The Unruly Hare

The Unruly Hare is a 1945 Warner Bros. cartoon in the Merrie Melodies series directed by Frank Tashlin and written by Melvin Millar.[3] The cartoon was released on February 10, 1945 and stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.[4] One of the railroad workers at the beginning was voiced by Tedd Pierce. The film was one of only two Bugs Bunny cartoons directed by Frank Tashlin at Warner Bros., the other being 1946's Hare Remover.[5]

The Unruly Hare
Directed byFrank Tashlin
Produced byEdward Selzer (uncredited)
Story byMelvin Millar
StarringMel Blanc
Arthur Q. Bryan (uncredited)
Tedd Pierce (uncredited)
The Sportsmen Quartet [1]
Music byCarl W. Stalling
Animation byCal Dalton
Art Davis (uncredited)
Richard Bickenbach (uncredited)
I. Ellis (uncredited)
A.C. Gamer (effects animation) (uncredited)
Layouts byDavid Hilberman
Backgrounds byRichard H. Thomas
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
February 10, 1945 [2]
Running time
7 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Elmer is a surveyor for a railroad company, and the path of the new railroad goes directly over Bugs' current residence.[6] Elmer disturbs Bugs' rest by singing "I've Been Wohking on the Wailwoad". Bugs plays tricks on Elmer by making him see lovely ladies and a forest fire through his surveying telescope and in response Elmer gets riled and shoots at him excessively with his shotgun. In between shooting rounds Bugs pulls more annoying pranks on Elmer. When Elmer tries a stick of dynamite on Bugs, Bugs gets Elmer into a football game with the dynamite as the ball, until it sets off near a pile of railroad wood posts.

Bugs undermines his own efforts, since the explosion instantly lays the tracks and rails in their intended location.[6] The creation of the railroad is followed immediately by the passing of an engine in full steam, Bugs riding in the back and waving goodbye to the cowering Elmer. The film ends with a reference to travel conditions in the United States home front during World War II. Bugs jumps off the train, and while "My Country, 'Tis of Thee"[6] plays softly on the underscore, he tells the audience that "None of us civilians should be doing any unnecessary traveling these days." He decides to walk the tracks instead, to the tune of "Kingdom Coming" and seen in silhouette to iris-out.

Crew
  • Direction: Frank Tashlin
  • Story: Melvin Millar
  • Animation: Cal Dalton, Art Davis, I. Ellis, Richard Bickenbach
  • Effects Animation: A.C. Gamer
  • Layout: David Hilberman
  • Backgrounds: Richard H. Thomas
  • Film Editor: Treg Brown
  • Voice Characterization: Mel Blanc, Arthur Q. Bryan, Tedd Pierce, The Sportsmen Quartet
  • Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling
  • Orchestrations: Milt Franklyn
  • Production: Edward Selzer

Availability
  • (1986) VHS - Viddy-Oh! For Kids Cartoon Festivals: Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd Cartoon Festival Featuring "Wabbit Twouble"
  • (1988) VHS - Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs Vs. Elmer
  • (1990) VHS - Bugs Bunny Collection: Here Comes Bugs
  • (1992) LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 1, Side 7: Bugs Bunny by Each Director
  • (1992) VHS - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes: Vol. 7: Bugs Bunny by Each Director
  • (2019) Boomerang Streaming Service - 1995 "NTSC" Dubbed Version print.

Notes
  • This was the only Bugs Bunny short in which Frank Tashlin is credited, and one of two Bugs Bunny shorts directed by Frank Tashlin.
  • Although Bugs did appear in one previous cartoon directed by Frank Tashlin, "Porky Pig's Feat", he wasn't in a starring role in that short.
  • This is the final Bugs Bunny cartoon to use the 1941-45 rendition of "Merrily We Roll Along".
  • This is also the final Bugs Bunny cartoon not to have expanded credits, simply only crediting Supervision, Musical Direction, Story, and Voice Characterizations.
  • While this short has appeared on at least one public domain DVD release, the copyright was renewed on October 25, 1972.[7]
  • The engine on the train is a 4-4-0 (four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and no trailing wheels), commonly known as an American type steam locomotive, due to the great number of them produced in the United States.

Sources
  • Shull, Michael S.; Wilt, David E. (2004), "Private Snafu Cartoons", Doing Their Bit: Wartime American Animated Short Films, 1939-1945, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786481699
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References
  1. MUBI
  2. BCDB
  3. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 158. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. Sigall (2005), p. 73
  6. Shull, Wilt (2004), p. 185-186
  7. R538954

See also
Preceded by
Herr Meets Hare		 Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1945		 Succeeded by
Hare Trigger
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