Release Date:

May 25, 1946

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Gossamer

Summary:

A mad scientist (caricature of Peter Lorre) lures Bugs Bunny to his castle to become a meal for his monster, a large red-haired sneaker-wearing one named Gossamer. After a chase through the castle, Bugs tricks Gossamer into getting frightened by the audience.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1-15, the first Merrie Melodie in the 15th release season.

This is the first appearance of Gossamer, who is unnamed here. He would make one more appearance in the Golden Age in Jones’ “Water Water Every Hare” (1952) where he is named Rudolph. He didn’t make another appearance until “Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24 ½th Century” (1980), which was made as part of the TV special “Daffy Duck’s Thanks-for-giving Special”. It was there that he was first named Gossamer and the name stuck ever since. Despite his limited appearances, however, Gossamer ended up becoming a mainstay in the Looney Tunes franchise. Interestingly, the only incarnation where he isn’t portrayed as a fearsome beast is in the Looney Tunes Show (2011-2013) where he is instead portrayed as a very sweet child.

The title card in this cartoon was parodied in the Brandy and Mr. Whiskers episode, “Bad Hare Day”.

This is the first cartoon to use the 1946-1947 blue rings with the red background.

Peter Lorre would be portrayed as a mad scientist again in McKimson’s “Birth of a Notion” (1947), where Daffy cons a dim-witted dog named Leopold into letting him stay for the winter, unaware that Lorre is his master and needs a duck’s wishbone to complete his experiment.

The Lorre scientist in this cartoon would make a cameo appearance in the 2003 movie “Looney Tunes Back in Action”.

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

The full cartoon would be used in the 1975 documentary, “Bugs Bunny Superstar”.

Clips from this cartoon are shown in the Ozzy and Drix episode “Double Dose”.

What I Like About This One:

Getting ready for bed, Bugs has the feeling he’s being watched and he actually is as Lorre is watching him through a television monitor (animated by Lloyd Vaughan).

Lorre then sends over a female mechanical rabbit lure as Bugs figures it was only his imagination. Becoming aware of the decoy’s presence, Bugs follows it to Lorre’s castle where the latter immediately locks the door to the castle with several locks. Bugs tells him, “You don’t need to lock that door, mac. I don’t want to leave!” (animated by Vaughan)

Bugs kisses the decoy so much that it eventually whirls apart. Unfazed, Bugs remarks, “That’s the trouble with some dames. Kiss ‘em and they fly apart”. He starts to leave but Lorre pushes him toward Gossamer’s door telling him he has another little friend who’d like to meet him. Intrigued about “another friend”, Bugs switches places with Lorre and pushes him toward the door, but they both become startled upon hearing Gossamer’s roaring from inside the door (animated by Ben Washam).

Realizing this was Lorre’s “friend”, Bugs bids, “Well, goodbye” (animated by Washam) and to the tune of “California Here I Come” packs his bags and golf clubs before telling Lorre, “And don’t think it hasn’t been a little slice of heaven- cause it hasn’t!” (animated by Vaughan) before running towards the door. Lorre then opens up Gossamer’s door to which Gossamer walks out in tune to a sinister-sounding piano, as seen in the screenshot used (animated by Basil Davidovich).

As Bugs is trying to open the door, he turns to ask Gossamer for help: “Here, you look like a strong, healthy boy. Give me a hand!” He only realizes what Gossamer is after he roars ferociously (animated by Davidovich) and goes into several poses while spluttering incoherently, produces a sign with a small “YIPE!” before pulling out another that has the same word with the letters and exclamation point being much larger (animated by Ken Harris).

After briefly forgetting to open the door, Bugs goes into another hall while trying to prevent Gossamer from breaking it down. Asking in a panicked tone if there is a doctor in the house, a silhouette pops up and announces, “I’m a doctor!” Bugs suddenly turns nonchalant and asks, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” (animated by Davidovich)

Bugs and Gossamer then pass a mirror with Gossamer coming back to look at it. His own reflection gets frightened of him and runs away causing Gossamer to shrug (animated by Davidovich).

Gossamer next finds Bugs disguised as a lamp with the bulbs in between his ears before getting wise as Bugs dances away with the shade on his head before using it as a ballerina’s tutu to the tune of “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” (animated by Davidovich).

Chased to a gap with a long drop into the water, Bugs finds himself cornered so he acts as a chatty manicurist while filing Gossamer’s unkempt fingernails. Once he’s done, he has Gossamer dip his “paddies” in the water where a mousetrap in each bowl snaps on them, causing Gossamer to give a hilarious-sounding cry (animated by Harris).

Going up the stairs, Bugs ends up in a front of a painting where the character’s eyes move, as Gossamer is hiding behind it. Bugs pokes him in the eyes and runs off. Gossamer comes out of the wall and sees Bugs in a painting. He tries to poke him in return but Bugs pokes him again, so Gossamer tears into the painting and into the wall. Bugs then goes out from the wall and hears Gossamer imitating his footsteps from behind the wall. Finding out exactly where he is, Bugs draws an “X” on the wall, and mallets it, where a Gossamer-shaped hole forms with Gossamer collapsing face-first (animated by Washam).

Figuring he has “disposed of the monster”, Bugs starts to head out of the castle only to find Gossamer waiting in a suit of armor and armed with an ax. Bugs counteracts this with a mechanical knight and horse with Bugs driving it like a train. The impact of the lance hitting Gossamer causes him to fly into the wall, turning him into the product “Canned Monster” (animated by Harris).

Having “re-disposed of the monster”, Bugs walks across a few animal skin rugs and gets grabbed by Gossamer laying on the floor and posing as one. Bugs scares him off with some fast-talk: “Hey, wait a minute, Dracula. Did you ever have the feeling you’re being watched? That the eyes of strange, eerie things are upon ya? Look, out there in the audience”. Gossamer shrieks, “PEOPLE!” and runs away through several walls in terror (animated by Harris).

Now having “re-re-disposed of the monster”, Bugs is interrupted by the decoy returning and remarks “Mechanical” before it kisses him. In excitement, Bugs says, “Well, so it’s mechanical!” and follows the decoy in a decoy-like walk (animated by Harris).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕