Sahara Hare (1955)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Music by Milt Franklyn
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Ted Bonnicksen, Arthur Davis
“Sahara Hare” gets off to a great start when Bugs Bunny burrows his way into the middle of the Sahara Desert and mistakenly believes he is in Miami Beach. Bugs happily runs across the desert to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, but the endless hot sands confuse and exhaust him. “Man, dig this crazy beach,” he exhales before hitting upon a tiny oasis. Mistaking the oasis pond for the ocean, he dives in headfirst, but winds up with a headful of mud from the pond’s shallow bottom.
Meanwhile, desert chieftain Yosemite Sam comes riding across the sands on his less-than-cooperative camel. Upset the someone is getting “footy-prints” all over his desert, he encounters Bugs at the oasis – or to be more precise, Bugs mistakes his flowing robes for a towel dispenser. When Bugs gives his customary “What’s up, doc?” greeting, Sam replies, “I’m no Doc, ya flea-bitten varmint! I’m Riffraff Sam, the riffiest riff that ever riffed a raft!” Bugs facetiously informs Sam, “Your slip is showing,” causing Sam to pull his robes to ground level in embarrassment, which leads to immediate anger when he realizes that he’s been pranked.
Up until now, “Sahara Hare” is perfect with original gags wrapped around an inventive premise. Unfortunately, the cartoon veers into a predictable rut where Bugs takes refuge in a desert fort that Sam tries to penetrate with increasingly elaborate schemes, including a giant slingshot and an elephant. Bugs sets a booby-trap with multiple doors that the stubborn Sam opens – the explosion linked to the last door occurs off-screen, with Bugs safely away from the destruction.
“Sahara Hare” wraps up with a surprise appearance by Daffy Duck, who also thinks he is in Miami Beach. It is a cute gag, but it doesn’t compensate for the cartoon’s wrong turn away from its fast and funny opening.