Every Bugs Bunny Short Reviewed: Part 4

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Welcome back to my reviews of every single Bugs Bunny cartoon! Well, we're nearly in the home stretch, folks. Bugs is at the peak of his popularity, but the quality of each cartoon can be spotty. Can Bugs stay cookin', or will he end with dud after dud? Let's find out!
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Hyde and Hare (1955, Dir: Friz Freleng) ***1/2 - Heh. I've always kinda liked this one. It isn't a huge favorite of mine, but I do like how Bugs is in a slightly more victimized state than usual as he's thrust into an exaggerated version of one of my favorite stories. Yeah, it's basically the same gag, over and over. But it's a funny gag, and the animation is great (I especially like one part where Jekyll becomes Hyde in the dark, and you can only tell he's changed because of his eyes). Worth watching, if you ask me.
Knight-Mare Hare (1955, Dir: Chuck Jones) ** - Two basic gags: Bugs facing off with a knight a la Knights Must Fall and Bugs facing off with an underhanded Merlin. Neither of which are incredibly funny. the animation's good, though.
Roman Legion-hare (1955, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - This cartoon is pretty by-the-numbers. Friz seems to be pretty fond of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," because, like the last short, when he's hit upon the one gag that really works (in this case, Sam getting beaten up by the lions) he repeats it ad nauseam. It's still funny here, but it can make some of his shorts really boring. Bugs is almost a non-presence here, leaving Sam to pretty much steal the show. Which he'd do anyway. Meh.
Bugs' Bonnets (1956, Dir: Chuck Jones) ***1/2 - Here's one that really pushes the envelope. According to this cartoon, a hat can completely change a person's personality. So, as you'd expect, a truck of hats overturns and lets its contents fall on Bugs and Elmer's heads, changing the dynamics of the chase every minute. My complaint about A Feather in His Hare was that it was "un-Chuck Jones-like." This, on the other hand, is very much different to what Jones would do, and very similar to what Jones would do. He's experimenting, and that means-to an extent-he's stepping out of his comfort zone. It pays off pretty well, if you ask me.
Broom-Stick Bunny (1956, Dir: Chuck Jones) **** - The best Witch Hazel short, if you ask me. June Foray takes over for Bea Benaderet (of Bewitched Bunny) as Hazel and makes the character all her own, and she's absolutely hilarious. The animation of Hazel is also really good (it even inspired the legendary Richard Williams of Roger Rabbit fame). Very memorable.
Rabbitson Crusoe (1956, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - Most of Freleng's Bugs cartoons-at least for a while-are experimenting with different settings and time periods. Choosing Robinson Crusoe was good (I haven't read it, but I know the basic plot), and Sam is pretty funny. But this may be the only time where he doesn't deserve it. He's a castaway. He needs food. But that smartass rabbit is holding him back. Like that shark, though. Forgettable, but not terrible.
In "A Star is Bored", Daffy Duck learns there's more pain than gain in being Bugs Bunny's stunt double.
Napoleon Bunny-Part (1956, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - Eh. Not much to say here besides that this short is weird as fuck. And hey, Mugsy.
Barbary Coast Bunny (1956, Dir: Chuck Jones) ***1/2 - Right around now is when the WB directors discovered that Daws Butler exists, and he's everywhere in this next batch of shorts. Sometimes, he can be great. Other times, he can be really obnoxious. Fortunately, here's where he's great, as the conniving casino owner Nasty Canasta (related in name only to Daffy's foe in the two western Daffy shorts) who dares try to con Bugs. Great timing, and sterling animation from the Chuck Jones crew. Highly recommended.
Half-Fare Hare (1956, Dir: Bob McKimson) 1/2 - The "1/2" means half a star. I didn't hate this short enough to make it a BOMB, but Jesus Tapdancing Christ! This is a reverse Beanstalk Bunny/A-Lad-In His Lamp/Hare Splitter: I just watched it, and I really didn't like it. This is really grating Daws Butler, voicing two Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton lookalikes whose only schtick is making 1956 audiences go, "Hey! Those are just like the guys from The Honeymooners!", while 2014 audiences (aka me) just groan and wonder how they know who Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton are when they're only 15 years old. Besides that one gag, this short doesn't even try to stretch for other jokes, and the animation is awful. Really lackluster.
A Star is Bored (1956, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - TGID (Thank God, It's Daffy). Friz would do this better a year later as Show Biz Bugs, and like in Roman Legion-hare, Bugs is so nondescript that he barely even has to be there except to springboard the plot and gags. Daffy's funny, but next year's Freleng-directed Bugs/Daffy epic will be even better. It's build-up.
Wideo Wabbit (1956, Dir: Bob McKimson) * - I really hate cartoons that are uncleverly topical, and Bob McKimson's later shorts are pretty much nothing but that. Once again, Daws has to carry the short because Mel Blanc refused to do straight-up impressions all the time, and it's jarring to hear a Groucho Marx or Ed Norton (him again?) impression come out of Bugs's mouth without it being mixed with Bugs's voice (like Mel combining Bugs and Groucho's traits when Bugs briefly impersonated Groucho in Slick Hare, or when he has Bugs play Liberace in this short). Very dated, not very funny.
To Hare is Human (1956, Dir: Chuck Jones) *** - Not quite as funny as Operation: Rabbit, and Bugs's only sharing one scene with Wile E. isn't great. But it feels like a Road Runner short (which is good), the style and animation are nice, and the opening scene of Wile E. bragging about not falling for one of Bugs's tricks (while Bugs is pulling another) is quite funny.
Ali Baba Bunny (1957, Dir: Chuck Jones) **** - Jones is gonna have a pretty spotless track record over his next few Bugs shorts. Everyone remembers this one; it's one of Bugs and Daffy's greatest pairings. And again, very quotable ("It's mine, ya understand? Mine, all mine! Get back in there! Down, down, down! Go, go, go! Mine, mine, mine! Mwa-ha-ha-ha!"). Looks great sounds great. 'Nuff said.
Bedeviled Rabbit (1957, Dir: Bob McKimson) ***1/2 - Well, it's better than McKimson's last 2 shorts, and that's always an improvement. Taz still has an illogical ability to make me laugh. He's such a basic character, but he's very amusing in these early shorts. You win this round, Taz.
Piker's Peak (1957, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - Not too bad. I like the timing here. Logic is kinda thrown to the wind (Sam's from Switzerland?), but the gags are all fine. But really, I'm just desperate to move on to the next short, and arguably the most famous Bugs Bunny cartoon of them all:
What's Opera, Doc? (1957, Dir: Chuck Jones) **** - What is it about What's Opera, Doc? that makes it so much more beloved than any of the other classic Looney Tunes shorts? is it the stunning animation? The witty concept? The bravura performances from Arthur Q. Bryan and Mel Blanc? I choose to believe that it's not just a combination of the 3, but also sheer memorability. How many other cartoons do you remember where Bugs and Elmer sing opera in a Nordic paradise? It never leaves the brain in the best sort of way, and typical it may be to say, this is one of my all-time favorite Looney Tunes cartoons.

Bugsy and Mugsy (1957, Dir: Friz Freleng) **1/2 - Jeez, this one was actually kind of dark. The set-up is that Rocky and Mugsy (jewel thieves here) have taken shelter in an apartment that Bugs lives in a hole under. Bugs tries to teach them that crime doesn't pay by making it look like Mugsy is trying to kill Rocky. And, of course, the wascally wabbit is behind it instead. Yeah, not a great one for kids. Timing's good, but jeez, didn't someone catch on that framed murder attempts are kinda dark?
Show Biz Bugs (1957, Dir: Friz Freleng) **** - Bugs and Daffy's battle royale. They won't have another great battle for at least the next 2 or 3 years, but it's good to savor this one. Daffy brings everything on himself, but at least he gets his ovation in the end. And sure, Bugs was kind of a Gary Stu, but at least he helped move the plot forward (and he isn't Owlicious, that fucker).
Rabbit Romeo (1957, Dir: Bob McKimson) ***1/2 - If some of the gags had a little more polish on the timing, this might be a full 4. But as it stands, it's still pretty funny, largely due to Michael Maltese lending his much-needed writing services to McKimson. You got lucky, Bob.
Hare-less Wolf (1958, Dir: Friz Freleng) *1/2 - The wolf in this short (a Charles M. Wolf-ha, ha, ha) apparently debuted a few years earlier in a Sylvester and Tweety short, Red Riding Hoodwinked. I better not see that one, 'cuz he really got on my nerves here. I don't think Bugs has faced more of a brain-dead antagonist before or since (knock on wood), and it isn't funny because his ability to be easily defeated (a trait that Freleng cited as his reason to not use Elmer Fudd as often) makes him little to nothing of a threat. Waste of time.
Hare-way to the Stars (1958, Dir: Chuck Jones) **** - Nice to see Marvin's still around. Nice style here, and the pantomime between Bugs and the Instant Martian is hilarious.

Now Hare This (1958, Dir: Bob McKimson) * - A cartoon so predictable that not even Bugs is giving a shit. And to think this wolf is gonna try again for Bugs's last short. Lamentable.
Knighty Knight Bugs (1958, Dir: Friz Freleng) *** - Here it is: the only Bugs Bunny short to earn the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject. The wabbit definitely deserved it. The short? Eh, it's all right. A couple of standout moments ("Open up that bridge, varmint! Open it, I say!" SLAM. "Close it! Close it! Close it up again!"), but it's pretty typical Bugs/Sam shenanigans, and lord knows other Bugs shorts before then deserved it more. But hell, if it earned Bugs his well-deserved Oscar at last, I'll take it.
Pre-Hysterical Hare (1958, Dir: Bob McKimson) BOMB - I've been holding in that BOMB. The only short that I felt deserved it before then was Nips the Nips. Oh, sure, some shorts were either insufferably boring (Wideo Wabbit, Southern Fried Rabbit), unfunny (Half-Fare Hare) or just plain racist (All This and Rabbit Stew), but I held in that BOMB until I hit this short; because, ultimately, this is one of the few other Bugs shorts that I felt deserved it for sheer lack of quality. Holy shit, this cartoon is awful. Terrible writing, terrible animation, and below sub-par voice work. Avoid at all costs.
Baton Bunny (1959, Dir: Chuck Jones/Abe Levitow) **** - Freleng is stuck in a sea of okay-ness and McKimson's just getting worse, but we can always count on ol' Jones to keep the quality bar at a semi-high level. The animation is great, and Bugs performs his best pantomime. Every time it feels like Jones or Levitow will make a bad decision, it remedies immediately. Good show, boys. Good show.
Hare-Abian Knights (1959, Dir: Ken Harris) *1/2 - Ken Harris was one of Chuck Jones's top animators, working with him since Jones stepped up to the plate as a director. I will say his animation is some of the best out of the studio. How is he as a director? Well, I can safely say that he shouldn't leave his primary position if his only directorial effort is a cheater. Maybe he's a good director, but a cheater won't make it clear.
Apes of Wrath (1959, Dir: Friz Freleng) ** - Sub-par remake of Gorilla My Dreams. Really, that's it. Best I can say is that the ending is kinda funny.
Backwoods Bunny (1959, Dir: Bob McKimson) * - Really boring, and Bugs's enemies are so stupid that Bugs's even bothering to mess with them kinda makes him look like a bully. At the very least, Elvis Buzzard might be the only Looney Tunes villain to realize that Bugs is in drag.
Wild and Woolly Hare (1959, Dir: Friz Freleng) ***1/2 - Sam's back in the West, Bugs is a badass, and Freleng's timing is perfect. The backgrounds look great. Thank God for small miracles.
Bonanza Bunny (1959, Dir: Bob McKimson) *1/2 - Nothing but rehashes of other shorts. I really don't like ragging on McKimson, since he seemed like a nice guy, a great animator, and a potentially great director. But goddammit, either he's losing his talent or getting lazy, because his shorts are deteriorating in quality.
A Witch's Tangled Hare (1959, Dir: Abe Levitow) *** - Herefore art Levitow, not working alongside his usual boss like in Baton Bunny and taking the reins of the Jones unit himself. Is he successful? Well, basically, this is Chuck Jones Lite. The animation is great (it's the Jones crew, and Levitow eerily captures Jones's style), but he doesn't take advantage of the Shakespearean humor and the gags fall flat. For good looks alone, this short gets a pass. But if all the world's a stage, the players have gotta step it up.
People are Bunny (1959, Dir: Bob McKimson) *1/2 - And so, Bugs ends his second decade with...a crummy McKimson short. Phooey. There is potential here (Daffy hears that a hunting show will pay top dollar for a rabbit, so of course he tries to track down Bugs), but it's squandered by the fact that I don't feel sympathetic for either Bugs (he gets a great deal of luck for no other reason than he's more lucky than Daffy) or Daffy (he's holding Bugs at gunpoint through much of the short). Shall the dynamic duo improve in their next team-up? One can only hope.
Horse Hare (1960, Dir: Friz Freleng) ** - You won't be seeing this one on TV much these days, but honestly, the Native American stereotypes are a lot tamer here than they are in a lot of other cartoons, WB or otherwise (though yes, there are a couple of cringe-worthy gags). A few jokes even got a laugh out of me. But as a whole, this short isn't all that memorable or great.
Person to Bunny (1960, Dir: Friz Freleng) ** - A moment of silence for the late Arthur Q. Bryan, voice of Elmer Fudd. This was the last cartoon to have him lend voice to Bugs's frequent foe. While the Elmer parts are all right, too much of this short feels like a rehash of Show Biz Bugs. And Daffy comes off as more annoying than funny, while Bugs, again, is a non-presence. Blah.
Rabbit's Feat (1960, Dir: Chuck Jones) *** - Wile E. Coyote is again gifted with speech and on the hunt for Bugs. This short is very wordy and not very gag-y, and Bugs has an odd, goofball-like characterization here. Still, the last line is one of my favorite Bugs quotes: "Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out of it alive!"
From Hare to Heir (1960, Dir: Friz Freleng) ***1/2 - I'm a little shocked at how high a grade I've given this short. Why? Well, because this short actually uses Sam's famous temper as a plot point, with Bugs deducting money from his bank account every time he loses his temper. Sam trying to hold in his anger and get rid of Bugs is priceless. The last great Bugs/Sam short? We'll see.

Lighter Than Hare (1960, Dir: Friz Freleng) **1/2 - Alright, I've been pretty lenient about how far they could stretch Sam's personas. I've been convinced that a little Southern man is a hot-tempered European nobleman, a knight, a Swiss mountaineer, a Civil War renegade, a sultan, and Robinson Crusoe. But this time they actually expect me to believe he's an alien? Bullshit. A flying saucer and antenna don't disguise the fact that this is just Sam in a space suit. The least they could've done is made him green or something. And the short? Eh, it's OK. But seriously, that ain't no alien.
The Abominable Snow Rabbit (1961, Dir: Chuck Jones) ***1/2 - My God, it's Bob Clampett all over again! This is probably the most memorable of the later Bugs/Daffy shorts (not just their pairings, but for both of them; more people remember "I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him" than Sam in a space suit or the duck trying to kill Speedy Gonzales). And dammit, I love that Snowman! Lenny spoof done right. Sorry, Foxy by Proxy. They even give this guy a tragic end, just like Lenny. Maybe its their weakest Chuck Jones pairing, but when I still give it 3 and a half stars out of 4, it says a lot about how well Jones handled them. Now his later Bugs/Daffy team-ups, on the other hand...(4 words: "Carnival of the Animals." I'll leave it at that, and you should too. Spare yourselves the boredom). 
Compressed Hare (1961, Dir: Chuck Jones) **1/2 - So maybe Jones isn't infallible. Of Bugs and Wile E's 5 stand-offs, this probably ranks fourth. Too much wordplay and laughing at their own jokes, which aren't that funny to begin with. But there are a few good moments, like a bunch of Wile E's household items setting each other off in a way that eventually leads to a Murphy bed crushing the coyote. Ha. He's squished. It's funny. I'm taking what I can get in the way of comedy at this point.
Prince Violent (original title)/Prince Varmint (for TV censor prudes) (1961, Dir: Friz Freleng) **1/2 - The Cartoon Formerly Known As Prince Violent isn't too bad. Could it've been better? Maybe. But it's OK. Though honest to God, all I have to say about this short ends there. Really, not much else to talk about. These shorts are leaving me drained...
Wet Hare (1962, Dir: Bob McKimson) ***1/2 - Is this really happening? Has McKimson gotten better than Freleng? Am I going mad, or is this short the Sand Castles in the Sand or PTV for this era of Bugs shorts? The gags all work, the writing isn't half bad, Blacque Jacques Shellaque is a helluva lot funnier than he was in Bonanza Bunny, and even if the animation is stiff, I do like the backgrounds. No way to go but up, folks.

Join me next time as we finally wrap up the Bugs Bunny retrospective and look back at the highs and lows of all these shorts. Stay tooned!
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Jess-Foxx-Quinn's avatar
Jess-Foxx-Quinn
WAY TOO MANY quotes come to mine... just a few...

"You are a mentalcase"

"I refuse to play with you anymore because you talked mean to me"

"MAKEUP!!!"

"Hussan chop!"

"Those Endearing Young Charms"

"Now we make Marry-age"