2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.
Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.
Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Warren Foster
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Rob Scribner
“My ma-ma dun told me, bring home something for din-ner!”
The interesting thing about Beaky Buzzard is that despite being a one and done Bugs antagonist, he had considerable shelf life. Much in the vein of Taz, he’d live on in future iterations of Looney Tunes, particularly “Tiny Toon Adventures,” where the legacy character “Concord Condor” would be his protégé, etc. Oddly, Taz would only appear in a few Bugs Bunny shorts, and would live on in popularity for decades. He was especially popular in the nineties, garnering his own animated series and video games. Beaky Buzzard, all things considered, is a pretty good Bugs Bunny antagonist all things considered, as he’s very funny, but pretty darn deadly.
Beaky Buzzard is consistently one that keeps Bugs on his toes for the duration of “Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid,” despite his inherently minuscule intellect and common sense. On par with the series’ usual raunch, the title “Gets the Boid” alludes to Bugs getting the Bird, and getting—ahem–“The Bird.” If you know, you know. It is double entendres like that that’s always made me appreciate the Warner cartoons, not to mention it really injects surefire replay value for the audience. There’s always something new to catch with these shorts. The older and more educated I get, as Beaky Buzzard is another in a line of characters that I was sure Mel Blanc voiced.
In actuality the voice behind the character is Kent Rogers. Rogers does a bang up job of portraying Beaky Buzzard as something of a simpleton (I do a damn good impression of him if I may say so), but also someone who is pretty cunning when he applies himself. He’s not so much stupid, as he is absolutely lazy, and he proves that in certain moments when he outwits Bugs here and there. This is classic Bugs Bunny with him merely minding his business (Reading “Hare Raising Stories”) in his hole until Beaky Buzzard comes flying in to prey on him.
When we meet Beaky Buzzard his mother (played very well by radio actress Sara Berner) is sending out her children to hunt for large animals, but Beaky refuses to step forward. Despite his protestations, she literally kicks him out of the nest and sends him out to “at least” catch a bunny rabbit. He happens to come across Bugs. Much of the chase gives way to some really funny gags that are pretty top notch all around. There’s a fun gag involving Bugs as an air traffic controller, and a hilarious instance when Bugs submits to Beaky and descends in to his hole. This prompts Beaky to wonder if he’s being tricked, to which Bugs emerges in drag and partially dressed declaring “You naughty, naughty boy!”
Beaky turns blushing in shyness, a hilarious turn that comes in to play in the closing shot of the short. My favorite gag though is when Beaky Buzzard pounces on Bugs prompting them to struggle for a bit. The struggle then devolves in to the pair dancing the Jitterbug. It’s a hilarious and subtle skit that always inspires a chuckle or two, even to this day. “Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid” is definitely one of the more balanced, if simple, shorts from Bugs Bunny’s library. The set up and premise are paper thin, but it’s packed with some really sharp humor, and ace animation.
The final pay off with the animal bones and Beaky Buzzard’s mother is also very silly, but in a good way. It’s too bad we don’t really see Beaky Buzzard again in subsequent shorts, but he made a lasting impression on the Looney Tunes roster, if anything.
Find out what we think are the BEST and WORST Bugs Bunny shorts of all time!