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.
Buckaroo Bugs (1944)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Lou Lilly
Animation by Manny Gould
It would be a while before we would ever see Yosemite Sam on the big screen battling Bugs Bunny. We already saw the proto-granny in “Hare Force,” so “Buckaroo Bugs” has the proto-Yosemite Sam otherwise known as the Red Hot Ryder. This character would appear first and obviously be the character that would morph in to the aforementioned gun slinging bandit. This is also one of the very few times that we’ve seen Bugs Bunny playing the super villain in his own short. While yes there was the Tortoise and Hare but shorts, with “Buckaroo Bugs,” Bugs comes right out and says it to the audience that he is a bandit known s the notorious Masked Marauder.
He is infamous for robbing trains for shipment of their carrots. The short plays up on the idea of rationing as, during World War II, Americans were essentially rationing a lot of resources and foods like vegetables and sugar, and whatnot. The set up is that the short is centered on the small town of the “San Fernando Alley” (a play on San Fernando Valley). “Our story begins when the West was young, and early pioneers settled down to never more roam, and made the San Fernando Alley their home.” After stealing from Victory Gardens of the San Fernando Alley, the town’s people bring in Red Hot Ryder to track down the Masked Marauder.
He comes across Bugs Bunny who, without his realization, is the Masked Marauder but Bugs decides to mess with him. This is, again, a short where Bugs Bunny is the actual villain, but he still manages to have a good time with the Red Hot Ryder. Despite Bugs being the main character Red Hot Ryder derives the most laughs with the aide of his loyal black stallion. Some of his best gags involve a hilarious scene where he thinks he’s riding his horse only for his horse to be standing right beside him. Bugs Bunny also makes use of magnets, taking his belt and guns twice, and of course the hilarious moment where Bug keeps leading them to different jumping points in their pursuit the Masked Marauder.
Their final leap across the Grand Canyon causes them to plummet despite their best efforts to defy gravity. “Buckaroo Bugs” really is one of the more underrated Bugs Bunny shorts that deliver on some raucous laughs, as well as Bob Clampett’s signature comic timing and humor. Clampett was very much about over the top gags and here he brings is in spades. The interesting thing about “Buckaroo Bugs” is that the Red Hot Ryder actually isn’t a bad character.
Red Hot Ryder is a great precursor to Yosemite Sam, even giving the hilarious “Whoa!” gag where he pleads with his horse to stop running before he gives up and clubs him over the head. He’s pretty darn funny when you get down to it and I could have seen another short with him but as a solo character, much in the way the Three Bears garnered their own shorts. I could see the animators and writers playing on the whole movie serial angle and giving Red Hot Ryder his own wacky adventures and mishaps involving his own foil.
I don’t know if it was because of the inevitable introduction of Yosemite Sam, or whatnot, but the character had potential. He is the source of the some of the funniest gags in the whole of “Buckaroo Bugs” and one of the few genuine human heroes of the Looney Tunes stable.
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