Big House Bunny (1950)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Virgil Ross
Music by Carl Stalling
I know that I compare a lot of the premises for Bugs Bunny shorts to Tex Avery, but there’s no doubting that a lot of his influence remained on the Looney Tunes long after he left for MGM. Not only did he have an unusual albeit genius formula, but he was funnier in MGM because he was pretty much allowed to be as insane as possible. With “Big House Bunny” it feels like a plot for one of Droopy’s shorts where Droopy ends up at the wrong place while the warden would normally be the hilarious rival of the wolf.
That doesn’t hinder the entertainment factor of “Big House Bunny” it’s just that the concept for this short feels familiar in its ingredients.
Nevertheless, the short still is a laugh riot, and one that I admittedly have never seen before. I don’t know why but out of all the hours I’ve spent watching Bugs Bunny, I’ve never actually crossed “Big House Bunny.” It’s too bad because the short is hilarious as it has Yosemite Sam re-appearing once again, but this time as prison guard Sam Schultz. Bugs is being hunted now that it’s Rabbit Season and he’s desperate to find some kind of sanctuary. Sadly, Bugs accidentally digs in to a prison, Sam is not convinced that Bugs isn’t a prisoner, despite his protests.
Now with Bugs forced in to hard labor he has to figure a way out of the big house. There are a lot of good gags that come from this set up with Bugs having to outwit Sam at every turn. There’s a fun gag involving a prison cell, and Bugs even tricks Sam in to changing outfits with him during a fight. There’s even the running gag of the warden who screams “Shultz! Office!” Bugs even commits to some hilarious misunderstandings as during a pursuit Sam mistakes Bugs for his boss and whacks him over the head.
The misdirection, and the delivery of the joke topped off with the animation is a laugh riot. Oddly there are jokes that I imagine didn’t sit too well with censors over the years, including a scene where Sam is electrocuted in an electric chair. There’s also another where he’s accidentally hanged on a gallows, prompting him to angrily rant in a high pitched voice. It’s a good thing that they don’t subtract much from the antics.
“Big House Bunny” is a decent comedy short with Yosemite Sam and some solid gags. It’s not top tier, but it gets the job done.
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