Devil May Hare
Encyclopedia
Devil May Hare is a 1954 Warner Bros.
Looney Tunes
cartoon was released on June 19th, 1954. This theatrical cartoon was directed by Robert McKimson
and starred Mel Blanc
playing the voices of Bugs Bunny
, the Tasmanian Devil
, and the turtle. This short is featured on the Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1 DVD box set, as well as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
DVD box set. It is the only Taz cartoon in both the Spotlight Collection and Golden Collection series. It also appeared in the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1
Blu-ray box set alongside Bedeviled Rabbit
, Ducking the Devil
, Bill of Hare
, and Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare
.
cartoons. Bugs Bunny gets himself into this situation because he offers to help the disheveled Tasmanian Devil find his dinner.
The following quote illustrates Bugs’ realization that Taz is in fact a threat and danger to him: "Q..R..S..T, Tasmanian ... Here it is! 'A strong, murderous beast, jaws powerful as a steel-trap — has ravenous appetite — eats tiger
s, lion
s, elephant
s, buffalo
es, donkey
s, hippopotamus
es, rhinoceros
es, giraffe
s, octopus
es, moose
, duck
s," the Tasmanian Devil then appears next to him and interjects, "Rabbits". Bugs, not noticing him at first, states that "It doesn't say rabbits here..." but Taz handwrites it into the encyclopedia, thus getting the rabbit's attention.
That is when Bugs Bunny realizes that he is in danger and that the Tasmanian Devil could in fact potentially attack and eat him. He then convinces Taz that he (Bugs) would not satisfy his appetite. He tells him that groundhogs would do so; Bugs hands him a shovel and ends up burying him. Just when Bugs thinks he's done with him, the Tasmanian Devil asks: "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?" Taz then attacks him, Bugs then feigns smelling chicken nearby which excites Taz. Bugs makes the chicken from liquid bubble gum and baking soda which Taz immediately devours. He then starts hicupping and creates a giant bubble and begins to drift away. Bugs takes out a slingshot and shoots Taz down causing him to become entangled in the gum caught in a tree branch.
Next Bugs makes a pig out of an inflatable raft. Taz swallows it and Bugs pulls the string causing the raft to inflate inside of him. Then Bugs creates a deer out of wood. He then sees the Tasmanian Devil after him and climbs up a tree, which Taz chomps down on causing it to become smaller with each bite. Bugs diverts his attention to the crudely made wooden deer ("N-n-now, Devil, control yours... Th-that's no way to act! N-n-no, take it easy, I can explain everything, doc! Uh, I just rounded up something very extra special for ya, a nice, fat deer!") and tells him to knock it out with a giant slingshot ("Not so fast, you'll scare him away! Foist knock him out with this slingshot, then go get him."). As Taz pulls down on the slingshot, Bugs saws down the tree that is used for the slingshot causing Taz to go flying off and crash.
As Bugs laughs at Taz's misfortune, a real fawn (resembling Bambi
) appears next to him. He warns the fawn of the Tasmanian Devil (making some insulting comments in the process), not knowing that Taz is right behind him ("Hey, scram. Go on, beat it. The Tasmanian Devil's liable to get ya! He's a mean, vicious, nasty, no good, baggy-eyed, marble-headed ignoramorous! He's a stupid... He..."). "Flattery will get you nowhere", Taz says, "and you can't fool me again". Bugs attempts to convince him that the fawn is made of straw. Taz replies: "But you're not!" After trying to bite Bugs' face off, he starts to chase him, devouring everything he comes across. Bugs hides in a tree hole and calls a delivery service for a lonely Female Tasmanian Devil whom Taz immediately falls in love with ("Long distance? Get me Tasmania, I want the Tasmanian Post Dispatch! [to audience] Oh, brother, what I've got up my sleeve shouldn't happen! Hello? Tasmanian Post Dispatch? Insoit this ad: Lonely Tasmanian Devil would like to meet lonely Lady Devil. Object: Matrimony!"). Bugs pretends to be a minister and pronounces them "Devil and Devilish". The couple then ride off in the airplane that the She-Devil came on. Bugs ends the cartoon with the line: "All the world loves a lover, but in this case I'll make an exception".
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,...
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...
cartoon was released on June 19th, 1954. This theatrical cartoon was directed by Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
and starred 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...
playing the voices of 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...
, the Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)
The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros...
, and the turtle. This short is featured on the Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 1 DVD box set, as well as the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. It contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements...
DVD box set. It is the only Taz cartoon in both the Spotlight Collection and Golden Collection series. It also appeared in the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 is a Blu-ray box set announced by Warner Home Video. It was released on November 15, 2011. It contains 50 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.-Disc 1:-Behind the Tunes:...
Blu-ray box set alongside Bedeviled Rabbit
Bedeviled Rabbit
Bedevilled Rabbit is a 1956 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short featuring Bugs Bunny, which was released in 1957. Bugs is lost in Tasmania, and has to deal with the Tasmanian Devil.-Plot:...
, Ducking the Devil
Ducking the Devil
Ducking The Devil is a 1957 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon with Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil.- Synopsis :At a zoo, a cage was reserved for Taz. He soon escapes and runs amok. Meanwhile, Daffy is at home in his duckpond, and reads about Taz's escape in a newspaper. Taz soon finds him and...
, Bill of Hare
Bill of Hare
Bill Of Hare is a 1962 Bugs Bunny cartoon featuring the Tasmanian Devil.-Plot:The cartoon opens in a seaside town where a crate is being unloaded from a cargo ship, belonging to the Snodgrass Scientific Expedition...
, and Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare
Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare
Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare is a Warner Bros., Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon short released on March 28, 1964, starring Bugs Bunny and the Tasmanian Devil. It was directed by Robert McKimson. It was produced by David H. DePatie. The cartoon was animated by Ted Bonnicksen, Warren Batchelder, and...
.
Plot
In this cartoon, Bugs Bunny is doing a bit of spring cleaning. He ducks into his hole when a small bird (Bugs refers it as a low-flying plane) zooms past. He then sees a deer jump over him, and wonders "what's all the excitement about?" Then a whole stampede of animals appears, and Bugs tries to ask them what's going on, but all of his "What's up, doc?" queries go unanswered. He manages to stop a turtle by putting a shovel in front of him. Bugs asks the turtle what was happening, with the turtle explaining that "the Tasmanian Devil's on the loose! Run! Run! Run for your life!". Bugs then goes back into his hole and looks in the encyclopedia to find this character in it. This cartoon, in fact, is the Tasmanian Devil’s first appearance in Warner Bros.' Looney TunesLooney 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...
cartoons. Bugs Bunny gets himself into this situation because he offers to help the disheveled Tasmanian Devil find his dinner.
The following quote illustrates Bugs’ realization that Taz is in fact a threat and danger to him: "Q..R..S..T, Tasmanian ... Here it is! 'A strong, murderous beast, jaws powerful as a steel-trap — has ravenous appetite — eats tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
es, donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
es, rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
es, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
es, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s," the Tasmanian Devil then appears next to him and interjects, "Rabbits". Bugs, not noticing him at first, states that "It doesn't say rabbits here..." but Taz handwrites it into the encyclopedia, thus getting the rabbit's attention.
That is when Bugs Bunny realizes that he is in danger and that the Tasmanian Devil could in fact potentially attack and eat him. He then convinces Taz that he (Bugs) would not satisfy his appetite. He tells him that groundhogs would do so; Bugs hands him a shovel and ends up burying him. Just when Bugs thinks he's done with him, the Tasmanian Devil asks: "What for you bury me in the cold, cold ground?" Taz then attacks him, Bugs then feigns smelling chicken nearby which excites Taz. Bugs makes the chicken from liquid bubble gum and baking soda which Taz immediately devours. He then starts hicupping and creates a giant bubble and begins to drift away. Bugs takes out a slingshot and shoots Taz down causing him to become entangled in the gum caught in a tree branch.
Next Bugs makes a pig out of an inflatable raft. Taz swallows it and Bugs pulls the string causing the raft to inflate inside of him. Then Bugs creates a deer out of wood. He then sees the Tasmanian Devil after him and climbs up a tree, which Taz chomps down on causing it to become smaller with each bite. Bugs diverts his attention to the crudely made wooden deer ("N-n-now, Devil, control yours... Th-that's no way to act! N-n-no, take it easy, I can explain everything, doc! Uh, I just rounded up something very extra special for ya, a nice, fat deer!") and tells him to knock it out with a giant slingshot ("Not so fast, you'll scare him away! Foist knock him out with this slingshot, then go get him."). As Taz pulls down on the slingshot, Bugs saws down the tree that is used for the slingshot causing Taz to go flying off and crash.
As Bugs laughs at Taz's misfortune, a real fawn (resembling Bambi
Bambi (character)
Bambi, a young roe deer, is the main character in Felix Salten's Bambi, A Life in the Woods and in the Disney films based on the book. Bambi has starred in two movies, Bambi and Bambi II, has had cameos in several Disney cartoons, and has been parodied on occasion by other animation companies...
) appears next to him. He warns the fawn of the Tasmanian Devil (making some insulting comments in the process), not knowing that Taz is right behind him ("Hey, scram. Go on, beat it. The Tasmanian Devil's liable to get ya! He's a mean, vicious, nasty, no good, baggy-eyed, marble-headed ignoramorous! He's a stupid... He..."). "Flattery will get you nowhere", Taz says, "and you can't fool me again". Bugs attempts to convince him that the fawn is made of straw. Taz replies: "But you're not!" After trying to bite Bugs' face off, he starts to chase him, devouring everything he comes across. Bugs hides in a tree hole and calls a delivery service for a lonely Female Tasmanian Devil whom Taz immediately falls in love with ("Long distance? Get me Tasmania, I want the Tasmanian Post Dispatch! [to audience] Oh, brother, what I've got up my sleeve shouldn't happen! Hello? Tasmanian Post Dispatch? Insoit this ad: Lonely Tasmanian Devil would like to meet lonely Lady Devil. Object: Matrimony!"). Bugs pretends to be a minister and pronounces them "Devil and Devilish". The couple then ride off in the airplane that the She-Devil came on. Bugs ends the cartoon with the line: "All the world loves a lover, but in this case I'll make an exception".
Censorship
- When this cartoon aired on CBS in the 1980s, the part where Bugs uses a slingshot to bring Taz down (after he hiccups a bubblegum bubble that sends him skyward) was cut, making it seem that the bubble burst on its own http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/d/