Super-Rabbit
Encyclopedia
Super-Rabbit is a Merrie Melodies
cartoon starring Bugs Bunny
who is parody
ing the popular character Superman
. It was released to theaters on April 3, 1943.
The cartoon opens like the 1940s Superman cartoons
, radio shows, and later movie serials and television show. "Faster than a speeding bullet" (a cork popped out of a gun), "More powerful than a locomotive" (a "choo-choo" train), "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound" (but Bugs falls, screaming frantically, after he clears the building).
The story begins in the lab of scientist Professor Cannafraz, whose voice seems patterned after Richard Haydn
's radio character Edwin Carp on the Burns and Allen
radio show. The professor is creating a "super carrot." His test subject, Bugs (aka "rabbitus idioticus") -- , who variously addresses Cannafraz as "Boibank
," "Edison
," and "Pasture
" -- immediately wolfs down the proffered carrot. Now he has super-abilities such as super-strength, invulnerability, and flight, but only temporarily; he must periodically eat another carrot to replenish his powers. Bugs declares this a "cozy" deal, then remembers a newspaper article about "Cottontail Smith", a hunter in Texas
who wants to hunt down all rabbits. Seeing a need, Bugs gathers up the super carrots, stashes them in a cigarette case, gives the professor a kiss on the nose, and departs. He flies into the clouds, past a horse who happens to be sauntering in the middle of the air: the horse turns to the camera
and shouts, "A rabbit? Up HERE!?"
Bugs flies to Deepinaharta, Texas (a recurring WB gag inspired by the song "Deep in the Heart of Texas
"), and assumes a 'disguise' as a "mild-mannered forest creature," complete with oversized glasses and hat. He soon encounters Smith, who bears a striking resemblance to fellow Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson, at that time a U.S. congressman. Smith tries to shoot Bugs, but none of the bullets penetrate. Bugs hands him a cannonball, eats another carrot ("Just a precaution"), then, upon being struck by the cannonball, plays basketball
with it, quickly shoving Smith and his horse onto bleachers while he acts as his own cheerleader: "Come on, kids! We'll give 'em the old rickety-rack! Bricka bracka, firecracka, sis boom ba! Bugs Bunny, Bugs Bunny, rah rah rah!" After Bugs returns to the air to "think up some more deviltry," the bemused Smith and his horse fly into the sky with their own airplane. They soon find themselves piloting a control stick and the top window of their plane - and nothing else.
Bugs runs out of power, but when he tries to "recharge" again his carrots fall to the ground. When Bugs lands, he opens his eyes to see a line of eaten carrots. Smith and his horse are now both superheroes. Bugs turns to the camera and says "This looks like a job for a REAL Superman!" He ducks into a phone booth, and both Smith and the horse are ready to attack - until the booth opens and they both snap to attention and salute. Bugs marches out in a Marine uniform, singing The Marines Hymn. "Sorry, fellas, I can't play with you anymore. I got some important woik to do!" Still singing, he marches off past a sign pointing to 'Berlin, Tokyo and points East.'
were so glad that Bugs Bunny decided to become a Marine in this film that they insisted that the character be officially inducted into the force as a private, which was done, complete with dogtag
s. The character was regularly promoted until Bugs was officially "discharged" at the end of World War II
as a Master Sergeant
.
Cottontail Smith later appears as one of Yosemite Sam
's sidekicks in Looney Tunes: Back in Action
. The character himself has a voice similar to Sam's and Foghorn Leghorn's, only slightly less raucous.
Bugs' acquisition of temporary super-powers by eating special carrots is later duplicated by DC Comics
anthropomorphic rabbit super-hero Captain Carrot
.
Bugs' "Bricka bracka firecracka" cheer is used in Darrell Hammond
and Christopher Snell's "Wappin'," a rap
, or "wap," song sung by Elmer Fudd
; a chorus of Bugs fans interrupts Elmer's song with the chant, then allows Bugs himself to take over the song.
, when Daffy Duck is the not-so-superhero looking for a villain who didn't exist. Curiously, Warner Bros. would later acquire DC Comics
- publishers of Superman.
.
Available alongside another Superman/Looney Tunes parody Stupor Duck
on the Superman: The Ultimate Collection box set
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,...
cartoon starring 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...
who is parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
ing the popular character Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. It was released to theaters on April 3, 1943.
Plot
"Look! Up there in the sky! It's a bird!" "Nah, it ain't a bird, it's a divebomber!" "NO! It's SUPER RABBIT!"The cartoon opens like the 1940s Superman cartoons
Superman (1940s cartoons)
The Fleischer & Famous Superman cartoons are a series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films released by Paramount Pictures and based upon the comic book character Superman....
, radio shows, and later movie serials and television show. "Faster than a speeding bullet" (a cork popped out of a gun), "More powerful than a locomotive" (a "choo-choo" train), "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound" (but Bugs falls, screaming frantically, after he clears the building).
The story begins in the lab of scientist Professor Cannafraz, whose voice seems patterned after Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn
Richard Haydn was an English comic actor in radio, films and television.-Early life and career:Born George Richard Haydon in London, he was known for playing eccentric characters, such as Edwin Carp, Claud Curdle, Richard Rancyd and Stanley Stayle. Much of his stage delivery was done in a...
's radio character Edwin Carp on the Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen
Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades.-Vaudeville:...
radio show. The professor is creating a "super carrot." His test subject, Bugs (aka "rabbitus idioticus") -- , who variously addresses Cannafraz as "Boibank
Luther Burbank
Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist and a pioneer in agricultural science.He developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 54-year career. Burbank's varied creations included fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables...
," "Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
," and "Pasture
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments...
" -- immediately wolfs down the proffered carrot. Now he has super-abilities such as super-strength, invulnerability, and flight, but only temporarily; he must periodically eat another carrot to replenish his powers. Bugs declares this a "cozy" deal, then remembers a newspaper article about "Cottontail Smith", a hunter in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
who wants to hunt down all rabbits. Seeing a need, Bugs gathers up the super carrots, stashes them in a cigarette case, gives the professor a kiss on the nose, and departs. He flies into the clouds, past a horse who happens to be sauntering in the middle of the air: the horse turns to the camera
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
and shouts, "A rabbit? Up HERE!?"
Bugs flies to Deepinaharta, Texas (a recurring WB gag inspired by the song "Deep in the Heart of Texas
Deep in the Heart of Texas
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song elaborating on the merits of the state of Texas.The 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. The song was recorded by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra on December 9 of that year for Decca Records in Los...
"), and assumes a 'disguise' as a "mild-mannered forest creature," complete with oversized glasses and hat. He soon encounters Smith, who bears a striking resemblance to fellow Texan Lyndon Baines Johnson, at that time a U.S. congressman. Smith tries to shoot Bugs, but none of the bullets penetrate. Bugs hands him a cannonball, eats another carrot ("Just a precaution"), then, upon being struck by the cannonball, plays basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
with it, quickly shoving Smith and his horse onto bleachers while he acts as his own cheerleader: "Come on, kids! We'll give 'em the old rickety-rack! Bricka bracka, firecracka, sis boom ba! Bugs Bunny, Bugs Bunny, rah rah rah!" After Bugs returns to the air to "think up some more deviltry," the bemused Smith and his horse fly into the sky with their own airplane. They soon find themselves piloting a control stick and the top window of their plane - and nothing else.
Bugs runs out of power, but when he tries to "recharge" again his carrots fall to the ground. When Bugs lands, he opens his eyes to see a line of eaten carrots. Smith and his horse are now both superheroes. Bugs turns to the camera and says "This looks like a job for a REAL Superman!" He ducks into a phone booth, and both Smith and the horse are ready to attack - until the booth opens and they both snap to attention and salute. Bugs marches out in a Marine uniform, singing The Marines Hymn. "Sorry, fellas, I can't play with you anymore. I got some important woik to do!" Still singing, he marches off past a sign pointing to 'Berlin, Tokyo and points East.'
Reception
The U.S. Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
were so glad that Bugs Bunny decided to become a Marine in this film that they insisted that the character be officially inducted into the force as a private, which was done, complete with dogtag
Dog tag (identifier)
A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by military personnel, named such as it bears resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead and wounded and essential basic medical information for the treatment of the latter, such as blood...
s. The character was regularly promoted until Bugs was officially "discharged" at the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a Master Sergeant
Master Sergeant
A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in some armed forces.-Israel Defense Forces:Rav samal rishoninsignia IDF...
.
Cottontail Smith later appears as one of 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...
's sidekicks in Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
. The character himself has a voice similar to Sam's and Foghorn Leghorn's, only slightly less raucous.
Bugs' acquisition of temporary super-powers by eating special carrots is later duplicated by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
anthropomorphic rabbit super-hero Captain Carrot
Captain Carrot
Captain Carrot is a fictional anthropomorphic superhero published by DC Comics. His first appearance was in a special insert in The New Teen Titans #16...
.
Bugs' "Bricka bracka firecracka" cheer is used in Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
and Christopher Snell's "Wappin'," a rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, or "wap," song sung by Elmer Fudd
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J. Fudd/Egghead is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring...
; a chorus of Bugs fans interrupts Elmer's song with the chant, then allows Bugs himself to take over the song.
Production details
This was Bugs Bunny's sixteenth cartoon, as well as the forty-seventh cartoon by Chuck Jones. It is also the first "Superman" parody on Looney Tunes. The second is Stupor DuckStupor Duck
Stupor Duck is a Looney Tunes animated short starring Daffy Duck. A Superman parody directed by Robert McKimson, the cartoon was released July 7, 1956. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc and Daws Butler; Butler — who voiced the narrator and the newspaper editor — was...
, when Daffy Duck is the not-so-superhero looking for a villain who didn't exist. Curiously, Warner Bros. would later acquire DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
- publishers of Superman.
Credits
- Distributor: Warner Brothers
- Producer: Leon SchlesingerLeon SchlesingerLeon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
- Supervision: Chuck JonesChuck JonesCharles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
- Story: Tedd PierceTedd PierceTedd Pierce , was an American animated cartoon writer, animator and artist. Pierce spent the majority of his career as a writer for the Warner Bros. "Termite Terrace" animation studio, working alongside fellow luminaries such as Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese. Pierce also worked as a writer at...
- Animation: Ken HarrisKen HarrisKen Harris was an American animator who worked for several film studios. He is widely considered as one of the master animators of his time....
- Robert CannonRobert CannonRobert Cannon is an American sculptor. He holds a BA with distinction from Yale University. While attending Yale, Cannon studied under the American Sculptor Alice Aycock.- Work :...
(uncredited) - Ben WashamBen WashamBenjamin Alfred Washam was an American animator who is best known for working under director Chuck Jones for nearly 30 years. Washam worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons from 1941 until 1962, mainly under the direction of Chuck Jones. He also worked on made-for-television cartoons in the early 1960s...
(uncredited) - Lloyd Vaughan (uncredited)
- Basil Davidovich (uncredited)
- Robert Cannon
- Musical Direction: Carl StallingCarl StallingCarl W. Stalling was an American composer and arranger for music in animated films. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.-Biography:Stalling was born to Ernest and...
Cast
- Mel BlancMel BlancMelvin 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...
: Bugs Bunny, Cottontail Smith, Texas Rabbit - Kent RogersKent RogersKent Rogers was a Hollywood impressionist who appeared in several live-action shorts and features and a voice actor for Warner Bros..-Career:...
: Professor Canafrazz - Tedd PierceTedd PierceTedd Pierce , was an American animated cartoon writer, animator and artist. Pierce spent the majority of his career as a writer for the Warner Bros. "Termite Terrace" animation studio, working alongside fellow luminaries such as Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese. Pierce also worked as a writer at...
: Observer
Availability
This cartoon can be found on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, 9 documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from...
.
Available alongside another Superman/Looney Tunes parody Stupor Duck
Stupor Duck
Stupor Duck is a Looney Tunes animated short starring Daffy Duck. A Superman parody directed by Robert McKimson, the cartoon was released July 7, 1956. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc and Daws Butler; Butler — who voiced the narrator and the newspaper editor — was...
on the Superman: The Ultimate Collection box set
External links
- Super-Rabbit at the Big Cartoon DatabaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....