Release Date:

April 22, 1944

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

Bugs Bunny ends up on an island that is inhabited by Japanese soldiers. When they attack him, he heckles them and eventually gets rid of them with ice cream bars that have grenades hidden in them.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 4-13, the 4th Merrie Melodie in the 13th release season.

Due to racial stereotyping of the Japanese, the cartoon has been banned from airing on television since around the time the Censored Eleven were officially dubbed as such.

Interestingly, the cartoon WAS given a home video release on The Golden Age of Looney Tunes Volume 1 laserdisc in 1991. However, this ended up causing some controversy since this would be too racist for general audiences to see (and the Censored Eleven weren’t even put on an official home media release at all as of this writing). In later printings of the laserdisc, it was replaced with another cartoon. Understandably, this would end up driving collectors and completists nuts since they (myself included even though I don’t collect VHS tapes and laserdiscs, just DVDs and Blu-rays) want to have everything regardless of offensive content.

This is the last cartoon with the original “Bugs sits atop WB shield eating carrot” animation.

One of the original titles of this cartoon was “Bugs Bunny of the USA”.

When handing out the grenade ice cream bars, Bugs gives the soldiers some derogatory terms that would obviously not be acceptable today such as “Monkey Face” and “Slant Eyes”.

What I Like About This One:

Adrift in a crate and singing “Someone’s Rockin’ My Dreamboat”, Bugs tells us that he’s “just killing time before the island that inevitably turns up in this kind of picture inevitably turns up” (animated by Jack Bradbury).

Once on the island, Bugs contemplates the island’s peace and quiet but speaks too soon as bombs start bursting to the tune of the “Storm” movement from the William Tell Overture (animated by Bradbury).

Bugs taking refuge in a haystack where a soldier is hiding resulting in the soldier accidentally putting his cap on Bugs’ head before checking himself in the mirror (animated by Virgil Ross).

Bugs then disguises as a Japanese general making the soldier think he almost killed his own general and sincerely apologizing. He gets wise however when he sees Bugs eating a carrot, causing him to realize that this is not a Japanese general but Bugs Bunny who he saw in Warner Bros' Leon Schlesinger Merrie Melodie cartoon pictures. He eats a carrot as well and asks “What’s up, doc?”, making Bugs realize his disguise trick failed (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Bugs flying off in a Japanese plane and when the soldier goes after him in a plane of his own, Bugs ties it to a tree, pulling the plane apart leaving only the cockpit. Realizing he’s flying in nothing, the soldier jumps out with a parachute (animated by Manuel Perez). But Bugs doesn’t let him have a safe landing as he gives him an anvil: “Here’s some scrap iron for Japan, Moto! Happy landings!” (animated by Ross)

Having defeated this soldier, Bugs paints a flag signifying the soldier’s defeat. Upon seeing a large Sumo wrestler confront him, Bugs paints a larger flag on the same tree, thinking he can easily beat him. But the Sumo wrestler ties Bugs’ ears, arms, and legs in knots and removes the large flag from the tree. He is then greeted by Bugs disguised as a meek Japanese woman who wants a kiss. Dorkily chuckling, the Sumo wrestler leans in for one, but Bugs mallets him. Before he collapses, the Sumo wrestler repaints the large flag and as he falls, Bugs yells “TIMBER!” (animated by Ross)

Seeing that several more soldiers are arriving on the island, Bugs puts on a literal “thinking cap” to think of an idea. His idea is imitating a Good Rumor ice cream man selling ice cream bars with grenades hidden in them. This destroys all of the soldiers who buy one, except for one who returns for another because he has a stick for a free ice cream bar! He gets a double one and predictably, this destroys him too (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

Having painted several more flags on trees, Bugs goes back to contemplating the peace and quiet. Suddenly, he turns angry as he finds this too boring. “AND IF THERE’S ONE THING I CAN’T STAND, IT’S PEACE AND QUIET! I HATE IT!” (animated by Ross)

Hearing an American ship in the distance (animated by Perez), Bugs waves a white flag to get their attention and is insulted when they ignore him. “Do you think I want to spend the rest of my life on this island?” A female rabbit then appears and says “Mmm, it’s a possibility”. Smitten and howling like a wolf, Bugs hops after her into the distance (animated by Chiniquy).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕 ½