Release Date:

June 24, 1944

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

Bugs Bunny is pursued by a Russian dog in a chase that happens largely underwater.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 10-13, the 10th Merrie Melodie in the 13th release season.

The cartoon is rather infamous for its alternate cut where another version of the cartoon exists: most notably in the ending where the dog thinks he has killed Bugs and is so ashamed that he wishes he were dead. In the official version of the cartoon, Bugs gives the dog a pistol so he can shoot himself (which was animated by Robert McKimson). In the alternate cut, Bugs himself pulls the trigger (which was animated by Rod Scribner). The alternate version of the cartoon was made available as a bonus feature on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 DVD set in 2007.

This is the first cartoon to use the Bugs Bunny headshot in the opening titles. It would be used up until Tashlin’s “The Unruly Hare” (1945) before it would be used again from Arthur Davis’ “Bowery Bugs” (1949) up until Freleng’s “Robot Rabbit” (1953). A redesigned version would be used from Freleng’s “Bugs and Thugs” all the way until Bugs’ last Golden Age cartoon, Robert McKimson’s “False Hare” (1964).

Bugs would tangle with the Russian dog again in the Looney Tunes Cartoons episode “Bonehead” (2021).

In “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” when Bruce Wayne’s dog, Ace, is recovering from the Joker’s attack, he is seen watching this cartoon.

What I Like About This One:

For his only appearance in a Warner cartoon, actor Sammy Wolfe does a great job as the Russian dog.

The dog sniffing Bugs’ armpit (animated by Rod Scribner) and saying “B.O” in a foghorn-like voice, which references radio commercials for Lifebuoy soap (animated by Robert McKimson).

When the dog tells Bugs he’s “looking for little gray rabbit” (animated by Scribner), Bugs describes a rabbit while abusing the dog: “Hey, do you mean one of those timid little ani-mules with long ears like this?” (pulls on dog’s ears) “And a little short fuzzy tail like this?” (pulls on dog’s tongue to make his tail short) “And he hops around like this?” (bounces dog all over the ground) “Into his hole like this?”, shoving the dog into the hole (animated by Gil Turner).

The dog realizing, “You know something? I think THAT was the rabbit!” Bugs replies, “Eh, who else?” and gives the dog a wacky kiss (animated by McKimson).

The rest of the cartoon takes place underwater with Bugs disguising as a flirty mermaid singing “It Can’t Be Wrong” (animated by Manny Gould). Lovestruck, the dog zooms like a torpedo (briefly forming into one) over to Bugs (animated by Gould) and happily shouts, “Mama! Baby! Dad!” (animated by Scribner)

Speaking in a Charles Boyer voice, the dog suggests, “Let us play games” (animated by McKimson). They play tag with both daintily tiptoeing to the tune of Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” and with the dog making Bugs “it” before Bugs slaps the dog with the mermaid tail propelling the dog into a rock. “I’m it”, he says (animated by Gould).

Bugs then removes his disguise saying it was the best one he ever came up with. He is confronted by the angry dog, who asks, “Yes, isn’t it?” (animated by Scribner)

With the dog deciding he wants dinner now (namely, a rabbit sandwich), Bugs has him sit down and after choking him with the napkin, imitates a French waiter who claims to be out of rabbit. Imitating Elmer Fudd, he goes hunting for “wabbits” (animated by McKimson). The dog shushes the audience, telling us “He’s hunting for a wabbit”. He then gets wise, and shouts, “WABBIT!?” before turning purple in fury (animated by Gould).

Swimming in front of Bugs demanding his rabbit sandwich, Bugs gives up (animated by Scribner) and puts himself between two pieces of bread, revealing to us that he simply tucked his body in far away from the dog’s jaws which is absent in the alternate cut (animated by McKimson). When the dog takes a bite (animated by Gould), Bugs does a dramatic fake death scene (animated by McKimson). Devastated over the apparent killing, the dog cries while pulling out a bit of his hair, “I don’t deserve to live! I wish I were dead!” Bugs “revives” and asks, “Eh, do you mean it?” (animated by Scribner) and gives the dog a pistol to shoot himself. As Bugs pirouettes into the distance, the iris out starts to close before the dog stops it and comments, “This shouldn’t even happen to a dog!” When he lets go of the iris-out, it shuts on his nose (animated by McKimson).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕