Release Date:

May 7, 1955

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Tycoon Elmer Fudd has gone insane and believes he is a rabbit so his chairman board send him to the “Fruit Cake Sanitarium” to be cured. Bugs Bunny, unaware of what’s going on, passes by and Elmer lures him to the window by offering him plenty of carrots. Before the German-accented psychiatrist, Dr. Oro Myicin, comes in to check on Elmer, Elmer leaves so Bugs takes his place, making Oro believe that Bugs is Elmer, and through having him swallow a capsule, has him believe he IS Elmer, voice and all. The roles are now reversed with Bugs in Elmer’s hunting clothes going after a carrot-munching Elmer, wearing a rabbit suit.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1340 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

This is the first cartoon to use the 1955-1964 Merrie Melodies opening and closing theme, which is Milt Franklyn’s rendition of “Merrily We Roll Along”. The next two cartoons, however, (“Past Perfumance” and “Tweety’s Circus”), still use the 1945-1955 Merrie Melodies opening theme and the 1941-1955 Merrie Melodies closing theme.

Bugs and Elmer had previously switched personalities thirteen years prior in “The Hare Brained Hypnotist”, also directed by Freleng. This time, however, the entire cartoon is centered around that.

The cartoon was also likely conceived because of Freleng’s dislike towards Elmer (which was also why he created Yosemite Sam ten years prior), so he wanted to pull a switcheroo on the Bugs and Elmer formula.

Although Bugs and Elmer imitate each others’ voice and personality, they are still voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan, respectively (although when Elmer exclaims, “Oh, it’s rabbit season! The hunters will get me!”, he doesn't mispronounce “rabbit”).

This is also the first Bugs and Elmer cartoon where Elmer wins and Bugs loses.

The title is a pun for “hairbrush”.

When the cartoon was restored for HBO Max in 2020, the original end card was inexplicably replaced with the 1959-1960 Merrie Melodies end card. This would also be present when the cartoon was put on the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray set later that year.

I love the original tune that plays under the opening credits (around this time, the cartoons from this point on started to use original cues more so than music they had the rights to).

Favorite Scene:

Bugs takes notice of medicine by Elmer’s asylum bed, “Take 1 teaspoon every hour with water”, but takes them literally by swallowing the spoon and then drinking the water, causing him to react in disgust, “Ew! Nasty medicine teaspoons!”

The twist ending is also brilliant.

What Happens in This One:

At the “E.J. Fudd Building”- which is also the headquarters of “Elmer J. Fudd Mining”, “Elmer J. Fudd Enterprises”, “Elmer J. Fudd Pres. Amalgamated Oil Company”, and “E. J. Fudd Investment” along with two more that aren’t fully shown-, the chairman of Elmer’s board of directors is seen concluding a speech, “And so you see, gentlemen, our corporation is faced with a very serious problem”. After Elmer opens his door and is about to come out, everyone stands up and whispers, “Mr. Fudd” or “J. Fudd” several times. Elmer himself comes out dressed in his tycoon clothes, but hopping around on all four’s like a rabbit. Hopping to his chair at the end of the board of directors’ table, Elmer takes a carrot and asks, “Um, what’s up, doc?”, before becoming worried, “Oh, it’s rabbit season! The hunters will get me!” He then goes back into his door quickly on all four’s, much to the board’s shock. The chairman, who is just as shocked, asks the board, “Are you agreed, gentlemen, that we should take immediate steps?” Everyone agrees in unison (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

At the “Fruit Cake Sanitarium”- subtitled “It’s Full of Nuts”-, Elmer is now wearing a rabbit costume that he wears for the rest of the cartoon as he is in bed munching on one of several carrots in his asylum room. Bugs walks by the asylum as Elmer knocks on his window to get his attention. Bugs points to himself as if to say “Me?”, to which Elmer nods his head. Bugs dismisses it and continues walking, but comes up to the window quickly when Elmer holds up a carrot. From outside, Bugs asks, “You mean I can have THAT and plenty more?” Elmer nods and points to the window. Bugs: “And all I have to do is open the window? (Elmer nods) Is that all? Brother, you’ve got yourself a preposition!” He runs off and returns with a screwdriver to open the window (animated by Ted Bonnicksen).

Meanwhile, Oro is in his office, looking through his files before polishing his glasses, “Now, let me see, the next patient is, uh, hmm, Elmer J. Fudd the millionaire. Oh, yes. I heerd about this case. He thinks he’s a rabbit. A clear case of rabbit-schenia”. He then gets up to go to Elmer’s room. Bugs is impressed with Elmer’s room, “Hey, this is some setup ya got here! The rest of us rabbits have to live in a hole in the ground”. Elmer then jumps up and down on the bed a few times before hopping away out the window, over the small asylum wall, and into the distance. Bugs figures, “I guess he’s gone to look for more carrots. I’ll keep his bed warm for him while he’s gone”. After a shot of Oro walking to the room, Bugs finds a bottle of medicine next to the bed, “Hey, uh, what’s this? ‘Take 1 teaspoon every hour with water’”. Well, sounds silly to me, but…” He takes the instructions literally as he swallows the spoon itself and then drinks the water, before he openly expresses his disgust at it, “Ew! Nasty medicine teaspoons!” (animated by Arthur Davis)

Oro now comes into the room, “Good morning, Mr.-” before seeing Bugs in the bed, causing him to believe that Elmer now looks fully like a rabbit, “Ooh! Worst case I’ve ever seen”. Bugs asks him, “Eh, what’s up, doc?”, before Oro comes up to him and answers, “And now we will try a series of experiments to rid you of the notion that you are a rabbit”. Offended, Bugs grabs him by the shirt and asks, “What’s wrong with being a rabbit!?” Oro: “Oh, oh, there-there’s nothing wrong with being a rabbit, no, no. But, but being a millionaire has its advantages also. Now if you will just cooperate-”. Upon hearing what Oro just said, Bugs accepts, “Millionaire? Okay, I’ll cooperate” (animated by Davis).

In Oro’s office, Oro has Bugs sit down on his couch as he instructs, “Now, repeat. ‘I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht’”. Bugs misinterprets this and gets up to shake Oro’s hand, “Glad to meet ya, Mr. Fudd!”, only for Oro to explain, “No. YOU are Elmer J. Fudd”. Bugs replies, “Oh, I am Elmer J. Fudd”, only to hold up a picture of a screw and a baseball, meaning “screwball”, to describe Oro before putting him on his own couch and follow his own instructions, “Now, repeat after me-”. Having enough, Oro decides, “Mr. Fudd, you’ve forced me to use much stronger methods! If you will just swallow this capsule, I’m sure we will get much faster results”. Bugs takes the capsule and swallows it, “It’s in”, before his pupils turn into still-hypnotic swirls, implying that the capsule gets whoever takes it to do what the psychiatrist wants them to. Oro then has Bugs repeat, “I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht” over and over, with Oro saying, “Again!” every time Bugs finishes. Eventually, Bugs says it with Elmer’s speech impediment (animated by Davis).

Later, Oro is on the phone about “Elmer”’s apparent recovery, “Yeah, he’s completely cured, but don’t mention his appearance. He might have a relapse” (animated by Davis). Dressed in elegant clothes, Bugs leaves the asylum as Elmer, “Thank you, doctor. You weawwy did the twick!” and also laughs like Elmer. He then gets into Elmer’s limo as the chauffeur informs, “I brought your hunting clothes along, sir. It’s Wednesday, you know”. Bugs replies, “Oh, good. I could use a wittle west and wewaxation” before the limo drives off (animated by Bonnicksen).

Dressed in Elmer’s hunting clothes, Bugs tells us, “Be vewy quiet. I’m hunting wabbits” before spotting, “(laughs) Wabbit twacks!” They lead to a hole that Elmer pops out of, munching a carrot. Bugs points his rifle at him, “Now I gotcha, you scwewy wabbit!” Elmer leans against the rifle and asks, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” Bugs pulls it away from him angrily before pointing it at him again, “Get off! Say your pwawers, wabbit!” Elmer plugs up the barrel with his finger, causing Bugs to get blasted in the face (animated by Chiniquy).

Bugs chases Elmer to a river which Elmer dives into. When Bugs dives in after him, he ends up hitting an underwater rock chin-first. With only the ears from Elmer’s rabbit costume and Bugs’ hunter hat being shown sticking out of the water, Bugs takes his rifle to shoot at Elmer from underwater, causing Elmer to briefly jump up in pain (animated by Bonnicksen).

Bugs then chases Elmer into a cave and believes he has him cornered, “Alwight, you scwewy wabbit! I know where you are! Come out, wabbit, or I’ll bwast you out!” Elmer sneaks out and subs for the rifle, so that Bugs unknowingly grabs him instead with Elmer literally saying “Bang! Bang!” Bugs believes he got him, “Gotcha!” and goes into the dark cave with only his and someone else’s eyes being seen in the darkness. Bugs lights a match and sees that that someone else is a large bear, who chases him out of the cave. Elmer yells some advice to him, “Pway dead! He won’t hurt you if he thinks you’re dead!” Bugs goes into a playing dead position, to which the bear sniffs him and exclaims in disgust. He digs a hole to put Bugs’ seemingly dead body in there, but ends up getting stuck in the hole himself when trying to stuff Bugs in there, due to him having dug the hole on a cliff side. Bugs opens his eyes to find himself falling, and attempts to run back up, to no avail as he lands back in the river (animated by Bonnicksen).

Elmer hops along, only to be confronted by Bugs pointing his gun at him, “Now I gotcha! No wabbit’s going to outsmart Elmer J. Fudd!” Someone from the IRS taps him on the shoulder and asks, “Pardon me. Did you say you were Elmer J. Fudd?” Not knowing who this man is, Bugs proudly answers, “Yes. I am Elmer J. Fudd, miwwionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht”. The man reveals himself and something else about Elmer, “Special agent. You owe 300,000 dollars in back taxes. I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me (animated by Bonnicksen), Mr. Fudd”. The real Elmer smiles at this as the IRS agent drags Bugs off to his car to take him to federal prison. Bugs protests, “No, no, no. I won’t go. There’s some mistake. No, no, no. I’m huntin’ a scwewy wabbit!” Elmer confides to us, “I may be a scwewy wabbit, but I’m not going to Alcatwaz!”, revealing that he was faking his insanity and cleverly planned everything out to avoid getting arrested. The cartoon ends with Elmer doing a hop-dance into the distance (animated by Chiniquy).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕