Release Date:

July 16, 1949

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

Peeved at squire Bugs Bunny for tossing his carrot remains into his suit of armor, Sir Pants-A-Lot of Dropseat Manor challenges him to a jousting duel. Bugs gets bested for a while but eventually gains the upper hand.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1086 and was released as a Merrie Melodie.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. The original opening and closing rings as well as the “Bugs Bunny in” title card (which was removed from the reissue) were put back in to the cartoon when it was restored for HBO Max in 2020 as well as the Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection Blu-ray set released a few months later.

This is one of the few Bugs Bunny cartoons to not have the words “rabbit”, “hare”, “bunny” “Bugs”, or “doc” in the title.

This is the last Freleng cartoon to have animation by Pete Burness.

The title is a pun for “night must fall”. Freleng also did a joke on this pun (“And then (k)night fell”, where a knight statue falls off its pedestal) 15 years earlier in one of his first cartoons, “The Girl at the Ironing Board”.

The cartoon reuses the Bugs as fast-talking pitcher only to be hit and flown backward gag from “Baseball Bugs” except here, it’s used when he keeps hitting into Pants-A-Lot’s lance during the scene where the jousting first begins.

What I Like About This One:

Bugs is shown standing with the row of knights and is right next to Pants-A-Lot before he uses Pants-A-Lot’s armor as a trash can for his carrot remains by means of stepping on the spur of his shoe to use as the stepping part of a trash can (animated by Gerry Chiniquy). When Pants-A-Lot glares at him for this, Bugs asks, “What’s up, sir doc?” (animated by Virgil Ross) Pants-A-Lot answers, “Forsooth, varlet! Thou hast insulted me!” and slaps Bugs with his glove. Bugs retaliates, “Oh, yeah? Well, forsooth, Boiler Boy! Thou hast insulted ME forsooth!” before taking one of the armor’s metal hands and slapping Pants-A-Lot with it. Pants-A-Lot challenges Bugs to meet on the jousting field the following day at dawn. “Agreed?” “Agreed” (animated by Chiniquy)

The jousting field is set up like a modern day football game complete with an announcer, stands made to look like those at a game, and a program vendor who informs, “You can’t tell a knight from a day without a program” (animated by Manuel Perez).

Pants-A-Lot is introduced from a fancy-looking tent and on a horse to which he is given applause by the audience. The announcer continues, “And at the other end of the arena…. (flatly) Bugs Bunny”. Bugs is introduced from a shabby-looking tent and on a small burro as the audience boos him. Bugs retorts, “Ah, boo yourself! You’re expecting maybe Errol Flynn!?” (animated by Pete Burness)

At the start of the jousting, Bugs talks very fast while he and Pants-A-Lot charge towards each other: “Let’s see what ya got on the ball! Lean on it, kid! Let’s see ya dish it out! Come on! Throw some iron, boy!”, only to charge right into Pants-A-Lot’s lance, causing him to be sent flying backward into the wall. Bugs quickly gets back on his burro to try again, but the same thing happens (animated by Chiniquy). He then decides to “use a little English on this one” as he sharpens his lance like a billiard stick. “Eh, the eight ball in the side pocket”, he confides (animated by Ken Champin). Pants-A-Lot simply holds up his shield which causes Bugs’ lance to break into pieces upon impact and the audience to laugh at the sight (animated by Chiniquy). On the ground, Bugs tosses away his broken lance as he realizes, “Hey! That cast-iron palooka’s making a chump out of me!” (animated by Perez)

At half-time, the gun fired shoots out a crossbow and the band is a marching band that only produces Mel Blanc vocal effects to the tune of “Frat”. At the start of the second half, the announcer says, “And there goes the bell!” (animated by Perez), Bugs and Pants-A-Lot are seen clubbing each other with the clangs of their respective armor being hit making bell-like noises, which ends with Bugs tickling Pants-A-Lot with a rivet gun. Pants-A-Lot then attempts to use a large ball and chain on Bugs, but Bugs has it bounce back on to him by using a spring, which results in the ball part hitting Pants-A-Lot with a hilarious honk sound effect. “It is to LAUGH”, Bugs chortles (animated by Champin).

Bugs knocks on Pants-A-Lot’s helmet like a door and asks, “Don’t you remember me? I was here last night with Joe”. Pants-A-Lot peeks out of his helmet with a goony expression to which Bugs tells us, “Now he oughta know better than that!” and punches Pants-A-Lot’s head. Pants-A-Lot chases Bugs down his hole as Bugs rises out of another hole in the manner of an elevator. Once Pants-A-Lot comes up, Bugs opens his helmet and hits him on the head with a hammer before closing it, causing a large lump to grow out of Pants-A-Lot’s head and re-open the helmet. Pants-A-Lot chases him with a double-bladed ax and chops away at what is seemingly Bugs just standing there but finds that this was a decoy with only Bugs’ armor and fake body parts of a rabbit. “Zound! Where is he!? Where is the varlet at!?” Bugs suddenly pops up inside his armor in front of his face, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” and gives him a wacky kiss. Pants-A-Lot loudly exclaims in disgust before spitting it off and attempting to club Bugs but only ends up clubbing himself in the face due to Bugs going back down (animated by Ross).

Pants-A-Lot finds Bugs all the way down in his armor and preparing to prick him in the behind with a needle. He silently begs Bugs not to, but of course Bugs proceeds, causing him to scream in pain and jump up headfirst into an arch, with him landing into his suit of armor with his helmet and head compressed into an accordion-like shape from hitting the arch. Bugs takes the helmet off and laughs, “Get a load of the new Dick Tracy character. Accordion Head!” (animated by Ross)

Bugs retreats into a manhole as Pants-A-Lot attempts to follow after him, only for Bugs to put the lid over said manhole before Pants-A-Lot can dive in, which compresses his body. Bugs walks out and laughs to himself, “I guess I’d better go phone Lady Windermere not to expect her spouse home for dinner!” Suddenly, Pants-A-Lot and several other knights all confront him on their horses. Bugs asks the referee for a time-out before he and his burro head into the blacksmith shop as the constructing of a super-weapon commences off screen (animated by Perez).

The super-weapon comes out with it being a steam-powered combination of armor and a tank complete with cockpit and the burro being its source of moving. In the cockpit, Bugs announces, “Pilot to bombardier. Pilot to bombardier. Open bomb bays. We’re right on target”. A lance appears out of the middle part of the super-weapon and races towards the knights at full speed. Several crashing noises are heard as the spectators’ repeated reactions to the outcome indicates that said outcome was very intense (animated by Perez).

In the end, it’s revealed that Bugs won and absolutely destroyed all the knights as he is now selling their crushed armor like a used car salesman. Standing next to Pants-A-Lot’s armor while munching a carrot, Bugs confides, “Eh, so it shouldn’t be a total loss” as he once again uses said armor to deposit his carrot remains into (animated by Champin).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

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