Release Date:

October 3, 1953

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

During winter, Daffy Duck burns down all of the duck season signs, and attempts to persuade Elmer Fudd into believing it’s rabbit season and to shoot Bugs Bunny. As usual, it’s Daffy who ends up getting blasted instead.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1276 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

This is the third and final cartoon in the Hunting Trilogy. This one differs from the other two by taking place in winter.

This would not be the last time, however, that Jones and Michael Maltese would have Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer all in the same cartoon as they would do so again in 1955’s “Beanstalk Bunny”.

When Daffy comments, “Well, I guess I’m the goat”, what he means here is “scapegoat”, which means being a source of blame or failure. Being the “goat” is also a term used in sports, where someone makes an error (like how Charlie Brown would sometimes refer to himself as such when he loses at baseball). This was long before “GOAT” was used as an acronym for “Greatest of All Time”.

The cartoon uses the 1954 orange rings with the blue background.

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

At one point, Daffy refers to Elmer as “Daniel Boob”, making a pun on Daniel Boone. Here, the term “boob” means someone stupid.

Favorite Scene:

Every time Bugs holds up a sign claiming a hunting season for a specific animal whenever Daffy claims he is such out of either commentary, bewilderment, or frustration (goat, dirty skunk, pigeon, and mongoose).

What Happens in This One:

The cartoon begins with Daffy removing every single “Duck Season” sign while scatting to “La Vie en Rose” and then burning them all in a fire. He stops to comment, “I am a duck, bent on self-preservation”. In his winter clothes, Elmer is seen walking along with his gun and singing “A-Hunting We Will Go”. He laughs, “I’m a wed-hot sportsman after wild game!” before seeing Daffy wearing a sign announcing, “It’s Rabbit Season!” Elmer is delighted, “Oh boy! Fwesh wabbit stew! (laughs)” and then follows the instructions on the back of Daffy’s sign when the latter turns around, “Follow the Yellow Line”, which Elmer does (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Daffy then sneaks off to Bugs’ hole and calls down to him, “Oh, Bugsy! Bugsy, neighbor! Could you spare a cup of black-strap molasses-ss?”, before sneaking away. Bugs comes out of his hole with a mug full of it, “One cup of black-strap molasses coming up!” Elmer then shoots at the mug, creating several holes that the molasses pours out of onto the ground. Confused, Bugs remarks, “Funny. I didn't think molasses would run in January!” Elmer then points his gun at the back of Bugs’ head, “Gotcha, you wabbit stew, you!” Unfazed, Bugs just chomps a carrot and turns around to ask him, “Look, doc. Are you lookin’ for trouble? I’m not a stewing wabbit! I’m a fricasseeing wabbit!”, showing a leg brace labeled “Fricasseeing Rabbit” under his fur. “Fwicasseing Wabbit?”, Elmer asks. Bugs asks, “Have you got a fricasseeing wabbit license?” (animated by Vaughan up to here) Elmer starts to explain, “Well, no. I-”, before Bugs interrupts, “Do you happen to know what the penalty is for shooting a fricasseeing wabbit WITHOUT a fricasseeing wabbit license?” (animated by Ben Washam)

Annoyed, Daffy comes up to them, “Just a par-boiled minute!”, and then confronts Elmer, “What is this, a cooking class? Shoot him! Shoot him!” After Elmer explains, “But I haven’t got a wicense to shoot a fwicasseeing wabbit”, Daffy’s eyeballs boing in place in annoyance. He goes down to Bugs’ hole, telling Elmer, “Don’t go away, Daniel Boob! I’ll be back in a flash!” Daffy comes out with a piece of paper and attempts to make a fricasseeing rabbit license himself: “This license permits bearer to shoot a fricassa- fricassa-”, and then asks Bugs, “Hey, bud. How do ya spell ‘fricasseeing’?” Bugs complies, “F-R-I-C-A-S-S-E-E-I-N-G”, but then adds, “Uh, D-U-C-K”, so that Daffy absentmindedly creates a license for his own species instead. He gives it to Elmer, “Here you are, leather-stocking. All nice and legal”, before becoming impatient at Elmer looking over it, “Hurry up! Hurry up! The fine print doesn’t mean a thing!” Elmer looks at the audience in confusion, just as Daffy repeats, “Hurry up. Hurry up”. Elmer shrugs and shoots Daffy, whose beak spins around several times before stopping in the wrong place. After adjusting his beak back, Daffy grabs the license, “Here, let’s see that thing!” and reads it himself, mostly muttering, but saying “Fricasseeing duck” aloud. Daffy comments about this with, “Well. I guess I’m the goat” (animated by Washam).

Bugs pulls out a “Goat Season Open” sign from his hole, which Elmer obeys and points his gun at Daffy, who only lets out a quiet “What?” before getting shot, and having his opened beak balancing atop his head. Daffy walks up to Bugs, and after putting his beak back on his mouth area, he tells Bugs, “You’re a dirty dog”. Bugs replies simply, “And you are a dirty skunk”. Utterly bewildered at this, Daffy exclaims, “I’M a dirty skunk!? I’M A DIRTY SKUNK?!”, to which Bugs holds up a “Dirty Skunk Season” sign, causing Daffy to get shot again, with his opened beak now encasing his head. Daffy adjusts his beak back properly and remarks in annoyance, “Brother, am I a pigeon!” Bugs pulls out a “Pigeon Season” sign, and Elmer’s shot results in Daffy’s beak being blown completely off with Daffy holding onto it (animated by Richard Thompson).

Daffy informs Elmer, “Look, pal. What you need is a little briefing”, and has him walk behind a rock, “Let’s go over here and talk private for a minute”. He starts to give Elmer some instructions, “Okay. Now let’s get back to fundamentals”. Bugs shrugs as he begins to create a snow-rabbit decoy. Shortly, Daffy has concluded his talking to with Elmer, “Alright, now. Let’s go over it once more. Now, what are you?” Elmer: “I’m a hunter”. Daffy: “And what season is it?” Elmer: “Wabbit season”. Daffy then goes out from behind the rock and points at the snow-rabbit, unaware it’s a decoy, “And there’s a rabbit! Shoot him! Shoot him!” Elmer runs up to the snow-rabbit and blasts it to pieces, which shocks Elmer. “Good heavens! He disintegwated!” Disguised as an angel, Bugs floats down, while holding an umbrella. “Eh, what’s up, doc? How are things down here on Earth?” Daffy facepalms at this and slides his hand all the way down his face and beak. Elmer begins to feel guilty, “Gowwy, Mr. Wabbit. I hope I didn’t hurt you too much when I killed ya”. Daffy runs up to him and fumes, “Are you nuts!? Why, if he’s dead, then I’m a mongoose!” (animated by Abe Levitow up to here) Bugs holds up a “Mongoose Season” sign and Daffy gets blasted once more. This time, his beak falls to the ground. After picking it up, Daffy walks with Elmer back to the rock. Elmer: “More bweifing?” Daffy: “More briefing” (animated by Thompson).

Having finished giving Elmer another lecture, Daffy asks, “Now then, you’ve got it straight. You’re not gonna pay no more attention to no more signs. You’re just gonna listen to me, right?” Elmer confirms, “Wight” (animated by Ken Harris), just as Bugs disguises as a duck by putting a swim cap over his head and a fake beak on his mouth, and literally saying, “Quack, Quack”, while fluttering his eyebrows at the audience. Seeing this, Daffy thinks to himself, “Oh ho! THAT’S his little game, is it?” before yelling, “Shoot the duck! Shoot the duck!” Elmer instead shoots Daffy, whose beak now opens up all the way up to his forehead (animated by Thompson).

Daffy then goes into a nervous breakdown and goes nuts, “Shoot me again! I enjoy it! I love the smell of burnt feathers! And gunpowder! And cordite! I’m an elk! Shoot me! Go on! It’s elk season! I’m a fiddler crab! Why don’t ya shoot me!? It’s fiddler crab season!” Bugs comes up out of his hole disguised as the game warden, just as Daffy passes by, thinking to himself, “Where did I go wrong? Where did I take the wrong turning?” (animated by Harris)

Elmer pleads with Bugs, “Oh, Mr. Game Warden, I hope you can help me. I’ve been told I can shoot wabbits, and goats, and pigeons, and mongooses, and dirty skunks, and ducks. Could you tell me what season it weawwy is?” Bugs answers, “Why, certainly, my boy. It’s BASEBALL season”, pulling out a literal baseball. After Elmer laughs deliriously over this, Bugs tosses the baseball aside and tells Elmer like a dog, “Here, boy. Here, boy. Go get it. Go get it”, to which Elmer fires at the baseball sending it far forward with every shot and keeping Elmer busy while sending him away. Daffy, having calmed down, asks, “Got rid of him, eh?” Taking his disguise off, Bugs confirms, “Yep. That takes care of him. Uh, now tell me, just between the two of us, what season is it, really?” Daffy chuckles while walking away, “Don’t be so naive, buster. Why, EVERYBODY knows it’s really duck season!” (animated by Harris) After he says this, numerous hunters pop up from out of nowhere and all blast at Daffy. After putting his detached beak back onto his mouth, Daffy crawls to Bugs while panting heavily before climbing up his warden outfit and angrily telling him, “You’re despicable!” (animated by Thompson)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕