Bugsy and Mugsy
Encyclopedia
Bugsy and Mugsy is a 1957 animated short film in the Looney Tunes
series produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons
, Inc.
The film's plot features Bugs Bunny
with Rocky and Mugsy
in a remake of the 1950 Merrie Melodies
short Stooge for a Mouse. Bugs discovers that two robbers are hiding out on the floor above him, and plays them off against each other.
's hole is visible. However, over it stands a sign presumably constructed by Bugs reading “Moved to Drier Quarters — Bugs Bunny”. The presence of the sign is justified by the fact that it is heavily raining.
Shortly, Bugs is seen under the floor of an empty house, but is very soon disturbed, as a pair of fugitives from the law soon enter it, assuming it to be entirely abandoned. These criminals are Rocky and Mugsy
, who have just robbed a highly guarded repository of plenty of gold, gems and silver worth an undisclosed sum. Rocky closes the open blinds and states that, although he's given the police “the slip,” they can't be allowed to know that he and Mugsy are hiding there, then uncovers the stolen loot, all 14 carats worth.
Misinterpreting the meaning of the word "carat
", Bugs pokes his head out of the hole. (He remains unseen by Rocky and Mugsy, seen only by the audience, throughout the picture.) This is where Rocky makes a relatively small, and yet colossally damaging (to Mugsy and himself), mistake that leads to the comical turn of events to follow: he tells Mugsy to “get some shut-eye if we're gonna pull that big job tomorrow.” They certainly assume themselves to be alone in the house.
This alerts Bugs to the fact that he's dealing with seasoned robbers who have already lightened the wallets of several in the world and will do so with many, many more if not brought under control soon. He makes the very serious decision to teach them that crime cannot, does not, should not and will not pay.
First, he takes an old-fashioned telephone (very similar to the original model of Alexander Graham Bell
) and slips one end next to Rocky's ear, keeping the other end in his own hole. Bugs whispers to Rocky that “you're crazy to trust your pal Mugsy with that suitcase of jewellery. Don't make me laugh!” Rocky sits bolt upright in the chair, but assuming he heard a random voice, shrugs and goes back to sleep. But Bugs won't let him. He snickers, “Look at 'im, just lyin' there pretending he's asleep. And all that time he's actually thinking. Not just that. He's gettin' ideas.” However, Bugs pulls the cord away from Rocky before he can see it. Assuming Bugs' words to be true, Rocky gets out of the chair, walks over to Mugsy and the sofa, and rudely awakens his partner by slapping him three times in the face, telling him not to get any ideas. Mugsy protests that he doesn't get ideas. However, Rocky, having been fooled by Bugsy, tells Mugsy to see to it that he doesn't. He storms away to leave Mugsy looking confused.
Next, Bugs glances out of his hole and, seeing that the two criminals are sound asleep, tiptoes out carrying a giant meat cleaver. This he places with extreme caution in Mugsy's right hand. Then he dives back under the floorboards, retrieves the old phone and informs Rocky that Mugsy isn't called “the Detroit
Butcher for nothin'.
Don't be fooled by dat smooth talk. He's prob'ly waitin' for you to fall asleep — then ... (effects a cutting sound) KER-RIECCKKK!” And Rocky, once again, thinks that Mugsy is actually out to maim him. He again sits up and notices the cleaver Mugsy is holding. However, rather than let it remain in Mugsy's clumsy hands for another second, Rocky seizes the weapon and slices one of the couch's arms cleanly almost in half. He then pronounces that “Dirty scheme didn't work, did it?” Mugsy merely chuckles that Rocky is “a million laughs,” thinking (wrongly) that he mutilated the sofa for fun.
Next, Bugs is shown in the attic of the old house with a screwdriver, preparing to unscrew the screws connecting the light over Rocky's head to the ceiling of the main room. The camera then turns back to Mugsy, who has suddenly awoken, but seeing his boss to be still in the chair, chuckles, “That Rocky,” again. Cut back to Bugs, who has now begun to unscrew the light. Mugsy sees the screws coming loose, and so, knowing that Rocky will blame him if the light falls on him, grabs his own screwdriver and a ladder and climbs up, tool in hand, intending to screw the light back in. But Bugs is too quick for the hulking accomplice, as he finishes with the last screw before Mugsy gets to it. Looking up, Rocky sees Mugsy on the ladder, thinking that HE unscrewed the light, so he tells him to “C'mere.” Mugsy does so, and when he does, he is kicked up high into the air by Rocky, who then says: “Now get back on that couch and go to sleep.”
Next, Bugs switches Rocky's cigarette with a dynamite
stick. Then he walks over to Mugsy and effects Rocky's voice, saying, “Hey, Mugsy, c'mere. Gimme a light.” Having clearly worked with Rocky for years, Mugsy walks over to his boss with a match and verbalizes how glad he is that “you're not mad at me no more.” He strikes the match and lights not a cigarette, but a stick of dynamite. The resulting explosion leaves them looking much the worse for wear; Mugsy moans, “Aw, now you're mad at me again!”
Rocky snaps (with many screams of protest from his partner). Underfloor, Bugs "winces" pleasurably. Here, he shoves Mugsy into the next room with his feet and hand
s tie together. "NOW GO TO SLEEP!!!" Rocky yells with great finality.
Next, Bugs saws a perfect circle around Rocky's chair, only letting him see the tool near the end. Bugs then slips it into Mugsy's hands and slips back beneath the floor, just in time for Rocky to open the door to the next room, see it in Mugsy's possession and proclaim, “I dunno how ya's done it, BUT I KNOW YA'S DONE IT!!!!!!!!” He then beats Mugsy up some more, and storms back into the room.
Finally, Bugs pops out from under the floor, unties Mugsy and quickly pops a pair of entirely metallic roller skates to his feet. He then snatches a highly powerful magnet and drags it down with him. The skates feel the power of Bugs' magnet; they skitter right to it; Mugsy is forced to stand up. For a split second, Rocky stares at Mugsy in complete bewilderment, then tells him to get off the skates; but the skates and, by extension, Mugsy, are controlled by the rogue underfloor magnet. Bugs drags the magnet several times towards Rocky so that Mugsy is forced to smash into him. Every time Mugsy skates into Rocky magnetically, his boss snarls, “Why you . . . (disparaging single word)!” and shoves him back. But Bugs simply drags the magnet over to Rocky again and again, thus necessitating multiple repeats of that cycle. Quite apart from the chaotic banging in that house, police cars suddenly pull up to it. A short time later, Rocky and Mugsy are in one of the police cars; as it wails off, Rocky wonders out loud how the police knew where he and his partner were hiding. Mugsy begins protesting his innocence repeatedly, but Rocky doesn't believe him. He shoves Mugsy down to the floor and jumps up and down on him.
However, Mugsy was telling the truth. He was not the one who turned Rocky in; rather, Bugs disclosed their location by ingeniously hooking up bulbs and wires to the building and configuring them so that they flashed the words “ROCKY'S HIDEAWAY”. Iris
out.
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 produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
, Inc.
The film's plot 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...
with Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng.-Character Biography:...
in a remake of the 1950 Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
short Stooge for a Mouse. Bugs discovers that two robbers are hiding out on the floor above him, and plays them off against each other.
Plot
This cartoon begins with a view of the outdoors — and Bugs BunnyBugs 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...
's hole is visible. However, over it stands a sign presumably constructed by Bugs reading “Moved to Drier Quarters — Bugs Bunny”. The presence of the sign is justified by the fact that it is heavily raining.
Shortly, Bugs is seen under the floor of an empty house, but is very soon disturbed, as a pair of fugitives from the law soon enter it, assuming it to be entirely abandoned. These criminals are Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy
Rocky and Mugsy are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. They were created by Friz Freleng.-Character Biography:...
, who have just robbed a highly guarded repository of plenty of gold, gems and silver worth an undisclosed sum. Rocky closes the open blinds and states that, although he's given the police “the slip,” they can't be allowed to know that he and Mugsy are hiding there, then uncovers the stolen loot, all 14 carats worth.
Misinterpreting the meaning of the word "carat
Carat
Carat or karat may refer to:In the gem business:* Carat , a unit of mass for gemstones, equal to 0.2 gram* Carat or karat, a unit of purity for goldIn Judaism:...
", Bugs pokes his head out of the hole. (He remains unseen by Rocky and Mugsy, seen only by the audience, throughout the picture.) This is where Rocky makes a relatively small, and yet colossally damaging (to Mugsy and himself), mistake that leads to the comical turn of events to follow: he tells Mugsy to “get some shut-eye if we're gonna pull that big job tomorrow.” They certainly assume themselves to be alone in the house.
This alerts Bugs to the fact that he's dealing with seasoned robbers who have already lightened the wallets of several in the world and will do so with many, many more if not brought under control soon. He makes the very serious decision to teach them that crime cannot, does not, should not and will not pay.
First, he takes an old-fashioned telephone (very similar to the original model of Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
) and slips one end next to Rocky's ear, keeping the other end in his own hole. Bugs whispers to Rocky that “you're crazy to trust your pal Mugsy with that suitcase of jewellery. Don't make me laugh!” Rocky sits bolt upright in the chair, but assuming he heard a random voice, shrugs and goes back to sleep. But Bugs won't let him. He snickers, “Look at 'im, just lyin' there pretending he's asleep. And all that time he's actually thinking. Not just that. He's gettin' ideas.” However, Bugs pulls the cord away from Rocky before he can see it. Assuming Bugs' words to be true, Rocky gets out of the chair, walks over to Mugsy and the sofa, and rudely awakens his partner by slapping him three times in the face, telling him not to get any ideas. Mugsy protests that he doesn't get ideas. However, Rocky, having been fooled by Bugsy, tells Mugsy to see to it that he doesn't. He storms away to leave Mugsy looking confused.
Next, Bugs glances out of his hole and, seeing that the two criminals are sound asleep, tiptoes out carrying a giant meat cleaver. This he places with extreme caution in Mugsy's right hand. Then he dives back under the floorboards, retrieves the old phone and informs Rocky that Mugsy isn't called “the Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
Butcher for nothin'.
Don't be fooled by dat smooth talk. He's prob'ly waitin' for you to fall asleep — then ... (effects a cutting sound) KER-RIECCKKK!” And Rocky, once again, thinks that Mugsy is actually out to maim him. He again sits up and notices the cleaver Mugsy is holding. However, rather than let it remain in Mugsy's clumsy hands for another second, Rocky seizes the weapon and slices one of the couch's arms cleanly almost in half. He then pronounces that “Dirty scheme didn't work, did it?” Mugsy merely chuckles that Rocky is “a million laughs,” thinking (wrongly) that he mutilated the sofa for fun.
Next, Bugs is shown in the attic of the old house with a screwdriver, preparing to unscrew the screws connecting the light over Rocky's head to the ceiling of the main room. The camera then turns back to Mugsy, who has suddenly awoken, but seeing his boss to be still in the chair, chuckles, “That Rocky,” again. Cut back to Bugs, who has now begun to unscrew the light. Mugsy sees the screws coming loose, and so, knowing that Rocky will blame him if the light falls on him, grabs his own screwdriver and a ladder and climbs up, tool in hand, intending to screw the light back in. But Bugs is too quick for the hulking accomplice, as he finishes with the last screw before Mugsy gets to it. Looking up, Rocky sees Mugsy on the ladder, thinking that HE unscrewed the light, so he tells him to “C'mere.” Mugsy does so, and when he does, he is kicked up high into the air by Rocky, who then says: “Now get back on that couch and go to sleep.”
Next, Bugs switches Rocky's cigarette with a dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
stick. Then he walks over to Mugsy and effects Rocky's voice, saying, “Hey, Mugsy, c'mere. Gimme a light.” Having clearly worked with Rocky for years, Mugsy walks over to his boss with a match and verbalizes how glad he is that “you're not mad at me no more.” He strikes the match and lights not a cigarette, but a stick of dynamite. The resulting explosion leaves them looking much the worse for wear; Mugsy moans, “Aw, now you're mad at me again!”
Rocky snaps (with many screams of protest from his partner). Underfloor, Bugs "winces" pleasurably. Here, he shoves Mugsy into the next room with his feet and hand
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
s tie together. "NOW GO TO SLEEP!!!" Rocky yells with great finality.
Next, Bugs saws a perfect circle around Rocky's chair, only letting him see the tool near the end. Bugs then slips it into Mugsy's hands and slips back beneath the floor, just in time for Rocky to open the door to the next room, see it in Mugsy's possession and proclaim, “I dunno how ya's done it, BUT I KNOW YA'S DONE IT!!!!!!!!” He then beats Mugsy up some more, and storms back into the room.
Finally, Bugs pops out from under the floor, unties Mugsy and quickly pops a pair of entirely metallic roller skates to his feet. He then snatches a highly powerful magnet and drags it down with him. The skates feel the power of Bugs' magnet; they skitter right to it; Mugsy is forced to stand up. For a split second, Rocky stares at Mugsy in complete bewilderment, then tells him to get off the skates; but the skates and, by extension, Mugsy, are controlled by the rogue underfloor magnet. Bugs drags the magnet several times towards Rocky so that Mugsy is forced to smash into him. Every time Mugsy skates into Rocky magnetically, his boss snarls, “Why you . . . (disparaging single word)!” and shoves him back. But Bugs simply drags the magnet over to Rocky again and again, thus necessitating multiple repeats of that cycle. Quite apart from the chaotic banging in that house, police cars suddenly pull up to it. A short time later, Rocky and Mugsy are in one of the police cars; as it wails off, Rocky wonders out loud how the police knew where he and his partner were hiding. Mugsy begins protesting his innocence repeatedly, but Rocky doesn't believe him. He shoves Mugsy down to the floor and jumps up and down on him.
However, Mugsy was telling the truth. He was not the one who turned Rocky in; rather, Bugs disclosed their location by ingeniously hooking up bulbs and wires to the building and configuring them so that they flashed the words “ROCKY'S HIDEAWAY”. Iris
Diaphragm (optics)
In optics, a diaphragm is a thin opaque structure with an opening at its center. The role of the diaphragm is to stop the passage of light, except for the light passing through the aperture...
out.