Buccaneer Bunny
Encyclopedia
Buccaneer Bunny is a 1947 Warner Bros.
cartoon in the Looney Tunes
series, released in 1948, directed by Friz Freleng
. It features Bugs Bunny
and Yosemite Sam
, the latter known in this picture as "Sea-Goin' Sam", a pirate
. All voice characterizations in this cartoon are by Mel Blanc
. This cartoon is found on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
" (also one of the theme songs to the Popeye
cartoon series), seguéing to a scene of Sam digging a hole to bury his treasure on a beach. Sam is singing the stereotypical pirate shanty
"Dead Man's Chest
"--on the second strain, Sam switches from the typical "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!" to a decidedly more original "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of... Ma's old fashioned ci-der" with a conga
kick on the last syllable and a parody of "Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer
", a well-known radio advertising jingle
at that time.
In attempting to bury his treasure, Sam has encroached on Bugs' domain, as Bugs happens to have his rabbit hole there on the beach. When Bugs asks him who he is, he responds in his typical way: "I'm a pirate, Sea-Goin' Sam, the blood-thirstiest, shoot-'em-first-iest, doggone worst-iest buccaneer that ever sailed the Spanish main
!"
Bugs spends the rest of the picture tormenting Sam in the usual way, taking advantage of Sam's short temper and blustery personality. At one point, Bugs disguises himself as Captain Bligh
(effecting the voice and thick-lipped appearance of Charles Laughton
in his portrayal of Bligh in Mutiny On The Bounty
) and puts the gullible seaman through a whirlwind of shipboard chores.
In a side gag, Bugs is trying to hide, and a pesky parrot keeps crowing, "He's in there! He's in there! Awk!" Finally, Bugs asks the parrot, "Polly want a cracker?" The parrot changes his tune, "Polly want a cracker! Polly want a cracker! Awk!" Bugs hands him a huge, lit firecracker, which promptly explodes, reducing the bird to near-skeletal remains. His last words before he drops are, "Me and my big mouth!"
In a series of gags that mildly anticipate the Road Runner series, Bugs is in the crow's nest
and Sam tries various unsuccessful attempts to get to him; for example, setting up a see-saw, standing on one end and tossing a rock on the other end, he springs straight up, crashes into the underside of the crow's nest, and falls back to the deck. In another one, that skirts the laws of physics, Bugs tells Sam he's going to jump. Instead, Bugs drops a convenient anvil over the side of the crow's nest, Sam catches it, and the entire ship (except for the crows nest) submerges. Sam mouths some apparent curses, then tosses the anvil over the railing and the ship resurfaces.
At various times, Sam gets blasted by cannon fire, is subjected to the famous lots-of-doors in-and-out routine (previously used in Little Red Riding Rabbit
), and finally is tricked by Bugs into playing a "dare" game with matches that ends up exploding the pirate ship's powder magazine, reducing the ship to splinters. Finally, defeated, Sam raises the white flag. Bugsy turns to the audience, puts on an old-style ship captain's hat, and paraphrases John Paul Jones
, "I had not even begun to fight!"
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoon in the Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
series, released in 1948, directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
. It features Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
and Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
, the latter known in this picture as "Sea-Goin' Sam", a pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
. All voice characterizations in this cartoon are by Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
. This cartoon is found on Disc 1 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5
Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 30, 2007....
Plot
The cartoon opens with titles featuring an instrumental of "The Sailor's HornpipeThe Sailor's Hornpipe
The Sailor's Hornpipe is a traditional hornpipe melody.- History :The usual tune for this dance was first printed as the "College Hornpipe" in 1797 or 1798 by J. Dale of London....
" (also one of the theme songs to the Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
cartoon series), seguéing to a scene of Sam digging a hole to bury his treasure on a beach. Sam is singing the stereotypical pirate shanty
Shanty
Shanty may refer to:* Ice shanty, a portable shed placed on a frozen lake* Sea shanty, shipboard working songs* Shanty Hogan , Major League Baseball catcher* Shanty town, unit of irregular, low-cost dwellings...
"Dead Man's Chest
Dead Man's Chest
"Dead Man's Chest" is a fictional sea-song originally from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island . It was expanded in a poem, titled Derelict by Young E. Allison, published in the Louisville Courier-Journal in 1891...
"--on the second strain, Sam switches from the typical "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!" to a decidedly more original "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of... Ma's old fashioned ci-der" with a conga
Conga Line
The conga line is a Cuban carnival march that was first developed in Cuba and became popular in the United States in the 1930s and 1950s. The dancers form a long, processing line. It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly ahead of the fourth beat...
kick on the last syllable and a parody of "Dad's Old-Fashioned Root Beer
Dad's Root Beer
Dad's Root Beer is an American root beer created in Chicago in 1937 by Ely Klapman and Barney Berns. It is currently sold and marketed by The Dad's Root Beer Company LLC, and owned by Hedinger Brands, LLC.- History :...
", a well-known radio advertising jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
at that time.
In attempting to bury his treasure, Sam has encroached on Bugs' domain, as Bugs happens to have his rabbit hole there on the beach. When Bugs asks him who he is, he responds in his typical way: "I'm a pirate, Sea-Goin' Sam, the blood-thirstiest, shoot-'em-first-iest, doggone worst-iest buccaneer that ever sailed the Spanish main
Spanish Main
In the days of the Spanish New World Empire, the mainland of the American continent enclosing the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico was referred to as the Spanish Main. It included present-day Florida, the east shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, Mexico, Central America and the north coast of...
!"
Bugs spends the rest of the picture tormenting Sam in the usual way, taking advantage of Sam's short temper and blustery personality. At one point, Bugs disguises himself as Captain Bligh
William Bligh
Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
(effecting the voice and thick-lipped appearance of Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
in his portrayal of Bligh in Mutiny On The Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.The film was one of the biggest hits of its time...
) and puts the gullible seaman through a whirlwind of shipboard chores.
In a side gag, Bugs is trying to hide, and a pesky parrot keeps crowing, "He's in there! He's in there! Awk!" Finally, Bugs asks the parrot, "Polly want a cracker?" The parrot changes his tune, "Polly want a cracker! Polly want a cracker! Awk!" Bugs hands him a huge, lit firecracker, which promptly explodes, reducing the bird to near-skeletal remains. His last words before he drops are, "Me and my big mouth!"
In a series of gags that mildly anticipate the Road Runner series, Bugs is in the crow's nest
Crow's nest
A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship or structure, that is used as a lookout point.This position ensured the best view of the approaching hazards, other ships or land. It was the best device for this purpose until the invention of radar.In early ships it was...
and Sam tries various unsuccessful attempts to get to him; for example, setting up a see-saw, standing on one end and tossing a rock on the other end, he springs straight up, crashes into the underside of the crow's nest, and falls back to the deck. In another one, that skirts the laws of physics, Bugs tells Sam he's going to jump. Instead, Bugs drops a convenient anvil over the side of the crow's nest, Sam catches it, and the entire ship (except for the crows nest) submerges. Sam mouths some apparent curses, then tosses the anvil over the railing and the ship resurfaces.
At various times, Sam gets blasted by cannon fire, is subjected to the famous lots-of-doors in-and-out routine (previously used in Little Red Riding Rabbit
Little Red Riding Rabbit
Little Red Riding Rabbit is a 1944 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Bugs Bunny. It is a sendup of the Little Red Riding Hood story, and is the first time in which Mel Blanc receives a voice credit...
), and finally is tricked by Bugs into playing a "dare" game with matches that ends up exploding the pirate ship's powder magazine, reducing the ship to splinters. Finally, defeated, Sam raises the white flag. Bugsy turns to the audience, puts on an old-style ship captain's hat, and paraphrases John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...
, "I had not even begun to fight!"
Censorship
- The WB channel edited this cartoon to remove the part where Bugs tells Sam that "Dead men tell no tales," and Sam almost shoots himself in the head before realizing he's been tricked.
Trivia
- During a few explosions, Sam is shown without his beard and is shaved. Sam's shaved appearance would also come in place in Ballot Box BunnyBallot Box BunnyBallot Box Bunny is a 1950 animated Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1951, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster.-Plot:...
and Big House BunnyBig House BunnyBig House Bunny is a 1948 Looney Tunes Bugs Bunny cartoon, released in 1950 and directed by Friz Freleng.-Plot:Needing to get away from hunters, Bugs digs a tunnel and accidentally winds up in Sing Song Prison...
a few years later. - A similar sequence where Bugs throws a lit match into the powder magazine of Sam's ship would later be used in Captain HareblowerCaptain HareblowerCaptain Hareblower is a 1953 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released in 1954. It was directed by Friz Freleng and starred Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, with both voices provided by Mel Blanc.-Plot:...
(1954).
See also
- Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies filmography (1940–1949)
- List of Bugs Bunny cartoons