Release Date:

December 20, 1941

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Elmer Fudd spends his camping trip at Jellostone National Park getting heckled by Bugs Bunny.

That’s Not All, Folks:

To get the elephant out of the room, this is where the meme “Big Chungus” comes from. In that scene, Elmer boards up Bugs’ hole but Bugs simply opens up the board like a door, walks out, and puffs up to mimic Elmer’s words.

Elmer is fat in this cartoon as well as his next three physical appearances, “The Wabbit Who Came to Supper” (1942), “The Wacky Wabbit” (1942) and “Fresh Hare” (he was also the narrator in Clampett’s spot gag cartoon, “Nutty News”, released in 1942). The reason behind fat Elmer was because they wanted to make him look like his voice actor, Arthur Q. Bryan, who was rather portly himself. Unsurprisingly, fat Elmer was ditched in less than a year and starting with “The Hare Brained Hypnotist” (1942), reverted back to normal weight.

This is Clampett’s first Bugs Bunny cartoon as well as his very first cartoon with a new unit (which included Robert McKimson, Virgil Ross, and Rod Scribner, among others). Clampett wouldn’t be the only Warner director to gain an all-new unit as in the mid-1950’s, Robert McKimson gained an entirely new group of animators (which included Warren Batchelder, Ted Bonnicksen, Keith Darling, Russ Dyson, George Grandpre, and Tom Ray) since all the animators (such as his brother Charles, Herman Cohen, Phil DeLara, and Rod Scribner) in his previous unit left the studio during a brief shutdown.

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

This cartoon contradicts Chuck Jones’ later rule that Bugs must always be provoked into tormenting his foe. Here, he just bothers Elmer for the fun of it.

This is the first cartoon to have a “Bugs Bunny in:” before the title card. Here, however, the title card is just presented with realistic-looking carrots rather than the later more familiar one where Bugs leans across the letters in his name and eats a carrot.

What I Like About This One:

The credits being spelled out the way Elmer would say them: “Superwision: Wobert Cwampett; Stowy: Dave Monahan; Animation: Sid Suthewand; Musical Diwection: Cawl W. Stawwing”.

Elmer driving his jalopy to the tune of the Conga (animated by Sid Sutherland).

After Elmer sets up his tent, Bugs pulls it down into his hole and ties it in knots. When Elmer looks down into the hole, Bugs welcomes him to Jellostone before asiding to the audience, “Oh, brother”. Elmer then attempts to get Bugs but he ends up getting his fingers tied in knots! (animated by Rod Scribner).

After getting his fingers free, Elmer nails a board over Bugs’ hole and leaves with the mistaken thought of “That’ll hold him all wight. Huh-huh-huh-huh.” Bugs simply opens the board like a door, walks out, puffs up to imitate Elmer’s weight and repeats Elmer’s words before going back to normal weight and saying “Phooey!” (animated by Virgil Ross).

Bugs then paints a pair of glasses black and puts them over Elmer’s eyes while he’s taking a nap. Bugs also sets the alarm clock at 12:00 so when Elmer looks up and sees a darkened sky, he believes he napped until midnight (animated by Robert McKimson). After Elmer gets into his tent and into bed (animated by Ross), Bugs takes the glasses off of Elmer’s face and imitates a rooster. Elmer is astonished at how “fast” his sleep went by. “Well, I’ll be doggoned. Morning, alweady. How time fwies!” (animated by McKimson).

Elmer going out to wash his face (animated by Sutherland), but due to his face being covered in soap is unable to see his towel. Bugs moves the branch holding the towel and walks with it so that Elmer steps off a cliff (animated by McKimson). After drying his face, Elmer remarks what a grand view of the canyon it is from up here. Realizing where he is (“UP HERE!?”), Elmer runs back into Bugs’ arms. Realizing that Bugs has been tricking him all along, Elmer gets back into his clothes and goes after him (animated by Ross).

Upon coming face to face with a grizzly bear, Elmer consults his guide book which advises him to play dead if confronted by a bear (animated by McKimson). Elmer does so, the bear sniffs him, and goes away in disgust remarking, “PU!” Then, Bugs comes along imitating a bear, jumps up and down on Elmer’s stomach and gives him a wacky kiss, causing Elmer to turn bright red and give a large smile (animated by Scribner).

Bugs flicking Elmer’s balloon-like nose back and forth (animated by McKimson).

Elmer then gets wise and attempts to swing his rifle at Bugs (animated by Ross), but Bugs runs off upon seeing the real bear, resulting in Elmer hitting the bear instead, which bends his rifle in the shape of the bear’s head! (animated by McKimson).

Finally having enough, Elmer decides to leave, packs up all his stuff, and absentmindendly uproots a tree, before putting it back and shrugging (animated by Rev Chaney).

Elmer is furious at Jellostone’s false advertising of a “restful retreat” so he chops the welcome sign to pieces with an ax, only to be confronted by Bugs leaning against the ranger who gives Elmer an annoyed stare (animated by McKimson).

Now in jail, Elmer is at least glad that he’s “wid of that gwizzwy bear and scwewy wabbit!” Unfortunately for him, both Bugs and the bear join him as his cellmates! They both ask, “Eh, pardon me, but how long ya in for, doc?” (animated by McKimson).

Where Can I Watch It?

At toontales.net!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕