Release Date:

June 17, 1950

Main Character(s):

Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd

Summary:

Bugs Bunny tells “Disassociated Press” his life story from when he was a fledgling actor up to when he rose to fame stealing the spotlight from vaudeville star Elmer Fudd.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The production number is 1114 and was released as a Looney Tune.

The cartoon is a reworking of sorts of “A Hare Grows in Manhattan”, but telling of Bugs’ life as an actor rather than his teen years in New York.

This is the first cartoon since “The Unruly Hare” to use Carl Stalling’s original Bugs Bunny theme, “What’s Up Doc”. While it would play under the opening credits of several Bugs Bunny cartoons in the early 1950’s, this is the only time where the lyrics are actually sung: “Eh, what’s up doc; What’s cookin’, what’s up doc; Oh, you’re lookin’ for Bugs Bunny bunting, duck has gone a-hunting; Just to get a rabbit skin, but now the rabbit’s gone again; What’s up doc; What’s cookin’; Hey! Look out! Stop!; you’re gonna hurt someone with that old shotgun; Eh, what’s up doc”.

Rather fittingly, this cartoon was released around the time of the 10th anniversary of “A Wild Hare”, Bugs’ first appearance.

One of the shows Bugs appears in is called “Wearing of the Grin”, which would become the title of a Porky Pig cartoon released the following year, but titled as “The Wearing of the Grin”.

This is the last Warner cartoon to have animation by Pete Burness. This is also the only time he’s credited by his real name, “Wilson Burness”.

Due to the small amount of footage they both animated in this one, Emery Hawkins and Rod Scribner are both uncredited.

One of the boxes in the train’s baggage car reads “Thomas”. This is a reference to McKimson’s background artist, Richard H. Thomas (for some reason, some refer to him as “Dick Thomas” even though he was never credited as that. It’s also why I refuse to refer to future Jones animator Richard Thompson as “Dick Thompson”, even though he WAS credited as that in his post-Warner work. But since “Dick” is an insulting nickname, I don’t use it unless it’s a character’s name).

During the scene where Bugs looks over several scripts he’s been considered for, he figures “Life with Father” will never be a hit. Ironically, in real life, it WAS a hit.

The cartoon was originally titled “Hare’s My Story”, which is a pun for “here’s my story”. As this is clearly a special cartoon, it was changed to Bugs’ catchphrase.

Jack Benny and Al Jolson are depicted as two of the actors out of work. Interestingly, McKimson would parody them both later on in two superb cartoons. “The Mouse That Jack Built” (1959) casts the Jack Benny Show as mice (with the actual actors voicing their caricatures) while in “Wet Hare” (1962), Bugs sings “April Showers” in the manner of Jolson every time he’s showering under the falls (some of Mel Blanc’s best ever voice work in the 1960’s).

You can find out who animated what scene here.

The dancing school that Bugs attends is called “Moray’s Dance Academy”. This is a reference to Norman Moray, who was in charge of the department that distributed the cartoons.

From this point onward, McKimson uses the standard Bugs design rather than the chubby design that had been used in all of his previous Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Bugs and Elmer singing the titular song was also used in the 1972 film of the same name, which stars Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neil.

Bugs playing “Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2” on his toy piano is similar to how in “Peanuts” (with this cartoon incidentally coming out the same year that strip’s first comic came out), Schroeder is able to play practically anything on his piano, despite it being smaller than him (although Bill Melendez didn’t animate that scene, he DID animate on this cartoon).

What I Like About This One:

Relaxing on a chair at a pool in Hollywood, Bugs gets a call from “Disassociated Press”: “The public has been demanding my life story? Well, I can tell it to ya right over the phone! You got your pencil ready? First, I was born, which goes without saying, but-”, Bugs continues as a flashback begins, “-even in the hospital the day I arrived, I knew I was different from the other kids. I couldn’t figure out why at first. Suddenly, it came to me. I was a rabbit in a human world!” (animated by Charles McKimson)

“I soon displayed a talent for music. My parents gave me a toy piano to play with and I took to it right away”. While the keys first sound like those on an ordinary toy piano, Bugs immediately proves the piano’s capabilities by playing “Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2” (animated by Phil DeLara). A while later, Bugs is seen enrolled at “Moray’s Dance Academy” where he does a few dances such as dancing ballet to Strauss’ “Voices of Spring” and getting dizzy from attempting to pirouette (animated by Pete Burness) and dancing an Irish jig while dressed as a leprechaun (animated by Bill Melendez).

“After graduation, I was ready for the big time. And offers poured in!” After believing “Life with Father” will never be a hit, Bugs mentions, “After much consideration, I finally accepted an important part in the hit show (animated by Charles), ‘Girl of the Golden Vest’”. This show, along with two others, “Wearing of the Grin” and “Rosie’s Cheeks” are just Bugs and three gentlemen being chorus boys while singing and dancing to said chorus, “Oh, we’re the boys of the chorus!; we hope you like our show!; we know you’re rootin’ for us!; but now we have to go!” (animated by Bill Melendez)

One night, the star of another show is sick, and Bugs is asked by the director to take his place (animated by DeLara). Despite giving his all, such as dancing while juggling, doing a flip on a small set of stairs, and then jumping off a large set of stairs before landing perfectly, Bugs gets only crickets after his performance, and is hooked offscreen (animated by Burness). After this failure, Bugs is insulted at going back to being a chorus boy. “Back to the chorus! Phooey! I’m through with show business until I get the right part!” (animated by DeLara)

Bugs is seen on a park bench with other actors out of work, with those being Al Jolson, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, and Bing Crosby. Jolson spots (animated by DeLara) Elmer and is ecstatic since “I hear he’s lookin’ for a partner for his act”. With a hilarious unimpressed and shut-eyed facial expression and shooing gesture, Elmer silently rejects Jolson saying, “Mammy! Mammy! Here’s your sonny boy! Nobody else’s! Look at me! Mammy! Mammy! Mammy!”, Benny’s violin playing of “Study 1”, Cantor’s singing of “Ain’t We Got Fun”, and Crosby’s singing of “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby”. He is shocked however at who he next sees: “Bugs Bunny! Why are you hangin’ awound with these guys? They’ll never amount to anything! (animated by Melendez) You got too much tawent! I need you in my act! I’ll give you equal biwwing! You’ll be a star! You’re gweat! You’re wonderful! I need ya! What do ya say, Bugs?” With his pupils briefly forming into stars at one point, Bugs gladly accepts (animated by Charles).

With their act opening in Peoria, it’s revealed that Bugs is made as Elmer’s sidekick not knowing the answer to Elmer’s corny jokes. “I don’t know, Mr. Fudd. What is it that has four legs and flies?” Elmer answers, “A horse in summertime, stupid” and squirts him with a seltzer while laughing, “Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk!” (animated by Emery Hawkins) Going by train to Buffalo (animated by Rod Scribner), Bugs is also on the receiving end of the next one: “I give up, Mr. Fudd. Why is the state of Ohio different?” “Because it’s high in the middle and wound on both ends! O-HI-O!” before Elmer pies him in the face (animated by Hawkins). Onboard the next train bound for New York (animated by Scribner), Bugs is seen in the baggage car and decides he’ll “try some changes in the act the next performance” (animated by Charles).

In this act, Elmer’s joke is, “Hey, pinhead. Do you know how to make anti-fweeze?” Bugs gains the upper hand by answering, “Yeah. Hide her nightgown!” before pieing Elmer in the face, squirting him with a seltzer, and malleting him, compressing his body down to his feet. Jumping out of his outfit, Bugs dances offstage but is quickly confronted by Elmer and his rifle pushing him back onstage (animated by Hawkins). Bugs nervously asks, “Eh, what’s up, doc?” which receives tremendous applause (animated by Burness). Bugs whispers to Elmer, “Hey, we got something, doc. Let’s do it again”. Elmer agrees and points his rifle at him again. “Eh, what’s up, doc?”, Bugs asks again and gets another round of applause (animated by DeLara). Bugs and Elmer then both dance offstage in tune to “While Strolling Through the Park One Day” (animated by Burness).

With Bugs and Elmer being a smash hit, Bugs is seen reading offers poured in from around the country before Hollywood and Warner Bros. came, which launches Bugs’ film career (animated by Scribner). In the studio, they are filmed doing an act where Bugs heckles Elmer while singing “What’s up, doc?”, before Elmer joins him in singing the ending chorus (animated by Hawkins).

The flashback ends and we go back to the present as Bugs is still talking to the Press on the phone, “And today I’m startin’ my first picture. A part written especially for me” before noticing the time on his watch and hanging up. “Whoops. I’m due on the set. Goodbye” (animated by Charles). The part turns out to be another repeat of Bugs’ chorus boy singing and dancing from his pre-fame days with Bugs having an annoyed expression on his face rather than a happy one, “Oh, we’re the boys of the chorus!; we hope you like our show!; we know you’re rootin’ for us!; but now we have to go!” (animated by Melendez)

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕