like a motor ride to relax one. Through winding roads, past the green meadows, and down shady lanes”. Irritated, Rocky points his gun at him and orders, “Shut up”. Bugs pretends to be confused and keeps talking, “Shut up!? Why, certainly! You don’t think I’m the kind that would keep blabbin’! Some people never know when to stop! When I’m told to shut up, I shut up!”, only for Rocky to point his gun at Bugs’ mouth and reword the threat, “Shut up, shuttin’ up!” (animated by Ross)

While out on the road, Bugs asks, “Hey, uh, Mugsy? If you see a nice, clean gas station, would ya stop please?” Not suspecting anything, Mugsy nods his head in agreement (animated by Ross). After they stop at the gas station, Bugs walks out before telling Mugsy, “Oh, uh, I’ll need a nickel. Eh, thanks”. Bugs walks to a phone booth and calls the police, “Hello, Police Department? I’ve got the bank robbers. We’re on Highway 55. Headed west!”. Realizing his error, Mugsy runs out and drags Bugs out of the phone booth, with Bugs still hanging onto the phone as he shouts, “We’re driving a ‘52 ACME, straight eight! Overhead valves! With California license plate!” The car begins to drive away as Bugs is on the phone, which causes the cop from the other end to be pulled out of the phone booth and then bounced and rolled across the road. Disheveled and with his end of the phone literally disconnected, the dazed cop says, “Operator. We’ve been disconnected” before groaning (animated by Arthur Davis).

Later, the car stops at a railroad crossing where a wigwag signal is swinging back and forth to signify a train coming. Not wanting to wait for the train to pass, Rocky orders, “Come on, rabbit. Get out there and see if the coast is clear”. Bugs complies by imitating Mugsy, “Okay, boss”. Bugs gets out and looks both ways, before tricking them into proceeding, “Okay! All clear!” They begin to drive across the tracks and are immediately hit by the oncoming train (animated by Manuel Perez).

This trick ends up backfiring as Bugs is forced to repair the car under their supervision. In the midst of working, he pops up from underneath to ask, “Hey, uh, how about a break for lunch?” With both revealed to be disheveled from the wreck, Rocky orders while pointing out his gun, “Keep workin’, rabbit” while Mugsy repeats him, “Yeah, keep workin’, rabbit!” Rocky punches him in the stomach and tells him to “Shut up!” Mugsy asks, “What’d I do, boss?”, to which Rocky answers, “I said button your lip!” Mugsy eagerly nods his head, “Oh, oh, oh, okay, boss!” and literally sews his mouth up with a shirt button. With his voice muffled from the button sealing his lips, Mugsy asks, “How’s this, boss?” Bugs climbs out from under the repaired car, “Well, here it is all done. But there’s a wheel missing. I’m afraid you’re stuck”. Rocky informs him, “We’re not stuck, rabbit. YOU’RE stuck!” Mugsy, with his voice still muffled from his buttoned lip, agrees, “Yeah, we’re not stuck!”, only for Rocky to punch him in the stomach again which causes the button on his lip to fly off, “Shut up!” (animated by Champin)

With Rocky sticking his gun at him from the backseat window, Bugs is forced to act as the right front wheel by holding the axle and running as fast as he can. Rocky then requests, “Hey, Mugsy. Let’s take the scenic route”, before chuckling smugly (animated by Champin).

That night, at their hideout, Rocky gives Mugsy a gun and instructs, “Mugsy, take this rabbit into the other room and let him have it”. Mugsy complies, “Okay, boss” and takes Bugs into the other room to kill him while chuckling evilly. Bugs becomes literal once more, “Alright, Mugsy. Let me have it”. When Mugsy hesitates in confusion, Bugs acts demanding, “Come, come! You heard what the boss said! Let me have it!” Mugsy does so, “Oh, uh, o-okay, but uh…”, to which Bugs answers, “That’s better”. We cut to the outside of the room before Bugs shoots Mugsy offscreen. With his face blackened from the shot, Mugsy stumbles out, “I let him have it, boss. Just like you said”, before groaning and falling front-first right on top of Rocky. Rocky punches him off, “Get off!” and decides, “I guess I’ll have to take care of that rabbit meself!” (animated by Perez)

Seeing the doorknob turn, Bugs imitates a police siren and brakes screeching which makes Rocky stop in confused terror. Bugs then imitates the police in an Irish accent, “Alright, Clancy! Take the boys and surround the house!” (animated by Perez) In his normal voice, Bugs runs in and informs, “Jiggers! The cops!” Rocky begs for Bugs to “Hide me! Quick, hide me!, so Bugs has him go in the stove. Mugsy begins acting like a child throwing a tantrum as he pleads, “Hide me too! Hide me! (cries) It’s not fair! Ya gotta hide me too!” Bugs asides to the audience, “I must be dreaming. It couldn’t be THIS easy”, before having Mugsy also hide in the stove and force him in with a plunger. With both stuffed in the stove, Bugs instructs, “Now don’t move until I tell ya to!”, before shutting the stove door on them (animated by Davis).

With Rocky and Mugsy unable to see what’s going on, Bugs acts out a confrontation: Bugs in Irish accent: “Alright, open up! This is the police!” (opens up door with force) “Alright! Where’s Rocky? Where’s he hiding!?” Bugs in normal voice: “He’s not in this stove!” Irish accent: “Oh, ho! He’s hiding in that stove, eh!?” Normal voice: “Now, look. Would I turn on this gas if my friend, Rocky, was in there?” (turns gas on) Irish accent: “You might, rabbit. You might”. Normal voice: “Well, would I throw a lighted match in there if my friend was in there?”, before throwing in a lit match which causes the stove to explode. Irish accent: “Alright, rabbit. You’ve convinced me. I’ll look for Rocky in the city”. After shutting the door, Bugs informs in his normal voice, “The coast is clear, fellas. They’ve gone”. Rocky and Mugsy crawl out of the oven completely charred (animated by Davis).

At this point, the actual cops show up and a real Irish-accented cop says almost exactly what Bugs imitated earlier, “Okay, Clancy! Take the boys and surround the house!” Bugs gets them to go back into the stove as he again warns them, “Jiggers, fellas! The cops!” Rocky and Mugsy quickly scramble back into the stove as the cop attempts to break the door down, “Open up! This is the police!” Upon succeeding in breaking the door down, the cop goes through pretty much the exact same dialogue with Bugs. Cop: “Alright, rabbit. Where’s Rocky? Where’s he hiding?” Bugs: “He’s not in this stove!” Cop: “Oh, ho! He’s hiding in the stove, eh?” Bugs: “Would I turn on the gas if he was in there?” Cop: “Mm, you might, rabbit. You might”. Bugs: “Well, uh, would I throw a lighted match in there if he was in there?” This time, Rocky and Mugsy run out of the oven and yell, “OH NO YA DON’T!” and no longer able to put up with Bugs’ shenanigans, and simultaneously beg the cop to arrest them while talking very fast (animated by Davis).

For his help in Rocky and Mugsy’s arrest, Bugs has a new job as the detective, “Bugs Bunny Private Eyeball. Thugs thwarted, arsonists arrested, bandits booked, forgers found, counterfeiters caught, and chiselers chiseled!” (animated by Ross)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕