Release Date:

May 19, 1951

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck attempt to persuade Elmer Fudd as to whether he should be hunting either ducks or rabbits such as arguments with Bugs winning them via reverse psychology, disguising as each other and imitating each others’ voices, and reading various recipes to cook the other species.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1166 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue.

This is the first of three cartoons known as the “Hunting Trilogy”, which is of three superb cartoons (all directed by Jones and with some of the funniest dialogue Michael Maltese ever came up with) that involve Elmer hunting for Bugs and Daffy, and Daffy usually getting the worst of it. The other two include “Rabbit Seasoning” (1952) and “Duck Rabbit Duck” (1953). And unlike the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy trio cartoons of the late 1930’s where they were allies, in this trilogy, Bugs, Daffy, and Elmer are all antagonists.

This is also the very first time that Bugs and Daffy are paired up (not counting Bugs’ cameo in “Porky Pig’s Feat”) and the only time where they both win in the end.

This cartoon marks the official start of Daffy’s new jerk persona as well as the very first time he says, “You’re despicable”.

The title is a pun for “rapid fire”.

The cartoon was used in the 1979 compilation movie, “The Bugs Bunny-Roadrunner Movie”.

Both restorations of the cartoon on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 1 DVD set in 2003 and the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection Volume 2 Blu-ray set, respectively, are inexplicably low-pitched.

The cartoon was originally titled “What’s Up Duck”, which was to presumably allude to the fact that this would be the first time Bugs and Daffy would be antagonists.

The ending gag where Bugs and Daffy find out it’s actually “Elmer Season” would become a meme where usually a universally-hated person or character would be pictured on the sign instead of Elmer (although in the cartoon, it’s because of Elmer being a character who loses for most of the time).

Elmer claims to be a vegetarian in this one, although in most other cartoons, he is delighted with the thought of “wabbit stew”.

The elephant in this cartoon is one of the characters who briefly appears during the “Toon Meeting” scene in “Space Jam” (1996).

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

The cartoon is a fantastic example of why Mel Blanc is the GOAT of all voice actors. During the scene where Bugs and Daffy impersonate each other, Blanc combines their voices, complete with doing Daffy’s lisp in Bugs’ voice.

What I Like About This One:

In what might be a callback to Bugs’ debut in “A Wild Hare” in that they both start the same way, Elmer shushes the audience and announces, “Be vewy vewy quiet. I’m hunting wabbits (laughs)”. He then sees “Oh, boy! Wabbit twacks!” as it’s seemingly Bugs who’s making footprints while walking. It’s actually Daffy wearing fake rabbit feet to lure Elmer to Bugs’ hole. After removing them, Daffy calls down to Bugs’ hole, “Oh, Bugsy. Bugsy, pal. There’s a friend here to see ya”. He then sneaks away and confides, “Survival of the fittest. And besides it’s fun. Hoo-hoo. Hoo-hoo” (animated by Ben Washam).

Bugs emerges from his hole, “Did someone knock?” before Elmer’s bullet goes right above his ears. After he asks “Eh, what’s up, doc?” in a “what did you do that for?” tone, he is confronted by Elmer at gunpoint, “Now I got you, you, you… wabbit! (laughs)” Bugs just simply munches a carrot and asks, “Say, doc? Are you tryin’ to get yourself in trouble with the law? This ain’t wabbit-huntin’ season!” Elmer confusedly asks, “It’s not?” to which Bugs replies, “No, it’s duck-huntin’ season” (animated by Washam). Daffy comes up in an offended manner, “That, sir, is an in-mitigated frabrication! It’s WABBIT season!” (animated by Lloyd Vaughan)

The legendary argument then occurs with Bugs arguing “Duck season” and Daffy arguing “Wabbit season”. Bugs eventually flutters his right eyebrow at the audience before using reverse psychology to trick Daffy into ending the argument with, “I say it’s duck season, and I say fire!” Elmer does, which results in Daffy’s beak spinning around multiple times. Daffy requests they try again, with him starting it and pushing the gun towards Bugs and saying, “Wabbit season”. Bugs pushes it towards Daffy and says “Duck season”. After Daffy pushes it back towards Bugs and says, “Wabbit season!”, Bugs keeps the gun pointed at himself and again uses reverse psychology so Daffy again says without thinking, “Duck season, fire!” This time, his beak gets blasted in a backwards position. He decides, “Okay, this time YOU start it”. Bugs complies, “Whatever you say” but immediately begins with the reverse psychology: “Wabbit”. After Daffy points it at himself and yells, “Duck, fire!”, Elmer’s blast results in Daffy’s head being turned upside down. He wonders, “What’s the matter? Everything’s upside down” before walking off, “Strange. Can’t make heads or tails of things” (animated by Vaughan).

Elmer demands, “Hey, you! Come back here!” and attempts to shoot at Daffy, but his gun only clicks as he finds out, “Well, what do you know? No more buwwets”. Bugs imitates Elmer, “No more buwwets?” before calling out to Daffy, “Hey, laughing boy. No more buwwets”. Daffy comes back happily, “No more bullets?” before taking the gun himself, “Here, let me see that thing”. Upon looking into the barrel to see, he gets blasted. Elmer is delighted, “Well what do you know? One buwwet weft!” Bugs again imitates him, “One buwwet weft?” Hey, laughing boy, there was-” before Daffy, who has the bullet through the top of his scalp, interrupts him, irritated: “I know! I KNOW!” (animated by Ken Harris)

Later, Bugs nails a “Duck Season Open” sign against a tree. Daffy looks at it and confides, “Hmm. Devilishly clever” but then lets out a small “Uh oh” upon seeing Elmer approaching. Disguised as Bugs and imitating his voice, Daffy asks, “Eh, what’s up, doc? Having any luck with those ducks? It’s duck season, ya know!” Bugs enters, disguised as Daffy, and imitates his voice, complete with lisp: “Just a darn minute. Where do ya get that duck season stuff?” Daffy replies while pointing to the tree, “Says so right over there on that sign, you’re-so-smart”. The sign now reads, “Rabbit Season Open”. Oblivious, Daffy tells Elmer, “You know what to do with that gun, doc”. Elmer once again shoots Daffy, revealing him to not be a rabbit. He then walks up to Bugs and utters for the very first time, “You’re despicable” (animated by Phil Monroe).

They then both walk back to Bugs’ hole, while removing their respective disguises with Daffy continuing, “Yes, you’re despicable. And… and… and picable! And… you’re… very… definitely despicable! How a person can get so…so despicable in one lifetime is…is beyond me! It isn’t though I’ve met a lot of people, goodness knows, it isn’t that! Isn’t that… that! Goodness knows… isn’t it…. des….des….des….despicable” and then stops upon seeing Bugs looking at a book, “1000 Ways to Cook a Duck”. Bugs reads out one of the recipes mispronouncing a few of the words, “Filet of Duck Borderlaise Maitre’d Butter. Yum yum” and then “Duck Polonaise Under Glass. Mmm-mmm”. Daffy then pulls out a counterpart book, “1000 Ways to Cook a Rabbit” (animated by Monroe) before reading and also mispronouncing a few words: “Rabbit Au Gratin de Gelatin Under Tooled Leather. Oh, drool, d-rool”. Bugs reads out another from his, “Barbecue Duck Meat with Broiled Duck Bill Milanese. Yummy-yum”. Daffy reads out a final recipe from his, “Chicken Fried Rabbit with Cottontail Sauce, Braised in Carrots. Mmm-mmm” (animated by Vaughan).

Elmer reveals, “I’m sowwy, fewwas, but I’m a vegetawian. I just hunt for the sport of it. (laughs)”. Bugs zooms up to him, “Oh, yeah? Well, there’s OTHER sports besides huntin’, ya know!” Dressed as a tennis player and carrying a ball and racquet, Daffy asks, “Anyone for tennis?” Elmer just shoots at him with Daffy replying dazed, “Nice game”. Elmer then attempts to shoot at Bugs, “Now, you scwewy wabbit. You’re next!” before he chases both Bugs and Daffy who run to Bugs’ hole and take refuge in there (animated by Harris).

Elmer threatens, “Alwight. Come out or I’ll bwast ya out!” Bugs plugs up Elmer’s gun barrel with his finger and scolds, “For shame, doc! Huntin’ rabbits with an elephant gun!” “Ewephant gun?”, Elmer asks in bewilderment. Bugs confirms, “That’s right, doc. So why don’t ya go shoot yourself an elephant?” before descending back down into his hole. An elephant with Joe Besser’s voice immediately appears next to him, threatening, “You do, and I’ll give ya such a pinch!” before pounding Elmer into the ground and walking away (animated by Harris).

Walking along, Elmer says, “Oooh. Just wait till I get that scwewy wabbit and that scwewball duck!” Disguised as a hunting dog using a plunger as a tail, Daffy sniffs at Elmer’s footprints and goes into a pointer position when stopping at Elmer. A gunshot then shoots Elmer’s hat off before his anger turns to being smitten with what he sees: “Hey, what’s the big idea? Why don’t you wook where you’re g-Huh?” It turns out to be Bugs disguised as a female hunter who feigns being shocked: “Oh, how simply dreadful! You poor little man. Did I hurt you with my naughty gun?” Elmer bashfully starts to reply, “Aw, shucks. Well, I, uh- (laughs)” before Bugs kisses him, causing Elmer’s face to turn completely red. Daffy then bites Elmer’s leg which causes Elmer to scream in pain. Bugs scolds Daffy, “Gypsy, you naughty bow-wow! Stop that!” but then one of his ears pops up from under his blonde wig, which causes Elmer to get wise: “Okay, wabbit, I see thwough that disguise! Say your prayers!” He then turns to Daffy, when the latter attempts to sneak away: “You too, duck!” (animated by Harris)

Now out of their disguises, Daffy and Bugs again start the “Rabbit Season” and “Duck Season” argument while pulling various signs off a tree that claim to be the season for the opposite species. Eventually, they come across a sign that reads, “Elmer Season”, complete with Elmer’s picture on it, with them both turning towards Elmer and giving him “Ah-ha” expressions. Elmer utters a nervous “Uh oh” and attempts to sneak away backwards before running from two gunshots. Now disguised as hunters, Bugs and Daffy are seen following Elmer’s footprints from him running away. Bugs tells us, “Shh. Be vewwy vewwy quiet. We’re hunting Elmers!” Daffy then does Elmer’s laugh before they continue after him (animated by Harris).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕