The Fair-Haired Hare
Encyclopedia
The Fair-Haired Hare is a Looney Tunes
cartoon starring Bugs Bunny
and Yosemite Sam
. Released April 14, 1951, the cartoon is directed by Friz Freleng
. The voices were performed by Mel Blanc
.
The Fair-Haired Hare was the first short released in which Yosemite Sam was drawn with his mouth in his red mustache for the entire film. It is also one of the few cartoons where Sam refers to Bugs by name.
," adding in that rabbits also live on the prairie — is startled after Yosemite Sam builds a cabin above his rabbit hole. Bugs tries to find out what's going on, interrupting Sam's banjo rendition of "I Can't Get Along, Little Dogie" (M.K. Jerome/Jack Scholl); Sam attributes this disturbance to mice. Bugs saws a hole and climbs out through a bearskin rug, causing the bunny to panic; Sam shoots the rug repeatedly ("Playin' possum for 20 years! That'll learn ya!"). The two then begin quarreling over who has rights to the property; Bugs claims he was there first and should live there undisturbed, while Sam isn't interested in listening to a rabbit's opinion.
Bugs decides this may be a civil matter and decides to go to "the highest court in the land
" — which they do: It's literally the "highest court" in the land, the courthouse
being atop a mountain [elevation: 6723 feet (2,049.2 m)]. There, the judge declares that both Bugs and Sam shall share the land equally ... "and in the event that one of you should pass on, the other shall inherit the entire property." Sam chuckles evily, making Bugs uneasy.
The rest of the cartoon sees Sam trying to kill Bugs, but all of his schemes go awry:
Sam runs back and immediately chases Bugs back into his hole. He then realizes the only way to kill off the rabbit is to pack his hole with explosives. However, Bugs diverts the dynamite under the house foundation. Sam then lights the fuse, but realizes too late that his house is about to be blown up. In the end, the cabin flies away, much like how the cabin did in the tornado in the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
. A dazed Sam, upon realizing his fate, remarks, "I've got a cabin in the sky
!" (a reference to the 1943 MGM film of the same title), as his house floats upward.
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 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...
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...
. Released April 14, 1951, the cartoon is 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....
. The voices were performed 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...
.
The Fair-Haired Hare was the first short released in which Yosemite Sam was drawn with his mouth in his red mustache for the entire film. It is also one of the few cartoons where Sam refers to Bugs by name.
Plot
Bugs Bunny — contentedly singing "Home on the RangeHome on the Range
"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
," adding in that rabbits also live on the prairie — is startled after Yosemite Sam builds a cabin above his rabbit hole. Bugs tries to find out what's going on, interrupting Sam's banjo rendition of "I Can't Get Along, Little Dogie" (M.K. Jerome/Jack Scholl); Sam attributes this disturbance to mice. Bugs saws a hole and climbs out through a bearskin rug, causing the bunny to panic; Sam shoots the rug repeatedly ("Playin' possum for 20 years! That'll learn ya!"). The two then begin quarreling over who has rights to the property; Bugs claims he was there first and should live there undisturbed, while Sam isn't interested in listening to a rabbit's opinion.
Bugs decides this may be a civil matter and decides to go to "the highest court in the land
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
" — which they do: It's literally the "highest court" in the land, the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
being atop a mountain [elevation: 6723 feet (2,049.2 m)]. There, the judge declares that both Bugs and Sam shall share the land equally ... "and in the event that one of you should pass on, the other shall inherit the entire property." Sam chuckles evily, making Bugs uneasy.
The rest of the cartoon sees Sam trying to kill Bugs, but all of his schemes go awry:
- That night, the two bunk in the same bedroom, their beds on opposite sides of a window. After Sam turns out the light ("Good night, varmint!", "Uh, good night."), Sam tries to sneak over to Bugs' bed to klonk him on the head. Bugs turns on the light in time, causing Sam to make the hasty excuse, "Carpet keeps rolling up! Good night, critter!" (he does this as he pretends to bang the floor). Sam makes a second attempt, and indeed someone does suffer a concussion — Sam, as Bugs has hit his antagonist on the head ("There, that oughta keep that carpet flat!", "Good night, varmint, critter!").
- At breakfast, Sam tries slipping a Mickey FinnMickey Finn (drugs)A Mickey Finn, is a slang term for a drink laced with a drug given to someone without his knowledge in order to incapacitate him...
into Bugs' carrot juice (while Bugs is in the bathroom). However, Bugs is wise and trades the drug-laced drink with Sam's. When Sam refuses, Bugs plays a game of roulette ("Round she goes!"). Sam loses his patience and orders Bugs to drink at gunpoint. Bugs does, but only after Sam drinks his. Nothing happens to Bugs, making Sam realize that he has consumed the poisoned drink — moments before he blasts off into the sky.
Sam runs back and immediately chases Bugs back into his hole. He then realizes the only way to kill off the rabbit is to pack his hole with explosives. However, Bugs diverts the dynamite under the house foundation. Sam then lights the fuse, but realizes too late that his house is about to be blown up. In the end, the cabin flies away, much like how the cabin did in the tornado in the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. A dazed Sam, upon realizing his fate, remarks, "I've got a cabin in the sky
Cabin in the Sky
Cabin in the Sky is a 1943 American musical film with music by Vernon Duke, lyrics by John La Touche, and a musical book by Lynn Root. The musical premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 25, 1940. It closed on March 8, 1941 after a total of 156 performances...
!" (a reference to the 1943 MGM film of the same title), as his house floats upward.
Censorship
- The version of this cartoon that aired on ABC's The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show cut the part where Bugs gets stuck in a bearskin rug and Sam shoots at it to release Bugs http://looney.goldenagecartoons.com/ltcuts/e-f.