Thanks to Rich for the above
.
Notables
Bugs Bunny is a cultural icon
According to NPR, Bugs has appeared in more films (both short and feature-length) than any other cartoon character and is the ninth most-portrayed film personality in the world
A Wild Hare (1940) received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film
Since his debut, Bugs only appeared only in color Merrie Melodies films
Bugs only appearance in a black-and-white Looney Tunes film is a cameo in Porky Pig’s Feat (1943)
Bugs did not star in a Looney Tunes film until that series made its complete conversion to only color cartoons (1944)
The first cartoon character honored on a U.S. postage stamp
On December 10, 1985, Bugs received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Ranked #1 in TV Guide’s 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time (2002)
His stock…has never gone down…Bugs is the best example…of the smart-aleck American comic. He not only is a great cartoon character, he’s a great comedian. He was written well. He was drawn beautifully. He has thrilled and made many generations laugh. He is tops. (A TV Guide editor on CNN)
Bugs cartoons are listed 34 times on The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes list of cartoons
Bugs also received an Oscar nomination for Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt (1942)
Because Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt didn’t win, What’s Cookin’ Doc? (1944) spoofed the Academy in which Bugs demands a recount by claiming “sa-bo-TAH-gee”
.
Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) with a medieval Bugs trades battling Yosemite Sam and his fire-breathing dragon (which has a cold), won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
.
Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit, Duck! compose the “Rabbit Season/Duck Season” trilogy and are famous for originating the “historic” rivalry between Bugs and Daffy Duck
What’s Opera, Doc? (1957), casts Bugs and Elmer Fudd in a parody of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, and the US Library of Congress (in 1992) deemed it “culturally significant”, thus selecting it for preservation in the National Film Registry
.
Personal
Born July 27, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York below Ebbets Field (home of the Brooklyn Dodgers)
Characteristics include clever, trickster, flippant, and personable until you mess with me attitude (and this scene is one of my all-time favorites)
9
.
A known traveler, but frequently making the wrong turn in Albuquerque
.
Antagonists include Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Willoughby the Dog, Marvin the Martian, Beaky Buzzard, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig,Tasmanian Devil, Gossamer, Cecil Turtle, Witch Hazel, Rocky and Mugsy, Wile E. Coyote, the Crusher, Gremlin, Count Blood Count and a host of others
.
Bugs’ carrot-chewing standing position, is based a Clark Gable scene with Claudette Colbert in a scene from It Happened One Night
Bugs occasionally communicates with the audience to explain something to the audience, such as
- Be with you in a minute, folks!
- Feisty, ain’t they?
- That happens to him all during the picture, folks.
- Gee, ain’t I a stinker?
- Of course you know, this means war!
The origin of a classic Bugs Bunny line
.
Background
Happy Rabbit, though different looking and a forerunner to Bugs, first appears in Porky’s Hare Hunt (1938)
Created by the animators and staff of Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) with staff including Tex Avery, Robert McKimson, and Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc originated the Bugs Bunny’s voice
Debuted in A Wild Hare (July 27, 1940) featuring Elmer Fudd and Bugs in a hunter-tormentor relationship
A Wild Hare also debuted Bugs’ most famous catchphrase: “What’s Up Doc?”
First use of Bugs Bunny’s name on-screen is in Elmer’s Pet Rabbit (1941)
“Bugs” Bunny (quotation marks only used, on and off, until 1944)
168 cartoon shorts, most of which were directed by Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson and Chuck Jones
Buckaroo Bugs was Bugs’ first film in the Looney Tunes series
Last Golden Age appearance in False Hare (1964)
12 episodes have been banned because of political correctness
An interview Martha Goldman Sigall (at age 92 in June 2009) who worked at Leon Schlesinger’s Studios in 1939 when the studio created Bugs Bunny
.
Beyond Cartoons
In the fall of 1960, ABC debuted the prime-time television program The Bugs Bunny Show
The Bugs Bunny Show (through different formats and titles) appeared on network television for 40 years
Bugs featured in various network television specials in the 1970s and 80s
Films include Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Box Office Bunny, and Space Jam
Because of an equal-time agreement between Warner Brothers and Disney, Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse always appeared together in Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit introduced Bugs’ girlfriend, Lola Bunny (see a tribute)
Bugs has also appeared in numerous video games
.
Memorable Lines
My favorite when referring to politicians
A few other … do you remember any of these?
- Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.
- OOH! Look at four-legged airplane!
- Carrots are devine… You get a dozen for a dime, It’s maaaa-gic!
- Eeeeeeh, watch me paste that pathetic palooka with a powerful, pachydermous, percussionpitch.
- Don’t think it hasn’t been a little slice of heaven…’cause it hasn’t!
- Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?
- Do you happen to know what the penalty is for shooting a fricaseeing rabbit without a fricaseeing rabbit license?
- I wonder what the poor bunnies are doing this season?
- Oh, well, we almost had a romantic ending!
- My, I’ll bet you monsters lead innnnteresting lives.
- Here I go with the timid little woodland creature bit again. It’s shameful, but…ehhh, it’s a living.
- I bet you say that to all the wabbits.
- For shame, doc. Hunting rabbits with an elephant gun. Why don’t you shoot yourself an elephant?
- I know this defies the law of gravity, but I never studied law!
- Eh, what’s up, doc?
…. 🙂 Thank you, dear Frank for this amazing post, I loved and enjoyed so much…. I love them all. Have a great day, love, nia
LikeLike
Nia,
Bugs Bunny is enjoyed across the world!
LikeLike
I enjoyed this post very much Frank. Perfect for Sat. Morn. I love the what’s Opera Doc And the Monster in a Can. Now I need to watch some Bugs with my coffee this morning! Cheers!
LikeLike
Audra,
Glad to deliver a post fitting for your Saturday morning!
LikeLike
Favorite memory: Son plopped down in the beanbag chair, belly-laughing to Bugs. What a great way to raise a kid. So far it seems to have worked.
Thanks.
LikeLike
Melanie,
Good point from the parental view.
LikeLike
Who would have thought a grey and white, wise-cracking, smart-aleck rabbit would become so popular. He must represent something important in us all.
Thanks for the compilation, Frank.
LikeLike
Jim,
Definitely good descriptors for Bugs … and yes, a lasting impression to many … and probably many to come.
LikeLike
Thanks Frank been a long week so to sit and watch ol’ Bugs in action is the perfect sart to the week.
LikeLike
GFB,
Glad to not only pick one that you know, but also one serving as an aid for transitioning your week.
LikeLike
I loved when Bugs said “Albuquerque” and with Daffy Duck, the pair of them were hilarious. Thanks for posting the video of Martha Goldman Sigall, that was fascinating.
Where do you find all these video’s, YouTube and all the information that goes with it? I enjoy the memory lane you bring us down.
LikeLike
Catherine,
I have a couple of go-to sites regarding cartoons, plus what ever I can dig on my own. In terms of the videos, my memory sparks a lot of them, so I search with different term combinations.
LikeLike
Bugs is my all-time favorite, Frank! Great post!
LikeLike
Cathy,
He’s a classic and a favorite of many!
LikeLike
I should have seen it coming!!! Yeah … my favorite wabbit of all times!!!
Gosh, all these lines!! I remember them too! 🙂
Happy happy weekend, Frank!!! 🙂
LikeLike
Marina,
Glad to see that Bugs is your favorite … and as you know, he has so many lines! This post wasn’t easy because of the amount of available information.
LikeLike
I know, the hard work is evident but was worth it!!! 🙂
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
How am I supposed to get my usual nothing done, when you offer all these great videos? 😀
LikeLike
Archon,
That’s easy … just consider these videos as doing nothing, thus you can watch them all!
LikeLike
Thank you, Frank. 🙂 I really enjoyed this walk down memory lane. 🙂
LikeLike
Robin,
Thanks … and the pleasure was all mine.
LikeLike
Bugs! So well written. So many astute observations of life. And funny all at the same time. Great collection. Thanks for the giggles
LikeLike
Mouse,
As a I was gathering information, shortening was a challenge … as well as organizing it.
LikeLike
easy to get carried away with a good topic
LikeLike
Great post! Bugs is #1 with me, too, Frank. He’s got a New York accent, he is very comfortable with his sexuality (whatever it is) and kissing his male co-stars on the lips. Also, he is rather fond of cross-dressing. He’s a diva through and through. “What’s Opera Doc?” is my all-time favorite Bugs cartoon and his cameo appearance in “Duck Amuck” — Daffy’s finest on-screen appearance is brilliant. If you have not seen that one, you must. Even though “Knighty Knight Bugs” won the Oscar, my favorite Bugs’ cartoons were those directed by Chuck Jones.
LikeLike
Lame,
As you well know, there is so much info on Bugs … so whew .. this was a lot of work … but you seeing this post on Saturday made me smile!
LikeLike
I know, how rare me actually reading the cartoon post on Saturday! I thought you did a great job, Frank.
LikeLike
Thanks Cartoonoisseur!
LikeLike
bugs rules. no question. i’ve always felt that groucho was an inspiration for bugs. one of my favorite lines was from an episode that took place in a castle with a mad scientist. hare raising hare,” and after a bunch of shenanigans, bugs is about to leave. he says to the scientist, “and don’t think this hasn’t been a little slice of heaven… because it hasn’t.”
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/1062781/
it’s at about 2:20 of the cartoon. have to warn you though that this site isn’t always safe for work. couldn’t find it on youtube. and thanks for this one. #1 damn right!
LikeLike
Rich,
I found several references of Bugs and Groucho … and thanks for the link, I’ll check it out.
LikeLike
that episode features another “interesting creature.” gossamer. the big fluffy monster.
LikeLike
… and he’s on my list for a future post.
LikeLike
atta boy
LikeLike
Great memories,Frank. Nothing like a Bugs Bunny cartoon to go to bed on. 🙂
LikeLike
Sylvia,
Hopefully these videos brought sweet dreams.
LikeLike
I slept very well. 🙂
LikeLike
Hooray … the time switch got to me. 😦
LikeLike
Bugs Bunny – He was the wabbit I loved to hate. I was always rootin’ for his antagonists.
I love Seinfeld. I can watch any episode over & over & still chuckle. I saw Seinfeld once a few years back when he performed at a local theatre. It was a great show.
LikeLike
RoSy,
Although you are in the minority, that’s OK! And the number of memorable Seinfeld scenes is unreal. Wow … to see him perform!
LikeLike
I do love Bugs! Funny that I don’t particularly remember any of the lines you shared, but then, it’s been a long time! I also didn’t know he went back to the 40’s! I bought a DVD of old cartoons for my granddaughters, hoping to watch them myself. You’ve revived an interest. LOL!
LikeLike
Debra,
Bugs is prime out of the Golden Age of Cartoons, probably 1930s through the mid 1960s … the period of most of my honorees. Like other characters, Bug evolved, see these Google Images search.http://tinyurl.com/pkcg3bd
LikeLike
Great research, Frank. I had forgotten that Seinfeld episode! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Bugs Bunny xx
LikeLike
Spiced,
Thanks. Bugs is loved by many, but there are a few out there that didn’t for one reason or another.
LikeLike
That is one accomplished rabbit. I had no idea…
LikeLike
Cayman,
That’s even an understatement! 🙂
LikeLike
Ah, that Bugs overture was funny. Seinfield is a cultural icon!
Interesting historical facts on Bugs, Frank. I didn’t know that stuff. I remember Daniel & me saw “Bugs Bunny” in Queensland at a theme park. There were some precious times…
Jamie Curtis had a seriously slender waist in that video clip. I love watching those oldies though. They were pretty serious in the gig though!
I didn’t know where his carrot chewing stance came from. And loved the b/w clip this means war. Great post, Frank 🙂
LikeLike
Noeleen,
BTW – that’s Jamie’s parents … thus the small waist is her mother (Janet Leigh). I found a lot of info on Bugs, and the one about the carrot was one of the most surprising. Glad you enjoyed the post.
LikeLike
It’s a great post, Frank. You put so much into your posts, clearly! That’s why they’re good value. And always interesting.
LikeLike
Thank you … and cheers to your Monday morning during my Sunday night … which also mean my Monday Morning Entertainment post is about 40 minutes away.
LikeLike
Yet again I’m impressed by your encyclopaedic knowledge! And also that woman’s waist. How is it possible for anybody to fit their organs in a space like that!
LikeLike
Rose,
As we know, the Internet provides access to a lot of information. My wife says I retain useless information.
LikeLike
Loved Bugs then and Love him now! A favorite and a classic. I enjoyed watching the video of Yosemite Sam making him dance – laughed n laughed. Great post, Frank!
LikeLike
Lady,
That dance video was one of the last ones added as something reminded me of that seen … which remains one of my favorites. Glad you enjoyed this one! …. BTW … I mention nervous handbell ring is over (I mention it in the Monday After post.
LikeLike
I loved that one! It really made laugh. (I’m here with Gizmo now)
LikeLike
Best one yet. And at last a TV Guide ranking I can live with 😉
LikeLike
Fasab,
Bugs Bunny is simply one of the brightest stars, so it was a matter of time before I got to him.
LikeLike
The RESEARCH you put into your posts astounds me, Frank.
LikeLike
John,
Many thanks … accuracy is important, but I do make my share of mistakes.
LikeLike
Pingback: On the Greatest Hour | A Frank Angle