Slick Hare (1947)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Virgil Ross
“Slick Hare” is one of the best Bugs Bunny shorts ever made. It’s also one of my all time favorites. It’s hilarious, it’s clever, it’s sharply written, and if you’re a fan of classic Hollywood, you’ll adore all the cameos from famous Hollywood heavyweights of the time. Hell, one of the icons of Hollywood, Humphrey Bogart, plays a large role in the short and helps set off the chain of events that involves Elmer Fudd trying to snatch Bugs and make him in to dinner.
This is another short in where the presence of Tex Avery could still be very well felt in the seams. Avery had a knack for injecting realism amidst the silliness of his shorts, and “Slick Hare” tinkers with that same speed of comedy and sharp gags. “Slick Hare” could breeze by on the merit of its hilarious Hollywood satire alone for eight minutes and still be so funny. But the fact it also features prime Bugs and Elmer antics makes it so much sweeter and so much more raucous than ever. The set up is simple and quite fun as we center on the “Macrumbo,” a top notch club in Hollywood where all of the elite celebrities hang out.
Elmer is the waiter there serving his clientele and is met by Humphrey Bogart (voiced by impressionist Dave Barry) who wants “Fried Rabbit” for his “baby.” Despite Elmer insisting there’s no rabbit, Humphrey pulls out a Tommy Gunn demanding his dish. Anxious, Elmer stumbles on to Bugs Bunny who has hidden out in the stock of carrots, and now Elmer gives chase desperate to snag him in order to please Bogie—“or else.”
While there we see “Leopold” conducting a jukebox, then there’s a great appearance by Ray Miland in “The Lost Weekend,” a brief but fun appearance by Gregory Peck in “Spellbound”; there’s a hilarious riff on Frank Sinatra who appears shockingly thin, and there’s the cameo by Raymond Burr. Carmen Miranda plays a key role in the short, performing her song “Sambaiana” for the audience as Bugs hides out in her signature fruit head dress. After she dances off, Bugs is forced to perform to evade Elmer who waits with his knife, and riffs on the same Samba song with his own hilarious physical gags.
It’s a great bit of rhythm and visual comedy that works so beautifully together, and it’s an absolute stitch. There’s also a fun side gag with the Marx Brothers and obviously Bugs is Groucho. That is probably my favorite of the bunch mainly because I’m such a big fan of the Marx Brothers. The animation of the celebrities and their likenesses is great and really helps meld the Hollywood aesthetic with the Looney Tunes brilliantly. Bugs and Elmer hold up their ends with the hilarious aforementioned Samba gag, a fun running joke involving Bugs, pies, and the revolving waiter door, and the final scene which caps off everything.
As many know, “baby” is none other than Bogart’s wife Lauren Bacall and “Slick Hare” ends on a sharp and funny note with Bogart’s demands being met by an ornery Bugs who serves himself up to her willfully. It’s a great final gag that caps off a just genius Bugs Bunny short all around. It’s a short that benefits with repeated viewings because every gag just hits harder and funnier every time.
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