Release Date:

March 15, 1941

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Cecil Turtle

Summary:

Angered by the title of the cartoon, Bugs Bunny challenges Cecil Turtle to a race. What he doesn’t know is that Cecil has called his look-a-like relatives to go everywhere on the race course so it appears to Bugs that Cecil is always ahead of him.

That’s Not All, Folks:

This is the first appearance of the slow-sounding Cecil Turtle, who is notable for being one of the very few characters to regularly outwit Bugs Bunny (who kind of deserves what’s coming to him in these cartoons considering that he’s portrayed as an arrogant jerk when pitted against Cecil, barring the Looney Tunes Show). Cecil later appeared in Clampett’s “Tortoise Wins by a Hare” (1943) and Freleng’s “Rabbit Transit” (1947). He also appeared as the main antagonist of the Looney Tunes Show episodes “Customer Service” (2012) and “The Shell Game” (2013). His rivalry with Bugs would be brought back one more time in one of HBO Max’s Looney Tunes Cartoons, “Shell Shocked” (2021).

As of this writing, this is the only cartoon where an animator draft for a Warner cartoon directed by Avery exists. You can find out who animated what scene here. The only other draft for an Avery cartoon is for his first MGM cartoon, “Blitz Wolf” (1942), a World War II parody of the Three Little Pigs with the wolf as Hitler.

The cartoon was originally titled “Tortoise + Hare”.

In only his third appearance, Bugs loses in the end. Bugs would also lose in the other Cecil cartoons. Sometimes, Bugs would lose in the end along with the antagonist, with examples including “Hold the Lion Please” (1942), “Hare Conditioned” (1945), “A Feather in His Hare” (1948), “Captain Hareblower” (1954), “Half Fare Hare” (1956), “The Unmentionables” (1963), and “Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare” (1964). In the Tom and Jerry cartoons, some cartoons end with Tom winning and Jerry losing, while sometimes both lose in the end.

The “Bell Turtlephone Co.” is a pun for “Bell Telephone Co.”

What I Like About This One:

Bugs walking out across the title card and reading the credits and mispronouncing everyone’s names (example: “Supervision: Fred Uh-very”). Upon reading the title of the cartoon, he is furious. “Tortoise… Tortoise Beats Hare?” (spits out carrot in fury) “TORTOISE BEATS HARE!? Why, these screwy guys don’t know what they’re talking about; the big bunch of jerks!” He then politely adds, “And I ought to know, I work for ‘em!” He then rips the titles away and opens the doors of every turtle’s house trying to find Cecil (Robert McKimson animated this whole opening).

While pounding on the door, Bugs demands Cecil to come out and starts to threaten to “huff and puff and blow your house in” before catching himself and embarrassingly telling the audience, “Oh, uh, sorry. Pardon me. Wrong story.” (animated by Virgil Ross).

Bugs pushing his head far into Cecil’s shell and ranting: “Why, you measly, little shriveled up dope. You darn well I can beat ya any day in the week! You know that, don’t ya?” (animated by Rod Scribner). When Cecil says “Uh, no”, Bugs laughs at this: “No, he says” and then bets him 10 bucks he can beat him (animated by Charles McKimson).

Rev Chaney’s animation of Cecil running very slowly.

After Cecil goes into the phone booth (animated by Sid Sutherland), he calls his cousin Chester (who knows about the 10 dollar bet Cecil made with Bugs), telling him to call everyone else in the family and reaches across the split-screen to say “Give ‘em the works!” (animated by Charles; whenever Charles and Robert McKimson animate on the same cartoon, and when Robert later becomes a director with Charles animating on his cartoons, I’m going to refer to them by their first names to avoid confusion).

Bugs passing one of the turtles who greets him with, “Hiya, speedy.” Bugs absentmindedly waves back to him before making a realization, zooming back, and after talking incoherently in bewilderment, demands to know, “How did ya get up here, anyway!?” (animated by Ross). The turtle’s response is “Oh, uh, just running”. (animated by Robert).

After throwing the first turtle’s shell far into the distance (the noise of it clattering can be heard), Bugs stops to talk to us about how he’s “going along at a good clip, didn’t see him pass me, then bingo, just like that and there he was in front of me!” It turns out another turtle IS in front of him and gives him a wacky kiss, much to Bugs’ shock (animated by Robert).

Bugs shouting into the distance: “So long, shorty!” after leaving the second turtle behind only for him to hear another turtle in the distance calling out to him: “So long, speedy!” (animated by Sutherland). As Bugs passes him, the third turtle tells us, “We do this kind of stuff to him all through the picture!” (animated by Chaney).

After Bugs builds a huge barricade that is difficult to get across (animated by Sutherland), he figures “that ought to slow the little screwball down some”. Another turtle agrees: “Yep, that’s a tough one”. Bugs then shakes his hand: “You said it, brother” before realizing who he spoke to as the fourth turtle gives him a wacky kiss (animated by Ross).

Bugs then cuts the ropes of a bridge before climbing up a tree. Another turtle asks “Lovely view, isn’t it?” and he too gives Bugs a wacky kiss (animated by Charles).

After crossing the finish line, Bugs finds Cecil already waiting for him and asking, “Hey, uh, speedy, what kept ya?” (animated by Robert) Bugs then chokes Cecil and calls him a “blankety blank blank turtle” (a reference to the Hays Office banning cuss words) and starts to ask “How?” before Cecil asks “And how about my ten bucks?” (animated by Charles). Annoyed, Bugs gives Cecil the 10 dollars and tells him, “And I hope ya choke!” before walking away (animated by Scribner).

Bugs pondering to himself as to how Cecil beat him before realizing, “Hey, I wonder if I’ve been tricked!” Ten of Cecil’s relatives (all holding one dollar each) then reply in unison, “Ehhh, it’s a possibility!” before giving Bugs another wacky kiss (animated by Scribner).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕