Backwoods Bunny

Backwoods Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce.[1] The short was released on June 13, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny.[2] Voiced by Mel Blanc, Bugs Bunny takes a vacation in the Ozarks, but he is pursued by two famished buzzards, voiced by Daws Butler (uncredited.)[3]

Backwoods Bunny
Title card
Directed byRobert McKimson
Story byTedd Pierce
Produced byJohn W. Burton
StarringMel Blanc
Edited byTreg Brown
Music byMilt Franklyn
Animation byWarren Batchelder
Tom Ray
George Grandpré
Ted Bonnicksen
Layouts byRobert Gribbroek
Backgrounds byWilliam Butler
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
June 13, 1959
Running time
7 min
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Bugs Bunny arrives in the Ozarks, and sees it as the right place to spend his vacation. But in a small cottage placed atop a tall bare tree lives a bumpkin buzzard and his son Elvis. The latter spots Bugs and decides to lure him with a carrot. Bugs notices his attempt from a tree stump and decides to go again on the defensive.

Bugs first puts his hand out to feel the carrot long enough to lure Elvis to the hole entrance. Elvis pulls out the hand, which turns out to be a long hose with a white glove at the end of it. Soon, the rabbit turns on the water tap, which sends Elvis back and forth between two trees, until Bugs turns off the water and Elvis falls to the ground. Bugs then asks Elvis what is going to with the "snake". The buzzard panics, flies off toward the cottage and comes back with a rifle. When Bugs tells him there are no snakes, Elvis points his rifle at the rabbit and shoots, but misses. Bugs inches closer and Elvis, exclaiming "I'll blow your flunkin' head off!", backs away until he falls off a cliff.

As Elvis starts to have another go, he falls for Bugs dressed as a pretty hillbilly lady. Very soon, however, he realises it's Bugs and shoots at him, while Bugs dives into his rabbit hole. Elvis points his rifle in the hole and demands Bugs to come out, but Bugs refuses. As Elvis gives Bugs the count of four, our hero attaches some pipes from the end of the rifle to where the father buzzard is lounging in his cottage. After the countdown is up, Elvis shoots his father in the face. A misunderstanding makes Elvis shoot his father repeatedly, and the continuity is made by Bugs, at first dressed for golf, before walking away and singing the Art Mooney tune "I'm Lookin' over a Four (BANG!) Leaf Clover that I overlooked Before (BANG!) Before... (BANG!) Before... (BANG!) Before... (BANG!)".

Music
  • "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover", (uncredited). Music by Harry M. Woods, Lyrics by Mort Dixon
  • "Arkansas Traveler", (uncredited). Music by Sanford Faulkner
  • "Oh, You Beautiful Doll", (uncredited). Music by Nat Ayer

References
  1. Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 316. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. McCall, Douglas L. (2015). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland. p. 93. ISBN 9781476609669.
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