Release Date:

May 25, 1957

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam

Summary:

In a small Alpine town in Germany where a festival is being held, Yosemite Sam is the only citizen willing to climb the “Schmatterhorn” for 50,000 cronkites. When learning about this from Sam, Bugs Bunny figures that this amount would buy a lot of carrots so he becomes Sam’s sole opponent. Sam attempts various unsuccessful schemes to eliminate the competition.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1435 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The “Schmatterhorn” is a pun for the Matterhorn.

The title is a pun for “Pike’s Peak”.

Sam lets out what is possibly the longest scream in animation history after Bugs’ attempt to help him up the “mountain” ends with him mistakenly pushing Sam down a snowy hill back into town.

Carl Stalling scored this one.

This is one of the few cartoons to not have the usual “That’s all Folks!” end music. Instead, the ending music for this specific cartoon continues playing over the “That’s all Folks!” end card.

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

One could argue that even though neither boulder in this cartoon is a round, rolling one, both instances Sam getting chased by a boulder is a bit of a foreshadowing to the iconic boulder chase in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981).

This is the last Warner cartoon to feature backgrounds by Irv Wyner.

In real life, there is actually no currency known as “cronkites”.

I love the cheerful rendition of “When I Yoo Hoo” over the opening credits.

Favorite Scene:

A St. Bernard rescues a frozen Sam after the latter deliberately causes a noise-sensitive avalanche, but instead of mixing a martini for Sam to warm him up, the St. Bernard mixes one for himself and then leaves.

What Happens in This One:

In the town, the mayor, who speaks in a thick German accent, announces, “The big event of this festival day is the climbing of the Schmatterhorn for a prize of 50,000 cronkites. Any volunteers?” The citizens all look at each other, with none willing to do it. Irritated, the mayor exclaims, “Oh, come now! Come now! Someone must want 50,000 cronkites!” Running into the center of the crowd, Sam is excited about this, “50,000 cronkites!? Ya got your volunteer!” (animated by Gerry Chiniquy)

The band plays some festival music and everyone cheers as Sam takes his bows while he begins to walk over to the mountain with a rope and pickax (animated by Arthur Davis). Hearing all the commotion, Bugs comes up out of his hole nearby and wonders, “What’s all the hubbub?” He notices Sam approaching and decides, “Here comes one of the local yokels, I’ll ask him”. Bugs asks “Eh, uh, what’s up, doc?” in faux German before continuing in a German accent, “What gives with the music and the cheering yet, ah?” Sam answers, “It’s for me! 50,000 cronkites for the one what dares to climb the Schmatterhorn and I dares!” In his normal voice, Bugs figures, “Hmm, yeah, 50,000 cronkites would buy a LOT of carrots!” (animated by Virgil Ross)

Sam begins climbing up the mountainside just as Bugs also begins climbing it while singing a yodel-like tune. After Bugs passes him, Sam catches up and attempts to pull him down by the leg off the mountain, “Get down, ya long-eared mountain goat!” Bugs, who’s holding onto a large boulder in the middle of this, protests, “Hey! Cut it out!”, before he is pulled all the way down, with the boulder also coming loose. Sam demands, “Now back to the village with ya!” but upon seeing several small rocks fall down in front of him, realizes the boulder is about to fall on him. Sam runs away from the boulder which bounces all the way down after him. The boulder eventually bounces down the mountain, with a flattened Sam shortly sliding down said mountain. Sam climbs back up, raging, “Ooooh, I’ll-!” (animated by Davis)

Bugs, still standing on the ledge that Sam pulled him down on, helps Sam up, “Up ya go!” Sam thanks him with “Thanks, rabbit!” with Bugs replying “Eh, don’t mention it”. Sam then pretends to make a deal, “Let’s be partners, varmint! Okay!” and shakes Bugs’ hand. “Tie the rope around yourself and I’ll pull ya up to the next ledge!” Bugs watches Sam climb up the mountain (animated by Chiniquy) as Sam laughs to himself, “Rabbits are so stupid!”, which is of course completely false about Bugs (animated by Davis). Bugs ties the rope around his chest and calls up, “I’m ready!” When Sam calls down, “Okay, rabbit! Toss up the rope!”, Bugs does so with Sam doing something devious with this rope. Bugs then calls, “Hey, what’s up, doc?”, to which Sam answers, “Not what’s UP, what’s DOWN!” as he seemingly ties Bugs’ rope to a large rock that he pushes off the ledge while laughing evilly. After Bugs watches the rock fall, Sam realizes he mistakenly tied himself to the rock instead, causing his laughing to become meeker. Failing to untie the rope, Sam takes out his pocket knife, which turns out to actually be a Swiss army knife. By the time he finds the right utensil and begins cutting the rope, he goes all the way (animated by Chiniquy) down the mountain with the rock due to holding onto the rope (animated by Davis).

Witnessing Sam coming back into town with the rock, the band starts their music again as Sam walks back to the mountain angrily (animated by Davis). He starts running back up it and struggles to climb over a large rock. Bugs then passes by and decides to help him over it, “Up we go!” Upon hearing Sam let out a very long and loud scream, Bugs looks over the rock and sees that he actually pushed him down a snowy hill with Sam sliding chest-first all the way down (animated by Chiniquy).

Sam continues sliding chest-first back into town, so the band restarts again as Sam runs back to the mountain once more, this time raging, “Ooooooh!” while running. Sam goes all the way to the edge of a cliff and sees Bugs climbing up this cliff’s side. He attempts to push a nearby boulder down onto him, but the boulder tilts backward and starts bouncing down after Sam. The boulder chases Sam all the way to the edge of another cliff, which Sam jumps off of. The impact of him landing causes the boulder to go flying off the cliff and begin falling down towards Sam. Once Sam comes to, he runs out of the way in time, but goes back to retrieve his hat, resulting in the boulder crushing him after all. The boulder breaks from the impact and also sends Sam falling through another ledge, creating a Sam-shaped hole (animated by Davis).

Bugs is inching his way on a snowy mountain edge with Sam catching up to him. “Ha! There ya are! I’m a-gonna-!” Bugs looks up and sees that Sam’s shouting is causing the snow above to start coming loose, so he quietly warns Sam, “Shh! Ya gotta be very quiet! All that snow over me! Any little noise will start an avalanche!” Realizing, “Avalanche, eh? Hmm”, Sam starts jumping around and making a lot of noise while firing his pistol, but the snow falls on him instead and sends him all the way back down (animated by Chiniquy). A St. Bernard comes running in on all four’s and digs a frozen Sam out of the snow. He opens his barrel of alcoholic drinks that warm up icy victims and mixes a martini, not for Sam, but rather for himself. The St. Bernard then hiccups as he barks and runs back in the opposite direction (animated by Ross).

Still ascending the mountain, Bugs turns around and sees Sam coming after him with his pistol, so he runs for it. Sam chases Bugs through the fog near the top of the mountain, with only their shadows and gunshots being visible at certain points (animated by Chiniquy). They eventually reach the top which Bugs realizes, “Hey, wait a minute, Sam! We’re on top!” Sam asks, “Are ya sure?”, to which Bugs replies, “Yeah, I’m sure”. Sam then shoves him off, “Well, off ya go!” and starts jumping around happily while laughing, “I made it! 50,000 cronkites! I’m rich! I did it! I climbed the Schmatterhorn! 50,000 cronkites! I’m rich! Rich, rich, rich!” Unbeknownst to Sam, he is somehow on top of the Eiffel Tower instead. The camera pans down to reveal Bugs looking up at him from a lower platform on the tower. In an amused tone, Bugs decides, “Well, as long as he’s happy, why tell him!?”, as he munches his carrot and continues watching Sam jump around at the top (animated by Ross). Near the bottom of the tower, the band plays once more with their music continuing over the “That’s all, Folks!” end card (animated by Davis).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕 ½