Release Date:

September 14, 1946

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny

Summary:

Bugs Bunny takes refuge in an abandoned house on a rainy night. This house happens to be the hideout of two gangsters who are caricatures of Edward G. Robinson and Peter Lorre (who are named Rocky and Hugo, respectively). Bugs gets rid of Lorre offscreen and spends most of the cartoon heckling Robinson.

That’s Not All, Folks:

Despite the production number being 5-15 (the 5th Merrie Melodie in the 15th release season), the cartoon was released as a Looney Tune.

This is another attempt by Freleng to give Bugs a tougher antagonist, this time against gangsters. It’s rather interesting that Robinson is referred to as “Rocky” here, as Freleng would create another gangster named Rocky, a short guy whose eyes are almost always covered by his enormous hat. Rocky appeared in both “Golden Yeggs” (1950) and “Catty Cornered” (1953) with more competent gangsters assisting him, before he would be partners with a big dumb gangster named Mugsy. Bugs would go up against Rocky and Mugsy in three superb cartoons: “Bugs and Thugs” (1954), “Bugsy and Mugsy” (1957), and “The Unmentionables” (1963).

The cartoon’s climax would be reworked in the aforementioned “Bugs and Thugs”.

In one scene, Bugs imitates a George Raft-like gangster who Robinson is scared of (interestingly, Robinson refers to him as “Mugsy”). In real life, Robinson and Raft hated each other.

While offscreen, this is a rare instance where Bugs likely kills one of his antagonists (Lorre, in this case).

A billboard reads “Hotel Friz” which is an obvious reference to Freleng.

When Bugs first enters the house at the start of the cartoon, the door creaks to which he comments, “Huh. Sounds like Inner Sanctum”, which references the radio program of the same name.

What I Like About This One:

The cartoon starts off with a rather ominous tone as Bugs opens the door which creaks. Bugs comments, “Huh. Sounds like Inner Sanctum” before drilling a hole in the floor and placing an unattached doorknob with a hanging Do Not Disturb sign next to it (animated by Manuel Perez).

As Robinson and Lorre make it back to the hideout, and have a shoot-out with the cops, Lorre can’t control his Tommy gun as he flies back into Robinson while firing. At the same time Bugs goes out to get a glass of water, it’s revealed that Lorre is now kept steady and propped up with 2 by 4’s. Bugs sleepily ducks under the gunfire, commenting, “Low bridge” and ducks again when going back with his water (animated by Ken Champin).

Later, Lorre reminds Robinson about the money and they split it, with Robinson doing the splitting and giving more dollar bills to himself (“Two for you, and one, two for me. Three for you, and one, two, three for me”). Bugs pops up and asks “What’s up, doc?”, to which Robinson absentmindedly puts a dollar bill in Bugs’ hand. Bugs imitates several other gangsters asking for money as well as an Indian chief, tricking Robinson into giving him one dollar with each disguise. Bugs walks out of the room with the money he tricked Robinson out of, (“Gee, Rocky, youse is certainly kind-hearted”) but is forced back into the room at gunpoint by Robinson (animated by Champin).

Having Bugs sit in a chair, Robinson demands to know where the dough is. Bugs replies that he never carries large amounts with him. Seeing that Bugs won’t talk, Robinson decides to make him by putting a sun lamp over him, but Bugs simply dons a swimsuit and shades. With Bugs still refusing to talk, Robinson puts a gun up to him, which causes Bugs to talk like a babbling auctioneer (animated by Virgil Ross).

Irritated, Robinson orders Lorre to take Bugs “for a ride” to which Bugs comes back wearing a motorist’s outfit. Out on the highway with Lorre driving, Bugs suggests stopping at some place for a hamburger but Lorre pushes him aside (animated by Ross).

In the next scene, only Bugs enters Robinson’s bedroom. Thinking it’s Lorre, he congratulates him for having gotten rid of Bugs. Bugs asks him if he’s forgetting something to which Robinson gets out of bed to say his prayers (and it’s revealed he sleeps with his holster and guns still on). When Bugs asks Robinson if he knows who he is, Robinson answers, “Yeah, you’re Hugo. Go away.” Bugs asks, “Did Hugo have a cottontail like this? Of course, this one’s 50% wool” while waving his tail at Robinson. Realizing it’s Bugs, Robinson starts threatening to rub him out while asking Bugs to help him put his clothes back on (animated by Ross).

Robinson once more demands the dough to which Bugs seemingly gives in but tells Robinson he has to close his eyes because he doesn’t want him to “see where it’s hid”. As Robinson does a ten-count for Bugs to give it to him, Bugs quickly mixes a large lump of cake batter as literal “dough”. By the time Robinson reaches 10 and demands, “Now give it to me!”, Bugs shrugs and splats the cake batter in Robinson’s face (animated by Perez).

An angry Robinson opens the door to find Bugs disguised as a coin-flipping Raft-like gangster, “Mugsy”, who threatens, “It’s curtains for you, Rocky!” and hands the panicked Robinson a set of draperies. Relieved, Robinson comments, “Aw, they’re adorable” (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

Pretending the cops have arrived, Bugs gets Robinson to hide in a trunk while he stages a fake confrontation with the police. Bugs asks “What I do this if my dear old pal Rocky was in there?”, while sticking a sword through the trunk and then sticks another sword through the trunk at a different angle to make his point. As the “cop”, Bugs decides to take the trunk to “headquarters” while dragging it down the stairs, with Robinson shown bouncing around inside. Bugs reverts back to himself and drags the trunk back upstairs (animated by Chiniquy).

Finally, Bugs pretends to fight with the cops and has Robinson hold his “watch” (actually a bomb) while he’s fighting (animated by Chiniquy).

The bomb explodes, destroying the trunk. Bugs tells him he’s safe now and that the cops have gone. Robinson asks him where they went, to which Bugs tells him the direction they apparently went in. Robinson jumps out the window and runs down the street, yelling for the cops to take him with them and to not leave him with that crazy rabbit. Bugs tsks at Robinson having lost his mind and confides, “Some guys just can’t take it, see” and does his own Robinson impersonation (animated by Champin).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕