Shishkabugs (1962)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by John Dunn
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy, Virgil Ross, Bob Matz, Lee Halpern, Art Leonardi
Music by Bill Lava
Yosemite Sam is the overworked and underappreciated cook for an obese, ill-tempered king who looks and sounds just like Charles Laughton. When the monarch demands hassenpfeffer for his meal, Sam is perplexed – he is unfamiliar with the dish and consults a cookbook that lists rabbit as an ingredient. When Bugs Bunny turns up at the royal kitchen looking to borrow a cup of carrots, Sam tries (and, of course, fails) to incorporate him into the royal meal.
With only five minutes and five seconds of footage (not counting the titles), “Shishkabugs” is the shortest of the Golden Age cartoons in the Bugs Bunny series. But even at that compact running time, the film quickly wears out its welcome with a lethargic and predictable presentation.
Part of the problem could be in Friz Freleng’s penchant for recycling gags, The Bugs-as-dinner plot was lifted from the classic “Slick Hare” (1947) while having a monarch caricature of Charles Laughton came from “Roman Legion-Hare” (1955).
Also, there was the problem in Mel Blanc’s voice performance. At the time, he was recovering from a near-fatal car crash and was not able to yell out the dialogue in a Yosemite Sam style. As a result, Sam is more low-keyed here than usual, but what’s the point of having a mild Yosemite Sam?
“Shishkabugs” is also the first Bugs Bunny short scored by Bill Lava, who took over the music duties from the late Milt Franklyn. In this case, the score adds nothing to the comedy and is just another demerit in a poorly conceived endeavor.